Emerging, hopefully, from Covid

It's nearly 10pm and I'm in bed with the kids but I only just get to write now: and I think that fact sets the tone for this quite well. Because we've been busy, out.

Meeting friends outside

As much of mainland Europe has already or is considering going into another Lockdown, the UK is surprisingly efficient about vaccinations and the so-called roadmap for reopening has been confirmed again today; as of 12th April, nonessential shops get to open again and restaurants / pubs can serve food outdoors.

We had mother's day a few weeks ago, and for me that kind of marked a sea change. We saw the kids' grandparents again for the first time since November. Along with most people, we had been in lockdown before that and had not met with anyone in the flesh. Schools reopened on the 8th March, which doesn't affect us as we educate the kids ourselves, but it felt really silly to continue adhering to lockdown rules so completely when all over the country kids were mixing again.

That's not to say we aren't still cautious. The grandparents are going to have their second jabs soon, so will be as protected as they can be, and Mr. is having his first jab this Saturday, but I won't get one for a while yet (only 40 and no risk factors) and I don't want to catch it thanks very much. The kids have started gymnastics again on Wednesdays, which is in a huge and well ventilated warehouse with very few kids (only home educated kids allowed at the moment), and we've met for walks with a group of other home edders twice - up a hill and down again, as well as individual outside meetups with one other family at a time. From all I've been reading, outside doing things and not speaking / breathing directly into one another's face is as safe as it gets, so that felt worth it.

Today we went to the outdoors cycling centre and the kids went around a track several times, with my help and with much fear and screaming, to try and get them to learn to cycle. Then to the playground with another home ed family. Being out and about is our way, our comfort zone - but I'm very conscious that I don't want to get over busy or over confident. We are still in a pandemic. But I want to give the kids as much normality as I can now, and I pray very hard that Europe gets their situation sorted because we have booked six weeks in Vienna (July/August) and I don't want to cancel that.

So... emerging indeed. Unlike most people I feel like I'm emerging better than I went in - after all, I got abstinent (from my eating disorder) in October! So I'm excited and cautious at the same time. I often think this lockdown has been like a greenhouse in terms of my abstinence, a protected place for that little shoot to grow, but it needs to be planted out and withstand the weather. I'm ready.

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