Writing and Covid-19

Having a household that has remained entirely Covid-free seems to have become quite rare – and I’d been wondering exactly how long it would be before it would finally show up on our doorstep, when… bam! It arrived! My son was the first to develop a cough and test positive. Two days later it was my husband’s turn and then, two days after that, my turn. Clearly, whatever Omicron variant we had succumbed to, had a two day incubation period.

As soon as I tested positive that Saturday morning, I set about getting as many jobs done as I could – both writing and domestic – on the assumption that once the symptoms really kicked in, I wouldn’t feel like doing much at all. And so it proved to be, with a fever, headache, cough and – worst of all – dizziness. But the worst of it was that I had, for the very first time, booked myself a writing retreat at Gladstone’s Library in North Wales, and it was only a few days away! But with my symptoms continuing and my test strips remaining stubbornly positive, it was definitely off the cards, and so, the day before I was due to leave, I had to ring and cancel. Luckily, their policy dictated that because I was cancelling for Covid reasons, I could rearrange my booking – so hopefully it will actually come to pass at some point in the not-too-distant future, and I will, eventually, get there!

But I’m sure that the dog enjoyed all the extra attention he got while people were stuck at home feeling ill, although he certainly did find it strange that, sometimes for days at a time, members of the family stayed in their bedrooms. He must have approved though – after all, sleeping is one of his main hobbies, and one that I’m sure he’s happy to pass on to the rest of the family.

The virus has gone now, thank goodness, and things are slowly getting back to normal. Hopefully the dog will be happy with that arrangement too. We might all have a bit more energy than before and aren’t spending as much time sleeping, but at least he’s back to getting his proper walks! And – for me – my writing has finally been able to restart.

Little Christmas 2022

Merry Christmas!

It’s that time of year again where, at my house at least, we take a day to stop working, writing, doing laundry, food shopping, etc., etc., and have another Christmas day – but in June instead of December.

Little Christmas focuses on the easy bits of Christmas – Christmas dinner including crackers and a Christmas pudding, a small gift for each person in the house, a family film in the afternoon, and a small artificial tree – but all for just one day. The more tedious bits of Christmas, such as the dreaded Christmas card-writing, are left out.

Yet again, the dog enjoyed it the most, tearing into his presents (boxes with dog biscuits hidden inside them) and then helping everyone else to open theirs, before wolfing down his own small portion of Christmas dinner (no pudding for him, though).

The next day things went back to normal, with him settling on his chair in the corner of the kitchen for a snooze, while I tapped away on my keyboard. But I couldn’t help thinking that he was most probably dreaming of the next celebratory event on the horizon – his birthday – and probably trying to decide what presents he wants then. Maybe more boxes with dog biscuits inside them, or a new chewy bone, a ball, or maybe something cuddly like a soft toy? But from the way that he is licking his lips in his sleep, I’m pretty sure that it will definitely include a special meal of some kind…