When it became clear that most of the world would be in some sort of lockdown because of the rampant spread of the Coronavirus, Covid-19, I reached out to friends around the globe and asked them to send me a short piece on what life is like for them right now.
Fourth in this mini-series of posts is Deb from Deb’s World blog and she wrote her piece in mid-April. Deb lives in Southern England and her lighthearted piece looks at how she might have done things differently … if only she’d known …
I’m trying to imagine what would happen if the April Deb tried to give some advice to the January version of me.
You should probably go through your freezer, eat anything that’s close to its use by date and restock it, and while you’re at the supermarket, stock up on toilet rolls, pasta, tinned tomatoes and rice.
I know you have a birthday coming up, maybe ask for some jigsaws, some knitting wool or quilting fabric. You’re going to have a lot of free time on your hands.
Buy extra food for Coco and make sure you have plenty of poo bags; she’s going to be going on a lot of extra, longer walks. Brush her regularly; she won’t be going to the groomers for a while. Talking of fur/hair – Have your hair cut shorter next time and be sure to get it coloured because you never know when your next visit will be.
You know how tired you are after child minding Rosie and Leo for a day? Make the most of that exhaustion, because you aren’t going to be seeing them for a while. Yes, I know they only live round the corner, but trust me – they won’t be visiting and neither will you be looking after Max. Oh, and you won’t need to be picking Leo up from Nursery on a Wednesday either, all the schools are going to close.
Download the Zoom app. Yes, I know it’s for conference calls but trust me, Zoom will be your best friend. Guess what? You’re going to be doing a lot more Zumba classes.
You know how you enjoy going out for a meal with friends or having friends over for dinner and drinks? Make the most of the next few weeks, as all the restaurants are going to shut down. Yes, really. No, not due to food hygiene reasons. You’re worried about your social life? Oh, you’ll still have a social life, it’s just that it will consist of online quiz nights or virtual drinks parties on that Zoom app you don’t have at the moment. You know that holiday you have booked? I don’t think it’s going to happen.
But it isn’t all bad news; your garden is going to look the best it ever has. The environment and climate change is going to see some great improvements from March onwards. Pollution levels are going to plummet and the rivers are going to clear. It’s going to be pretty dramatic.
Would I have believed it? Definitely not.
Thanks so much, Deb!
This West London Life 
Thrilled to be a guest post! Thank you for inviting me x
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You’re very welcome and thanks for joining in. x
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Ah yes April Deb you speak volumes of wisdom to January Deb, to all of us. That’s a good photo of you & hubby.
Thanks again Ruth for organizing.
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My pleasure – I like to think it’s bringing us all that little bit closer virtually.
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That’s a great take on the current situation, Deb – love your quirky angle (which turns up in your photo too!).
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It’s a great guest post!
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Really enjoyed Deb’s post and glad to be introduced to your blog, Ruth. What is it they say about hindsight?? But I am not sure we would have believed in January where we would be in April. I remember calling my husband while I was out of town carrying for my mother in March, and asking him to stock up on a few things, just in case. In my community Covid cases are on the rise…an increase of 74 cases in the last 24 hours. I am afraid our culture is such that families get together no matter what, and disregard social distancing recommendations. With Mother’s Day, Cinco de Mayo and Mexican Mother’s Day just around the corner, we are certain to continue to see increased numbers. We are seeing the results of Easter get-togethers this weekend.
Stay well.
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I agree – I’ve noticed a lot more people walking past our house and small groups of people hanging out on the nearby Common. It’s not good and infuriating that they don’t seem to realise that if they don’t follow the guidelines, the lockdown will last longer and more people will likely become ill and/or die. Take care..
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Lovely to read Deb’s thoughts, I always enjoy seeing life on the other side of the world from my Deb’s World view here In Australia. Lots of things we may have done differently had we known what was coming!
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Hi, I’m waving from London. Thanks so much for popping by!
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Oh, what a great look at the current situation! Some good (& some humorous) advice from January Deb! I’m not sure that I would have done anything differently because we had taken time with all of my family during January & February (so glad we did that!), we typically keep things stocked up & and I had plenty of adhesive on hand. 🙂
Things are beginning to open up here … so, I wonder what it’ll look like in a week or so. Here in Texas, stores & restaurants etc can open this Friday at 25% capacity, although it seems like there were lots of things open all this time anyway. I rode with Robbie to pick some things up at his office last week & there were still lots of people out & about & many businesses open it seemed. We’ll still be staying home. No word yet on when Robbie’s office will open … hopefully not for a few weeks at least so we can see the effects of these changes coming in two days!
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The UK is in official lockdown until 7th May, but we’ve noticed more and more traffic, cars and pedestrians, along our road in recent days. The Boy Child did a survey and counted 55 people go past our house in a 30 minute period … which is just bonkers! Ordinarily, we might see a dozen pedestrians in a day!
The Brainy One and I have never been so glad that we work from home. There’s no news yet when schools might reopen.
I can’t imagine anyone wanting to go to a restaurant in the current circumstances …
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