Out with a bang.....?

 2020 has been the strangest and scariest of years.  In common with others who have medical conditions which make them clinically vulnerable, I've spent most of the year, from mid March, either shielding or self isolating.  I haven't seen my daughter since early January, and only a very few close friends during the brief summer hiatus.

I planned a carefully calculated circuitous route round our garden so that I could rack up a reasonable daily steps tally, and we carried out a garden makeover to make the many lockdown hours we spent there more pleasurable.

Small Dog and I both had fully lockdowned birthdays in April, during the worst part of the first wave. Not seeing anyone, family or friends felt very strange and we'd usually have had a few days away to celebrate.

We did manage to take our little caravan out for two short holidays during the summer. Being completely self-contained meant we felt safe, and the rigourous infection control measures in place on the Caravan Club sites we visited, further increased our tentative confidence.

Of course it's all gone base over apex since then, and here in the UK we have only recently emerged from a second lockdown.  Pandemic fatigue and complacency have been rampant, and compliance with the rules has been slipping for months.

Predictably, as soon as the lockdown restrictions were lifted, people were again out in their droves, Christmas shopping, plunging many areas into the higher levels.  Here in Hastings/St. Leonards we had the lowest Covid rates in the entire country for many months, but recently we've seen cases rise alarmingly and when the tiers are re-assessed next week, we fully expect to be moved up to level 3.

The government, in its infinite wisdom, has granted a Coronavirus armistice for 5 days over Christmas, where up to three households can mix indoors.  Perhaps the virus goes home for the holidays, or simply stops infecting people in a spirit of goodwill.                                             On the threshold of a third, even more punishing winter wave, that seems to be a strange decision.  The latest in a long string of strange decisions. 

As if all that wasn't bad enough, after four and a half gruelling years, we're teetering on the brink of a No Deal Hard Brexit, the worst of all worse case scenarios, and even in normal times,  this coming January was set to be chaotic and depressing.  Don't get me started.... I haven't got the energy for a rant.

Good things to come from 2020....?

Well, our little family unit of myself, PP and Small Dog is still alive and kicking. Apart from the odd minor squabble, mostly engineered by SD who has taken to squealing at us to go to bed at 7.30pm, we've all supported and cared for each other, bolstering flagging spirits and enjoying sharing small projects throughout.

I finally finished my book.  Who knew it would take a global pandemic to give me the kick up the a*se I needed, to buckle down and really work at it on a daily basis, relinquishing my previous tactics of spending a day or two messing about then putting it back on the back burner?  With nowhere to go, nobody to see, and nothing else to do except work, I've accomplished more in the past nine months than in the past nine years!

There is also the prospect of an end to the pandemic with the rollout of a slew of vaccines, although it will take many months to make any serious inroads into a global vaccination programme. 

Normally, at this time of year, I'd be making plans for the following twelve months... working out projects, kits, new dolls etc, but my heart just isn't in it.  I feel exhausted and really need some downtime to relax and regroup and hopefully regain some of my joie de vivre.  I've worked solidly from March, weekdays, weekends, evenings, with only about 14 days off.  Apparently it's possible to feel burnt out even when doing something you love.... who knew?!

So I'm looking forward to using the time between now and the beginning of January to recharge my depleted batteries....dabbling with some new miniature projects, and hopefully taking up a new hobby (depending on what I find under the tree on Christmas morning!)