For the first few weeks of lockdown, my home street was near silence. Living on a busy road, my family and I were used to the constant car horning or buses blocking traffic or cyclists having mouthy fits at drivers for nearly causing an accident. I was also used to the groups of young teens, riding around on their BMX bikes and sometimes looking to cause some sort of trouble. But for three weeks in total, there was hardly any sounds. The only ones came from emergency sirens or dogs barking in resident gardens. It was eerie. For that time, humanity in large quantities didn’t really seem to exist.
The only times we really saw people were delivery drivers or once a week on Thursdays for the NHS clapping. It was a great time being able to use a pan and a wooden cooking spoon and pretend to be in a marching band chanting ‘we love our NHS!’ around the place. My mum for a few clapping sessions did the same. Lots of neighbours came out, including one who played the trumpet and often performed some classic sovereign tunes. Dogs would wonder, often confused on the pavement and my pet cats would either sleep on my bed or cower away under a car. 470Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡk9c4ZLaSHF
As the months went on, the days started to get longer and the weather was a lot warmer. The lockdown went on for six weeks roughly until various parts came to ease and lots of people ended up travelling many miles just to experience what walking on beaches and in the countryside national parks used to feel like. Every day seemed to be a constant barge of negativity and fear. Lots of us wanted to work again and travel freely, yet some were too afraid to put themselves in danger or others in danger. Having not qualified for furlough, I’ve been relying on savings and help from family to get through the weeks of being homebound.
I do use Amazon Prime since, in my household, I’m the only one that has access to it. I knew that if anyone close to us needed anything in an emergency, I would be the person to get it for them. My grandmother is self-isolating alone and so, I ordered some hot chocolate for her. It arrived promptly and she was ever so pleased to be able to keep warm with her drinks every morning. I helped my parents to order some extra supplies for our two pet cats, both of which are turning 11 this year and need to switch some food sachets around. At the moment, there is constant traffic and my cats love to watch it.470Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrpZau8ixGh
More and more people are coming out from their homes and wandering around. I did with my Mum the other day (which I will discuss my experiences about in a future chapter) and only she has tried to drive the family car for the first time in days, just to make sure that the battery is still working well. There are lots more cars and the bus services are starting to be reintroduced again, due to the schools going back and more workers commuting.
I used to be silent for many years, never really speaking much physically. I’ve mentioned in the past that I used to have speech therapy, since the communication was a huge issue for me (and sometimes still is) which looking back on, didn’t really help much. I’m both proud and ashamed to say that most of my vocabulary was from reading books and listening to music constantly. It was easier to copy and pronounce myself than have someone try to force me to do it.
The love of birdsong has truly grown, which is a huge bonus for me. I’m quite lucky to live near the space of an open field that is popular with both birds and other animals. Most mornings, I get up, pull back the curtains and open my window a tiny fraction to be met with the joyous sounds of birds flying around. Seagulls make me think of the past seaside holidays I’ve been lucky to experience. Crows make me think of my old school a little bit since there used to be clusters of them flying around the playground. You get the picture readers…470Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ83kyZUwyt4
A few doors down from us, there has been an elderly and poorly cat who often lets out the scariest of cries, as if to tell all of us that she needs help. The vets’ situation here is that don’t go unless in severe emergencies. I don’t know if that neighbour has tried to get help for the cat and got turned away. It’s really upsetting and I truly hate to see any kind of pet whether domestic or wild in any sort of pain and discomfort. 470Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡafF8BnvoDe
Turning my phone notification noises off has also been a good decision to make. I use social media accounts a lot and often, there was always the ding of having a new follower or someone liking your tweet or someone sending you an email. That kind of thing. To really focus on me, however, turning off those noises helped. I’ve done the same thing now as I’m typing up this chapter. It’s good not to be disturbed since in the past I’ve started to write chapters and then my phone dings and there goes my productive session down the drain.470Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡecaKQA3ze4
I do still keep it close by, just in case I’m expecting a call or waiting to hear from a family member regarding shopping for essential supplies online. I really hope that even in this difficult time, you’ve been able to find some form of silence. For me, it’s really early mornings or even during the day on good weather patterns. Shutting my bedroom door and having my window open for birdsong really helps to relax me and ease any daily stresses that I have.470Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfoEFasK2GF
I look forward to the days of walking away from where I live during those summer bright mornings and sitting in the open field to daydream endlessly and feel safety and comfort!
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