Lockdown 3.0 – Week 1

Last Updated on 15 April 2023 by Colette

Throughout the first lockdown, I wrote a weekly diary – in part to remember what a crazy time it was and I think also just to clarify my own thoughts. In Lockdown 2 I didn’t bother, we had been living such tight restrictions in our area for so long that the November lockdown had little affect on our lives. I carried on going to work, the kids carried on going to school and nothing really changed bar the fact that we couldn’t go to the shops or get our hair done.

But this time, this third Lockdown is different. It’s really different for us as a family, and I think for many of you too. And, I think that taking some time to write about it will really help me to sort through my own thoughts – and perhaps it will be a series of posts that nobody is really interested in or perhaps it will help people to feel less alone if they are feeling or experiencing the same. Either way, there are times when I just feel I need to write and this is one of those times.

I fully intended to write and publish this post yesterday (Sunday) so that I can just get into the habit of rounding up each week as it passes – but thanks to, let’s call it inertia, I didn’t get round to it.

Last Monday feels like such a long time ago now – getting the girls up and ready for school, having spent the weekend reading about increasing pressure on the government to close the schools whilst watching Boris Johnson be interviewed by Andrew Marr and insisting that schools were safe and that we absolutely must continue to send our children to school.. .

The girls were excited to be back after Christmas, excited to see their friends and to get back to some routine after a very quiet Christmas. Ben on the other hand was enjoying the last day of his school holidays ahead of a planned two weeks of online learning. I had intended to have a really productive day but, thanks to a heavy fall on the ice on the school run, I spent much of the day on the sofa resting and feeling sorry for myself.

And then the announcement. The one I didn’t really want to watch. The one where I shouted at the TV, “Don’t say it” and then cried. Cried at the idea of half a term with no school. Cried at the idea of half a term of not seeing family and friends. Of course at that point I didn’t really know what it would mean for me and my own job (with a three day a week supply booking till Easter) or for the kids.

On Tuesday morning, we got up ready to start home learning for the girls only to get a text at 9am to say that there would, understandably, be no learning uploaded that day to give the teachers a chance to get their heads around everything. Ben set about his full timetable of Teams lessons at the dining table whilst Dave and I breathed a sigh of relief that Father Christmas had saw fit to bring Ben a new Chromebook for Christmas! Dave and I planned out our weeks to ensure minimum crossover and then contacted both schools to explain that we would need key worker places for all three kids but that it would likely be just once a week.

Wednesday was my first day back in work – the first day of the new term for everyone which we were glad of as it meant we had nicely missed all the faffing about at the start of the week and felt more able to hit the ground running with a good idea of what we needed to do to get through the week. The kids all stayed at home with Dave – who had a complete nightmare trying to keep them all on task, provide tech support and then help them with bits of work they were stuck on, all whilst trying to conduct meetings and calls for work. I know lots of you will feel his pain on that one.

Thursday saw all three kids head off into school – both schools had made it clear that there would be no teaching, just supervised access to the online learning provision to keep things equal and meaning there would be no benefit to being in school. They were all keen to go in – Chloe especially as we had realised she would get to see one of her friends who is in a different class to her and so, thanks to bubbles and so forth, they’ve not been able to see each other properly since school closed for the first time at the end of March.

We ended the working week with all three kids at home with Dave whilst I headed out for an appointment and to drop the girls’ old tablets off with a friend who had found new homes for them. Her neighbours didn’t have any tech of their own to be able to access their home learning so I got a lovely video call later that afternoon from them thanking me for their new kit – I may have cried. When I got home, I went through the girls’ school work with them – checking on any bits they’d got wrong or messages from their teachers before sitting down with Chloe to go through her latest story (she wrote a full five part series during the last lockdown so has gone back to that to add new stories focusing on different characters!).

On Friday evening we got an email from the girls’ school to say that there had been a change in policy and all key worker children requiring a place needed to attend full time or not at all . . . I must admit this sent me into a bit of a spin. Dave read it and just said, “Well they’ll have to go in then.” – and I guess he’s right – they will – because we simply can’t manage our weeks so that one of us is at home at all times – however, sending them in for five days instead of one makes no sense to me. At a time when we are working hard to reduce contact, and are not allowed to leave our homes more than is necessary – adding four school days to our week seems to put both my girls and the staff teaching them at avoidable risk. I’ve gone back and forth on this all weekend – and have spoken to school about it this morning but essentially, if I don’t send them in full time, I lose their places. So my hands are tied.

We have tried to set ourselves a bit of a routine for our weekends in that we get up and our early doors for a walk on Saturday morning and then, on Sunday morning Dave and Ben can go out on a ride while I take the girls to church (something else which has been a sticking point for me this week – how is it ok for schools to be closed but churches to remain open? I get that for some people church will be a lifeline, the only contact with the outside world they have during the week – but for the kids it just seems unnecessary contact – however, again my hands are tied as if church is open we must attend otherwise we won’t get the marks the girls need for their high school applications . . . )

Our initial plan for our Saturday morning walk was foiled by the weather, we couldn’t get the car into the car park we needed to use because of snow . . . so we reassessed and landed in Heaton Park (where we saw our first Covid Marshall) but with the intention of trying to explore bits of the park we hadn’t seen before. We did pretty well and covered four, foggy miles before heading home. My knee (which I’d hurt when I fell on Monday) was complaining loudly so I spent much of the rest of Saturday afternoon the sofa, listening to podcasts and dozing.

Unfortunately Ben and Dave weren’t able to get out together on Sunday morning as it transpired that Ben’s brakes weren’t working properly – luckily they found his out before they left! Dave went out for a short ride on his own then got the turbo trainer out for Ben to do a spinning class (which he hated!). Once all the training was ticked off, Dave set about cooking us a Sunday roast which was such a treat – I ate far too much, too quickly but god it was delicious!

During the first lockdown, I was furloughed and so at home full time, able to manage the kids and their learning whilst Dave carried on working full time, albeit from the dining table. This time round I am teaching three days a week (physically in school, not remotely) and Dave is continuing to work from home as he has done since March. He goes out on visits or into the office a couple of days a week. Ben has a full time table of Teams lessons to slog through and the girls are of course now in school. It all feels very different and, if I’m honest, more stressful. I’m hoping that after this first tricky week of not really knowing if we’re coming or going, we might begin to find our groove.

Knowing that we are in this till at least the middle of February (though if I’m honest, I think that’s somewhat optimistic) feels tough. I think with the first lockdown, we didn’t have any idea of how long it would go on for – we just got our heads down and ploughed on week by week, but having an “at least till half term” deadline hanging over us feels heavy and hard – looking forward to the weeks stretching out ahead of us feels overwhelming and so I know I need to concentrate on putting on foot in front of the other, and get through each hour, each day, each week as best I can.

More Lockdown 3.0 diaries:

Lockdown 3.0 – Week 2