Lockdown has been a messy business. We've all been sent home to do nothing. Companies have closed, schools have closed, shops have closed. We've had curfews and been restricted with times for exercising. Obviously no group gatherings - so people have had to cancel weddings and funerals and you certainly weren't allowed to go into a hospital if you weren't desperately ill. That means that if someone you love is sick and dying, you can't be by their side. Dad's can't go with their wives for scans, nor watch their baby be born. There are so many issues around lockdown, that I can't even begin to even try summarise them into a few lines. It's been a time of panic and stress and uncertainty for all of us. And the worst part is, there's no real plan. As I write this, we've just droped down from lockdown level 4, to level 3. Full lockdown was level 5 and we were pretty much prisioners in our own homes. The worst part was knowing that it was going to be 3 weeks and was then extended to 5 - these walls get boring!! Also during level 4 & 5, buying alcohol was banned. It was OK, when we thought we'd only be doing 3 weeks, but the ban's only just been lifted as of 1 June, so we've been dry for 9 weeks! Fortunately, we were given a few bottles of gin and have wine, so we've been ok, but many haven't. The smoking ban has continued into level 3 - some people have really suffered. And the black market has been making a killing.
The day before lockdown, Jake and I bought a huge puzzle (3000 pieces), which we did in 6 days...
For us, the lockdown period has been a time to re-connect with each other and I have a feeling that we are all going to struggle getting back to normal once this is all over. We've had some really magical weather, which has definitely helped. Here's Jake feeding the guinnae fowl on our front lawn. They are so tame, they literally eat out of his hand...
Shopping has been a challenge for us. My mom usually goes to the shops just about every day, but we've been trying to go once a month for a big shop and then once a week for fresh fruit and veg. I've been doing quite a bit of baking, when I can, which has been really good...
I don't think lockdown would have been as much fun without my mom. She always knows when to pour a gin and we have really enjoyed this time together. I can't imagine what life would have been like had Jake and I been living on our own now...
Just for fun, we did an egg hunt for Easter. I think Jake is still eating Easter eggs, but it was a fun morning and we all enjoyed behaving like kids again...
It was a rainy Easter morning, so most of the eggs were hidden inside and on our stoep. This little cactus garden was a project Jake did for cubs once. He got the pot from Josette and had a ton of fun putting it together. He's added and taken out over the years. That big prickly cactus lived on Jacques' desk in the cellar, so it's a very special one...
And I baked real New York bagels. They were good, but bagels are heavy and my poor dad doesn't have many teeth left...
We've had games evenings both traditional and virtual and eaten dinner around our table. Jo & Paul sent us a delicious box packed full of yummy cheeses, cold meats, bread and preserves, which we really enjoyed...
Our street organises pavement braai's and potjie competitions, which have great - nice just to see a different part of the house :o) Jake has been a good sport with these. One of our neighbours has old DJ equipment, so the music is on loud enough for the whole street to enjoy, which really makes it a good night..
Jonny likes to get his guitar out at any opportunity...
One of our delicious braai's...
During lockdown level 4, we were allowed to go out to exercise from 6 - 9am. It meant everyone in the whole neighbourhood was out for a walk early, as we'd all been couped up indoors for 5 weeks of level 5. Jake and I took a walk up to his grandparents, Karen and Hubert, who live at the top of this street, also in Edgemead. It was so good to see them after so long and even though we weren't really allowed, we couldn't help but give them great, big hugs. On our way home, we bumped into Rosie and her family, exercising past Gareth's parents house...
Jake's hair got really long. He has such thick hair, he's so lucky. He also used the money that Karen and Hubert gave him for Easter, along with some money my folks gave him for his birthday to buy himself a new winter jacket. Pity he has nowhere to go in it...
One of our virtual games evenings - a quiz night hosted by Bi. Shame, she did so well, but her questions were impossible to answer and she ended up in tears because we kept giggling about it. Do you know how far Mars is from the sun in meters?
We painted rocks and posters for the windows of our house...
Oooh we made salmon gradvelax, with a dressing of gherkins, capers, mustard and all things yummy. I could live on this, so good...
Mother's day gins - Jo sent my mom another box for mother's day. it included some berry flavoured gin tea bags, they were so yummy...
My sweet child turned 16 during lockdown. That wasn't so much fun and he really missed being with his friends. I baked him a cake, which was slightly under cooked, but we all enjoyed the gooey bit in the middle,s o it wasn't a train smash. It just didn't look so pretty. It's a hummingbird cake, made with bananas and pineapple, covered with a cream cheese frosting. So good - between 4 of us, it didn't last long! Jake's such a lovely teenager. I couldn't have asked for kinder or gentler. He's still quite shy, but he has such a great sense of humour. It's lovely to start seeing him grow into a man and to catch glimpses of the kind of man he's going to be. He's a loyal soul and his love runs so deeply, he's so caring and affectionate and he's not afraid to show it. I adore this boy...
We had another street braai on Jake's birthday and made him ribs (with braces) for dinner...
Kisses from his mom in public...
A serious pic... 
Jake had some sneaky visitors for his birthday, which really made his day...
Rosie and Gareth stayed and had a drink with us. They ran out of alcohol and Gareth smokes, so it's been a tough time for them. We've helped them out as much as possible...
16? How the freak did that happen? Really... the time has gone too quickly with this one and I really want to press pause for a while...
More cuddles from his cousin...
There's 10 years between these two, but Rylee's been like a little brother to Jake...
That evening, Jake had arragned a games evening with about 30 friends online. His cousins, Abi and Becky hosted it for them and did so well. We plugged the laptop into the TV, so that we could see everyone properly. It was so lovely to see how excited these kids were to see each other - they chatted and chatted...
The birthday boy wore his hair in a mowhawk - they all had little dares to do. We prepared chocolates and popcorn and cooldrinks to drop off at everyone's house on the day, which meant that Jake did sort of see all his friends on his birthday...
The zoom chat...
Jake invited Connor to join too, he was such a good sport and his team came third...
The next day was my birthday and we'd planned a champagne breakfast, complete with scones. It was divine...
Karen, Hubert and Tammy dropped off balloons for me early in the morning, complete with sweetie pies as weights. They became our table center piece...
Dad and Mom. Yes, there was a glass of precious champagne knocked over, it was the angel's share...
And me with my boy...
It was Bi's 9th birthday on my birthday too, so we zoomed in for a sing and candle blowing session with her...
Rosie helped Jake plan a special birthday dinner for me too. Jake never cooks. He might braai (sometimes), but he mostly stays out of the kitchen. I wish he would get more involved, but it doesn't interest him yet. Here's my mom helping him figure out what to do...
He made me delicious chicken with potatoes, green beans, broccoli and baby marrows with a cheese sauce and chocolates for dessert. It was divine...
We watched baby pigeons go from eggs to babies to adults...
And that just about summaries our lockdown. It hasn't been terrible and I've really enjoyed working from home. I feel so much more productive. Jake's homeschooling has been tough, but the teachers are getting into a better rythm now and so hopefully it'll go smoother for them all. It's tough to self-motivate and he has been such a champ keepign on top of everything, despite missing his friends.
Sending love and hope everyone's well in your corners of the world.
Sue xxx
