Blog in the time of Coronavirus - 2

2nd April 2020

Categories: Latest News

Well, we’ve made it through a week of ‘lock down’ – well done us, eh?

I don’t know about you, but I’m actually finding myself acclimatising to our current situation a lot better than I first worried I might. I’ve not gone stir crazy at home, and I’m certainly not bored, but I reckon in the large part that’s because I’m lucky enough to be able to work from home and keep myself busy in that way. I feel far more upbeat than I did the last time I blogged, the uncertainty and worry has definitely lessened, and now I’m motivated by change and adaptation.

I’ll admit that my initial (adorably naïve) ideas of S having a timetabled home schooling routine, have all gone out of the window, but nevertheless, between my efforts and D being at home and assuming the role of her teacher, we’re managing to keep her occupied and I don’t feel too worried that she’s not learning or doing constructive things with her time. Even if she is driving me mad occasionally! So yes, okay, she’s not filling her days with structured and formal lessons, but she’s having fun, she’s still learning and having experiences; it’s all development and that’s all that matters. 

I’d also like to add that her school and its local educational trust have been brilliant since the kids were sent home. We’ve had regular updates, support and ideas from them over the phone, on emails and on social media. It’s comforting to know they’re still there for their students no matter what.

So it’s not all doom and gloom by any means, but I must admit that my heart briefly skipped a beat when on April Fool’s Day I received a post from D’s sister on Facebook, saying that schools were going to remain shut until the New Year – but quickly realised she was pulling my leg before I went and rocked back and forth in the corner…!

We celebrated S’s birthday on the 29th, and despite my worries that it would be ruined by the lack of options we had, it was a really lovely day and she enjoyed herself. I’d managed to buy balloons and bunting, a birthday cake, special breakfast supplies and she had lots of presents and cards to open, so turning seven, definitely did not go unnoticed. The main casualty of her birthday is that her ‘big’ present hasn’t arrived yet. We’ve ordered her a cabin bed, with a desk and storage from that well-known Swedish furniture shop, that was originally due to be delivered the day after her birthday, but unsurprisingly enough, it’s been quite heavily delayed and we still don’t know when it’s due. As much of a blow as it is for us and her, it’s a small price to pay given the wider circumstances. 

Work-wise, as I said, our team have had plenty to do, even considering the huge cutbacks on tourism and hospitality in Weston. We’ve been kept busy with our current anti-tourism campaign ‘Don’t Visit Weston’ and trying to spread the message that people shouldn’t come into Weston from other places, and that our seafront and open spaces, need to stay safe for residents to enjoy. We’ve even had a few mentions on the TV, radio and in newspapers as a result. We’re still trying to do more, though; good weather and people’s complacency mean we will have keep up our efforts until this is all over. It’s also given us an opportunity to ‘sell’ Weston back to Westonians, and hopefully keep everyone entertained with pictures and videos of places that aren’t reachable for everyone, like the seafront or the beach. It’s definitely keeping me on my toes trying to come up with new content and ideas during this time.

As a team, all my colleagues at Weston Town Council have been keeping in touch via lots of group chats and video conferences, and I think, it’s actually meant we’ve shared ideas more easily than we would have done normally. It’s too easy to be complacent when the world functions as ‘normal’, but with the challenges we’re all facing now from our homes, we’ve all made huge efforts to communicate en masse, and that too has been a new and positive change that we’ve made. We had a video meeting last week with a number of us all together in a way that we’ve never managed in person before. I hope that we can continue this when we do return to our desks, whenever that might be.

The way that we’re all choosing to adapt to our new ways of living, is heartening though. From Italians singing opera on their balconies, Spanish fitness classes, us all clapping in support of our incredible NHS, to all the countless community projects we’ve seen in Weston alone, it’s amazing to see such spirit and humanity being demonstrated. There’s another tribute taking place tonight at 8 o’clock, this time in support of all key workers and I’m sure this will be as emotional and stirring as last week’s.

So, all in all, it’s been an interesting and positive week for me. I’ve taken the stance of not trying to worry about the unknown, because there’s really no point – everything will be, what it will be. Adapting to and accepting the hand we’ve been dealt, has been key for me in not getting bogged down in negativity, I hope you’re all finding your own coping strategies too.

Stay safe, stay up beat, stay at home!

Emma