As I write this we are two weeks into lockdown. Two weeks since the pubs and restaurants were ordered to close, two weeks since the school bell rang for the final time and two weeks since the Prime Minister appeared on out tv screens and told us all to “stay in our homes”.
Like many people I started this year full of optimism. 2020 was going to be a great year, I was starting a university course, work was going well and after many years as an enthusiast hobbyist, I had decided to take the plunge and start my journey to become a professional photographer.
Lurking in the background to all this however , was the news that people were getting sick in China. Just a few at first and all confined to one city. We all watched to news reports never dreaming that what we were seeing would soon be replayed not just in our own country but across the whole world. As cities started to close the idea that this might be a bit more serious than first thought started to dawn but I doubt anyone realised that by April we would be 2 weeks into our own lockdown, facing the start of the Easter holidays unable to meet up with family or friends or even just wander through the park. GCSEs and A levels have been cancelled, all sport has ceased and the roads are eerily quiet. We watch daily updates from the government and queue 2 meters apart at the supermarket.
This new normal is anything but, however in the midst of it are truly heartwarming acts of kindness. Whole streets coming to thier doors and windows to applaud the NHS and carers, thousands of retired Drs and Nurses returning to the front line to help out wherever they can, neighbours looking out for the elderly and vulnerable are just a few examples.
These are truly unprecedented times but as the famous quote says ” This too will pass”.