An Altered Reality

Our second week of enforced social distancing and how do you feel?

I have not fully come to terms with the magnitude of what we are all experiencing and the fragility of life as we know it right now. Did we see this coming? A month ago did we know what was around the corner? This daily life of care and caution with every day it threatens to ware away at our mental health.

I have never been more thankful to have a garden a space to sit and toil in when the sun is shinning. Or simpy to look out upon from our kitchen window. My heart goes out to those who are living in flats and apartments without a green space.

This photo was a snap I took from the car whilst we were travelling up to Rugby to be with our son and his family last Summer.

Blue Sky Yesterdays ~ Blue Mood Today

I get inspired by country views and open spaces always thinking of ideas for new artwork but today when I came across it it gave me a real yearning for wide open spaces. Thinking of country walks and nature watching in the vast and glorious countryside we have access to in the UK. As we now have such restricted movement I shall go to our allotment today for the first time this year. Just me and my husband to turn over the soil and plan a year of planting, growing, harvesting. Who knows we may have to heed much stricter advice in the coming weeks. Today I plan to go to our other outdoor space that we have rented for more than thirteen years. We shall drive there, it is only a 7 minute walk away but we think it safer to do that than to walk on the Linear Park that takes us close to the allotment gates. It is also (in normal times) well populated with other walkers, runners and cyclists a recreational route relatively close to the heart of the City. It is fairly narrow and therefore impossible to keep a two metre distance from others taking their daily excercise. When we get there it will be very easy to keep ourselves separate from other allotmenteers. We checked and we are within guidelines it is an accepted form of excercise.

Whilst digging and weeding it would be almost posssible to let this altered state slip out of mind if only just for a few minutes and when we hear the robin singing perched high up on the Damson tree we physically appreciate where we are. The blossom is fully out and the allotment looks the best it has in years this early in the season.

Blossom blooms natures pushes forward We pull back

Everything has changed though, we cant see it but we know it to be true. We have no idea when or how things will return to the way of life we remember. This altered state is disturbing for everyone. Life in 2020 has taken a turn for the worse we have to get through it as best we can. Adhear to the rules and keep each other and our NHS safe. l can hear myself saying at the dawn of this year '2020 that's a landmark year' how very sorry I am that it has turned out to be true for the very worst of reasons.

Keep safe, if we all do our very best at self isolating when required hopefully lockdown won't drag on for more than it needs to. This Life is precious our social conscience has been pricked and we are doing our best. We are in new territory and it is truly a frightening time for us all.