Roughton and District

What was your reaction when lockdown was announced?	What have you missed most, apart from family & friends?	What have you been doing? Have you learnt something new or unusual?	Has lockdown been difficult or easy, could you get used to this way of life?	What is the first thing you will do/like when life is back to normal?	Anything else you'd like to say about your lockdown experience?
Shock at first hoping it would not last long. Second thoughts it will give me time to catch up on things I have been putting off for ages.	Going on holiday and having to cancel planned holidays. Having to think twice about going out, visiting theatre and cinemas, just doing normal things.	I now have an organised house, cupboards cleaned, things that have never been used, sent to a new home, filled skips with useless, broken items etc. Joined 'For The Love of Scrubs' and was so pleased to help make scrubs, ear savers, sub bags etc. Mastered Zoom so we could keep our WI together by having online meetings, coffee mornings and afternoon teas, craft group meetings.	It's been a bit of both. To start with it was easy giving time to evaluate what was important to me in life. Difficult because I could not socialise with friends and family.	Whilst I don't think things 'normal' will return to what it was before lockdown for some time but when travel gets back to something like normal with no isolation if we travel, I will be on a plane to visit my daughter and family in Switzerland.	It's made me think outside the box in how I could keep in touch with grandchildren and do things with them online - besides chatting about what we have been doing, I have cooked with grandchildren on FaceTime even linking in those in Switzerland with their cousins locally based here in the UK. Doing treasure hunts with the aid of mums helping to hide the clues. But oh how I long for a cuddle with them all.
Shock! No more seeing friends and family ☹️.Will we be able to get things that we need?	Hugs and kisses from friends and family. Impromptu visits. Having a coffee/meal out without considering the virus. Many cancelled holidays. Playing badminton.	I've taken up running as I couldn't play badminton - I go out early to avoid crowds (no mascara or 'hairdressing' required!). Zoom -initially playing family games with distant UK friends and family; now to learn new skills and for our WI.	Living right by the sea has made it much easier - lots of fresh air and walks We've had great weather too - the sky seemed so blue!	Have a BIG get together with friends and family, celebrating with a BIG glass of something cold and bubbly.	It was very quiet (except when queuing for the supermarket) and calm. Reminded me of Sunday afternoons when I was a girl!
It was inevitable. I was on holiday the week before we went into lockdown, when Cyprus was going into lockdown, so I was expecting it to happen here. I just accepted that was what was happening,, and looked at what I could do, not what I couldn't.	Playing badminton and aqua aerobics. Theatre and concerts. Craft courses. Like most of the country I desperately missed my hairdresser.	Permitted daily walk. Online Pilates. Phoning friends and WI members. Craft, craft and more craft, doing things I've always wanted to but could never justify spending time doing it. Gardening. Decorating. Skyping games nights with family around the country. Like a lot of people, I learnt about Zoom.	I didn't find it difficult, guess it was reasonably easy, when you knew what you could. With everyone being in the same boat I just got on with it. Although I was happy with the lockdown, by time things started easing I wa finding things monotonous, not that I was ever bored, just needed a change.	More face to face interaction with friends, being able to be spontaneous, not having to book visits etc. Back to theatres. What I'll be pleased to do is walk without worrying about keeping your distance and not having to wear a mask.	I felt I was lucky. Living in Cromer meant there were plenty of walks and the sea, always therapeutic. I'm retired, so no issues with work. Biggest thing is I'm happily married, so I had support and company. One upside was that I soon realisedi I wasn't always clock watching, with no need to dash from A to B and then onto C, very relaxing. Our WI was supportive, we had Zoom coffee mornings and afternoon teas. There was a telephone support scheme in place as well. I never looked at the news or read about the virus in the beginning as it just raised my anxiety levels. Hubby just tol me the basics I needed to know. I know it was heart wrenching for people, but the media focussed on the bad, and knocked everything being done, did nothing to boost morale.