A Sentence A Day – March 2020

I’m sure I’m not the first to say this, but OH MY GOODNESS how our lives have changed in the last month.

And it’s all thanks to COVID-19! Since my last “Sentence A Day” post:

• The husbear is now working from home and sharing my office;
• Miss 23’s wedding – due to take place on 1st May – has been postponed;
• As have our plans for a trip to Melbourne to celebrate our 30th wedding anniversary.
• The only time we go out pretty much is to buy groceries; and
• Our social lives are pretty much non-existent (and all the introverts rejoiced!).

You can read more in my last post Life in Limbo; and now for the daily minutiae of March 2020 in the Middle Aged Mama household …

1 March – We were meant to visit my Dad and stepmum for afternoon tea, but instead, we ended up at the hospital as my Dad had a stroke 🙁 .

2 March – Hooray! Beautiful sunny weather meant the painter could finish up the external doors and garage door, making the house look so much more modern and classy.

3 March –

4 March – What a full on day! It started with giving a presentation at a breakfast meeting of the Five Foot Rope Business Connective; then I visited another local networking group at lunch time. In the afternoon, I visited my Dad in hospital along with my sister and Miss 23.

5 March – There seems to be more and more in the news about this coronavirus thing, and as instructed I’ve stepped up my hand washing and you can tell – I’ve developed dermatitis on my fingers.

6 March – A special treat for Miss Fleur – a bunch of grass – she loves to nibble on it.

7 March – A trip to my local library (little did I know then, that this pile of books would have to last me for the foreseeable future … ).

8 March – The husbear and I indulged in a Sunday afternoon nanna nap, but when I got up to make us a cup of tea I nearly fell over when I saw that Miss 23 and her fiance were downstairs (she has a key to our house). They weren’t even being quiet – had made a cuppa and started playing ping pong – and we were so fast asleep we hadn’t heard a thing!

9 March – Had a contractor come to quote on fixing our roof.

10 March – Both good news and bad news today: YAYYYYY I could finally announce something that I’ve known for several weeks – I’ve won an award! SEO Consultant of the Year if you please 😉 , in the APAC Insider-Australian Enterprise Awards. I also learned I wasn’t successful in obtaining the government tender I’d applied for late last year. Though I’m a little disappointed, to be honest I’ve been so busy I was beginning to wonder how I would fit the extra work in if I had been successful 😉 .

11 March – Dad was moved from the hospital into a stroke rehabilitation unit. I attended a business network meeting only to learn that I went to school with one of the other members – though we don’t remember each other, we knew loads of the same people. Now this might not sound unusual, but having moved to the other side of town, it’s rare that I bump into anybody from my childhood days. She is the marketing manager for her partner’s business, after he developed a naturopathic supplement for the relief of joint pain and inflammation – good to know especially if you are my age bracket 😉 !

12 March – Visited Miss 23 and her fiance for dinner; and the World Health Organisation formally announced something we’d all suspected, that the coronavirus outbreak is officially a pandemic.

13 March – The dishwasher has been out of action for about six weeks (we’ve actually coped surprisingly well), the new part finally arrived and my very handy husbear was able to fix it 🙂 .

14 March – I made a photo album of some happier times to give to my Dad – the stroke has affected his vision and his speech and comprehension, so he’s not able to read – thought it might help cheer him up. He can still talk but struggles to find the right words and understand concepts such as time.

15 March – I was right, Dad loved the photo album! The husbear and I stopped for a sushi date on the way home – don’t you just love the groovy lights in the restaurant?!

16 March – Popped out to get a few groceries. Yes, some of the shelves were bare but rather than the fighting and poor behaviour shown in media, there was a lovely atmosphere and people were friendlier than usual, brought together by our joint enemy, COVID-19.

17 March – Miss 23 and her fiance made the brave decision to postpone their wedding – not sure when the happy day will now be held; and the husbear brought home some flowers for me – a pot of petunias!

18 March – Dad’s ankle is infected so he is back in hospital.

19 March – A welcome cool change – it was the first day I needed to pull on a dressing gown when I got out of bed; and my usual fortnightly business mastermind group was shifted online.

20 March – Another roofing contractor came to give a quote.

21 March – Now BOTH of our dads are in hospital! The husbear’s dad was admitted last night with non-coronavirus related problems.

22 March – The husbear and I watched the Prime Minister’s announcement of the many restrictions being introduced to stem the spread of coronavirus – are we really living this or are we in a movie? Happily, my father-in-law was discharged from hospital.

23 March – The husbear is now working from home for the foreseeable future, and I was devastated to learn that the libraries are closing!

24 March – Another appointment at the eye specialist for me, thankfully no injection required, back for another checkup in a couple of months’ time.

25 March – As a complete lockdown looks more and more likely, I made a point of stocking up on the essentials … jigsaw puzzles and books of course!

26 March – Had a bit of a sore throat which normally wouldn’t even rate a mention, but of course now I am worried about coronavirus …

27 March – The husbear and I watched “Suddenly 30” on TV (even though I’ve seen it a million times before) – a bit of escapism from the constant news on the coronavirus crisis was most welcome. And with the main character working in magazines, not to mention the great 80’s music and a “happily ever after” ending – what’s not to love?!

28 March – This kids all stopped in, and Miss 23 and I did some colouring together. I can’t help wondering if this is the last time we will get to see them in person for quite a while ….

29 March – Being at home so much has its positives, I actually had the time to pin up the curtains in my office. Now I just need to sew them!

30 March – Despite all the bad news and business closures, I’ve still had plenty of work – one of the advantages of working from home and mostly online. One of my new clients looks like it will turn into a regular gig, which is always good news!

31 March – I’m a Podcast star! Last month I was interviewed for an episode of the Redlands Coast Business Show, and it “dropped” today. (If you’re interested in listening, here’s the link: https://player.whooshkaa.com/episode?id=566459)

What a month it’s been!

To be honest, I’m a bit worried I’ll have nothing to write in next month’s “A Sentence A Day” now that we are all meant to “Stay Home, Stay Safe”. We will just have to wait and see!

What has been the biggest change in your life over the past month?