Week 1

Your reflections

• Experience is different for everyone

  by Janet, almost 4 years ago

  I consider myself fortunate not to have any financial worries at the moment and to live with someone that I can have face to face conversations with. I have an elderly mother with numerous health problems who is living in another town but otherwise life is fairly relaxed. Some of my friends are in very different circumstances e.g. one works in travel and is thinking she will have to find new employment and another is working harder than usual because her lodger has gone and she needs to replace the income. Within my friendship group it inevitable that there will... Continue reading

• How things have changed since lockdown.

  by Tasha, almost 4 years ago

  What precautions you take:

  Always carry hand sanitiser, wear a mask if going to the shop, wash hands as soon as get back home and disinfect mobile phone. Don't leave the house apart from daily exercise and going to collect shopping once a week.

  
  

  What you worry about:

  Catching it and bringing it back to older family members.

  Job security. I am currently on furlough and work in the events industry which is really struggling at the moment, so I'm concerned that if this goes on for much longer I will be made redundant.

  Economy and house market. I have... Continue reading

• Everyone's changed life

  by sylvia, almost 4 years ago

  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... Continue reading

• Mingling again

  by Suzanne, almost 4 years ago

  Hi, travelled a bit yesterday, including central London. More people out than I expected, sightseeing, cycling, exercising. I thought about how people will feel being in close contact with strangers again, on tubes, streets, shops etc. On a personal level I like the space, but look forward to seeing city life lively and sociable again

• Going out now

  by Stuart, almost 4 years ago

  There are a few things that are different now when I go out, I go out regularly as I have had to work since day one of the pandemic, the main difference going to work now is that I drive as I feel it is safer because I am the only one who drives my car and only one in it, whereas before I always got the train to work, I started driving because there wasn't anyway I could social distance on the train in the early period of the pandemic, the train was packed as I am on a... Continue reading

• Carolyn's journal 1

  by Carolyn, almost 4 years ago

  For the next few days, when you leave your household and interact with others, try to notice a) what precautions you take b) what you worry about c) how your behaviour is different to before COVID19

  I wear a mask while shopping or doing anything else in close proximity to others. Otherwise I don’t take precautions apart from washing my hands a lot. I’m travelling on a bike, so that feels quite safe. My children don’t allow me to hug my grandchildren, although I’m going to make a pitch for a few hugs before they go back to school/nursery.

  I... Continue reading

• Golf

  by Russell, almost 4 years ago

  Went to play golf yesterday to get some much needed exercise, impressed as lots of thought had gone into the set up

  Separate check in from your car

  Only practice from 10 minutes of your tee meaning you and your partner are only ones there

  More spaced tee times

  No touching of flag

  Benches and ball cleaning out of action

  No collecting of stray balls

  Finish game and go

  
  made me feel safe, everyone was adhering to the laws and made it an enjoyable safe experience, shame the actual golf wasn’t better 🤦‍♂️

• walking

  by Caroline, almost 4 years ago

  I walked up to Highgate yesterday, on a pilgrimage of sorts -to get a better look at the church I can see from my bedroom window. I was always aware of people on the pavement, giving them a wide berth whenever possible, stepping into a doorway for the ancient man who was jogging(!) up Highgate West Hill.

  On the way home I popped into Iceland, to grab some supplies. I didn't have any PPE. I should have packed some before I left. I don't know why I didn't, I knew I was going to grab some shopping on my way... Continue reading

• The new normal way of going for a walk/going shopping

  by Anna, almost 4 years ago

  I've been in lockdown at my parent's house, and I am the one in the household who goes out to get shopping done to safeguard my parents who are touching the 'at risk' age. We've been quite lucky with online food delivery but we still run out of things so today was a supermarket day. It's still weird to remember to have to keep a 2m distance while trying to locate things around the shop. I checked out at the self-checkout which had no queue, then realised when it was too late that touch screen checkout probably wasn't the wisest... Continue reading

• How lack of access to Technology is limiting peoples access to food

  by Mandy, almost 4 years ago

  So Im struggling with the week 1 activity. Im privileged in that I'm semi retired, live in a house with a garden and currently do not have any money worries. I find it hard thinking about how I might see friends and family during this crisis when so many others are struggling to even eat. This morning a BBC R4 article about the increased demand for food banks and the how a lack of technology is impacting some peoples ability to get food was shocking. I've listened to that article twice now and some of the stats are very interesting... Continue reading