Lockdown Diaries 2020/21

Remember FOMO? Fear of Missing Out – or FOMO for short - was an acronym spawned by the Facebook generation. It marked a point in our lives when we were in a constant state of envy and misery because we weren’t living the glamorous lives that others appeared to be doing - at least if their social media posts were anything to go by. But FOMO has temporarily disappeared from our lives because we’re all MO these days. Glittering parties, exotic foreign holidays, riotous pub nights – they’ve all been cancelled and all of us are suddenly in the same boat. Except it isn’t a boat, as that wouldn’t be allowed. However, on VE Day I did have a brief FOMO reprise. Our plans for the day had been pretty modest: we would watch the Churchill address on TV, drink a toast to our fallen heroes, then go to our ersatz pub (well, it was a Friday, after all). But then I spotted the residents of the houses opposite stringing up bunting around their hedges. I’d heard rumours that some people were ...

You know what they say. You can choose your friends, but you can’t choose your lockdown buddies. This is where we found ourselves when the music stopped. And we remain petrified in position as though stopped in our tracks by lava from a virtual volcano. Lockdown will no doubt be a big test for relationships. Courting couples had to choose whether to self-isolate together or separately - and then stick with that decision. I know of one young couple who have chosen not to co-habit, which means they’re no longer allowed within two metres of each other.  The man can only speak to his fiancee online or by calling up to her on her balcony Romeo-style. Their wedding is set for July, but they are understandably nervous. Personally I am happy with my lockdown housemates. Brian and Robbie are good-humoured, funny and upbeat and I love them both very much. But I do sometimes wonder what it would have been like to have had a female lockdown companion. I’m pretty sure tha...

Yesterday it actually began to feel like spring. The sun was shining, the daffs were out and everyone flocked to the beaches, the parks, the commons and any other open space they could access. But hang on: aren’t we all supposed to be social-distancing? It’s a big deal losing our cherished routines, livelihoods, freedoms and loved ones, and we’re all collectively grieving about our communal loss. But as we know, there are five stages to grief:  Denial, Anger, Bargaining, Depression and Acceptance. And we’re all very firmly in the Denial phase.  I was horrified to see how many people were out and about yesterday. But I was out and about to see it, right? Brian, Robbie and I met up with another couple and their son. It was great to interact with Other People for a change but at the same time, we did feel a little space-invaded. None of our three intelligent friends seemed to be taking the coronavirus threat seriously – they were walking too close to us and opening...