2020, the year that keeps on giving!
It’s turned cold this week – winter is definately here.
So, we made the decision that we can’t risk going home for Christmas. It’s a horrible decision even if it’s the right one. The 3 families rule means we couldn’t see both sides of the family so we’d have to choose and, in all practicality, it would have had to be my side since that’s where we can stay. But, in that case we still wouldn’t be able to see everyone. Add to this the fear of the virus. I’ll admit, my forced self-isolation followed by having to carry out tracing for another student in a different one of my classes means I have been exposed to at least 2 positive cases in the last 2 weeks. The girls and I travel on public transport every day so have potential exposure there. They are both at school so have that whole exposure risk too. The self-isolation has scared me a little, how easy it is to put yourself at risk even though you follow the rules. The possibility that we might carry the virus down and pass it on to either set of parents is too much to contemplate. Some may think we’re being silly but I think we’ve taken the rules seriously all year, we’ve caused ourselves difficulties and distress by not seeing anyone so it would be silly to risk harming those we love for the sake of a few days when vaccines are realistically on the horizon. That’s our decision, we’re not happy with it but we think it’s the best.
Thursday I turned 50. Not the way I’d hoped to spend my half century anniversary. It was really icy in the morning and having cycled really carefully and kept on gritted parts of the roads I got into school and came off my bike on the ice. Landed on my knee, wrist and elbow. Knocked about and quite sore but no major damage thankfully. Lots of opportunities for my colleagues to make jokes about “having a fall” and reaching that age. Anyway, not my best birthday, not even any chance to go out for a drink and a meal in the evening because we’re in level 4 restrictions. Still, gifts and cards when I got home and loads of messages on Facebook so I feel loved.
Friday morning and the ice has gone but it’s been replaced by cold hard sleet. Cold, wet and windy!