(no subject)
Hello.
It's been a while.
Almost exactly a year, in fact.
What to say about the last year?
Unless you are an actual hermit, there's no chance you don't know what's been going on. Essentially, the world has gone to hell. We've been living under the cloud of COVID for over a year now, and it's unlikely to end any time soon. It may be that we have to "accept it" like other common infections - although of course, it's far from flu or a simple cold.
To recap, 2020 was basically a lost year. We were able to spend a lot of time with Gracie outdoors, and managed one night away. My mother-in-law moved in, and out, and back in, and back out (to help with childcare when nurseries closed, and the second time while she waited for her new house to be ready. We did not kill each other. I'm very proud). But that's more or less it.
It has, however, been perhaps one of the most insane experiences of my life, or anyone else's. We've all been locked away for so long (except the COVID deniers, but we won't dwell on them) that we probably won't know what to do with ourselves if and when normal human interaction is allowed again. We've subsisted on video calls. The terms "social distancing", "self-isolation" and "masking up" have become common parlance. Countless people have lost their jobs. Businesses have folded. And in the UK alone, 117,000 people have died.
Naturally, this has taken a toll. My mental health (and that of many, many others) has taken a nosedive, not least because of my work. But on the whole, we've been very lucky. We've been spared infection, and now we have a vaccine - of which Tom, my parents, and Tom's mum have all had the first dose. There is hope, but there is a long way to go yet.
Stay tuned.
It's been a while.
Almost exactly a year, in fact.
What to say about the last year?
Unless you are an actual hermit, there's no chance you don't know what's been going on. Essentially, the world has gone to hell. We've been living under the cloud of COVID for over a year now, and it's unlikely to end any time soon. It may be that we have to "accept it" like other common infections - although of course, it's far from flu or a simple cold.
To recap, 2020 was basically a lost year. We were able to spend a lot of time with Gracie outdoors, and managed one night away. My mother-in-law moved in, and out, and back in, and back out (to help with childcare when nurseries closed, and the second time while she waited for her new house to be ready. We did not kill each other. I'm very proud). But that's more or less it.
It has, however, been perhaps one of the most insane experiences of my life, or anyone else's. We've all been locked away for so long (except the COVID deniers, but we won't dwell on them) that we probably won't know what to do with ourselves if and when normal human interaction is allowed again. We've subsisted on video calls. The terms "social distancing", "self-isolation" and "masking up" have become common parlance. Countless people have lost their jobs. Businesses have folded. And in the UK alone, 117,000 people have died.
Naturally, this has taken a toll. My mental health (and that of many, many others) has taken a nosedive, not least because of my work. But on the whole, we've been very lucky. We've been spared infection, and now we have a vaccine - of which Tom, my parents, and Tom's mum have all had the first dose. There is hope, but there is a long way to go yet.
Stay tuned.