Playing cards, sorting jigsaws and watching it all unfold

The week started with a quick trip to the shops to stock up on a few bits because the boys had eaten us out of house and home. Meeting a few neighbours in the aisle, the awkwardness of maintaining the recommended social distance was obvious. However, there was a bit of banter shared, which made a change from the news filtering through around us as local businesses continued to announce their closures while communities began to rally to face the coming weeks together.

Back at home, the boys had gotten stuck into their ‘schoolwork’ as my husband took a conference call. The day was different because we weren’t running to our own schedule as had been the case over the weekend. Now, we were working parents, working ‘at home’.

Over the weekend, I had come across my old Roald Dahl books and had decided to start reading ‘James and the Giant Peach’ to the boys, out of literally necessity for something to do as the rain bucketed down one of the days.

This was after they dressed up in their Halloween costumes and fought each other with bread sticks like ‘Harry Potter’ while my husband busied himself with baking some brown bread. 

Anyway, back to how the week was going. An interesting article by local author, Stella O’Malley about being ‘mindful in this time of crisis’, was well worth a read while the social media shout outs caught my attention as the local communities ramp up their efforts to rally those, who might need help in the coming weeks. Here is a full list available here on our website and is being updated daily. 

A family, who loves routine, going to school, visiting grandparents or friends, we were a bit out of sorts earlier in the week as I replied to some messages from friends to see how we were managing. I replied how lucky I was because at least we have room for the boys to go outside. My thoughts wandered to people, ‘self-isolating’ in apartments and terrace houses as I headed out the door on a nature walk with my youngest, to get a bit of fresh air.

This brings me back to trying to keep the boys entertained and some of the ideas I came up including playing card games, sorting out the jigsaws and other ideas to keep the boys active during this Covid-19 outbreak.

Later, there was a video call to my parents to check in to see how they were as it was strange not to call into see them and a text from my cousin in England to say that he was, thankfully, not travelling from London, to see us.    Meanwhile, please stay safe and  stay in touch at @kogog or @midlandtrib, email karen.ogrady@iconicnews.ie or a WhatsApp on (087) 3751974.