Annual leave

After all being home since March together, I’m now on annual leave and the children are on school holidays.  Normally I would be taking the children out, I would have plans to see things and see friends.  Despite my shielded husband returning to work on Monday I’m still scared to go out.  I’m dreading next week, if he does catch COVID – 19, then what happens?  Telling the children that daddy is on a ventilator is not something I ever want to do.

I’m sat here, waiting on the phone to Morrison’s.  Tesco have put up their delivery prices in August so I’m hoping that Morrison’s can add us to their priority list.  Yes, Morrison’s is walking distance but I’m scared to go in, especially as the children will be with me.   For me, right now, the days of running into the supermarket are a memory.

To top everything happening right now, my dad is not well.  I haven’t told the children but I keep crying.  He’s still young, I have patients in their nineties and hundreds.  Again I mustn’t project as these are early days.

I hated my school years, but 2020 is now the worst year of my life.  Yes, I’ve enjoyed home-schooling but I’m feeling so stressed!

Holidays

So, two weeks are stretching out ahead of me.  We could go to the woods, or to empty fields. Wandering around the town is not something I’m prepared to do. We could do some art, or read and write together – maybe a little too idyllic.   How to do you get two game obsessed children of their gadgets?  If I tell my nine-year-old, that he’s to come off it, he says, “okay”, but then continues playing.

I need safe outdoor play.  My holiday is going to be harder than other years, I accept that, but most things involve crowds and people.

Safe at home

The difference between staying safely at home, in our small cocoon, to going back out into the world and seeing people is dramatic.  The figures are now increasing again and parts of the UK are already locked down.   The GP has now changed one of my husband’s medications to weekly, so more stress needing to go to the pharmacy more often.  Till now they have been delivering it to us, this service has now stopped.  Thousands have been relying on their government food box, or Boris box, this has now stopped.   Despite shielding being paused, the virus is still out there and it’s still killing people.

The children are happily in their own little worlds, oblivious to our fears.   My nine-year-old will ask to wear his face cover. My seven-year-old, I’ve contemplated buying her some on eBay.  The conundrum with the facemasks are do you buy just a cloth face covering? Or do you buy one with a filter insert?  Do I buy one for £5.00? or do I spend £25.00? I’m not medically trained, the theories that it does not affect children as much as adults, I’m not sure what to believe.  As much as I can, I will continue to protect them.

The featured image was drawn after a lesson with my seven year old daughter on how the earth orbits the sun.  A happy home schooling memory.

August plans

Writing commitments for this month include,

1. The next part of my Ruby and Freda story.
2. Write the Story for Writers Unite
3. Blogbattle writing prompt.
4. To write a 5000 word story on the Wild West, for the new Writers Unite Anthology.
5. To continue with my time tunnel novel

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I also need to entertain the children and support them with their reading and comprehension.  My nine year old is skimming text and not taking in what is happening.  His excuse of “I don’t like reading” is frustrating.  If he doesn’t understand what is going on, then he’s not going to enjoy it. I’ve been reading him the ‘Wizards of Once’  and testing his understanding as I read.  He is rarely answering correctly.  How do you improve a child’s reading and listening skills?  I’m hoping that as we read together, he will improve.

I need to take things a day at a time and stop worrying. I must see more of my dad, (and family) who I’ve hardly seen since March due to shielding, plus keep up with my writing and work on my garden.  The weeds have well and truly taken over, but I’ve had no gardening motivation these last few months.   Life as always is busy.

Last month I was included in MJ Mallon’s – Life in Lockdown, featuring writers thoughts on this current situation.

August

As we head into August, our world is going to change.  One will be getting  up at 6.30am to drive daddy to work.  Another will be knowing more about my father’s prognosis and talking to the children about him.  We all need normality now and the children need school in September.  Watching Boris Johnson talking yesterday, I have doubts in my mind about whether school will happen.  Yes, I should stop watching the news but day by day the COVID – 19 situation changes.

My head keeps turning to Netflix and Amazon prime.  These last few months I have binge watched Dark, The Stranger, Safe and Catastrophe. Offspring and Absentia that both feature Matthew Le Nevez,and now Schitts Creek.  Yes, a bit of an escape from life but they don’t help me write.

As I keep writing, we need to continue a day at a time.  This is a difficult mindset, especially when bad news is involved, but we need to all try and do it, we also should rest and relax more.  To look after ourselves, our mental health and our families.  I really hope that next year is easier and better, right now there is so much going on.  I’m glad that I haven’t got the temptation of a crystal ball to know the future.

So, how are you getting on right now? have you been shielded? and how do you plan to keep your children / grandchildren busy during the holidays?