Coronavirus diary, Thursday 4 June

Family in lockdown - part 2

Siân

Siân, 2018

Living in a small village has advantages, Siân has found.
There is a wonderful sense of community, she says, with the kids safe to play as almost everyone keeps an eye on them. 
'It's lovely sitting in the sun and hearing them giggle in paddling pools and dens. 

'We have got to know our neighbours really well and most days we have a chat in the sunshine - with a drink or two! 
It's also good to know that by following the rules we are keeping safe. It's been a bit too hot for Austin the dog, who's been hiding in the house.'

As for the not so good in lockdown, Siân dislikes being confined so much to the house, not working, when all her neighbours are still working from home. She is worried about her job. Although she is on furlough she is losing money. She has not heard from her company and is worried that she may not have a job to go back to. 

She misses seeing the family and her friends - and the hugs.

Ria

Ria is still hard at work, 'conference calling' but sees the children more, spending every tea break with them and having all meals together. 'There is no rush for everyone to get to the door every morning!'

We have become much closer. I love the extra time with them. Having  time to exercise is another plus, says Ria, who goes on her bike either at 7am or 5pm every other day. She does yoga every workday before lunch. 

Having proved she can work from home effectively she hopes to do it more often after lockdown to save time - and money - and  to do the school run with Rosa and Claudia.

Happy third birthday, Claudia!

The new lifestyle has made her re-address her priorities. 
'Getting off the the life/work treadmill, stopping and thinking more will mean I will probably make changes to my life.
Mylo is benefitting, too, 'learning house skills' - I suspect he may not always appreciate it! Ria says he walks the dog an hour a day, manages recycling and does a brilliant job clearing up after dinner. 'We're going to start with him cooking one evening meal a week to teach him how to cook' says Ria. 

Working out with Joe

Mylo has been out with his good friend Ollie every day on mountain bike trails in the forest which has made a huge difference - 'put the wind back in his sails, says Ria. The girls are active, too and they have not missed a morning of Joe Wicks' workouts. 

On the minus side, not seeing friends and family. Virtual calls are fine filling a void, she says, but not the same as seeing people in person. 

'It's worse for the girls who are too young to be able to share the experience and are having very little contact with the family'. 

Ria says she wishes the government would focus on children enjoying family time together rather than trying to home school them. 

'It is difficult to manage working from home and having a toddler who needs constant attention. Thank goodness Gyles isn't working at the moment otherwise I would have no idea how we would manage. Rosa's reading and maths has gone backwards  but she has made huge progress with her cycling and her inquisitive nature on walks is clear.

Swimming is another miss. Ria says she used to swim three times a week, in the late evening, with a sauna as a reward at the end.

Mylo was working hard on his revision before lockdown and had real momentum. Having to accept a possible combination of  his mock results and his teachers' reports may be lower than he could have achieved but they would never know.

Ria worries about Rosa's shyness and the effect of not being able to mix with other children while sociable Mylo misses his friends.  says Ria. 

Her holiday in Greece at the end of June cancelled, she is not in a  hurry to rebook.

Reverend Rosie Dymond

After returning early this year from Kiev in Ukraine, where she temporarily took charge of a diocese, Rosie is now on a similar mission in North Wales.

'The removal van arrived on the day Boris Johnson announced the lockdown', she says. 

'It's a challenging time but I felt I have something worthwhile to do and I am incredibly blessed to be in beautiful North Wales and to be able to go for walks, runs and bike rides, always with the backdrop of the mountains of Snowdonia, she returning home to sunset over the Menai Straits.

'Of course I miss being able to meet up with people but so grateful for the technology which enables us to connect with friends and family all over the world.'

Rosie does not say how busy she is. One day last week she had three Zoom meetings. One, with church leaders across the diocese, involved 40 people, another a united church council meeting, yet she still found the time to hold a 20 minute online service for Sunrise, my residential home in Cyncoed, Cardiff. Thank you, Rosie!