The year we stayed at home
It’s now just over a year since all this madness began, since all our lives changed and I don't think anyone had any idea we would still be where we are today. I still find it hard to fathom it all.
But here we still are, and instead of sharing a beautiful wedding, I am looking back to last year and beginning this blog post with an image of a beautiful (and precious at the time) quilted loo roll, in what was my old and not so beautiful bathroom.
During the first lockdown I wondered my local neighbourhood and the empty streets of Bristol city centre with my camera (in my allowed exercise time of course). It was eerie, yet peaceful, solemn, yet sparked with little bits of life and light, like the colourful rainbows and messages of hope in people’s windows. On my walks I saw so much creativity and support. Teddy bear hunts with teddies placed in windows for children to spot on their walks, chalked messages of hope on pavements and games like hopscotch, which I just couldn’t walk past without a hop, skip and a jump. Self-help books left out for passers by to take, and caring messages stuck to lampposts just asking, are you ok?
Now three lockdowns in, we’ve almost settled into lockdown living, Netflix, group video calls, essential shopping trips with the adapted phone, wallet, keys… mask check on our way out the door. Although we now don't have a shortage of loo rolls and pasta, there is still so much missing in our lives and winter lockdown days have been hard. The first lockdown was scary, unknown days and weeks, which turned into months. I’d forgotten how surprisingly busy I was back then, working night shifts at my local supermarket, moving house and also volunteering with a catering company I used to work for, working for the organisation Food4Heroes, distributing meals for NHS workers on the frontline.
Looking back at these snaps I took a year ago now, it was Spring that helped light up those days. So, this Sunday the clocks are changing which means longer days, picnics, dreamy evenings, and soon six people can meet outdoors and summer is coming!! I’m over the moon to be able to get back to work next week photographing families again, and weddings will be slowly back on the scene and hopefully in full swing come the end of June.
Hoping that we're now heading in the right direction.
Stay Covid safe, and I am looking forward to a big party when this is finally over, we all deserve it.xx
