It's been a funny old week. With everything going on in the world right now and over the last twelve months, that simple opening sentence could mean a plethora of things. In truth, I'm not even sure myself exactly how I mean it. The week has definitely been both a mixed bag AND an emotional rollercoaster... A mixed rollercoaster bag if you will but I wouldn't if I were you.
On Tuesday, buoyed by the news that my time as a teacher was coming to an end and by Hal's lack of whingeing on Monday, I entered the classroom (kitchen) with a spring in my step. My darling second born promptly took the jam right out of my doughnut by being an absolute toad. Thanks, son! On both Tuesday and Wednesday we had tears, shouting and tantrums... and no, it wasn't just from him. I lost my temper, so frustrated was I by the fact that I KNOW he can do the work he just wouldn't bloody do it!
You'd think that knowing we only have a week or so left of this crazy set up would make it easier on Hal and I but it turns out, it's had the opposite effect! We're both just so fed up of the situation and so desperate for it to be over. I cannot wait to go back to being "just" Hal's mam and not his teacher. In fairness, Hal's actual teacher (big up, Miss Douglas) has been a rock star! It makes such a difference having his teacher 'live' on Teams every day and she's done an amazing job of engaging with the children through a screen. Even just supporting Hal has taken it out of me but Miss Douglas has never let her energy drop. I now have even more respect for teachers having had one in my kitchen virtually since early January.
I'm happy to report that yesterday Hal was slightly less of a pain in the arse and today, clearly chockful of Friday feeling, he was a delight. Today he did three star challenges in both his English and his Maths when the highest I've ever got out of him previously was the two star! We're done for the day now which means I've got five more days to go and then I can (hopefully) close down the kitchen classroom for good.
So what else did The Eton Mess have for us on Monday? Well, by the end of March, we can hang out with another household in their garden. Friends will be able to sit on a bench outdoors and have a coffee together without having to pretend that they're exercising. In all honesty, a lot of the early restriction easing feels in a bit pointless as it's officially permitting stuff that so many people are already doing! I've gone for walks with friends (only one at a time, mind you) where we've both carried hot drinks with us as we walked and we maybe sat on a bench (with a gap between us) to enjoy the scenery. The problem is that even though we are in another proper government ordered lockdown, nothing has ever felt as restrictive or as official as the one that ran from March through to summer last year.
In Stage 2 of Boris' plan, commencing no earlier than April 12, non-essential retail will start to re-open. This means once again that there will be huge queues to get in to Primark and social media posts and tabloid newspaper articles shaming people for queuing to get in to Primark. This could also signal an end to my furlough if I haven't already been summoned back by then. This stage also sees hair salons reopening and people being able to wave goodbye once more to their 'lockdown hair do.' For me, I'm more excited about being able to get my eyebrows threaded again as there is a part of me that genuinely worries my brows could stage a coup and take over my entire face.
Around mid-May providing we've all been behaving ourselves then cinemas and indoor hospitality can return. Eva and I have tickets for two separate events in London in May, a week apart. Both have been rescheduled previously and alas, I think will be moved again. Even though, in theory, theatres and venues could be operational by May 17, one of our events in May 15 and the other is May 22. If all my planned events from last year roll over in to next, I'm going to be flat out in 2022!
The big focus is on June 21 when Boris tells us, all social distancing measures could be scrapped and nightclubs can re-open. Social media is awash with folks planning to go absolutely nuts when this happens, raving until dawn even if they haven't put so much as a toe through the door of a club in more than a decade. Being cooped up for so long has done strange things to us all, I guess.
While I am of course giddy at the prospect of going out for dinner with friends or sitting in a darkened cinema once again, I hope that I don't lose my appreciation for the little things that have sustained me and kept me sane over the past few months. With nothing much to get excited about recently, I found that the arrival and subsequent wearing of some new slippers I'd ordered brought me a disproportionate amount of joy. I really focused on how they felt on my feet and on how much more content I felt generally now that my little trotters were warm and cosy. Yesterday in Tesco, I purchased a new mug - a lovely, big, rounded green mug with a K on it. Today I've sat on my wonderfully comfy bed, felt the warmth from the sun streaming in through my bedroom window and enjoyed the pleasant sensation of the mug in my hands. Lockdown has helped me be more mindful and really tune in to the tiniest details of my day and really delight in them. I hope that's something I manage to retain when the world opens up and our lives become busier and noisier once more.
The Covid vaccine roll out program seems to be the only thing BoJo and co have got right in this whole pandemic nightmare. The plan is for every adult to have had at least their first dose by July. If the numbers keep falling and if the vaccine keeps rolling and if the general public keep behaving, we might see something that resembles normal life by summertime. A whole lot of 'ifs' and 'buts' and variables to factor in but Spring is around the corner and with her, she brings hope.
