Dear 2020

You are certainly a very strange year.  Although I’m a firm believer that you can start again on any day or month of the year, I still felt a buzz when January 1st came and it was hello 2020.  I certainly never ever realised how strange it would be.  The whispers of this new “virus” which came from China didn’t seem a problem then. January, a month that can seem to go too slowly, actually whizzed past.  I bought myself a bike, attempted to learn to ride again and enjoyed a very lovely Saturday in the lovely town of Emsworth with Chris.

February came and with it the start of birthday season.  How I felt sorry for Kathryn when Storm Ciara hit us on her birthday and wrecked her evening meal plans.  I’m so pleased that the following weekend, we ignored all weather reports and battled our way to Bath to enjoy an afternoon tea.  Yes it was wet and windy but how we now can rejoice that we did actually did go because it would be one of our last afternoon teas for a while.  Next weekend, the weather looked as if it would dampen a trip to the theatre with Chris. It cleared up to allow us to take public transport, enjoy a glass of wine or three and walk to the lovely Kings Theatre.  The next day was blustery but Wimbledon beckoned for a roast with Jordan and Thais.  Apart from the weather and the talk of China, you had started very well.  I was looking forward to more afternoon teas, theatre trips and booking holidays in the months ahead or so I believed….

March arrived and suddenly life came to a halt.  The virus from China had finally become a pandemic around the world.  Mother’s Day was the last day we spent together as a family.  Jordan had been working from home for two weeks but was returning to London to be with his girlfriend, and Kathryn, after having a “sleepover” with us, returned to be with her boyfriend.  Although we suspected we were going to face a lock down situation, I don’t think we understood how much our lives would change when the day after Mother’s Day, we were told to stay indoors and not mix with other households.  Keeping fit outside was limited and working from home was what we were being encouraged to do. Now 11 weeks on, I am able to see my daughter if we keep 2 metres apart.  We have devised different family “virtual meet ups” which have been very good (what did we do before the internet and mobile phones) and I have enjoyed getting letters in the post from Kathryn.  The letters have been fun with a few “Kathryn” challenges added to them.

In the last letter, Kathryn told me how she is enjoying writing her blog again.  As she had previously been busy working now that she is a “grown up”, blogging had been put aside.  She is making the most of being put on furlough (a new word I despise), and is enjoying all the things that will hopefully make her a fully fledged “grown up”!  She asked if I would ever get into blogging again.

Well in the two weeks since being asked that question, I have re-read some of my posts and looked at my life. I announced on Monday to Kathryn that I would like to but didn’t know how I would do it.  I think she had been thinking about this a lot as she reeled off lots of ideas.  As is normal for me, I came up with an idea on a walk listening to a pod cast (another of Kathryn’s challenges).  I thought I would write letters to my family, friends and all the people/things that make me happy or sad.  It will be a great way to expressing thanks or basically getting things off my chest!

Finally 2020, I would like to say the last 5 months has been so different for us. There has been a great loss in the world: lives, livelihood and a certain amount of freedom.  I am hopeful that from 1st June it is going to get better.  We will  be able to start seeing our family again and although there will be a new norm, life will be good again.

Here’s hoping

Tina

P.S. I will write to you again!

Please come back and read about how challenging I am finding the rules, the impact of the furlough scheme and ways we have made sure our family have fun together