Up The Farway Tree

LOCK DOWN - DAY 69

It's hard to believe more than a month has passed since I last blogged.   Obviously we are still shielding - not leaving the house, and getting all our food delivered.   I was reading Scotland's plan for exiting lockdown, although currently this doesn't apply to those shielding.  The government will release new guidelines for shielding before 18th June, so will be interesting to see what these might be.  I imagine it wont be possible to ease the shielding measures until track and trace is fully working.

I had a phone appointment with Newcastle and they did ask for bloods to be done - so had to visit GP for these.  It's quite sad that this is the most exciting thing that's happened in the last 69 days and was  like a wee trip out haha.   I had to wait in my car, until a nurse with full PPE came and gave me mask, and took me in side entrance - where she promptly took the bloods and I went straight back to the car.  It was totally surreal.   It must be so strange for the staff having to work like this.  Thankfully I seem to be stable, but obviously not had lung function checked.  I have had some random borderline fevers and was feeling bit run down, but reassuringly oxygen levels were fine on my home oxygen saturation monitor, and bloods were normal. 

Poor Estelle however has not been well.  She was having borderline fevers but had no other symptoms, other than being very irritable and upset (which to be honest, I thought was just effects of lockdown).  It seemed to be getting worse and we spoke to the GP.  As she had a fever, she couldn't be seen in the GP practice but had to go to a local covid hub.  Andrew took her, and again,  it was a surreal experience.  They had to wait in car to be handed masks, then wait at a marker outside building, before being allowed in.  Everyone was in gowns, visors, masks - and I think it was an unnerving experience for Estelle.  She knows about coronavirus and understood the reason for masks - but she later said that because of the gowns, she was worried they were going to do an operation there and then!   Anyway, they found she had a perforated eardrum, so she got antibiotics for presumed ear infection.  I spoke with GP again at the start of this week as she still had a fever after the antibiotics, and they checked urine, which was clear.   Towards to end of this week she has seemed overall better and temperature been more stable.  Hopefully we are getting to end of whatever has been going on!  At times I did worry about Covid - but even at Covid hub, there was no community testing anyway.  I think the rules have just changed to allow people to request tests, but it's too far down the line.  I also think that if it had been Covid, then I would definitely be unwell by now!!    It's a shame that she had to contend with feeling rubbish for so long, on top of the situation of missing friends and family.

Overall I think we have a reasonable routine - although minimal school work being done!  I think the longer they are away from school, the less relevant it feels for them having to do schoolwork.  The school are good at putting up timetables of weekly activities but realise that it's not practical for children to complete everything suggested.   We try to do a mixture, with plenty of garden playtime for sanity. 

I find it hard not having much free time, as sometimes you just need space to think.  I am sure everyone is feeling like this just now!  I am also feeling a bit anxious about how things will work out - at the moment there doesn't feel as if there is much to look forward to and I wonder when we will start to feel safe again.  At least we are safe at home and it's a luxury to be able to do this, so I can't really complain.   It's also amazing how much time has already passed - if we get some good summer weather then I am sure that will also help! 

Love to everyone - stay safe x