For more than 3 months, this country has allegedly been on lockdown. Although, if you see how many people have been walking past our remote bungalow and how they walk right at you when you’re out, it’s understandably difficult to believe that anything changed.
My work didn’t change. If anything, I became more busy. But wages did slow down in some areas.
Fortunately, the poet was furloughed and has been doing all of the household chores, allowing me to just crack on with work.
We had a bit of an emergency when the mother-in-law had to break lockdown and come and spend some time with us. But again, I was able to carry on working while the poet looked after her. And then she had to go back to her own home again.
But honestly, other than that, my life was no different. I’m used to going for days without speaking to anyone (apart from the poet). I’m used to not seeing people from one week to the next. I’m used to only going out once a week for provisions, even if I’m not used to queuing to get in. And I’m used to staying home rather than going out drinking.
We stopped walking the dog because these other walkers who crawled out of the woodwork just didn’t understand social distancing at all. Instead we took him out on wet or gloomy days when there was no one else around. And we found a nice route that no one else had discovered.
Now, as lockdown eases and the poet gets ready to return to work next week (booo!), so too is the manic workload easing.
I decided I didn’t want to continue with a contract that turned out to be quite time-consuming and restrictive – I didn’t give up the rat race to clock-in – and that has opened my week up again.
A new contract I started a few months ago that had a backlog of articles awaiting editing has eased a little, mostly because I caught up on the backlog and partly because the article-writers haven’t been working as often, so I’m editing them as they come in now rather than catching up on stock.
So that means I can start to schedule in more of my own work again. And the poet is easing me back in gently to the household chores.
This week, I have two books to work on for clients. One of them is going to take considerably longer than the week.
This week, we would like to go out and do our “L is for …” for the alphabet adventurers, now we can go out again with a clear conscience.
This week, I want to prep for Camp NaNoWriMo. I still need to decide which project to work on, but I really do want to do it if I can, and deciding to do it is the first hurdle. It will be a good way to get back in to writing again.
This week, I’m blogging again – most probably because WordPress just took their payment and I want my money’s worth!
And this week, I want to finish reading a book for NetGalley and start posting reviews again, and I want to post my next book for 52 Books in 52 Weeks. I just have a Bernard Cornwell to finish reading first …
But right now, I have to go and hang washing out …
Sounds very like my life Diane (apart from the writing!) I don’t go out often and the family haven’t been able to visit due to the lockdown but at least we have each other to talk to (or even disagree with) so we are luckier than lots of my friends. Carry on enjoying your life and remember to take time for leisure as well as work xx
What is this “leisure” word of which you speak? Ha ha ha. Don’t worry, I’m still working 9 till 5, Monday to Friday. The rest of the time is my own. Hope you’re both okay. xx
Busy as ever. You work as a good team. X
We do. 😁