Covid Lockdown

Lockdown was enjoyable for me because it mandated that everybody do what I already want to do - not be around others. I very much enjoyed not having to socialise or go into the office or use public transport.

That first lockdown was magical, partly because of the weather - an unusually warm and sunny cloudless March, for pretty much the entire month. And there were no planes in the sky, nor cars on the roads. I went for walks every day and it was beautifully peaceful because most people had been terrorised and were cowering away indoors. I wish that the world could be like that always.

The later lockdowns were not so good for me. The roads were full of cars again, lots of people doing things as normal so the magical atmosphere was gone and it was more like normal but with people in masks everywhere. The police became absurdly authoritarian and began doing things that made no sense, such as arresting old ladies sitting by themselves on a park bench, or using drones to find hikers who were alone in the Peak District with nobody around for miles, or stopping people who are driving in the countryside by themselves.

What you described in the first lockdown about the peace was the thing I loved. Since then where I live it seems like everyone has building projects which are noisy. 

The lovely weather was something I was thinking about this year, as it seems we had very little of it this year, especially early on when it is a pleasant temperature.

What you described in the first lockdown about the peace was the thing I loved. Since then where I live it seems like everyone has building projects which are noisy. 

The lovely weather was something I was thinking about this year, as it seems we had very little of it this year, especially early on when it is a pleasant temperature.

This year had the worst weather I've ever experienced. I think the Met Office said it was the wettest winter on record, and that was certainly my experience. Where I lived it rained every day from about September 2023 until May 2024. Summer was also mostly a washout and unusually cold - I had frosts until nearly June, and I needed the heating on a couple of times in June, which has never happened before. At the start of August I had to get the winter duvet out because I was shivering at night.

It's a shame because it destroyed one of my hobbies - hiking. I know I could go out in the rain and when it's overcast, but it's all a bit depressing and I tend to just stay indoors. But I feel like I missed out on this year as a result.