March started out to be the month of focusing, prepping and planning to open a pain management clinic room in Kenilworth. I’d viewed and discussed options; chosen the room I was going to be using and then things became very strange fairly quickly. The clinic will still be opening, just when is anyone’s guess right now with the COVID-19 crisis. I will, of course, be shouting from the roof tops, with huge excitement, as soon as I have any more news for you on that front.
Coronavirus, which had already plagued China and Italy, was beginning to take hold here in the UK, among many other countries. Flights were being denied landing space and having to return, cruise ships and their passengers were being effectively held in a floating breeding ground for the virus. Theatres were being closed down, big events were being cancelled, the phrases self isolating and social distancing had started to become the everyday vocabulary of almost every news broadcast, radio station and live day time TV talk show. Businesses were starting to see their workforce dropping off into self-isolation, customer appointments being cancelled, and contracts being suspended.
Just seven days ago, on Monday evening, Boris made it very clear that staying indoors was an instruction and not a request. We must only leave the house once a day for exercise, to collect essential shopping and medication or if our jobs/businesses cannot be conducted from home and are key roles. We’re not to visit family and friends nor can we attend our place of worship with Churches, Synagogues, Mosques and other buildings being closed down.
What has this meant for our house?
Our house is myself, my fiancé, Jay, our 19 year old daughter, Aimee-Peta, a 12 year old Japanese Akita, Boe, and a crazy loon of an American Akita in six year old Bix. The daughter does have two dwarf hamster things called Hamilton and Theodore, but they live shut away in her bedroom away from Bix, to who they are known as Ham and Cheese vol-au-vants.
Aimee and I had already been spending every minute we could indoors, with the exception of going on the hunt for toilet rolls just as we were about to run out. It was necessary to make it very clear to Jay that whilst he hasn’t got to work, because he can’t from home, that I still do have to work. I still have people to help and a business to build, it’s only the pain management clinic which has had to be suspended due to the virus. My UW business continues with remote sign ups, savings and huge benefits to the new member as well as the environment, now could not be a better time to be taking a look at how it would benefit you. The digital health UK support continues, as that is predominantly a work from home role, we are starting to see a slow in the demands now the NHS have another more important priority for the immediate term so that role is switching up very much to how to hit the ground running once things calm down somewhat. My role at the church, as Parish Administrator, continues from home with using this time to rebuild the website and other means of digital social interaction. The networking continues over Zoom.
All in all, for me individually, things have become slightly busier although a little more difficult to remain focused. I pick up the phone to make a call and the washing machine which sits just behind my chair will be turned on, I jump on zoom call and the vacuum starts whizzing around the office floor with Jay at the other end perplexed as to why I’m staring at him with daggers coming out of eyes. Oh, and did I tell you he’s also putting up walls and running cables!!
The upside is that, even though its pretty much business as usual in some respects, it has meant that evenings are now spent as a three together. Instead of the daughter wherever she may be, me in the office and Jay in front of the TV or visiting a friend. We’ve played games new to us, we’ve played old games we’ve played before, we’ve watch films, found entertainment in our garden – until we realised the baby hedgehog was searching for its mommy who was removed from the garden for her own safety two days earlier when Bix thought she was food – we’ve taken a walk together when taking the dogs out, something Jay invariably does alone, and we’ve cleaned out that cupboard we’ve been meaning to do for months. The living room renovation is now well underway and I’m beginning to see the end in site for its completion.
All in all, week one was OK for our house. I’d love to hear from you, how has your first week gone? If you’re home schooling I’d love to hear from you, I’m lucky enough that mine are fully grown and don’t require home-schooling but many of my friends children do, and they are searching for some new and different ideas of how to keep their little monsters occupied.