I have to say, I’m actually thoroughly enjoying this whole lockdown business. It could definitely be worse. I’m on furlough and Steven is still out delivering all your post so we’re not really taking much of a hit with income, and I’m spending less on travel and Grainger Market street food so we’ve been able to buy things for the house we’ve been putting off. We’ve finished decorating and putting new stair treads on our stairs, and the biggest challenge was a three day front garden overhaul, which has dramatically improved the front of our house and I can’t stop looking at it. Photos of that will be in the next batch of film I get developed.
We’ve also become frighteningly familiar with the Silverlink Biodiversity park and the waggon ways, which are both a few minutes walking distance from our house. I never realised we had so many places to walk the dog so nearby, and it’s made me realise how lucky we are to live in such a decent little area. We’ve done the same walk every day, so we’ve started noticing the tiniest details in the changes to the trees and plants in the area. We also nearly got taken out by a gang of low flying ducks at the local duck pond yesterday. I honestly thought a small plane was coming in for attack and almost military rolled off the path.
Most of all, I’ve been hit with a massive sense of pride and appreciation for our house. I know I had doubts over winter about whether I wanted a house, or if I wanted to be travelling in our van permanently, but now I know that even if it’s not this specific house, I’ll always want my ‘base’. There’s nothing more satisfying than spending a day working on project to improve your space, and how nice it’s been (in reference to our front garden overhaul) having neighbours comment on a job well done, from a safe distance of course.
Also, as a side note, massive thanks to local fish quay film lab, Tanners Bank Darkroom, for developing my film and keeping me sane. If I couldn’t document these weird months then I think I’d feel a bit lost.
