Another week over and life is starting to fall into a routine. Actually getting out of bed in the morning is a challenge. Not sure how I will manage early starts when all this is over as my body clock seems to have found a new rhythm which means breakfast is happening nearer to lunchtime. I do put my clothes on so that is something. I hope it doesn’t get too warm before the lockdown ends as I have no summer clothes in Northampton.

The daily (ish) walks are becoming a challenge. There are three parks within walking distance, none of them pretty but they offer space, birds and trees. I found a different route around one park yesterday and the way the trees joined together overhead looked like a tunnel. I think we are all in a tunnel at the minute and not sure where the light is at the end – but it will come.

I found a clump of cowslips and they looked so pretty in the sunlight but it made me so homesick. My parents lived at Cowslip Hill and the sight of the flowers brought back all sorts of memories. The woods around their home were indicators of the months and seasons. Snowdrops in January/February, Primroses, Cowslips and Violets in March/April, Bluebells and Wild Garlic in May, Dog Roses over the summer and then blackberries, wild raspberries, conkers and falling leaves in the Autumn. I played in the woods all the time, climbing trees and walking for miles. I collected frog spawn from the café sand pits and then got chastised from my mother for all the frogs in the garden. The sand pits are now a housing estate so not sure where all the frogs and newts went.

There are lots of hints and tips on Facebook on how to stay positive through the coming weeks which is good but I also think it is fine if you feel sad or a little down. These are strange times with feelings of anxiety and lack of control over the events unfolding across the world. IT IS OK TO CRY. I love Katherine Jenkins and she performs a live concert every Saturday at 6pm on Facebook. This week she sang ‘Somewhere’ from West Side Story and I cried, and cried and cried. I didn’t beat myself up for doing so, I accepted that this will happen from time to time. I am with my husband but away from the rest of my family and that is hard. I miss my cat, Luna, as I spend most days when I am at home talking to her as there is no one else around. Now I end up talking to myself. I miss seeing the lambs playing in the fields. I haven’t seen one this year and it has always been a time of great optimism when I see the first one.

One tip that I thought was a great idea is when you think ‘I wish I could…’ , write it on a piece of paper and put it in jar. When we can go out again you can pick one of the ‘wishes’ out of the jar and do it. I wish I could go out for a walk in Sywell Park or have a latte in an independent coffee shop. I wish I could hug my children and cuddle my cat. Try it.

My highlight every week is going to Waitrose. I hate shopping but the fact that I can go in my car to a place where there are people is a real positive. There isn’t a great deal of food on the shelves but it doesn’t really matter. We make do with what is there.

The on-line yoga sessions are going well including Barre Pilates. The picture froze but I continued on with the sound not knowing what I was doing but improvising as the class progressed. Maybe I invented some new ballet positions. My legs are very stiff. There is a current challenge to see who can stand on their head longest. I haven’t attempted it yet but who knows, maybe one day I will give it a go. Watch this space.

I hope that everyone is well and keeping safe.