My 2020

2020 was meant to be the year of adventures, the year of the 40th, my niece becoming a teenager, my sister moving on and my mum turning 70 and those things all happened, but they were very different to how they were planned.. 

The year started with such fun with going to the sea on New Year’s Day as a family which was the best decision and the best family day.. we even had lunch at the pub outside.. it was a typical Family road trip to the sea. Then my mum and I saw Hamilton in London in a box which was utterly amazing and a show that has rocketed to the top of my best show list. I also started seeing a guy too.. 

February brought a weekend away with the besties to Cheltenham, all squidged into one hotel room (that wouldn’t happen now!), goody bags made to survive hangovers, one husbands car got stolen which added to why we all needed to get even more drunk that random day in Feb. We met another school friend too which brought even more fun to a year which was perfectly on track at that time.. 

February 29th – a gathering at the local pub to celebrate my 40th, nothing big, nothing to huge, but the best night, with big hangovers, friends stopping taxis to be sick, big sleepover at mine and lots of fun. 

March 2-4 my birthday celebrations, bath day trip, thermal spa, lunch at a fab dog friendly restaurant on my birthday, gluten free cake, bbq with the family and a spa day the day after.. it was fab and normal and just how I wanted my birthday celebrated.. (we’ll ignore the dog being sick and dads eye issue as it was still fun) That following weekend brought a dinner and drinks Friday night with a bestie and then a London weekend away with my sister and great friends. Perfect apartment near Oxford street, lunch, pub drinks, magic mike, grinding on the girls, cocktails, hangovers, coffees, it was perfect.. till my besties husbands car broke down when he picked us up from the train station on the way home. Lol! Second husband called to play taxi and the weekend is done.. Monday brought the work crew together for presents and lunch at the pub too – best birthday.. then it started to go downhill.. 

I started to feel under the weather, the news was full of covid, there were talks of the country shutting down – things started to get cancelled due to me feeling unwell.. is it a cold? is it a virus? why are we all feeling ill.. The following weekend was meant to be us going away to Devon as a family.. should we go, should we not? Children start to get temperatures and then the world got put into lockdown. The UK shut down – everything was cancelled for the foreseeable.. 

That’s when 2020 was not fun.. my sisters birthday was me giving her tickets to see kings of Leon which I knew would be cancelled, I saw her for 5 minutes through a window.. I started booking food slots for the family and would collect our order weekly and then drop the food to their houses once a week.. We did video calls, I worked so hard everyday, whilst sobbing for being alone, not knowing what was going to happen to the world, our country, my family and my life.. would I lose my job? would I get really ill? I’m lonely, how can we get through this?, will we go on holiday?, can I celebrate my friends birthdays? my families birthdays?, Easter.. anything.. The news banged on about how to fill your time when forgetting some people were working 24/7 and told us that so many people were dying each day.. April was low – the weather was lush, but it was the hardest month for so many. We all had zoom calls, video messages, video calls, phone calls galore, but it wasn’t the same.. every time you took the dog for a walk – it was worrying and lonely.. There was no starbucks open, no socialising, just me myself and the dog. The highlight was delivering food to the family, but it was heartbreaking to not go in their houses, spend time with them and would end up with me sobbing in the car all the way home.. it was hard.. Amazon deliveries were my friend.. I did save and pay off my kitchen though which was a plus point! 

By June things got a little easier – walks with another person was a plus point, gathering outside was cool – we could have drinks in the garden, mock up ascot at home, meet in the park on Saturday afternoons and just eat adventure biscuits and be more normal. National Trusts opened, we could spend time outside with people and it helped.. holidays were still all cancelled for us and it wasn’t needed in the end – we just all wanted to see people occasionally outside. I even went on a date again with the guy from Jan.. it didn’t work out in the end but it’s not the year to date.. however the dog then got sick.. a lot sick but it’s ok – he has lots of meds and special food now and hopefully a tummy thing just like his hooman and nothing else!

End of July a great friend and I went away for the night to an actual hotel, it was fine, safe, but with no atmosphere but it was great to just spend time with someone else – do something more normal and dress up. We won’t mention the car breaking down on the way home! Lol

August more family days out in the country, at the sea and socially distancing.. a couple of pub visits too thrown in, but we stayed outside still as the weather was amazing in 2020. I went back to the office too – no one was really there, but it broke up the week, the odd person would come in for a hello or a coffee and it was great to see people, to build relationships with and to help the dog not be with me 24/7 and be so clingy! 

September me and the rents went on an adventure to Kent for a few days.. again we went to some pubs outside as the weather was lush and we hung out at our holiday rental with take out Italian and vino and cocktails.. 

October another holiday cancelled as rules changed for us going away, but we had half term off work and school and did simple things like walks, coffee, bike rides and movies at home.. Bubbles are helpful for us lonely folk.. My sister and I have never been so grateful for being single as we have this year.. well when we could bubble perhaps not when we were stuck alone at home in March, April and May.. 

November was another sort of lockdown.. it rained, it was ok though – we did online shopping for Christmas, still walked outside in our spare time and hung out when we could. December we fitted in a dinner or two at the pub, still went for walks and ventilated the rents house as much as we could.. Christmas saw more tiers as rules changed for my mums 70th and Christmas, but I moved to the rents, my sis could still bubble with the kids and we battled the windows being open with my dad, as much as we could stand.. The thought of Christmas alone was not an option for me.. I couldn’t do it.. we did a ascot at home and a graze box for my mums 70th, afternoon tea at home because our posh one out was cancelled and Christmas we ventilated.. we did more walks outside, more adventures and we had fun. 

As I write this on the eve of 2021 to document the year and to look back on – I’m quite hopeful for 2021.. I most importantly want the rents vaccinated, I then would love to go back to the office again, get life back on track a bit more, plan things, but not too much and get to the parents 50th wedding anniversary in September.. we have booked a family holiday to Devon in July – hopeful we get there and hopefully a trip abroad might happen, but I can go slowly next year perhaps.. if anything I have learnt this year how valuable and amazing my family and friends are.. Peoples kindness and personal messages, flowers, cards, photos , brownies kept me going this year.. I value the simple things more, I love my dog more than I could before – he has been my constant and buddy this year more than ever.. and I did make my bed everyday in 2020 which is a first for me! Lol! So 2021 I will try to be healthier than I have been this year, make my bed everyday again and try not to over plan and just deal with whatever comes my way as best as I can. I am also super grateful for working all year and for the people who I have met out and about, the NHS obviously and for everyone who has tried to keep the world sane and safe. Peace out 2020..