Everyone's changed life

Initially highly anxious and concerned for friends family etc, but soon morphed into more practical thinking, such as registering with online groceries, sorting out deliveries from various places for other food, milk. At first networking with friends and family to make sure they could get supplies and in the first instance, around mid march, getting shopping for other people as well.

almost immediately local people set up help groups on Facebook and WhatsApp, offering all sorts of support and assistance with shopping, getting prescriptions and suchlike.

at first all the things we had to do to keep safe seemed bizarre, weeks on and it is the new normal. To be aware of everything you touch, such as mail, groceries and wonder if it is contaminated. How far do you go, total paranoia with sanitising just about everything or blasé insouciance ? somewhere inbetween really, just trying to be sensible.Checking which shops are well managed, and those to be avoided. Seeing family on odd occasions at a distance and outside. Doing a sort of dance round people when out walking, and sort of feeling guilty at treating people like lepers, but most people just smile with a mutual understanding of why we are all doing this.

going out in the car a rare treat, music on, feeling sort of normal.

makes it a bit easier knowing everyone is in the same boat, missing people, missing their old life and wishing everything was ok again.

I know many many people are suffering during this time, with lack of money, job uncertainty and other problems, but if you are lucky enough to be able to find some positive things from these times then embrace them.

things to be thankful for - quiet cleaner air time to do things such as sorting out house, gardening and baking bread - a bit trendy at the moment but why not, most of us never had time before now. Life going at a slower pace, maybe more natural pace. All the funny jokes etc that come through on WhatsApp and passed on to cheer us up. Peoples infinite inventiveness, new ways of getting together via zoom, and increase in cycling and the measures being taken in some cities to give more space to cycling and less to cars.

Stuff to get annoyed, angry and frustrated about - Absolute shambles of government, too little, too late, misinformation and lies, inept and lack of proper leadership, resulting in horrifying statistics, so many people losing their lives unnecessarily. Longing for a government that treats us with respect, speaks the truth and actually cares.