On 20th March 2020 I packed up my desk knowing that I was about to embark on homeworking and homeschooling, who would have thought that 12 months later life would only just be thinking about returning to normal...
A couple days later the entire country went into the first national lockdown. In the first few months of lockdown as the entire industry shut down we had to furlough our staff leaving just Mark working in isolation making solid wood windows for a barn conversion and a beautiful display unit, but unable to fit any of the work he had made. As lockdown eased luckily we were able to bring back the guys one by one while adjusting to our new socially distanced workplace, not the easiest as very often 2 people are required to carry items. Finally in September our children returned to school and I returned to the office and life seemed pretty normal again. This was short lived as at the beginning of November Boris made another announcement, we watched the tv with baited breath, lockdown 2 was announced, thankfully this time manufacturing and construction were allowed to continue and the schools stayed open. So on we continued making sure to hit our pre Christmas deadlines. Christmas came and we all celebrated as the rest of the nation did in our very small bubbles and enjoyed a few days off work as a family. Then 2021 came, what would that bring? As I prepared to return to the office and the children looked forward to their return to school, lockdown 3 was announced and I resumed my homeschooling/homeworking role, but this time it seemed to be lacking the sunshine and fun of the first lockdown. The novelty had very much worn off for both myself and the children. So here I am on the 19th March 2021, 2 weeks into my return to work reflecting (probably should be working!) on how much has changed in 1 year. Hopefully by this time next year life will have returned to normal and going for a meal with friends, having a family holiday or even just being able to give your friends and family a hug will all be allowed again and 2020/21 will be a distant memory, but maybe we'll look back in reflection and appreciate how much time we got to spend with our children, teaching them to grow vegetables and climb trees, baking far too many cakes and getting merry in your kitchen while participating in many a zoom quiz.