Sunday 9th March 2025. On this Day of Reflection marking the 5th anniversary of the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, I have decided to make my Covid Diary public for the first time. I have removed names of people and some of the places to protect my family and friends. It\u2019s 12,000 words long, so you had better get a cuppa before you start reading. Let me know what you think by adding a comment, Sharon x<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Friday 17th<\/u><\/sup> April 2020<\/p>\n\n\n\n Whether we like it or not (we don\u2019t like it; no-one likes it) we are living through a historic event. It is for this reason that I have decided to write some kind of a haphazard diary to record how these events have affected me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Around Christmas time, we heard about a deadly virus sweeping across China. It wasn\u2019t good news at all, but China had Sars a few years ago and it just went away without affecting us here in the UK. At that time, we couldn\u2019t have possibly imagined that this virus would become a worldwide pandemic, profoundly affecting the lives of everyone across the world, including us on our safe, little island in Europe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The first case of Coronavirus, Covid-19, in the UK was at the end of January and the first death linked to the virus was on 2nd<\/sup> March. It was at this point that we started to take things more seriously. On 11th<\/sup> March, the World Health Organisation declared the outbreak a global pandemic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The government quickly started its action plan and events started to be cancelled, such as the last few games of the Six Nations Rugby. Cinemas and theatres closed their doors. There was talk of other large events being cancelled. Soon, all \u2018mass gatherings\u2019 were cancelled. Soon afterwards, gyms, restaurants and pubs all closed too. My routine dental appointment and my nurse clinic appointments were cancelled. Holidays were also cancelled and all non-essential travel. Weddings and other celebrations were cancelled. Before long, many other events were cancelled including, the Olympics, Wimbledon, the Grand National and Glastonbury. Ministries Without Borders 50th<\/sup> Anniversary Bible Week has also been postponed until summer 2021.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Anyone who shows symptoms of coronavirus (high temperature or a new, persistent cough) must \u2018self-isolate\u2019, along with the members of their household, for 14 days. We have also been advised to wash our hands frequently and thoroughly with soap by singing Happy Birthday twice through!<\/p>\n\n\n\n At about this time, the government issued advice to people over the age of 70, people with certain health conditions and pregnant women, to stay at home and to do \u2018shielding\u2019 and to \u2018self-isolate\u2019 for at least 12 weeks. My mum is nearly 80 and has chronic respiratory problems and my dad is 80 and has a heart condition and vascular dementia. It is a particularly difficult time for them. This means that, for at least 12 weeks, no-one, including me and my sister, will be able to visit them. My mum is providing 24-hour care for my dad and, as a result, doesn\u2019t get much sleep. Both my sister and I live several hours\u2019 drive away, so we can\u2019t see them or help them. My sister is sorting out online Asda shopping for them, but it is incredibly difficult to secure a slot as so many people are trying to get them. I am finding it so very hard not being able to go to my parents to see them, hug them and help them. I am glad that their neighbour is very good to them. As soon as this is all over, I\u2019m getting into the car and driving up the M1.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Research from the cases in China, published in The Lancet and the BMJ have shown a link between taking ACE blood pressure tablets and severe illness from coronavirus. My husband is on these tablets, but nothing has been said to him about it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n People were urged to work from home, including my husband, who took over the dining room to use as an office. I was still working full time at school and tutoring in the evenings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n People started panic buying, leaving a shortage of toilet roll (?!) pasta and hand sanitiser. Supermarkets soon put a restriction on the total number of any item you\u2019re allowed to buy in a single shop (usually 3).<\/p>\n\n\n\n Since \u2018mass gatherings\u2019 have been cancelled, church has gone online. All Nations Church live streams its Sunday service at 10am every Sunday via YouTube. There is a time of worship and a message, all recorded in people\u2019s homes. Home Group has also gone online via \u2018Zoom\u2019 where we can \u2018meet\u2019 with other members of the group, share testimonies, scriptures and prayers and break bread together. We feel very blessed to be able to still take part in church, even though we can\u2019t physically be together.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I am so thankful that we have broadband Wi-Fi. If this had happened only twenty years ago, we would have all been so much more isolated. We have Facebook, Whatsapp, Messenger, Zoom and so on. We have family, friends and life group groups that connects us.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Our son came home on Saturday 14th<\/sup> March. His return ticket was for the following Friday (he was only planning to come home for one week during his Easter break) but on the Wednesday, he heard that the university was to close on Friday. Therefore, he immediately bought a new train ticket and headed straight back to Cambridge to go to the lab to try to retrieve what data he could for his project before the university closed. He returned home on Saturday 21st<\/sup> March, leaving most of his belongings behind, to complete his Masters from home. We prepared the room above the garage for him to study in, so as not to disturb his dad in the dining room! Our son later found out that his exams have been cancelled and he will be assessed on his project report, examples papers and coursework. It will be a pass \/ fail without any grade as such.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In the middle of all this, we had heard that my husband\u2019s younger brother was critically ill in the John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford. We were fortunate enough to be able to go visit him and then on the evening of the 19th<\/sup> March, we were able to be at his bedside when he died.<\/p>\n\n\n\n On the morning of Friday 20th<\/sup> March, it was announced that schools were to close at the end of the day. \u2018Home learning\u2019 via online platforms was to commence the following week. We were told to go in on the following Monday to provide \u2018emergency childcare\u2019 for the children whose parents are \u2018key workers\u2019 (NHS staff, grocery store workers, essential services such as refuse collection etc). We turned up to discover that only 6 children had arrived for the childcare, so by about 11am, we were sent home. That same day, it was announced that all GCSE and A level exams are cancelled. I had four private year 11 students (I\u2019m an English tutor), who I hadn\u2019t had the opportunity to wish well, so I sent them all an email or a text.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Since I was not going to be going to school the next day, I decided that I would drive to Cambridge to retrieve our son\u2019s belongings. Nevertheless, on that same evening, 23rd<\/sup> March (my niece\u2019s birthday) Boris Johnson announced that our country was now in \u2018lockdown\u2019 whereby our lives are severely restricted: no social gatherings are allowed at all, even among family members; no unnecessary journeys; only allowed out of our homes for very limited reasons including, buying essential foods and provisions, medical needs and for exercise, once a day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Shopping is a particularly depressing and long-winded process these days. All non-essential shops have closed: shoe shops, clothes shops, card shops and so on. Going to the supermarket, for example, involves customers having to abide by the \u2018social distancing\u2019 regulations of keeping 2m away from all other people in the store, helped by markers on the floor. This requires one to queue up outside the store to get in, as only so many people are allowed in the store at any one time. Once in the store, it is necessary to follow the arrows on the floor as you move around then queue up again for the checkout, remaining at least 2m away from other customers. I always thank the staff in the supermarket or the pharmacy, along with the postman and the bin men, as they are doing a tremendous job.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It was Mother\u2019s Day on 22nd<\/sup> March. I was glad to have my boy home on that day and to be able to Facetime with our daughter, who lives 300 miles away. Most people couldn\u2019t go visit their mum, so the flowers remained in the shops, unsold. At least Mum got some extra flowers that her neighbour picked up from Asda for her the next day as they were giving them away for free.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The government started giving a daily briefing at about 5pm every day. Their motto is: Stay Home > Protect the NHS > Save Lives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n We had booked to go to the Village Hotel Cardiff on 27th<\/sup> March for a night away, the gym, a swim and a nice meal and breakfast. Fortunately, we were able to reschedule for the beginning of December.<\/p>\n\n\n\n From 1st<\/sup> April, my husband was put on \u2018furlough\u2019, a government scheme whereby employees can be put on leave from their jobs but still receive up to 80% of their basic salary. His pension fund has also taken a drop of one third of its value, as a result of the impact of coronavirus on the economy. However, we put our trust in God because his Word says that \u201cGod will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus.\u201d (Philippians 4:19).<\/p>\n\n\n\n The next day, I was working a morning shift at Tonyrefail Community School to help with the emergency childcare, as that is the hub school for our school. I am still employed full time, although working on a rota basis about once a fortnight. I also worked last week, even though it is officially the school holidays, as key workers still need to go to work. I am also preparing learning resources and doing professional reading \/ online courses at home.<\/p>\n\n\n\n On the 5th<\/sup> April, the Queen addressed the nation. She urged us to stay at home and said, \u201cBetter days will return: we will be with our friends again; we will be with our families again; we will meet again.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Also, on the 5th<\/sup> of April, Boris Johnson was taken into hospital with coronavirus and the next day he was taken into intensive care. Thankfully he is home now and recovering.<\/p>\n\n\n\n There have already been more than 14000 deaths linked to coronavirus in the UK. We have been told that 9 out of 10 of these people had underlying health conditions. I actually find this rather alarming as that means that 1 out of 10 (10 out of 100, 100 out of 1000) of these people were otherwise healthy individuals who have succumbed to this deadly virus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n We are allowed to go outside once a day for exercise, from our own home (you\u2019re not allowed to drive anywhere for exercise). My husband and I are really enjoying our daily walks, some of which have been quite long. Last week, we walked for seven hours, covering about 23 miles (this was much longer than our usual walks, I must add!) Quite a few people are walking or cycling, but the roads are eerily quiet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n We have been really appreciating nature, whilst on our walks and in the garden. I\u2019m also thanking God that we have had mostly sunny days. There are lots of butterflies, bees and wild flowers to enjoy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Last weekend was Easter. I felt sad not to be able to visit my family as we usually do. We joined in with online church and went for a walk. Two days later, I went to Tesco to discover that many Easter eggs had not been sold, so they were selling them off at 75% off the original price. Happy days! I got loads of cheap chocolate, including a large Lindt Easter egg that I had seen before but couldn\u2019t justify spending \u00a310 on.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Yesterday, Captain Tom Moore completed his 100th<\/sup> lap of his garden ahead of his 100th<\/sup> birthday later this month. He set out to raise \u00a31000 for the NHS but he has already raised over \u00a320 million, and it\u2019s still rising.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Every Thursday at 8pm, during our Zoom life group meeting, everyone goes outside their front doors to clap for the NHS and other key workers. Many homes, especially those with children, have put paintings of rainbows in their windows. I find it wonderful that the rainbow is the symbol of hope for the world; God had already made the rainbow the symbol of hope for the world a very long time ago (see Genesis ch. 9)<\/p>\n\n\n\n I was absolutely disgusted, appalled and outraged (I don\u2019t have sufficient adjectives to describe how I feel) to hear that MPs are getting an additional \u00a310000 (ten thousand pounds!) to work from the comfort and safety of their own homes. This seems such an injustice when frontline NHS staff are working all the hours, putting their very lives at risk, and are receiving not a single penny extra. All they get is a weekly clap!<\/p>\n\n\n\n I think most people are missing their hairdresser. I have already trimmed my own fringe as my hair was in my eyes and driving me crazy. My husband and son haven\u2019t attempted similar. Looking forward to our hairdresser coming round and repairing the damage!<\/p>\n\n\n\n Today is our daughter\u2019s birthday. We haven\u2019t seen her and her fianc\u00e9 since Christmas and won\u2019t be able to see them until the restrictions on non-essential travel and social gatherings are lifted. Since she is a mental health nurse, working on the CAMHS crisis team, she is still working full time. In fact, she has had to cancel the 9 days annual leave that she was supposed to take before her birthday, to cover staff shortages. Her fianc\u00e9 is thankfully still working from home. They are doing well. I have put a bottle of prosecco in the fridge to celebrate our daughter\u2019s birthday for her tonight!<\/p>\n\n\n\n Saturday 18th<\/u><\/sup> April<\/p>\n\n\n\n Our 14-year-old washing machine had packed in, so we had a new one delivered today. Because of the social distancing regulations, the delivery guys from Curry\u2019s just dropped the new washing machine off in the kitchen as they are not allowed to install it. We have never plumbed a washing machine in before and the instructions were pretty sparse, so it took us a long time, but we did it (well, mainly my husband, with me assisting!)<\/p>\n\n\n\n Monday 20th<\/u><\/sup> April<\/p>\n\n\n\n Yesterday on our walk at Barry Sidings, we were watching a beautiful little goldcrest. We were ever so close to him and watched him for a while before he flew away. Today we saw a slow worm, moving very quickly in front of our path. We are really appreciating nature at this time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Saturday 25th<\/u><\/sup> April<\/p>\n\n\n\n In the words of the government, today our country reached a \u201ctragic and terrible milestone\u201d of over 20,000 hospital deaths linked to coronavirus. Previously it had been said that the death toll being below 20,000 would be a \u201cgood outcome\u201d and this was what I had been praying. Furthermore, the global death toll has now reached over 200,000. A sad day in history.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Sunday 26th<\/u><\/sup> April<\/p>\n\n\n\n Today was meant to be the London Marathon, which has been postponed until October. Since many charities benefit from this iconic event, the \u20182.6 challenge\u2019 has been taken up by quite a lot of people doing events in their own home that are linked to 26 or 2.6. There is still hope.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Monday 27th<\/u><\/sup> April<\/p>\n\n\n\n We had booked to go see The Lion King show in the Wales Millennium Centre in Cardiff in July as a treat for our anniversary, but I have just received an email to say that it has been postponed until July 2022.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Wednesday 29th<\/u><\/sup> April<\/p>\n\n\n\n Deaths in care homes and the community are now being included in the death toll so it has jumped to 26,097.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Thursday 30th<\/u><\/sup> April<\/p>\n\n\n\n Today is Captain Tom Moore\u2019s 100th<\/sup> birthday. He has been made honorary colonel. He has raised \u00a332 million for the NHS.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Saturday 2nd<\/u><\/sup> May<\/p>\n\n\n\n The first minister has stated that one of the groups of children to be the first to return to school will be those with SEN. How on earth are we supposed to support the children from 2m away?<\/p>\n\n\n\n Tuesday 5th<\/u><\/sup> May<\/p>\n\n\n\n UK coronavirus death toll is now the highest in Europe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Wednesday 6th<\/u><\/sup> May<\/p>\n\n\n\n The UK death toll is now over 30,000. We now have the second highest number of recorded coronavirus deaths in the world, second only to the US which has more than 70,000.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Thursday 7th<\/u><\/sup> May<\/p>\n\n\n\n We should have been returning to Saundersfoot with our 8 friends today for a long weekend. We have rescheduled for next May.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Friday 8th<\/u><\/sup> May<\/p>\n\n\n\n Today is a special bank holiday to celebrate the 75th<\/sup> anniversary of VE day. We observed a two-minute silence at 11am. The terraced street across the road from us has bunting all the way down the street. Lots of people are having parties on their doorsteps to keep to the 2m rule. There\u2019s a sing along with the TV at 9pm to Vera Lynn\u2019s We\u2019ll Meet Again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Sunday 10th<\/u><\/sup> May<\/p>\n\n\n\n Boris has announced that the message for England is now, \u201cStay Alert\u201d. What does that even mean? The message in Wales is still, \u201cStay Home\u201d. We have at least another three weeks of lockdown here, although we are allowed to go outside for exercise more than once a day and garden centres and tips will be permitted to open.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Monday 11th<\/u><\/sup> May<\/p>\n\n\n\n Dad had to be taken into a care home today. Nobody will be allowed to visit him, not even his wife. Mum was becoming ill with caring for him 24\/7 and getting hardly any sleep.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Wednesday 13th<\/u><\/sup> May<\/p>\n\n\n\n Drove up to Yorkshire to be with Mum for a few days. The roads were eerily quiet; very few cars, mostly just lorries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Monday 18th<\/u><\/sup> May<\/p>\n\n\n\n Trimmed my own fringe again today. My men still haven\u2019t done anything with their hair; in fact, they haven\u2019t been shaving very frequently either.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Tuesday 19th<\/u><\/sup> May<\/p>\n\n\n\n Captain Tom Moore is to be given a knighthood.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Sunday 24th<\/u><\/sup> May<\/p>\n\n\n\n Today should have been my sister and brother-in-law\u2019s wonderful Silver Wedding party at their home in the south east of England. They have had to postpone it to next May.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Wednesday 27th<\/u><\/sup> May<\/p>\n\n\n\n My husband trimmed his own hair with the clippers this morning. Our son is just letting his grow.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It was so good to be able to walk round our lovely Ynysangharad Park this afternoon. It reopened today for the first time since the floods in the middle of February.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A dear retired assistant head of our school has died of coronavirus. He was a very well-loved teacher, who took early retirement less than two years ago. He used to give our son a lift to school early in the mornings when he was in year 13. He will be missed very much.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Sunday 31st<\/u><\/sup> May<\/p>\n\n\n\n This May was the sunniest on record. Blessed by this as there\u2019s nothing to do except go for long walks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Thursday 4th<\/u><\/sup> June<\/p>\n\n\n\n Dad had a fall in the care home so had to go to A&E yesterday morning. To our horror they admitted him onto a Covid ward. My sister and I were very distressed about this (we didn\u2019t let Mum know) but were informed that it\u2019s national policy for patients from care homes. Thankfully he returned to the care home this evening, but he will have to isolate in his room for a few days until he gets a negative Covid test. We are praying.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Friday 5th<\/u><\/sup> June<\/p>\n\n\n\n 40,261 people have died in the UK of coronavirus. We are only the second country in the world to reach the grim milestone of over 40,000 deaths.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Monday 8th<\/u><\/sup> June<\/p>\n\n\n\n Actually managed to buy self raising flour today for the first time since February. I think everyone has gone baking crazy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Tuesday 10th<\/u><\/sup> June<\/p>\n\n\n\n In addition to going for a daily walk, we have entertained ourselves by playing badminton in the garden, playing table tennis in the extension and playing frisbee in the park.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Friday 12th<\/u><\/sup> June<\/p>\n\n\n\n The UK economy shrunk by 20.4% in April because of lockdown \u2013 the largest monthly contraction on record.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Tuesday 16th<\/u><\/sup> June<\/p>\n\n\n\n Mum was allowed to wear a mask and go visit Dad from 2 metres away in the care home garden.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Thursday 18th<\/u><\/sup> June<\/p>\n\n\n\n My husband has received a letter to say that he\u2019s going back to work on Monday (working from home). Even though he has been on furlough for nearly 3 months and I lost all my tutoring income in March, we have lacked nothing; we have had everything we need and more. God is good. (Psalm 23:1).<\/p>\n\n\n\n Friday 19th<\/u><\/sup> June<\/p>\n\n\n\n Our son has just heard that he has passed his masters. No grade for the students this year as they changed the assessment process; he has just been awarded an honours pass. No word on when he might have a graduation ceremony.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Monday 29th<\/u><\/sup> June<\/p>\n\n\n\n The worldwide coronavirus death toll has passed 500,000 (half a million).<\/p>\n\n\n\n Schools in Wales reopened today for all pupils but with only one third of the students in school at any one time. All students (apart from yr11 and yr13 who have already left school) will have the opportunity to go to school for at least 2 days before the summer holidays. I will be working on Thursdays and Fridays for the next three weeks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Our son started work as a full-time engineer for a local company today. He will be going into work every day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Friday 3rd<\/u><\/sup> July<\/p>\n\n\n\n Today was the first day since 18th<\/sup> March that I have failed to walk over 10,000 steps a day. I was at work until 3pm then it was heavy rain for the remainder of the day; I just didn\u2019t feel like going out in the rain. We played pool in the extension instead.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Sunday 12th<\/u><\/sup> July<\/p>\n\n\n\n Visited our Caerphilly friends in their garden this afternoon. It was good to interact with other human beings. We walked there (it\u2019s about 6 miles).<\/p>\n\n\n\n Tuesday 14th<\/u><\/sup> July<\/p>\n\n\n\n Our niece\u2019s 18th<\/sup> birthday today. She won\u2019t be able to have a party but she\u2019s enjoying the celebrations at home.<\/p>\n\n\n\n My first time back to tutoring today since March. I have to wear a mask and use hand sanitizer. I have also written a Covid-19 health and safety policy. The mask becomes very uncomfortable behind the ears quite quickly. Not fun. I will be seeing two students throughout the summer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Friday 17th<\/u><\/sup> July<\/p>\n\n\n\n The strangest, saddest last day of term on record. No hugs, no celebrations and not knowing what we are looking forward to in September. I\u2019ve picked up a few shifts in the summer on the playschemes for the key workers\u2019 children.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Saturday 18th<\/u><\/sup> July<\/p>\n\n\n\n The day we were supposed to be going to Cardiff to see The Lion King musical. It has been postponed until 2022.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Monday 20th<\/u><\/sup> July<\/p>\n\n\n\n On our wedding anniversary, we had our hair professionally cut for the first time since February… in the garden!<\/p>\n\n\n\n Tuesday 21st<\/u><\/sup> July<\/p>\n\n\n\n My husband\u2019s passport has expired, and he is not permitted to apply for a new one as applications are only allowed for those with urgent or compassionate reasons. This, coupled with many other unanswered questions, has led us to decide to postpone our October holiday to Lanzarote until October 2021. It\u2019s a shame really as we had our last year\u2019s Tenerife holiday cancelled due to Thomas Cook going through. At least we\u2019ve got something to look forward to.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Thursday 23rd<\/u><\/sup> July<\/p>\n\n\n\n Went for a socially distanced walk from Jackson\u2019s Bay to the Knapp, with chips at the turn-round point, with friends. (Adrian was working). It\u2019s the first time I\u2019ve seen the sea this year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Friday 24th<\/u><\/sup> July<\/p>\n\n\n\n Drove to Norfolk to visit our daughter to see them for the first time since Christmas. It was so good to see them. We arrived about 8:40pm, had dinner and stayed up late in the garden sitting around the fire-pit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Saturday 25th<\/u><\/sup> July<\/p>\n\n\n\n Went to the beach with our daughter, her fiance and the dog. Saw the church and the barn where they will be having their wedding next summer. Had a walk on the beach and a paddle and watched the seals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Sunday 26th<\/u><\/sup> July<\/p>\n\n\n\n Took the dog for a walk in the morning then went to my sister\u2019s home to see them for the first time since Christmas and to collect our son\u2019s belongings that had been there since March. Had a lovely socially distanced BBQ in the garden.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Tuesday 28th<\/u><\/sup> July<\/p>\n\n\n\n My husband is off this week as it\u2019s supposed to be Bible Week. In honour of this, we walked from Merthyr Mawr sand dunes to Ogmore beach to Porthcawl and back and ate Pot Noodle outside.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Thursday 30th<\/u><\/sup> July<\/p>\n\n\n\n As part of our \u2018staycation\u2019 we went on a long walk up the forestry and up to the trig point. At teatime, we went to Porthcawl for another walk and fish and chips from Beales (the best fish and chips in town) on the seafront. We left there about 9pm and noticed that we had done over 44,000 steps so we had the mad idea to go for a walk in the dark along the cycle path in Treforest, with the torch, to get our 50,000 steps in a day Fitbit badge. What a mad day! We walked 50,373 steps in a single day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Saturday 1st<\/u><\/sup> August<\/p>\n\n\n\n Our son moved to Penarth today to live with a friend from church (although the friend isn\u2019t actually going to be there until the end of September). We will miss him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Monday 3rd<\/u><\/sup> August<\/p>\n\n\n\n My husband has gone back to the office from today. If it was his choice, he would still be working from home.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I went to work in the summer playschemes for vulnerable and key workers\u2019 children. I was working with five-year olds, which is a bit out of my comfort zone, but it was good fun. I have got six other shifts this summer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Saturday 8th<\/u><\/sup> August<\/p>\n\n\n\n Drove up to Yorkshire to celebrate Mum\u2019s 80th<\/sup> birthday today. Had the opportunity to visit Dad in the care home. Had to sit outside 2m away and wear a mask but it was good to see him. When I left Mum, I did give her a hug as she has had no physical contact from anyone since March. My sister and her elder daughter also joined us.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Wednesday 12th<\/u><\/sup> August<\/p>\n\n\n\n Home from three nights with our daughter. We went to an outdoor theatre production of Alice in Wonderland in the Botanical Gardens on Sunday evening. Then we went wedding dress shopping in the morning on Monday and all day in Norwich on Tuesday, when she found a stunning dress and ordered it. Even though we had to wear face masks in the boutiques, it was a wonderful time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n We went out for a meal at the local Indian restaurant on the \u2018eat out to help out\u2019 scheme, which allows up to \u00a310 off per person. Unfortunately, this didn\u2019t include money off the \u00a325 bottle of prosecco that I ordered. The food bill for three of us came to less than the drinks!<\/p>\n\n\n\n The weather was absolutely scorching so we went to the beach on Monday afternoon. In a car without air conditioning on the way home for nearly six hours was almost unbearable in up to 34 degrees heat. Nevertheless, it was worth it to see my family.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Friday 21st<\/u><\/sup> August<\/p>\n\n\n\n It wasn\u2019t especially sunny or warm, but we spent a pleasant evening drinking wine in our garden with our lovely neighbour.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Monday 24th<\/u><\/sup> August<\/p>\n\n\n\n Our hairdresser came to cut our hair in the house this time. I see this as a sign that things are gradually returning to normal but over 800,000 people globally have lost their lives to coronavirus and scientists have told us that it will be with us \u2018forever\u2019.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Monday 31st<\/u><\/sup> August<\/p>\n\n\n\n Bank holiday Monday. We went to the Harvester in Talbot Green for dinner for the final day of the \u2018eat out to help out\u2019 scheme. Had a good meal for about \u00a314 for the two of us!<\/p>\n\n\n\n Tuesday 1st<\/u><\/sup> September<\/p>\n\n\n\n First day back to full time work (school and tutoring) since the middle of March. The children will be coming back into school on a staggered start from Thursday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Monday 7th<\/u><\/sup> September<\/p>\n\n\n\n The \u2018new normal\u2019 for school: staff and students wear face masks in the corridors; there is a strict one-way system around the school; staff and students sanitise hands on the way into and out of classrooms; perspex screens to separate teachers and students; support staff wear visors at all times as we still have to sit beside the students. The \u2018new normal\u2019 is far from normal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Monday 14th<\/u><\/sup> September<\/p>\n\n\n\n We now have to wear face masks in shops, public transport and other public places by law.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The government\u2019s latest slogan is \u2018hands \u2013 face \u2013 space.\u2019 No-one really knows exactly what it means.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Wednesday 16th<\/u><\/sup> September<\/p>\n\n\n\n A lot has happened today. Around lunchtime, it was announced that Rhondda Cynon Taf will be in lockdown from 6pm tomorrow evening. This means that no-one will be permitted to enter or leave RCT without good reason; no extended households will be allowed; no-one will be allowed to meet indoors except members of the same household and pubs and bars will close at 11pm (I don\u2019t care about that one). This affects us because all our family live outside RCT and also I won\u2019t be permitted to carry on my tutoring business. (I\u2019m not equipped to tutor online).<\/p>\n\n\n\n I went down town to walk round the park after work today and was stopped and asked if I would mind being interviewed by the BBC. I said I didn\u2019t mind so, consequently, a short clip of my interview was shown on BBC Wales Today at 6:30pm and on the 10 o\u2019clock national news. All they showed was me saying, \u201cVery disappointed really because we have been following the rules but clearly lots of people haven\u2019t.\u201d It caused quite a stir amongst my friends!<\/p>\n\n\n\n Thursday 17th<\/u><\/sup> September<\/p>\n\n\n\n I was like a minor celebrity in work today.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Sunday 20th<\/u><\/sup> September<\/p>\n\n\n\n Had such a lovely socially distanced picnic in Ynysangharad Park with some friends from church.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Tuesday 22nd<\/u><\/sup> September<\/p>\n\n\n\n There have now been more than 400,000 cases of coronavirus in the UK as the UK death toll reaches 41,825. Boris has said we are now seeing a second wave and he has introduced further measures which he has said will probably go on for another 6 months. There have been more than 960,000 deaths worldwide. The situation is very bad.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Tuesday 29th<\/u><\/sup> September<\/p>\n\n\n\n The official global death toll is now more than one million, but the actual number is likely much higher as many countries testing rates are low, with virus related deaths not being recorded. The US, Brazil and India make up nearly half the total.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Monday 19th<\/u><\/sup> October<\/p>\n\n\n\n Our son had accidentally ordered some important items to be delivered to our house instead of his new address. Because of the lockdown, he is not permitted to travel to our house to retrieve them so I went to his place of work after school to hand them over to him. This is perfectly acceptable as he works in RCT. It was not very nice that we had to meet outside, both wearing masks at a distance with no hugs, but it was good to see him briefly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Thursday 22nd<\/u><\/sup> October<\/p>\n\n\n\n Today is Dad\u2019s 81st<\/sup> birthday. Because their city is in \u2018tier 2 lockdown\u2019 the care home had told Mum that under no circumstances would she be able to visit Dad, even outside. Very fortunately (answer to prayer, I call it) Mum went up to the care home to take Dad some birthday cards and while she was at the door, Dad just happened to be walking past in the hall. The staff allowed him to sit on a chair in the hall and open his presents and cards while mum stood by the door. He recognised her and was happy. This was such a blessing to Mum.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I phoned Dad later on but I don\u2019t think he knew me; I sang Happy Birthday to him anyway. The care staff also sent us a video of him while they sang Happy Birthday to him, gave him a cake and Dad blew out his candle. Dad even gave a little speech, which I\u2019m sure he would have enjoyed. I think he had the best birthday possible under the circumstances.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Friday 23rd<\/u><\/sup> October<\/p>\n\n\n\n From 6pm this evening the whole of Wales is back in full lockdown called a \u2018fire break\u2019. All non essential retail and hospitality are all closed and everyone has to stay home for 17 days in an attempt to slow down the spread of the virus. Secondary schools will only open after half term for years 7 and 8 but I will be back in full time. My husband will be working from home. The ridiculous thing about this lockdown is that supermarkets and other stores are not allowed to sell non-essential items such as clothes, electrical items or greeting cards. I think this is utterly farcical.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Saturday 24th<\/u><\/sup> October<\/p>\n\n\n\n Drinking Spanish sangria in honour of the fact that we\u2019re supposed to be in Lanzarote from today for a week.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Sunday 1st<\/u><\/sup> November<\/p>\n\n\n\n So, our lockdown holiday has come to an end. It has rained every day but we still went out walking (mostly in the rain) every day except for Thursday. We had a Chinese and an Indian takeaway and I baked two Christmas cakes. Not a bad week really.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Wednesday 4th<\/u><\/sup> November<\/p>\n\n\n\n Tomorrow England will be in lockdown for 4 weeks. Nevertheless, it has been announced that care homes should allow visits from loved ones. I pray that Mum will be allowed to visit Dad again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Monday 9th<\/u><\/sup> November<\/p>\n\n\n\n Today\u2019s headline: \u201cCovid vaccine: first \u2018milestone\u2019 vaccine offers 90% protection.\u201d There are several more hurdles to jump before it can be rolled out, but this is encouraging news at this time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Tuesday 10th<\/u><\/sup> November<\/p>\n\n\n\n Today our eduction minister, Kirsty Williams, announced that there will be no GCSE or A level exams in Wales next summer. They will be replaced by externally set, externally marked, classroom assessments. The details were very vague.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Wednesday 11th<\/u><\/sup> November<\/p>\n\n\n\n On this day, my husband\u2019s birthday, the highest daily total of deaths since May was recorded at 595, taking the UK total to 50,365. The UK is the first country in Europe to exceed 50,000 deaths, after the US, Brazil, India and Mexico. We went out for dinner to Wetherspoons, where one has to wear a mask on entry and have table service only. Also, Mum is shielding again, not going anywhere away from the home and not seeing anyone at all except for her neighbour, once a week, when she brings some shopping round to the doorstep. Praying that the vaccine is successful very soon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Tuesday 24th<\/u><\/sup> November<\/p>\n\n\n\n The restrictions for Christmas have been announced. They only allow a bubble of three households, with no crossover for only 5 days from the 23rd<\/sup> December. This means that we will be allowed to visit Mum for Christmas Day but if we want to see our daughter, we will have to bend the rules.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Sunday 29th<\/u><\/sup> November<\/p>\n\n\n\n We had the most wonderful time at an open-air marquee worship event at All Nations this afternoon. The restrictions allow for up to 30 people to worship together in the open air, so All Nations Church organised four such events throughout the afternoon today. We went to the 2pm event; it was so good to worship together with our brothers and sisters.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Friday 4th<\/u><\/sup> December<\/p>\n\n\n\n We were supposed to be having a night in the Village Hotel Cardiff tonight, postponed from March, but we\u2019ve had to postpone it again, to June this time, because of the new restrictions. Pubs and restaurants have to close at 6pm, which means we would have had to have our dinner in our room, so we decided it was better to postpone again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Tuesday 8th<\/u><\/sup> December<\/p>\n\n\n\n Today the first vaccines were administered. Praying that this is the beginning of the end.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In the evening, we went to an open air carol service for 30 people in an open sided marquee at All Nations. Glad that we had this opportunity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Friday 11th<\/u><\/sup> December<\/p>\n\n\n\n All secondary schools have closed and are going to online learning for the last week of term, but our autism class where I work is staying open so I will have to go in all week. Not happy about this as we want to limit our contacts ready to visit Mum.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Monday 14th<\/u><\/sup> December<\/p>\n\n\n\n All the staff for our class have been told to stay at home and self-isolate until the 19th<\/sup> due to being in contact with a student who has tested positive. Praying that we stay well and can get a negative test.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Thursday 17th<\/u><\/sup> December<\/p>\n\n\n\n We both had a lateral flow Covid test today and they both came back negative, thank God.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Saturday 19th<\/u><\/sup> December<\/p>\n\n\n\n There is a new variant of the virus that is 71% more transmissible, which is spreading particularly in London and the surrounding areas. Because of this, those areas have been put into tier 4 restrictions from midnight tonight. This means that no-one will be allowed to leave or enter these areas, even for Christmas. For the rest of the UK, Christmas bubbles are now only<\/em> allowed on Christmas Day. This means that we will have to go to see Mum and return on the same day, about 10 hours of driving. We will not be allowed to see our daughter and her fianc\u00e9 at all.<\/p>\n\n\n\n My sister\u2019s family are also in a very unfortunate situation. Their son has coronavirus, so the entire family will be self-isolating over Christmas. They won\u2019t be able to have a turkey or go away from the house, even for a walk. Their elder daughter, who is an apprentice nurse on a Covid ward near London, won\u2019t be allowed home either and, since she\u2019s living in a tier 4 area, won\u2019t be allowed to have a visitor on Christmas Day. She has swapped her shifts so that she can now work on Christmas Day, bless her.<\/p>\n\n\n\n From midnight tonight, the whole of Wales will be in alert level 4 restrictions, so, with the exception of Christmas Day, we are now in lockdown again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Sunday 20th<\/u><\/sup> December<\/p>\n\n\n\n My birthday in lockdown. Just went for a walk.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Wednesday 23rd<\/u><\/sup> December<\/p>\n\n\n\n Today marked another grim daily record for deaths: 744 today.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Friday 25th<\/u><\/sup> December<\/p>\n\n\n\n This Christmas Day, due to the new restrictions only allowing travel on Christmas Day, we travelled almost 500 miles round-trip to visit Mum so that she wouldn\u2019t be on her own. It was good to see her. Mum, my two men and I shared Christmas dinner together.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Also on this day, the death toll for the UK surpassed 70,000.<\/p>\n\n\n\n [8th<\/sup> March 2025. I feel so much anger, almost hatred, towards Boris Johnson who was enjoying parties with his buddies while our elderly Mum, in the early stages of Alzheimer’s, was all alone in her house. If there is another global pandemic, I will not adhere to the rules if they are going to cause harm to my loved ones]<\/p>\n\n\n\n Saturday 26th<\/u><\/sup> December<\/p>\n\n\n\n Hundreds of truck drivers had to spend Christmas Day and night in their trucks because of the new variant, they weren\u2019t permitted to cross to France.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Wednesday 30th<\/u><\/sup> December<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Oxford \/ AstraZeneca vaccine has been approved for use in the UK.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Friday 1st<\/u><\/sup> January 2021<\/p>\n\n\n\n Well, last night was the quietest New Year for many years. It was me and my two men. We played a few games of Jenga and Uno and saw the New Year in with a few bubbles, while watching the TV, but there was no Auld Lang Syne, which was disappointing. Our daughter and her fiance were also on their own; she called us just after midnight. They are getting married this year. We start the new year with hope for the future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Tuesday 5th<\/u><\/sup> January<\/p>\n\n\n\n England has entered tier 5, a total lockdown, with schools and colleges also closed. Wales has closed schools, going to online learning until at least 18th<\/sup> January. Nevertheless, I will be going into work as normal as our class will still be open as the students are deemed high priority, vulnerable learners. School is still open for these learners as well as for children of critical workers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n All exams in England are cancelled. They have already been cancelled in Wales.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Wednesday 6th<\/u><\/sup> January<\/p>\n\n\n\n More than 1000 Covid deaths today and over 62,000 new cases in the UK. Our country is in a tragic crisis.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Thursday 7th<\/u><\/sup> January<\/p>\n\n\n\n More than 1000 deaths again today.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Friday 8th<\/u><\/sup> January<\/p>\n\n\n\n Today was the highest daily death toll since the pandemic began: 1,325 and the biggest daily increase in cases: 68,053.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The London mayor has declared a major incident in London due to the rise in cases and has said that the virus is \u2018out of control.\u2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Moderna vaccine has been approved in the UK for a spring rollout.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Wales\u2019 lockdown has been extended until at least 29th<\/sup> January.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Mum had her first dose of Covid vaccine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Saturday 9th<\/u><\/sup> January<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Queen and Duke of Edinburgh have received the first dose of Covid vaccine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The UK death toll has exceeded 80,000.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Wednesday 13th<\/u><\/sup> January<\/p>\n\n\n\n Another tragic, record breaking total: 1,564 lives lost today to coronavirus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Monday 18th<\/u><\/sup> January<\/p>\n\n\n\n Received an email in work today from the council calling for people to train to become vaccinators. I have made initial enquiries. I used to be a nurse, but I haven\u2019t given an injection since 1994!<\/p>\n\n\n\n Tuesday 19th<\/u><\/sup> January<\/p>\n\n\n\n Another tragic record: 1,610 deaths today and a total of over 90,000 deaths altogether.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Hopefully Dad will have his first vaccine tomorrow. Care home residents and front line workers were supposed to be the first priority for the vaccine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Wednesday 20th<\/u><\/sup> January<\/p>\n\n\n\n Another record breaking death toll: 1,820 lives lost today.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Wales has scrapped its revised assessment process. GCSE and A level students will now be assessed by teacher assessment only. Additionally, non-exam components will not be moderated. Will wait to see how this affects my tutoring.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Thursday 21st<\/u><\/sup> January<\/p>\n\n\n\n The rescheduled Bible Week 2021 has been cancelled due to the ongoing pandemic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Sunday 24th<\/u><\/sup> January<\/p>\n\n\n\n First significant snowfall of 2021 made our lockdown walk more interesting this morning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Tuesday 26th<\/u><\/sup> January<\/p>\n\n\n\n The UK reached another tragic milestone today: more than 100,000 Covid deaths in total. We are the first European country to reach this milestone and only the fifth country in the world. These are not just numbers; they are people\u2019s family members, friends and loved ones.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Tuesday 2nd<\/u><\/sup> February<\/p>\n\n\n\n Captain Sir Tom Moore has died at the age of 100 with pneumonia and coronavirus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n My husband was sent home from work today due to someone from the office testing positive. He has been for a test, which will hopefully come back negative.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Thursday 11th<\/u><\/sup> February<\/p>\n\n\n\n Today I have had my first dose of vaccine. I had the Pfizer vaccine. Fortunately, a friend found out that we are eligible for it as we work in a special education setting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Saturday 13th<\/u><\/sup> February<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Six Nations Rugby is going ahead this year, albeit without crowds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Thursday 18th<\/u><\/sup> February<\/p>\n\n\n\n Baked Christmas cakes today for something to do during half term in lockdown. We\u2019ll probably share them (and eat lots) during Easter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Friday 19th<\/u><\/sup> February<\/p>\n\n\n\n I have started crocheting again as something to do during lockdown. I\u2019m making a simple blanket with no particular purpose.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Monday 22nd<\/u><\/sup> February<\/p>\n\n\n\n Boris has announced his \u2018road map\u2019 back to \u2018normality\u2019. If all the tests are satisfied in time, all restrictions will be lifted on 21st<\/sup> June, which would mean that our daughter\u2019s wedding can go ahead with the number of guests they have planned. This is very encouraging news and answer to prayer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Monday 15th<\/u><\/sup> March<\/p>\n\n\n\n Hairdressers have started back today which means that my tutoring can restart. I have enjoyed the past three months without tutoring so much that I am thinking of going down to just two days a week in the summer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Tuesday 16