How cruising has changed since Covid

A couple of weeks ago we embarked on our first family cruise post-Covid. My husband found an amazing last minute deal on Royal Caribbean's Anthem of the Seas - a ship that we were actually due to sail on back in April 2020. We cruised for a week from Southampton, visiting La Rochelle and Le Havre in France and La Coruna and Bilbao in Spain. 

Cruise ship testing rules are changing all the time. When we cruised, all over 12s needed to be fully vaccinated and all passengers needed to have a supervised negative lateral flow test result within 48 hours of the cruise date (unvaccinated children under 12 within 24 hours). We did our lateral flow test online with DocHQ the day before which was very straightforward, although I did feel that I couldn't start properly packing until we had received that negative result!

Once onboard we noticed very little change to our usual cruising experience. We purchased expensive FFP2 masks which we wore whenever we were walking around the ship and we avoided the lifts and other crowded areas whenever we could. However we were definitely in the minority. Although the crew wore masks, only a handful of fellow passengers wore them.

There were a lot more hand sanitiser stations than I've been used to seeing on a ship, but generally handwashing is very much encouraged on cruise ships anyway. There was plenty of signage to encourage social distancing but no actual enforcement. The buffet and other eating areas were operating as normal. 

Of course we knew that the Covid risk on a cruise ship would be very high, and so despite the precautions that we took we weren't particular surprised that both me and my husband caught Covid on board. Judging by the comments in our cruise Facebook group we were far from alone, and a huge number of people came down with it. 

It's difficult to know what we personally could have done differently to avoid it. Perhaps mask wearing needs to be more strictly enforced among passengers, but I'm not sure that would make much difference. 

I think if you are taking a cruise holiday you just have to be realistic about the fact that there's a good chance you'll be bringing Covid home and if you are particularly at risk of serious complications from Covid then you need to consider whether it's the right holiday for you at this time.

Emerging from Covid

Last week Covid-19 finally caught up with me. By now I had assumed that I was either immune or had already had it but been asymptomatic, so it was a bit of an unwelcome shock to actually test positive. Although it wasn't exactly unexpected - I caught it on a cruise and was fully aware that it was a high risk holiday.  I also wasn't alone, my husband caught it again too as well as a large percentage of the people on our sailing judging by the cruise Facebook group. 

But it did surprise me just how ill I have been with it. I'm not overweight, I exercise regularly and I'm in general good health. Even though I didn't really suffer any respiratory symptoms apart from congestion and a cough I did have a couple of days in bed with a fever and dizziness, and then after that it's been fatigue and just generally feeling unwell. 

I'm into the second week now, and after spending far too long lying about on the sofa mindlessly scrolling through my phone I'm finally beginning to feel a bit more like myself. I've managed to take the children out to the beach, I've caught up with the holiday washing, sorted out some of the poor dead plants in the garden that died during the heatwave and even made a half-hearted attempt at cutting back some of our overgrown front hedge.

Soon I'm hoping to turn to the tasks that need a bit more brain power - I feel like everything is still all foggy! I have lots of e-mails to answer, blog posts to write, not to mention trying to do a bit of the work that I do from home. I've just not been able to concentrate properly on anything!

I'm definitely on the mend and I had my first negative test today so it has officially left my system, just hoping that I'm starting to feel normal again soon!

Photo credit John Cameron via Unsplash

Our recent experience with flying abroad

We have recently returned from a lovely half-term holiday to Rhodes, Greece! We love to travel but it had been over two years since our last trip abroad, and I found the prospect of flying quite daunting. So I thought I'd share our experience in case it is helpful to anyone that is currently wondering about booking a trip abroad. 

Before flying

Preparing for the holiday was fairly stressful. The guidelines change constantly, and online sources of information are quickly outdated. TUI were very helpful and provided an up-to-date spreadsheet with clear information, along with a link to book discounted tests. To visit Greece, Harry needed to do an antigen test two days before arrival as he's over 12 and currently unvaccinated. Then we all needed to complete a Passenger Locator Form for Greece (one per family). For our return to the UK we all needed to book a PCR test for Day 2 (this requirement has now changed to a lateral flow test) and complete Passenger Locator Forms.

There were also extra things to pack for the holiday of course - like plenty of face masks and hand sanitiser. 

Departing from London Gatwick (North Terminal)

The airport seemed quieter than normal but it was still busy. We were travelling just before the usual half-term holiday, so there weren't many families travelling. Everyone was wearing masks, there were plenty of hand sanitiser stations and people kept a good distance while waiting in queues. There were QR codes available with links to the forms that were needed for arrival in various countries. And we did see people filling out the forms while waiting in the queue! We had checked in online and at the bag drop we had to show our vaccination details, proof of the negative antigen test for Harry and the Passenger Locator Form required for Greece. Then we were given a confirmation slip to present at the gate. I assume that if you check in online without going to the bag drop then you would be asked to show your details at the gate when boarding. The queue for security at departures was very short, and there were lots of staff around the airport to help with things.

On the plane

Mask wearing was very strictly enforced on the plane with regular reminders that wearing a mask was a condition of carriage and to remember to replace the mask after eating and drinking. I'm not used to wearing a mask for such a long time so it was a bit uncomfortable, but easily manageable. Also no more than two people were allowed to queue for a toilet at the same time.

Landing in Rhodes, Greece.

The queue on arrival was very short. We knew that there was a chance of random testing on arrival in Greece, and the captain told us during the flight that although sometimes they stop only a few people, sometimes they will test the entire flight. But we didn't see anyone being stopped for a test (our flight did land quite late at night.) We only needed to show our passports like usual.

Departing from Rhodes, Greece.

Again we had checked in online, and at the bag drop desk adults were asked for their vaccination status and our Passenger Locator Forms for the UK were checked (this includes details of the tests which you have booked for your arrival home). This seemed to be a thorough check. The airport was quite busy and felt a little cramped at times, but there was enough space to keep away from other passengers and everyone was wearing masks. 

Landing at London Gatwick (North Terminal)

Arrival at London Gatwick was very smooth and felt just like normal. At Border Control we were only asked for our passports, not the Passenger Locator Form or to prove our vaccination status. I can only assume that this information must be linked electronically to our passports, or else they trust that we provided the information on departure from Greece.

In all our experience on each stage of the journey was very smooth and we were pleasantly surprised with how easy it all was. As long as you make sure that you are familiar with and have completed all the requirements then everything should be fine. Hopefully over time things will become more streamlined, although I do think that Passenger Locator Forms are going to be here to stay for a while yet.

How I've changed over the last year

I've recently read lots of articles marking one year since the start of lockdown in the UK on the 23rd March 2020. I don't think any of us imagined that we'd still be in almost the same place a whole year later! But with things hopefully moving in the right direction I thought that it wouldn't hurt to pause for a moment and think about all the ways that I've changed over the last year.

I'm more aware of my anxiety. I've always been anxious about things, but not to an extent that it interfered too much with my daily life. But at certain times over the last year I noticed physical anxiety symptoms, in particular a racing heartbeat, which I had never experienced before. Luckily that was just a temporary thing, and in fact many of my usual sources of anxiety were removed this year, for example the school run!

My meal planning has improved now that I no longer pop to the supermarket every other day for quick top ups. I have meals ready that I can make from store cupboard basics, and I've become used to planning meals in advance and buying everything at once. I haven't stockpiled, but I am careful to make sure that we have a good amount of long life food in the house, and always enough to make several days worth of food (essentially that means plenty of pasta, tomato sauce and frozen veg!)

I am very familiar with the local walking and running routes. Possibly a little too over familiar with the streets around my house.

I read a lot more. The short walk to my local library has become a big part of my routine, and the fact that I can currently reserve any book that I want to read for free has been brilliant.

I'm used to a lack of social contact. I used to think that I felt lonely when Ram went away for work and I didn't speak to any other adults for several days at a time. Now it's the norm!

I'm more aware of my home surroundings because I always at home. This isn't always a good thing, because mess bothers me, and sometimes it feels as though I'm constantly tidying up after everyone.

The children are more independent. Thanks to becoming used to doing their school work in their rooms they now spend more time there whereas in the past they tended to follow me around the house. This is part of growing up as well of course, but I always felt they were a bit too stuck to me so it's nice to have some space, especially when I need to work.

I spend more time in the garden. I've been very appreciative of our garden over the last year. It's not fancy but it's a good size and we have some comfortable garden furniture. I don't remember much really sitting out there for pleasure before.

Screen time has become more productive. With more time at home to fill the children have turned to their screens, but they've also been using them in ways that I feel are beneficial. Harry has been teaching himself coding in Python, and learning how to solve Rubik's cubes. Mia plays games but it's a way for her to socialise and she has also started creating short videos for a YouTube channel with her friends. 

I use social media less. Over the summer I was on my phone far too much and it wasn't good for my mental health so I made a big effort to cut back. A key thing was to unfollow many accounts on Twitter, YouTube and Facebook, and then to make an effort to flag up content that wasn't relevant or didn't interest me. This means that when I do log in I find the content more relevant, and it's also quicker to go through.

I've lost weight and become fitter. I did put on weight during the first lockdown, from stress, boredom and excess summer eating. But over the last six months I have cut back and increased the exercise, with the result that I'm currently really happy with my weight and fitness levels. I also feel motivated to keep it up going forwards.

I'm used to sharing the house. It was difficult at first with Ram at home all day, especially as he was usually away for a night or two every week. Then of course the children have been at home for the majority of the last year. But I've become used to it and I can hardly remember what it was like before. I've also come to appreciate having everyone around (even if I do long for some space sometimes!)

I am very grateful for the fact that this last year hasn't been nearly as difficult for me and my family as it has for many others. But it has been an unsettling year full of changes, and I know that it's going to take a while for things to get back to something resembling normality. I think that I've definitely made some positive changes, and while anxiety remains that things might fall apart again I'm hopeful for the future.

What I learned from temporary home schooling

I'm hoping that we have finally said goodbye to the home learning. I've thought this before of course, but this time things seem to be moving in the right direction, and I feel more confident that the schools won't be closing again.

I was relieved to see the back of home learning, and I don't at all envy the poor teachers trying to help children get used to being in the classroom again, without their Roblox and constant access to snacks. But having the children at home gave me the chance to spend more time with them, as well as get a small insight into their school day. And looking back, it wasn't too bad overall.

So here are some of the things that I learned from home schooling the children:

* Teachers deserve a great deal of respect. I can't imagine how stressful it must have been to have planned out all the work for the year, then at the last minute (and not once but twice!) having to rewrite everything and adapt it so that it could be taught remotely. It must have been such a change to their normal working patterns and I don't know how they did it.

* I always thought that I would have liked to be a teacher, but now I know for sure that I don't have the patience. It was hard enough trying to deal with two children, let alone an entire classroom.

* I also always thought that home schooling permanently might be fun. But it wouldn't be for me.

* I'm so glad that my job is part time, hours can be worked to suit, and I don't have to do any live meetings or calls. With my husband's job being so demanding it would have been impossible to juggle everything.

* I had to learn to step back and not get overinvested, and I had to learn to stop myself jumping in to correct spelling and grammar.

* I found that the children are more independent than I give them credit for, and I often do things for them that they are more than capable of doing for themselves. When left to their own devices they had no problems understanding and completing the work set, they just enjoyed the reassurance of me being involved.

* It was interesting to see the areas where the children need some extra help. Fractions and decimals in particular proved to be tricky.

* Their different personalities mean that their learning styles are different. Harry likes structure and clear instructions, Mia enjoys more open-ended tasks. I had to help them adapt to home learning in different ways.

* I found out how much maths in particular has changed since I was at school. While I could always find the answer to a maths problem, it wasn't usually in the way that the teacher wanted me to find it!

Second time around it was all much easier, and if it does happen that we need to learn from home again, perhaps due to a positive case in the class, we are all much more confident with the situation. But fingers crossed, this time they'll be remaining in the classrooms!

Things I've learned about the children over the last few months

I've seen a few blog posts with this theme so I thought I'd have a think about the things that I've learned over the last few months, particularly when it comes to the children.

Harry struggles with open-ended school tasks. We had a lot of upset if he had an open-ended task to work on, like designing a poster, or sharing his feelings towards a poem. He's much happier when he's given a sheet of maths questions to do that have a right or wrong answer.

Mia prefers creative tasks. She struggled with things that she didn't understand, and got cross when I tried to explain things to her. She loved a creative task, and always put her own individual take on it. 

Harry needs other people around him. I always thought that Harry was happy with his own company, but he was the most upset out of the two to be away from his class. The problem is that he doesn't have any particular friends that he could keep in touch with by text or video call, or meet up with once allowed. Instead he tends to remain on the outside of a group, observing others rather than taking an active role, which is difficult to replicate at home. I was really glad that he had the opportunity to be back in the classroom, if only for a few weeks, just to keep him going until September!

Mia needs time to herself. I thought that Mia always needed company, but she also needs to have time by herself. She spends a lot of time either on the swing or in her room jumping around, and I think that she's doing something which I recently found out is called maladaptive daydreaming. I was the same when I was younger. She's telling a story in her head, and it's easier for her if she's moving while she does it. We spent a few days with family last week and she became very distressed because she didn't have the space or opportunity to do it.

The children really need a routine. Things went way out of shape over the Easter holidays, especially with all the early shock and uncertainty. When term started back up the children needed to log in to their learning platform at 8.30am and it was really good to make sure that we were all up, breakfasted and dressed by then. Now that the summer holidays have started I'm more prepared and there is no screen time until everyone is ready for the day and the children have done ten minutes of times table practice. We also have exercise or outdoor time after lunch, they spend a bit of time in a learning app, and they expect to help me with a few tasks around the house. They also have reading time before bed and Harry has piano practice. 

The children need their screen time. We've never been particularly strict on screen time, but the amount that they use their iPads has gone through the roof. However pretty much all that they do is play Minecraft, which I like to think is a little bit educational. They play with friends, which keeps up their social interaction, and they work together on their builds. This can cause conflict so they need to learn to compromise. It also allows them to escape into their own worlds and use their imagination. When they are back at school properly their time will be limited, so I'm not too worried for the time being.

I need the children to have their screen time. I need time to myself. I need time to get on with housework, work of my own, and to give me some headspace and a break from being needed by everyone. Letting the children have their screen time gives me this (apart from when I'm called upon to deal with arguments and help them to come to an agreement about their Minecraft world!)

To share plans with the children in advance. If we are planning to go out for a walk or some other activity, the children need to have a heads up, and ideally a time set. So if I tell them that we are going to do something at a particular time they are much happier and more compliant.

This pandemic really has been a unique opportunity to spend time with the family and although it's been tough at times, looking back it has definitely helped me to understand the children a little better!

Things I've done recently that I've never done before

The coronavirus pandemic has changed a lot of things in a very short period of time, and life has changed in ways that we couldn't have imagined.

For example, here are some things that I've recently done for the first time:

Seen my parents and not given them a hug (well until our most recent visit that is!).

Worn a face mask. Not very often admittedly because I don't go out very much, but I'm expecting to wear one much more often in the future.

Had friends over to visit in the garden and not invited them into the house. It feels so rude!

Watched genuinely good quality and educational entertainment on YouTube. I've especially loved some of the National Theatre at home productions.

Taken part in a live streamed exercise class (albeit it only once, Joe Wicks was too much for us!)

Signed off an e-mail to my child's teacher with my first name and a kiss. I feel that I have had such a different relationship with the teachers this term!

Met up with friends and family and consciously stood or sat away from them.

Taken part in a video call with more than one other person.

Made and sent homemade birthday cards.

Bought enough food at a time to last us all over a week. I was so used to doing quick top up shops.

Queued up outside a shop, and then followed a complicated one way system once inside. I'm terrible at finding things. I end up just wandering around, following the arrows and picking things up as I pass them.

Had a video consultation with a doctor. For a child not me, nothing serious, and much easier and quicker to sort out!

Crossed the street or walked far out into the road to avoid someone coming the other way.

Asked my child whether they wanted to go to school the next day or not, and accepted their decision either way.

Taken anti-bacterial wipes to the supermarket to wipe down the trolley.

Stuffed back the cakes and biscuits without worrying about needing to slim down for an upcoming holiday.

What have you been doing differently over the last few months?

The completion of my 100 day project

I had been meaning to start a 100 day project for a little while now. In fact it was one of my Ten Things to do in 2020.  The reason that it has taken me this long is because we always seem to have a holiday booked within a period of 100 days and I didn't want that to be a distraction. At the beginning of April, with one big holiday cancelled and the prospect of having a lot of time to spend at home, it seemed like the obvious time to give it a go. 

I've always wanted to improve my drawing and painting. I had a set of good quality watercolour paints left over from my A-Level Art days, but I never really learned to use them and I hadn't touched them since. I treated myself to a new sketchbook for my birthday last year, and I have plenty of drawing pencils and brushes. So I decided that each day I would draw and/or paint a page in my sketchbook.

It took me a little while to get going as I flitted around with different things. I tried sketching the children but I wasn't happy with the result. With the beautiful weather over Easter I turned to the garden, painting the leaves and flowers and moving on to both realistic and more stylised flowers. I also found a few tutorials that helped me to use the watercolours in different ways.

My 100 day project - a quarter of the way through

I carried on painting my flowers, and discovered that my favourite colour was definitely blue. I also started trying a few paintings of scenery, like this beach scene.

My 100 day project - halfway through

After the halfway point I revisited my attempts at drawing and painting the children. I started working on an artist's journal about the pandemic, and illustrated it with some pictures of the children doing various things. They aren't great but I was quite pleased with them, I like to think that they capture a moment! I'm not very good with faces so I tend to draw the children from behind or at an angle!

My 100 day project - three quarters of the way through

For the final quarter of the challenge I repeated some of my favourite subjects, especially the stylised flowers and a few more pictures of the children. I also worked hard on my artist's journal which helped me to practice watercolour washes in different colours. 

I really liked the image of Mia from behind that I used above, and I repeated it with a few different backgrounds. I also returned to painting flowers from the garden as they started to bloom. Here are my marigolds, used to make a pattern that looks like fancy wallpaper.

And the first sweet peas in a champagne glass, trying to capture all the different colours. 

The 100 day project has been a great focus during lockdown and will be a big part of my memories of this period. I've really enjoyed trying something new, and I like to think that my skills have improved. I've definitely increased my confidence - I'm no longer too intimidated to sit down in front of an empty sketchbook or a blank page.

I'm hoping to develop my skills further, perhaps by finding some YouTube drawing tutorial videos to follow. I especially want to be more confident with sketching the children. I'm not sure that I'll be drawing every day, but I'm definitely going to continue, and also perhaps work on some longer paintings that will take several days. 

There's also my illustrated journal to complete, I'll share some of the pages when it's finished!

I'd definitely recommend giving a 100 day project a go, it's a great way to challenge yourself and begin to learn a new skill.

Things I'll miss about lockdown as things start to re-open

Although as a family we are still choosing to spend most of our time at home, gradually the country is starting to re-open, and hopefully this will continue in a safe manner. Of course it's debatable as to whether we ever actually experienced a real lockdown, it certainly wasn't as strict as in many other countries. But we did have many disappointments with cancelled activities, and my anxiety has quite often been through the roof. However we stuck to the rules and in the end, for us as a family at least, it hasn't been too bad.

As life hopefully begins to return to normal, here are some of the things that I'll miss from the last few months:

The quiet roads. We go out most days for our daily exercise and it was so lovely to be able to run along deserted pavements, with the option to run out into the empty road to avoid someone coming in the opposite direction. We have been out on our bikes for the first time in ages, with our on-road confidence boosted by the lack of traffic.

The extra hours that I've had in my day. My children go to school in the next town, and although my husband often helps with the drop off on his way to work, there are many days when I can easily spend two to two and a half hours in the car. I've really noticed that extra time in my day.

Spending time with my children during their happier periods of the day, not just when they are home from school, tired and grumpy.

I'll miss having the children around. It is hard work of course, and I seem to be constantly preparing food and clearing up after them, but it has been lovely to have us all at home together.

Helping the children with their school work. It has been hard at times I'll admit. They are kept busy with plenty to do, and my heart sinks in particular when I see the maths tasks come in. But it's been lovely to have a little bit of an insight into what they have been studying, and I've learned things about the children too. For example Harry doesn't like open-ended questions that require him to give his personal opinion on things, and Mia gets frustrated very quickly when she doesn't understand a concept.

The lack of laundry. I'm down by at least three loads per week - the white wash for shirts and the uniform and PE kit washes. Now there are lots of days where I don't have any washing to do!

The last few months have been really surreal, and although sometimes the days have felt slow, time really does seem to have passed very quickly. I am nervous about what happens next, and I know that life won't like it used to be for a long time yet, if ever. I think in a few months I might be looking back fondly at this enforced period of isolation.

The last normal photo on my phone

I really enjoyed reading this article on the BBC the other week - The last 'normal' photo on your phone - and so I thought I'd share mine!

This photo was taken on Saturday 14th March at Goring Beach. Ram was very ill from mid February onwards (with all the Covid-19 signs and symptoms, although unable to be tested as he hadn't been to China!) and so we hadn't been out as a family for a while. As the number of cases increased in the UK he stayed at home as much as he could. He is higher risk with asthma and as he was still recovering we wanted to keep him as safe as possible.

The beach was busy that afternoon, but people were starting to become aware of keeping their distance. This was our last visit to the beach for a long time! We walked to a closer stretch once during lockdown for our daily exercise, but it was a long way and the children complained. It's only been over the last week or so that we've been returning to the beach in the car. Even then we only go during the evening as we don't want to face the crowds during the day.

That evening I went to the theatre to watch Jane Eyre. It was a strange performance because one of the actresses was ill (we were told not to worry, it was unrelated to the virus!) and was replaced by a last minute stand in. She did a brilliant job, reading from a script on stage. But looking back I wonder if the company were desperate to give what became on of their last performances. It was becoming clear that theatres would be closing very soon and that their tour (which should currently be in China) would be forced to stop.

We received an e-mail a couple of days before reassuring us that the theatre was safe to visit, and there were signs to remind us to wash our hands. With Ram's health in mind I did feel anxious sitting down in such close proximity to others. There was definitely a hushed atmosphere on the night, but when I came out of the auditorium I didn't see anyone else using the provided hand sanitiser.

I went to the theatre with a friend that I normally meet every week for a hot drink and cake. I dropped her home at the the end of the evening, and I told her that I couldn't meet that week as we'd decided as a family not to go out for a little while unless it was necessary. I honestly only believed it would be for a few weeks, and that seemed long enough. In the end it was well over two months before I saw her again, sitting on a picnic blanket at the beach and keeping 2 metres apart! I can't imagine when we'll be able to meet in a cafe again.

Looking back, it's hard to believe how quickly everything shut down. The signs of impending doom were there for a few weeks (I have photos on my phone prior to this one showing empty shelves in the supermarket) but I think even at this point we were in total denial about how long this was really going to go on for. I definitely thought that the children would be back in school and back to normal after the Easter holidays, and now I can't believe how naive I was!