So at the end of last week, we all tuned in for the Prime Ministers cryptic message. I think most people came away from that speech more confused and although it seemed to suggest we were easing the lockdown restrictions a little, the return to normality still feels a long way off. Just like most people, nothing has changed in the Coates house and social distancing and all the isolation trappings are in force. Although I long for hugs with my parents and friends, the time isn’t now. So we went into week 8 a little beaten, a little bruised, but with our heads still in the game.

It’s been another 7 days of little bursts of fun peppered into the mundane of lockdown life. Anyone that has simply looked at the pictures of these Lockdown blogs will be forgiven for thinking that all we are doing is fun stuff and it’s constant craziness at Coates HQ. The fact is, taking pictures of the hours spent fighting the inevitable isolation boredom isn’t really that fun to show on here. There’s only so many pictures I can put out of the iPad/TV watching, textbook-based homeschooling, me in my dressing gown (not as hot as I bet you imagine) and cleaning the house.

When those pockets of fun have arrived, we try to milk them for all they’re worth. This week, Grandma Susan sent us some big boxes and the kids spent some time turning them into robots costumes. Emily set the boys some fun/educational challenged to complete and they have done those with big smiles on their faces. The boys have roped Emily in to play some weird game on the Ipad (Roblox anyone?) and watching the three of them playing together has been fun. We’ve baked cookies, gone for a couple of short walks around our street and enjoyed things the best we can.

What will week 9 bring? Who knows, but we shall be at home, staying safe and ready to meet it head-on.

You can see all the Lockdown Blogs here