Girl About The House - Week 1
Very proud of that- I was introduced to Man About the House as a child which is a vintage series from the '70s with Richard O'Sullivan. It's a cool show and you should definitely give it a watch.
If you're reading this within the time frame it's been posted then you'll know full well about the lockdown were experiencing currently in the UK. If not then to put it into context, the UK and many other corners of the world are housebound to prevent the spread of Coronavirus.
Within the past two weeks, all of our lives have changed. This is the first time I and many of us have experienced the same situation at the exact same time. This crazy, weird, scary and strange time means that many of us- if not all- are feeling uncertain. If this were a speech there'd be a lot of pauses where I just can't find the appropriate words.
The idea came about for a diary as naturally I'm a sentimental person and I like to make notes. That being said, it's a weird surreal time to remember and I want a bit of positivity, goal and structure to keep me going...
A brief catch up on the week before-
My hand-in day for my project was set to be Thursday the 26th of March. I found out on the 19th that my hand in would now be the 20th; the next day. So that day, evening and the next was spent frantically getting all of my work up to hand-in standard one week early. As you can imagine, very stressful!
From that day to the next everything had changed. The campus was set to close at 5 that evening for the foreseeable future and there was a sence of quiet panic.
Friday evening my anxiety rose to very high levels and I could not get to sleep. It took talking to a family member through message to calm me down. I think the level of anxiety occurred because of just how quickly everything had changed. The week before I had lunch with a friend where the virus was not mentioned once. The next week it's pretty much all we could talk about.
The situation also just felt very real. My two days went from being busy with work to frantic and stressed to an all of a sudden complete stop where I knew I'd be home for a while.
A memory that keeps replaying in my mind is walking to the classroom with my teacher, through a deserted campus, both in absolute silence, because there weren't any words- nor was there the pressure of making polite conversation.
From Friday onwards all learning is digital and practical work is to be sent through photography online. Of which is one of the many reasons I'm glad I take good-quality pictures of my work throughout the project.
Day 1 (Tuesday 24rd of March)-
Last night the prime minister told the people of the UK to stay in their homes, except for citizens leaving the house for shopping for basic necessities, one form of exercise a day, medical needs (providing care for another), travelling to and from work in a job that couldn't be carried out from home.
I'm not going to make it a habit to mention what's going on in the news and the announcements too much because I, like many people, find watching the news each day very anxiety triggering. Before this very weird situation, I never watched it but now I'm finding myself drifting towards the TV or social media for updates. So I won't mention these things too much if anyone reading has come here for an escape. I welcome you! That being said, I will update my posts about how I'm feeling as I've felt for a very long time that sharing these things can help other people.
So for the first day of the official lockdown, I left the house to go to a funeral made up of just 25 people. This wasn't Coronavirus related and it's actually not a situation I would otherwise mention on this blog but with these very strange times brings very strange situations and I wanted to talk about it.
It's very odd to know that you can't get close to anyone and must keep a distance. In particular, having to keep this at the forefront of your mind when with family members is very difficult. In a sad environment when you feel like you need a hug to not be able to provide support is extremely difficult.
I saw my family whom I don't live with and we said goodbye for a little while face to face. This wasn't as sad as it reads and was actually light-hearted. Just felt a bit scary and the situation felt very real.
Drove past a doctors surgery where there was a queue of people stood 2 metres apart.
I'm working towards a deadline still for next Thursday so I got on with a bit of sewing...
Do you think everyone is just going to be scared of each other? Walking down the train platform steps last week a couple let me walk down first, Keeping their distance. When I smiled and said thank you I had a straight-faced expression glaring back at me with no response whatsoever.
There's a community feel online which feels brilliant but I just worry about day to day encounters.
Day 2 (Wednesday 25th of March)-
Woke up at 6:50am to a beautiful sunny day- mother nature is healing.
Got ready for the day in my current favourite outfit. Which is a navy floral jumpsuit with a white long-sleeved top and socks and occasional jumper over the top. I feel like Rachel McAdams from About Time with my quirky pairings.
Making a sample ready for virtual hand in tomorrow, of which I submit a photo of.
Frightful news on social, radio and TV, giving me bouts of extreme-ish anxiety; more than my normal level at the minute.
Played around with my finished samples on the mannequin...
I have a digital submission tomorrow which calls for photos and an evaluation- of which I hadn't written until this evening. I also have a video chat thing which will be an alternative to a lecture...I'm guessing...still working things out.
Something I've loved today is listening to Courtney Cox play the piano whilst her daughter sings (On Courntneys Instagram)- so beautiful.
Day 3 (Thursday 26th of March)-
Today is my third day of being housebound and I've found that the less news I overhear (overhear because I'm no longer actively looking for it if I can help myself) the more this whole crazy weird situation feels like it's not actually happening.
Today is the 15th anniversary of when Doctor Who was brought back to TV with Christopher Eccelstone and Billie Piper in Rose.
I stayed up late last night to write up my evaluation. Wrote, checked and checked again and managed to send everything over before the 12pm deadline.
In preparation for a video call/meeting, aka Zoom, later I put some mascara on just in case of a quick 'Buddy so what do you think about this' and the camera turns on and I'm projected to my class. I also set up a little tidy area in front of my wardrobe in the case of such events. Everywhere but where the camera could see was an utter mess. I had a stool in front of my wardrobe with the fabric door pulled down, the camera resting on a pile of stuff (Fabric, clothes), a charger in reach, a drink and pen and paper. Very proud of my little setup. And I was by the window for a bit of natural light. Felt quite YouTube-esc.
...that mini draw set you can see held pens and paperclips- just in case.
The anxiety dream situation didn't happen during the Zoom meeting. It was very weird and quite nerve-wracking/exciting to connect in this way. At times it felt like I was watching a video and not a part of this live feed- often you could see people forgetting themselves and making sudden movements to do something away from the camera like respond to a text or go-to move. Then they'd remember and shift back into position.
It provided a distraction for a wee-while where I thought of nothing but what was being said.
I'm hoping this whole situation will be a refresh for society where we create the habit of looking out for one another and using the internet for good.
The virus feels like a shark outside the house- the invisible villain is the name I heard today. What with all the information I'm hearing about what the virus does and attaches itself to- the thought of stepping out is somewhat scary.
On Monday I asked the question will everybody be scared of each other? Tonight at 8 my question was answered when neighbours stood outside their front door and clapped for the doctors, nurses and everyone that works with the NHS to thank them for their hard work. Our neighbours said a cheery hi to each other before the clapping and cheers erupted. Horns and fireworks could be heard in the background and I could feel a warmth in my chest at this show of community. After a few moments, the neighbours said Night to each other which could truly bring me to tears. This was such a loving display which started off as hesitant peering out of windows and door frames. All it took was the courage of one and then another to thank the courage of the NHS. We are truly truly grateful!
As a community, we won't be scared of one another, just cautious. As long as friendliness, support and warm smiles are exchanged we'll continue to keep a positive environment.
Day 4 (Friday 27th of March)-
For the first time since the official lockdown, I felt rather lost today. I received a last-day-of-term email and instantly I felt my sence of purpose slip away. I've spoken to many people who feel the same way when I have a project and someone at the end of it waiting for that final thing- whatever it maybe- I feel motivation and purpose. When I'm in those things go and I'm in charge I find it difficult to get myself into gear. Or if I do I can sometimes lose enjoyment on just doing things for me. The brain is a funny thing and creative friends have said the same thing.
So today was a bit of a not-really-anything type day. I painted the shed, put the washing out, tidied and...yeah.
During the morning the song All About You by Mcfly came on the radio and It made my heart warm. There was a genuine warmth to hear the trumpets.
Day 5 (Saturday 28th of March)-
I left the house for a walk, for the first time since the official lockdown. As you can imagine, after being cooped up in one space this felt very strange. I wasn't sure how different everyone would act so I did this tentatively. There were moments of British panic when people were walking in the opposite direction but for the entire time, everyone was respectful and stepped to the side or crossed the road. This felt a little bit rude, mind, but there was a mutual understanding.
I felt a bit down today, a little flat. Inevitable and lots of people online have been saying the same. Today the weather wasn't at its best either which meant that indoors was the best option. I listened to a new podcast: Sh**ged Married Annoyed by Chris and Rosie Ramsey- so funny and I would recommend.
Did a puzzle- that's just about how rock and roll my Saturday got!
A song I've been loving: Carrie Hope Fletcher and Oliver Ormsen sing a cover of Tonight You Belong To Me on Carries Youtube channel. Every day the pair of them are posting a video each and I am really enjoying them!
Day 6 (Sunday 29th of March)-
I tidied a lot today- it was definitely procrastination instead of starting to work on creative projects. Sometimes, as a creative, I feel that doing tasks that don't require any thinking effort work as a break for your mind. And I do love a good tidy!
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Keep well,
Love Buddy xx
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