Life under lockdown seems to have been going on for so long I have given up counting the weeks now. We have had such a stressful time here in the last couple of weeks that I forgot all about coronavirus and the lockdown, only to be reminded again as things calmed back down here.
I usually try to find a plus, or positive side in things but just recently that has been tough.
My life before I became disabled was so different to where I am now, I was always so independent, spontaneous and active. I would stres clean the house, stress tidy up, stress exercise...all to get rid of the stress and give my mind time to process whatever was causing the issues at the time.
Now I am limited to stress typing, stress colouring in and stress thinking. I am so desparat to get upstairs to sort out my girls' bedrooms, the bathroom up there and help them create their chill out room, but the stairs are a majoy obstacle in that desire.
I did enquire about a cleaner for Miss G but haven't heard anything back. I will follow it up once this covid-19 life returns to a more normal kind of life once again.
We have managed to sort out part of our lounge now, and part of our bedroom. It's difficult because I need everything downstairs for me, even those items that would normally be stored away upstairs in the airing cupboard like spare bedding, blankets, spare towels. It causes so much clutter and then I get frustrated because I cannot get my wheelchair around the house without crashing into things everywhere.
Just yesterday it made me laugh when my carer couldn't get my wheelchair through to me because of a brush in the way. Just as I do, she ended up carrying the brush along with her and then having to get back to where it was to replace it. I am forever moving laundry baskets, boxes, bins (to the extent I bought a dolly to put the bin on) and brushes around the house with me just so I can get through doors. I keep knocking the kitchen door hinges out because it isn't a widened doorway.
Since our household has been able to calm down again in the last few days, it has been lovely to see more of Miss A and Miss G. They have been more comfortable in the house, more relaxed and there have been barely any arguments to deal with. As much as it has caused me so much pain to make decision lately, I can see at home that they were the right ones. I still hope there is a way back in the future, but that is now out of our hands.
The food we have been eating in lockdown has started to evolve again back to being a little less healthy as more and more options have opened up in the takeaway apps. I secretly wish they would all stay closed so we could be healthier, but then
my favourite cafe would also have to close again and noone wants that. It was the first place I took Miss G for food when we first moved up here and remains my favourite. Their menu has changed a lot since we first visited, but now the family favourite is the vegan burger (keeping those buns separated!).
We are still getting our weekly fruit and vegetable box delivery from
Novablooms aswell, trying now to be more organisesd and prepare our vegetables as soon as they are delivered, pot them and keep them in the fridge ready for quick and easy meals. We have been cooking pakora style vegetables, making sauces, stuffing peppers, roasting vegetables and making our own juices and smoothies. The only one I struggle with is the ginger. We have a reasonable sized root every week and they are accumulating now. We use a little here and there, in the winter will definately use them with lemons in tea, but otherwise are really struggling to find a use for them.
I watch the cooking segments on morning TV, always hoping there will be a dish we can adapt, but there is always so much to substitute for us that it would become a totally different meal! Just today there was a delicious looking
chinese chilli chicken segment. It sounded and looked amazing. But we would have to substitute the cornflour, soy sauce, egg noodles, chilli sauce and (some days) the chicken. Gok Wan always cooks beautiful dishes too and I am left trying to find alternatives online, but then give up. If we try to give the girls (especially Miss A) something different it can cause ructions anyway, so probably just as well.
I have managed to get an online delivery slot with a supermarket for monday (it really is an achievment at the moment). I have ordered (but may not get on the day) a selection of indian dishes that contain nothing that will make anyone here unwell, including the best parts for me...poppadums with lime pickle and mango chutney. I could honestly just have those with some rice and be happy.Infact, going back to 2011, hubby and I would regularly order a delivery fromthe local Indian takeaway consisting of just the chutney tray and poppadums. Yum.
We have been frequenting
Starbucks since they reopened...let's face it, at the moment that is the closest to a day trip. We have tried a few new drinks, including some from their 'secret' menu (so secret even the staff don't have a clue what you are trying to order sometimes, never mind the app). We tried a pink hibiscus iced lemonade (very sour and got left), a pink raspberry tea lemonade with vanilla (a huge hit with us all), a drink that was meant to be blue but came out pink (hmmm....) and have also decided on our favourites now. I switch between a chai latte with almond milk and a decaf latte with almond milk and vanilla. Miss G loves the vanilla cream with almond milk, Miss A switches between an iced decaf coffee with almond milk and vanilla or an iced chai with almond milk. Hubby always has a latte with caramel. The switching is only because we love the chai so much we buy our own syrup now.
Our other outing has been walking our largest and soppiest dog, Poppy, to the local park or around the local area. We try to go when it is quiet and have been watching the spring babies growing up. Our two smaller dogs amuse themselves running around the house and garden, playing with eachother, chasing eachother, trying to annoy Poppy and are worn out after an hour of doing just that. When the carers come they all get so excited to see someone new. Every time a carer leaves, Poppy goes to the front door to look for them.
I have been searching the corners of the house, the internet and the shops when we have been out and about, for unusual activities for us to try. We have been trying Hama beads, Aqua beads, used pen torches and card to make shadow puppets, tried growing crystals, made shapes in balsa wood, tried pixel art, played board games and the girls have been sent many, many links to different websites from me.
Our bubble has expanded to include a couple of others, for the sake of my children's mental health and emotional wellbeing. That has been awesome to see. The girls have needed their best friends lately and it has been fantastic for them to get together.
Lockdown continues for us all in one way or another though. Who knows how long it will go on for, but as things become unlocked and your life becomes more and more normal, please don't forget those of us who are indoors most of the time as our everyday normal.
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