Welcome to the new norm

We’re an average family locked down in semi-self-isolation as the COVID-19 pandemic starts to invade even our little corner of the world. 
We live in a small commuter town  – “we” being my husband Brian and myself. We’re also temporarily providing shelter for our youngest son, Robbie, aged 25. 

Like everyone else, our norms have altered beyond recognition and we currently find ourselves stumbling about, trying to adjust to this brave new world in which bog rolls are virtually non-existent and where anyone who coughs is looked upon with terror.

When I say “semi-self-isolation”,  I mean we’re still in that "phoney war" period where life seems to be trundling along as usual despite the fact that we’ve all been advised to practise social distancing and to self-isolate if we display any coronavirus symptoms. So we’re still making our daily trip to the practically-empty shops, triumphantly snapping up that last packet of blancmange (why?) and the last tin of corned beef (ditto).

I’m starting this blog in late March 2020 in the hope that the crisis will be over before we know it. But cases of the coronavirus are still soaring and every day we watch with morbid fascination as the numbers go up and the league table of cases adjusts. Which country will have recorded the most new cases today? Will it be Spain, or possibly Germany? It’s like a grotesque parody of the Olympic Games in which we scrutinise the tables daily to see who's ahead and who's lagging behind.

Not that the Olympics is likely to go ahead this year, of course…..

But let’s stay upbeat, shall we, and see what we can gain from this weird period of our lives. This is history in the making, so let’s rise to the challenge and make it as positive an experience as we can. After all, what other choice do we have?
Brian, Robbie and I in happier times - when we were allowed out!

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