I think one of the nicest things that has emerged during lockdown has been seeing all the new ways people are keeping in touch with each other. I've noticed many more people are embracing technology now. Zoom and Houseparty are two I know of. As I type this, I have just downloaded Zoom to my laptop to 'have lunch' with my art girl friends next week! One of them suggested it and we've all agreed to download Zoom, three of them are already using for pilates classes and singing lessons! People are often surprising in their aptitude to adapting to situations. Until very recently one of our group was incredibly tech phobic, she was still using a flip top phone! However since this all started she's embraced technology in order to keep in touch with her family, us and other friends and she's up for anything now! She's the one sending the most photographs of her art work now! We downloaded Houseparty at the beginning of lockdown and now I can contact my granddaughter who uses it all the time. We also had a family trivia game using it, including my son in Australia!
 |
| Our granddaughter has changed her hair colour for lockdown! (just the bottom bit!) |
I think its nice to see people having garden gate chats and window chats. One of our neighbours is sadly dying of cancer at the moment. He's bedridden and his wife has moved his bedroom to the front of the house so that he can see his children and grandchildren at the window and also so that we, his neighbours, can wave to him as we pass. We can't really see him but we know he's there and might be watching and we know it cheers him to know people are about.
A couple of weeks ago my daughter took her daughter and the dog a walk and on passing one of her friends house and seeing her at the window the girls waved to each other and the little girl and her mum came out to the door to have a distance chat. After a while as my daughter turned to leave she heard the childs mum burst out laughing and turned round to be told 'Amy just said mummy isn't it lovely to see people again and to be able to talk to them'!! My daughter said it made her quite sad to realise how lonely some children must be finding this and they set about finding a way to keep in touch, however she also found it quite funny too!
 |
| Our son and his partner won't be doing this again for a while. |
The sad part of all this is that this is our new normal for the forseeable future. We won't suddenly be able to hug our family when the lockdown ends, we won't be able to have parties to celebrate, we might not be able to celebrate all the usual things like birthdays, halloween, christmas and New Year among other things. Our niece is getting married in October and I now wonder if she'll still be able to have the big event she's been planning for the past two years. My mum today told me my uncle in Australia is invited to a wedding in Tuscany next year and he plans to go and will 'pop over to Scotland' while there! I very much doubt it. We've already warned our youngest son we'll probably not be going to visit him in Sydney early next year as planned. Life as we know it is on hold for a long time yet I think. Is that a bad thing? For some it is very bad, for some not so bad and for some it will be good. Some things stay the same then!
I'm lucky that my back garden is open and my neighbours wander up through my garden to get to theirs very often so we get to sit and have a coffee and a chat. And it's nice. As a kid I lived on a council estate and I have vivid memories of my mom and the next door neighbour leaning over the fence, arms crossed (think Les Dawson) and standing there yacking for ages. Much of that friendliness seems to have gone but hopefully now people will get back to chatting and socialising again. And you're right. Our new normal will be nothing like our old normal for a very long time, if ever!
ReplyDeleteWe've always been lucky to have good and friendly neighbours here and in our last house too. It's nice to have a wee chat while you're outside in the garden, especially just now. I'm not sure how the future will look but I don't think we'll be cuddling or gathering in large groups again any time soon. :( x
DeleteWe in comparison to you are very cut off, living with no street frontage. Also our road is very short leading down to the river and no access beyond. As we walk back home with the dog it strikes you as how quiet and cut off we actually are. Now reading your blog it has made me realise that we haven’t talked to anyone for ages, only ourselves. Well to be honest me talking and himself listening! Life, as you say MG will never be the same again. Keep safe.
ReplyDeleteLX
I guess that's the disadvantage of living in such a lovely area in a lovely cottage! That said, you might not see it as a disadvantage, at least you are free to talk to whoever you choose rather than have to chat to someone because they are there! Lets hope some form of old normality returns although there's a lot we could all live well without!
Delete