My 2020 review

2020 started off so well...

January and we celebrated my mum's 80th birthday. It was actually her birthday the month before but we organised a party in January when everyone was able to attend.

We had winter walks, I started life drawing classes, and I attended a great Northern Soul concert. Hubby couldn't go as his dad had fallen that day and he was looking after him.

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February.

I carried on going to Pilates and aqua-fit and I was often greeted by the town geese when I left the sports centre, more walks and daylight as I left school...if I left on time! I crocheted granny squares for a production by Northern Broadstairs.

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Then March came....and we all know what happened at the end of that month!

but before it all kicked off we had spring arrive and some lovely walks, the garden had started to come to life (the garden was to become our sanctuary in the following months.) 

The we found ourselves in Lockdown. I was still in school with the Key workers children but life would never quite be the same again.

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April. 

We had a glorious Spring and we went for our one allowed walk everyday. We spent so much time in the garden. I had a few sleepless nights and watched the sun rise from the lounge window, one of the cats keeping me company. Hubby worked from home but I was still in work in school, even working through the Easter holiday.

I celebrated a lockdown birthday with a cake all to myself and zoom party!

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May.

The garden and walking in the sunshine. I also painted a mural for a friend at her school. We had planned to visit friends in Atlanta in America in May but of course this was cancelled.

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June and more time in the garden where we ate a lot of meals and grew some fruit and veg. We had some local walks and I was still at school where we aimed to keep the children entertained with fun activities as well as learning.

In June a note dropped through the letterbox from a neighbour a few doors down. The note invited us to a gathering on the road to commemorate the anniversary of VE day. It was a socially distanced affair, each household sat on their garden chairs all 2 metres apart. Up until then we had just been on waving and nodding terms with the neighbours on our quiet drive but we now have our own whats-app group and had quite a few gatherings when restrictions allow. This has been one good thing to come out of the Corona Virus pandemic.

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July and I started an online course with Helen Hallows 'A Garden Sketchbook' We were still enjoying great weather and the cats loved being in the garden with us.

As we finished school for summer the restrictions had been relaxed. We were lucky enough to go away on holiday...first North Yorkshire...

then the Cotswolds. We stayed in holiday lets and had a lovely time just relaxing and site seeing. We stayed away from the crowds that gathered in popular places but lots of places were closed too.

Because she was shielding I hadn't seen my mum for so long but as soon as we were able I took her away for a few days to Devon. She was happy to see something other than her house four walls.

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August arrived. Walks with friends and playing in the garden. We had one night away in North Wales and met up with friends who live there and to meet their dog Reggie.

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September.

Back to work for me, Hubby still working mainly from home and we managed a few more days in the garden. We spent a lovely day on the KWVR having a birthday afternoon tea with our friends, we came second in the Back garden competition run by the Parish Council and Misty started to carry around one of my small teddy bears.

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October.

The autumn arrived and we had some lovely local walks, collected the last of the produce from the garden and i got my crochet out and made pumpkins.
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November.

It was time to put the garden to bed, it had played a major role in keeping us sane during this strange year. We celebrated our 24th wedding anniversary the night before the country went into a second lockdown. My friend got a new puppy called Rupert and walks with him became fun! My brother celebrated his 60th birthday and I made Tulip lasagna in pots with hope for the new year.

December.

So we came to the end of the year but not unfortunately the end of the Pandemic. As I type this it has just been announced the largest number of cases have been recorded today since it started to be recorded in March. At school life went on, we videoed the nativity plays for parents to see, we had bubble Christmas parties instead of the larger joint parties, we still had a visit from the Big Man in red...although socially distanced. When we finished for the holiday we had two weeks of winding down, a Christmas carol sing along with the neighbours on the road, we also did our Christmas bell jingle at six o'clock on Christmas eve.

my 2020 bakes (when you could buy flour!)...

my makes of 2020...

We are back to school on Monday but Hubby is to work from home as Manchester is in tier 4. It has been a tough year but we have managed to get through it with our dear family and friends still with us. We have worked hard at school to keep children and staff safe and only had three class bubbles having to self isolate of two weeks since September to the end of the year. 

It has made me realise how much we love our house and garden and where we live, and appreciate the friends and family we have but still can not hug.

It has also made us think about the joys nature brings, watching it slip through the seasons, despite the chaos the pandemic throws at us, the natural world was able to breathe when the world stopped for a few short weeks in March and April. 

I know many have lost loved ones and indeed I fear with the new strain of the virus many more will die and the end is still so far away but I do hope some good can also come from this ...the word for this past year for me being HOPE.

So Happy 2021 my lovely friends. I hope when I do my 2021 review this time next year I will be able to write a few more exciting and happier things. Stay Safe.