Coming out of lockdown:
Clive Bartlett

May 2021

‘Can you play Peppa Pig with me?’

[Sigh]. Gawd. Really? Does she not know? I’m 50 years old now!

But those eyes. Those, ‘Pleeease will you play with me’, toddler eyes. Who could refuse?

‘Okaaaay. Go on then.’

‘Yayyy!’

I laugh – but just to myself. She’s supposed to be poorly. And, come to think of it, I’m supposed to be working. But, if the simplest of things can give so much joy? Who am I to deny someone that moment – especially when that someone is my youngest?

With caffeine count at max and a newfound burst of energy, I’m ready to get stuck in. And drag this lockdown lump of a body around the floor until one of us gets bored. (I know who my money’s on).

But hang on?

‘Where’s George?’

‘Oh, he’s missing – but that’s OK.’

OK? OK???? It most certainly is not O-bloody-K!!

This set cost 40 quid!!!

One year on from lockdown – and it looks like we’re well on track for returning to some form of normality!

‘Tell you what? How about we go outside.’

‘Outside? Yaaaaay. I love outside.’

And it’s true, she does. Thankfully. It’s far less stress on the knees!

For many reasons, over the past year, it’s been hard to keep spirits up. But as lockdown continues to lift, ‘outside’ has rapidly become the most precious space for both myself and my kids.

We go for walks. Go to see the horses. We pick flowers. We laugh. Blow dandelions. We chat about anything and nothing. We skip. I trip over cracks in the pavement – and we laugh even more. Well, the kids do!!

And it’s awesome. No matter the weather.

Then there’re the people we meet along the way. They smile. They nod. They mouth the words Thank You as we all attempt to give two metres of space on a narrow country path…

‘Well, she was a bit close!’

You can always rely on my eldest to tell it like it is. We take it to VAR and both agree, it has to be a yellow card.

But you know what? That’s OK. Because it’s the gesture that counts. The intention is there. The consideration. From both young and old. And it feels like the beginnings of a return to true community spirit. Although the piercing glare of an oncoming driver suggests some bridges may take longer to build than others.

For a brief moment I’m transported back to the late ‘70s. With distant memories of when the back door would be left wide open. And neighbours would pop round with a ‘Cooooeeee. It’s only me’.

Happier times? Simpler times? I don’t know. I was just a kid. But it feels like, back then, you didn’t need a ‘We’re in this together’ slogan for people to be considerate. Or want to help each other out. It was a given

So, May 12th, 2021. A day, much like any other really – but with thoughts now turning to more positive times ahead. With playdates and clubs for the kids. Pub and Premier League football for me (Get in, Norwich!). And a faint possibility of a family holiday – if we can find anywhere that isn’t already booked out!

Ooooh, and it looks like we’ve got the green light for hugs outside of the family circle soon too. Although, for the life of me, I can’t think who I’d want to go through that awkward experience with.

That said, Kylie, if you’re reading…

However, amongst the happier thoughts of now, there is one thought that hangs over me. And it’s this. If ever there was an opportunity for everyone (and by that, I mean the whole world) to come together for the greater good, then any point during the past 12 months was it.

Sadly though, I just don't think it's happened.

‘I want to live in a perfect world, but that will never be. Instead, I live in a world I made, learn to live with me.’

Wiz, Mega City Four