On 23rd March 2020 schools closed, our high street shut, weddings were stopped and our country was put into lockdown.
We guess it comes as no shock that we grabbed our cameras and have been documenting our life in lockdown, since Boris made that speech back on 18th March 2020.
Believe it or not, we have now been in lockdown for three months and as restrictions are now easing it seems the perfect time to share our little isolation diary with you.
It’s a little look into what has been our normal everyday over this period. We’ve started our days working out with Joe (who would have thought it?!), we’ve home schooled our two sons and even looked forward to the mundane task of preparing lunch. There’s been lots of Lego, lots of ice lollies and we are grateful for the big library of board games and card games we already owned.
Home schooling has mostly gone well, but hasn’t always been fun and our two students have certainly not always been enthusiastic. Their school has been brilliant throughout and setting work encouraging creativity has been a perfect distraction for us all. Designing and building a sweet shop, ‘Mondrian Monday’ and ‘Warhol Wednesday’ were particular favourites and setting up a fossil museum in our lounge was a huge highlight. We photographed both the highs and lows, the big smiles but the strops and sulks too.
Our weekend trips to the allotment, just a two minute walk round the corner, became big big trips. Our sons packed rucksacks with supplies for entertainment and refreshments.
A simple Friday pizza night and a Saturday movie night became hugely anticipated family events.
Thursday at 8pm was a momentous occasion Clapping for The NHS and key workers on our front door step became a highlight each week. It was a poignant moment hearing the clapping echoing around the town and it was a joy being able to have a little chat with our neighbours each week too. Our sons entertained our street by making more and more noise each week, their favourite being saucepan lids, the bigger the better.
We planned lots of special activities which were great stress relievers for us all. Games by candlelight for Earth Day, a fun filled Task Master day, a cryptic clue Easter Egg hunt, a super early wake up call to watch the sunrise at our local park, star gazing evenings, watching a hedgehog snuffle around our garden for an entire hour and the big two-night garden camp out. These are all things that we will remember for a long, long time and they were as much fun for us as the boys.
At the beginning of May, we started actually leaving the house each weekend and heading further afield than our allotment. We have discovered some beautiful walks right on our doorstep and all accessible without getting into a car. It’s been a surprise to learn our 8 year old has become a much better walker, as long as we pack snacks for the ‘expedition’!
We’ve also made good use of the time on our hands by building two new websites for our two photographic businesses and we’ve redecorated almost the entire house.
We’ve had to experience some sad sad times too. My, (Laura’s), mum passed away during lockdown after a battle with cancer. As lockdown eases and we have to adapt to a new normal, me and our little family have to adapt to our new normal too. Mum was a huge part of all our lives, the lynchpin of our family and central to all of our lives. In times like these there’s time for reflection, time for soul searching and you get to learn a lot about yourself. I’ve learnt that I’m an almost unfathomably positive person and I’m really pretty strong too. These weeks have also reiterated, what we probably always knew, that photography will always play a huge part in our lives. Photography has been hugely cathartic for us both during these strange strange times and art and creativity is a powerful healing tool.
So here it is, our little isolation project. In memory of my mum, the best Mum, and Archie & Monty’s Nanny, the most awesome Nanny you could have ever wished for, Rosslyn Johnson. Forever in our hearts. XXX