
I suppose we’ve done quite well getting to day 16 without a major argument, but I could do with a break from my family now!
We’re beginning to get niggley with each other. I can’t bear the way the children are living in their dressing gowns. They want me to stop reminding them there is such a thing as mornings or school work to do. “We’re teenagers,” they moan, “we’re not supposed to get up before noon – and it’s the holidays now.”
Always a bit of a planner, I have approached lockdown by attempting to impose some order on it: teaching online yoga sessions every weekday morning; the rest of the mornings doing housework, gardening and admin; afternoons a dog walk, writing this blog, or working on marketing my new online courses; then cooking, eating dinner, and evenings in front of the telly.
With the extra constraints on shopping (trying not to do it too often – and never being sure what will be on the shelves), I’m planning meals days ahead based on what’s in the fridge and cupboard. And when something goes wrong (like someone switching the bread-maker off mid-cycle) I might get grumpy!
It’s as if our little personality traits are being amplified and we are becoming more extreme versions of ourselves: the grumpy ones are more grumpy; the worrying ones more worried; the experimenter is experimenting (with head-shaving and diets); and anyone with a tendency to be a bit lazy, has by now turned into a complete slob.
With us all even more dependent on each other than usual for our company and morale, it’s also true that the little acts of kindness and sweetness are all the more precious and appreciated.
However, a little (temporary) bit of absence right now would do wonders at making my heart grow fonder again.