Jane was saying at lunchtime how we’ve all had our lives changed by the covid virus. In many ways, one of which being what we can do with our spare time now. It got us talking about what we used to do at the weekend years ago, and how things changed. I don’t know about you, but I’ve got used to this slower way of life and I like what I see.
We all seem a lot less pushed for time. And for me especially, it means a lot more help in the house for jobs that keep rearing their ugly heads! Weekends have once again become like they used to be when we were younger, when life had a slower pace.
What you haven’t had you don’t miss
When Jane was very young we didn’t have a car. So everywhere we went, it was on Shank’s pony, bus or train – which we never thought a thing about as it’s what we always did. I always think it’s the same with everything – what you don’t have you don’t miss. I never missed having a car then, as we were used to going places under our own steam. The trouble starts when things are taken away from you – that’s when it becomes a problem!
It was awkward when we wanted something bulky or big. We had to carefully plan how we got it home, as deliveries weren’t the norm in the dark days. We once bought some shelving, the boards, brackets, the lot from B&Q which was five miles away from where we lived. First there was a long walk up a steep hill to get back into the town. Then we caught the bus home. It was Winter, dark and packed full of people, meaning we had to stand up on the bus, carrying all this shelving stuff until we got home. Then we had another walk up another steep hill to get home. By the time we got in, it’s fair to say we wanted a sit down! Oh those were the days, but that was what it was. If we wanted something we had to do it the hard way.
Loving this slower way of life!
Anyway, back to the present, and we’ve had loads of lovely lazy weekends in our slower way of life. Well the afternoons anyway, as we catch up on housework in a morning, like you do. But after dinner, well that’s another matter.
Derek usually does as little as possible, he’s never been known for his activity at the best of times so now he’s indulging himself. At 77 (nearly 78) I suppose he’s entitled to. I’m usually on the computer or doing some colouring which I love to do. It’s for adults and some of them are so complex it’s untrue. I find it’s one of the most relaxing hobbies I’ve ever had. It’s good to watch what you can do evolve over time, learning all the techniques, and there are so many.
An addictive hobby
When I look back to my first book about five years ago, it reflects the fact that I hadn’t coloured since I was a child. It was a flowery picture, very pretty, but when I look back, so basic. The colours were very flat as I hadn’t learnt how to do shading, or putting one colour on another and lots more. It’s such a popular hobby and people all over the world share what they’ve done and how to do things on Facebook. People you didn’t know existed – it opens up a new world altogether. I have been amazed at how many people do the same thing and it becomes really addictive, but very stress busting and relaxing at the same time.
Jane usually gets her jobs done and then she either does some colouring or at the moment she is hooked on her Lego. She had Kevin going into the loft to find the boxes of Lego that she had as a youngster. I think it was reading about how many adults are doing the same and creating all sorts of wonderful buildings that set her off – she’s always enjoyed her Lego.
Building site
Kevin had to practically empty the loft to get to it, what a mess. I was ‘oohing and aahing’ at things I hadn’t seen since we moved here, with some nice surprises that I’d forgotten about. Of course, it all had to be washed and fettled so her and Kevin spent a happy hour sorting it all out into different colours.
A box for blue, white and so on, so now, she’s busy building as though its going out of fashion. At the moment, she’s building a police station for her town and just using her imagination to do it. Maybe it’s to lock me and her dad up in! I would just end up with a pile of bricks and not knowing what to do with them!
In the workshop
She’s also spending time building her driftwood houses to sell in our online web shop, Seaside Emporium – and they’re selling really quickly. She puts such a lot of thought into the detail. It takes ages but they look really nice, especially these Winter ones that she did for Christmas, they were really lovely.
She has Kevin sawing the wood for her, then she sits there, muttering to herself, chopping little bits of wood with the dremel!
Kevin is usually doing Kevin things. He’s either on his computer, drawing, bits of odd jobs that needed doing and so on.
A better way of life
All in all, this slower way of life has made us happier and more relaxed. But the problem is, you don’t want to go back to the rat-race after all this stops.
I wonder what all you good people have been doing while we’re in lockdown? I bet it’s more interesting than us. But we’re enjoying our carefree time together, savouring it in fact. Every silver lining and all that!
While you’re here…
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