Thursday photo #321

Had you noticed that it was the 100th day of lockdown this week? I hadn’t realised until I read it on social media. I don’t think I would have coped if someone had told me the schools would remain closed for so long. The thought of such a long stretch of life being so different would have been too much. As it stands though, with things starting to creep a little closer towards normality, it hasn’t been so bad.

Gardening

I keep hearing that gardening is the new going out. We certainly fit the cliché of taking up gardening during lockdown. Since fencing our front garden off, we’ve put in a small vegetable plot. There’s not much to it because we didn’t want it to take up the whole garden but it has been surprisingly productive.

I moved some strawberry plants from the back garden which seem to be thriving in their new location. We haven’t had loads of fruit, but we didn’t expect to this year. I think next year we’ll get quite a lot. I’ve also potted up some of the runners to pass on to my sisters and allowed some to root in the strawberry patch so we’ll have more next year.

We’re already eating cucumbers, courgettes, beetroot, turnips, peppers and blueberries that we’ve grown ourselves. Some tomatoes are nearly ripe and the beans won’t be far behind. Considering we only dug the ground over in April and haven’t put in anywhere near enough compost yet, I’ve been really pleased with the results. It’s something we’ll definitely keep up with after lockdown.

Back to school

Lia has been back at school for nearly a fortnight now and has slotted seamlessly back in. She was worried about it being different and I tried to reassure her that it would be better. Fewer children and more teachers to a class would mean more help with her work. Her reading and maths have vastly improved from having extra help from me so the work would be easier. Better still, the person she has been friends with throughout preschool and school was going back too.

In reality though despite my reassurances, I don’t think Lia believed me and I’m not sure I even believed myself. Thankfully, it did turn out that whilst different, school was still pretty enjoyable. She has her normal teacher who she loves and some of her good friends are back in school with her. From day one, she has loved being back and can’t wait to be in for longer each day in September.

Libby will only be in for half a day before the school holidays which is disappointing but at least it’s a chance to see her friends. We have no idea who their teachers will be next year but we’re hoping they’ll find out on their day in school. Throughout it all, I have been amazed how well they’ve both coped with all the upheaval. Perhaps fear of change develops when we’re adults because the children seem to deal with it pretty well.

Thursday photo #321

With Lia finishing school just after lunch each day, the girls get the afternoon to themselves. I make sure all Libby’s schoolwork is done by lunchtime and when the weather is good, the afternoons are spent in the garden. If it rains the television gets somewhat overworked but I don’t mind too much, these are unusual times.