It has truly been a year of loss. Loss of lives, loss of jobs, loss of cherished businesses, loss of freedom, loss of choice, loss of anticipated holidays, loss of planned celebrations, even a loss of hopes and dreams. So many of the fun and enjoyable things we can do as humans were taken away from us in 2020. Travel, eating and drinking out in pubs and restaurants, cafes and bars, musical concerts, sports events, simple gatherings and meals with friends, church services, celebrations that we used to take for granted, all affected by the virus.
I feel that this year has been the lost year. So much time suspended while we sat at home and waited for the virus to go away, only it didn't. Two lockdowns and we're now facing a third. I fear this will go on into 2021, and only the widespread take-up of the vaccine will let us return to normality. But I do fear that the lives we lived before coronavirus will never be the same again. The shadow will always be there - the fear that has hung over all of us this year will perhaps never go away in our lifetime. Who could ever have imagined how terribly affected we would be, not only as a country but as a planet? We will never be able to put a price on the losses we have suffered this year.
I feel that this year has been the lost year. So much time suspended while we sat at home and waited for the virus to go away, only it didn't. Two lockdowns and we're now facing a third. I fear this will go on into 2021, and only the widespread take-up of the vaccine will let us return to normality. But I do fear that the lives we lived before coronavirus will never be the same again. The shadow will always be there - the fear that has hung over all of us this year will perhaps never go away in our lifetime. Who could ever have imagined how terribly affected we would be, not only as a country but as a planet? We will never be able to put a price on the losses we have suffered this year.
And then there are the words that have become commonplace, some of which we had never used before, or which had different meanings:
Covid and coronavirus
Unprecedented
Pandemic
Outbreak
Infections
Super-spreader
Furlough ( I didn't even know how to spell this word back in March)
Lockdown
Bubble (for me, formerly had something to do with soap)
Self-quarantine
Tiers
Social distancing
The "R" number
Face masks (previously used for swimming or cosmetics for me!) or face covering
Self-isolating
And our Government's slogans:
Stay Home - Protect the NHS - Save Lives
Stay Alert - Control the Virus - Save Lives
Hands - Face - Space
Track and Trace
And then, against the background of all this, there were my own personal problems with Mum and Dad, which made a bad situation even worse. How could I ever have known, as I drove to my parents' house on the 13 February, the outcome of my Dad's fall which resulted in months of problems, the eventual sale of the house (which I still can't believe has happened), and the loss of their cherished independence.? Trying to sort that all out, and put the house on the market and complete the sale were perhaps the hardest and saddest things I have ever had to do in my life so far.
I was off work for five months out of the year, and some people I know at work have not returned since March. I doubt they will return before March 2021, so they will have been gone a whole year.
But we have to try and look on the bright side. The circumstances have allowed some of us to discover new ways of working, new ways of getting in touch with family and friends. It's brought communities together and paved the way for some people to really shine, enabling them to do fantastic deeds and raise money that would never have been possible before.
And it hasn't been all bad! The weather in our first lockdown was fabulous. I loved going for walks with Sophie and Keith, sitting in the conservatory with my daughter while she worked, spending so much time together as a family, and getting things done in the house that we'd been meaning to do for ages.
So, what were the best days of 2020? There were some! There was no travel this year - our trip to France in April was postponed until September, and then put off again to April 2021. Sophie's holiday in Italy was also put back to May 2021, and countless other trips for people this year were either cancelled or postponed. The pandemic caused worldwide travel chaos with lightning decisions to quarantine people coming in from affected areas.
Anyway...enough of the gloom and doom. Here are the best days of 2020:
Wednesday January 15 - My Birthday and a trip to Beaconsfield and The Royal Standard of England pub. A lovely lunch in beautiful and ancient surroundings.
Sunday January 26 - Mike's birthday and a trip down to London for lunch in Greenwich. Our last outing as a family for quite a while!
Saturday February 1 - A lovely day of treats, lunch out and even cake and a cup of tea in the afternoon!
Sunday April 5 - Sophie's birthday and not quite the day we were expecting! However, a lovely walk, Champagne and a Spanish-themed meal made up for it... a bit!
Friday May 8 - VE Day and a lovely afternoon spent with neighbours outside our houses, sipping drinks and having a great time!
Wednesday May 20 - a trip to the coast - Winterton-on-Sea and Cromer. Beautiful weather and so nice to escape for the day!
Monday July 7 - a trip to Oxford, great sight-seeing and street food for lunch!
Sunday July 26 - A lovely lunch at The Cowper's Oak in Weston Underwood and an afternoon enjoying Castle Ashby Gardens.
Saturday August 8 - Keith and I go on a mooch into Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire. Beautiful weather and two meals out - what more could we want!
Anyway...enough of the gloom and doom. Here are the best days of 2020:
Wednesday January 15 - My Birthday and a trip to Beaconsfield and The Royal Standard of England pub. A lovely lunch in beautiful and ancient surroundings.
Sunday January 26 - Mike's birthday and a trip down to London for lunch in Greenwich. Our last outing as a family for quite a while!
Saturday February 1 - A lovely day of treats, lunch out and even cake and a cup of tea in the afternoon!
Sunday April 5 - Sophie's birthday and not quite the day we were expecting! However, a lovely walk, Champagne and a Spanish-themed meal made up for it... a bit!
Friday May 8 - VE Day and a lovely afternoon spent with neighbours outside our houses, sipping drinks and having a great time!
Wednesday May 20 - a trip to the coast - Winterton-on-Sea and Cromer. Beautiful weather and so nice to escape for the day!
Monday July 7 - a trip to Oxford, great sight-seeing and street food for lunch!
Sunday July 26 - A lovely lunch at The Cowper's Oak in Weston Underwood and an afternoon enjoying Castle Ashby Gardens.
Saturday August 8 - Keith and I go on a mooch into Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire. Beautiful weather and two meals out - what more could we want!
Saturday October 24 - a trip over to Olney in Buckinghamshire, our new Market Harborough! Charity shop finds and a fantastic little tea-room!
Saturday December 5 - A repeat trip to Olney, a beautiful day, lunch at Teapots and more charity shop finds!
Thursday December 24 - Christmas Eve, always one of my favourite days, but this year blessed with good weather and a lovely walk!
As we look forward to 2021, I pray that it will be a much better year. I don't think things will return to normal for a good part of the year, but let's all hope that we get over the pandemic, lives are saved and that things improve for us all!
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