Ivan and Otto at the entrance to our quarantine site. Daphne is behind.
In January 2019 we sold, stored or gave away everything we owned, ended our jobs and said goodbye to our family. We went travelling in our motorhome Daphne. We had a great time and decided this was definitely the lifestyle for us. We love every minute of living in Daphne and the freedom it affords us. Little did we know that 14 months later, on the verge of another foreign adventure we would have to stop, cancel all our plans and actually end up a mere 5 miles from where we used to live. We are now on our 9th week of lockdown.
In lockdown, similar to the UK weather, when often you can experience all four seasons in one day, our moods change as often as the wind. From feeling grateful in our remote field, enjoying nature, beautiful walks and home cooking, we can often feel bereft, miss our old lifestyle and our friends and family, all within the space of a few minutes. The anxiety that a virus like this can bring must be experienced throughout the world and we feel worried for our friends, our family, society in general and each other.
Generally we are positive. At the start of our quarantine we felt unsettled and anxious about what was best to do. We read about fellow motorhomers who were being unfairly judged and victimised because of their lifestyle and choice of where to isolate. We felt relieved to have found a place to stay. Within a few days the police visited to make sure we were not on holiday and moving around too much. They had complaints from nearby residents. They took pictures of our registration numbers and told us to stay put, not to move the vans that were on our site (4 units are here) and to keep safe.
We both felt unwell when we first arrived. We had sore throats, headaches and lethargy. No temperature or cough so not Covid 19 symptoms. Ivan managed to feel better after a week or so and Jane felt generally unwell for 3-4 weeks. Whereas before we felt physically fit we would struggle to walk up a nearby hill without having to catch our breathe. We slept for England and made do with food in the cupboard so we could stay away from shops and people.
The campsite is closed and after a few weeks we were then told it had been sold and new owners were taking over. We had a period of time when we did not know if we could stay. We didn't know where else we could go and keep ourselves safe. Jane had conflicting advice about her health condition and if she needed to shield or not. It was not until 5 weeks in that she received her shielding letter from her GP. We could not follow the exact guidelines in the letter as we are living in a 6 metre long van. We had already taken a proportionate approach to keeping Jane isolated so we will continue in that vain. That means that only Ivan goes out to do shopping and laundry. We both walk or cycle everyday and keep fit, avoiding contact with people.
The highs of lockdown are definitely getting out with our pup Otto and exploring the local countryside. Coming back to Daphne for tea and homemade cookies makes it even better 🙂
Luckily the new owners have agreed we can stay, phew! We do love it here and feel it's the best place for us. Somedays we struggle with a lack of purpose and are struck with the sense that we are not contributing. We think this must be quite common for everyone who is not an essential worker and who has to isolate. We long for the days when we can travel again and enjoy the freedom we did last year and that we had dreamt about for so long. Thankfully our friends and family have been ok so far and we hope they continue to be. The highs and lows would be very different if this was not the case. We are very grateful to those who are continuing to work, to hold everything together and provide for us.
We have listed below 6 things we feel have helped us:
Jane and Ivan outdoors
Let's hope we will all be ok no matter what x
Daphne and a moody sunset sky #houselessnothomeless
We have listed below 6 things we feel have helped us:
- Recognising it's ok to feel out of sorts
- Going outdoors and enjoying nature and exercise
- Staying connected with family and friends
- Eating fresh food and experimenting with cooking
- Trying to achieve something every day. For example: completing a crossword; reading another chapter; writing a diary or blog; learning something new
- Making each other laugh.
We would be remiss if we did not mention the loss of life from Covid 19. Our thoughts go out to those that have lost their lives and their loved ones. We know people are working hard to combat Coronovirus and we know each country is going to be hit hard by a tough economic climate, the worst of which is yet to come. It's hard to comprehend the dramatic change that is happening to all our lives and will leave a world that's very different from just a few months ago.
One overarching 'high' linked to lockdown is the knowledge that we will and can all help each other. If we were to reach out for any help whatsoever we know this would be forthcoming from many areas in our lives. This is a huge comfort and makes us safe in the knowledge we are not alone. In these unprecedented times stories on social media and the news reflect the kindness being shown nearby and worldwide minimising the impact of any negative actions and giving us all hope.
Thank you for taking the time to read this blog. This is just a snap shot of our time in lockdown and everyone will be experiencing it differently. Although we do not have a house to stay locked down in we do most certainly have a home in Daphne and for that we are very grateful. We hope the highs outweigh the lows for us all. Stay safe and keep in touch xx.
One overarching 'high' linked to lockdown is the knowledge that we will and can all help each other. If we were to reach out for any help whatsoever we know this would be forthcoming from many areas in our lives. This is a huge comfort and makes us safe in the knowledge we are not alone. In these unprecedented times stories on social media and the news reflect the kindness being shown nearby and worldwide minimising the impact of any negative actions and giving us all hope.
Thank you for taking the time to read this blog. This is just a snap shot of our time in lockdown and everyone will be experiencing it differently. Although we do not have a house to stay locked down in we do most certainly have a home in Daphne and for that we are very grateful. We hope the highs outweigh the lows for us all. Stay safe and keep in touch xx.
