Coronavirus UK Lockdown – Week Five & Six

Another two weeks of Coronavirus lockdown have flown by in the blink of an eye, so it’s time for the next update. Our days have been as busy as ever, although in the last couple of weeks our daily routine has really started to become monotonous. It feels like we are stuck in a constant hamster wheel, doing the same things every day, cooking the same meals and tidying up the same toys. Before we know it, another week has gone by with not much to report. As much as I try and mix things up I can’t help but feel like it’s becoming groundhog day. Anyone else feeling the same?

Luckily, getting out for walks, baking and gardening have kept us busy – as well as looking after two non-stop toddlers, of course!

WHAT HAVE WE BEEN UP TO?

The highlight of the past couple of weeks has got to be VE Day celebrations. They brightened a very long week, although it did feel a bit of a strange day, tinged with sadness about ones we have lost and being so far from our friends and families. It was a beautifully sunny day so we set out picnic blankets and chairs in our the garden for an afternoon tea ‘street party’ – with homemade scones, clotted cream, jam and pots of tea. It was an odd experience as it was hardly a party, our garden is too far from most of the neighbours to chat so we had a few conversations at distance with those who were passing but otherwise it was just us but we tried to make the best of it. We played 40’s wartime music out the living room window and the girls danced along and had a lovely time running about on the pavement waving to passers by.

It was a wholesome, British Day – we saw the spitfire fly over our house and ended the day with the Queen’s speech and Dame Vera Lynn’s ‘We’ll Meet Again’ (fun fact: I served her a meal in a restaurant when I was about 15 and she accidentally bumped me on the head with her hand as I was clearing her plate). There was a much more relaxed feeling in the air and everyone was in good spirits which was a well-needed to break the cycle of our usual daily routine.

We also discovered a new absolutely stunning walk, which is only about 15 minutes from our house, I can’t believe we’ve never been up there before! The views over the rolling countryside and sea are just beautiful. There were also sheep with lambs and lots of horses to see which the girls loved. The path leads to an abandoned WW2 village, we haven’t made it that far yet as we’ve had the double buggy with us and it’s quite a hill! But it’s fun to know we’ve got more exploring to do.

We’ve also enjoyed lots of time out in the garden – we planted tomato plants in the greenhouse, ate ice creams and hunted for fairies.

This week I wrote a blog post about 21 toddler activities we’ve been enjoying so have a read if you are looking for more inspiration on entertaining little ones!

The drama of our week has been the washing machine breaking down. It just stopped working out of the blue, we tried everything to get it going but to no avail. After finding the guarantee for it (3 years out of warranty) we decided to just replace it as calling someone out could be costly and not many workmen are working at the moment. I found a new one with next day delivery easily, but all of the companies are leaving them on your doorstep and not offering an install! So, we then had the drama of trying to get it inside! Luckily, our neighbour was kind enough to help us lift it and fit it! Without him, I’m not sure what we would have done so I’m very grateful!

WHAT HAVE WE BEEN WATCHING?

We are still obsessed with watching Killing Eve, so that takes up most of our TV watching time. We can only one or two episodes after the girls are asleep so we are still only on series 2, but working through it! We also love Ru Paul’s Drag Race, Inside the Factory and Gogglebox.

V enjoyed the new Star Wars movie that started streaming on Disney+ on 4th May – I left her to that one and sneaked off to the bedroom to watch Teen Mum UK on my laptop and I also started Normal People, which EVERYONE is talking about but I feel like I need to keep watching as I’m not hooked yet. Have you watched it?

WHAT HAVE WE BEEN READING?

I finally finished City of Girls and really enjoyed it, if it was quite a long book. I’ve not picked up anything new yet as I’ve felt pretty fuzzy-headed in the evenings and lack the concentration to read. On my list for my next read is Blood Orange and The Cactus but I think they’ll sit there another few weeks.

Instead of reading, I’ve been listening to lots of podcasts – I’ve particularly been enjoying: The High Low, How to Fail with Elizabeth Day, Grounded with Louis Theroux and the Adam Buxton Podcast.

HOW HAVE WE BEEN FEELING?

Like previous weeks it’s been very much up and down – a proper Corona-coaster of feelings. Some days I wake up feeling ready to take on the world, Other days I barely manage to roll out of bed, only to fall onto the TV remote to switch on Disney+ for the kids. I drink my coffee most mornings and wonder what the hell I’m going to do for ANOTHER DAY to keep the children happy. It’s draining.

I find trying to keep on top of everything is utterly exhausting – from entertaining the children, cooking, cleaning, squeezing in little pockets of time for work, keeping the house clean, tidy and doing the laundry – plus, finding a food shopping delivery slot is like a full-time job in itself – no wonder we are all a bit tired and grumpy now.

But we try to keep our spirits high, sunshine, snuggles and sugar do work wonders!