Being released from lockdown into the sunshine for a nice cup of tea in the garden (or beach).

Freedom has come.  On Monday, we were finally released from our lockdown after months of being mostly at home in England.  Our release date was perfectly timed to coincide with three days of surprisingly warm weather.  In our corner of the country, we have been in lockdown since November 5th which makes a total of nearly five months.  While some regions of the UK had a few weeks break before Christmas, we stayed in the same restrictions to deal with our new more spreadable Kent variant.  But not any more!  It feels as if the stable door has been opened, and we are now allowed to venture out into our paddock of lush green grass while feeling the sunshine on our skin for the first time.

Yesterday I was very excited to be able to meet more than one other person outdoors.  I met a small group of friends on the beach, and we sat actually together around a table.  Cups of herbal tea were made in the beach hut and a delicious home-made cake appeared to help celebrate the moment.  As I tucked into the moist and tangy gluten-free orange cake and sipped my warming tea, it felt wonderfully normal and much needed.  I kept looking around and noticing smiles, expressions, laughter and funny stories that just can't be captured on Zoom.  Just sharing a few anecdotes of this strange pandemic time helped me feel more normal and not the only one who is desperate for a hair appointment or wasn't sure what on earth to wear after being in cosy clothes that no one ever saw all winter.

For once, Boris Johnson might have said something that resonates with me as he acknowledged on Monday "how much it will have meant to millions of people to have joined with someone else for a cup of tea in the garden".  Actually being able to sit and share food and drink is a very natural and social experience.  Even on the days when I feel a bit cranky or stressed about something minor, just sitting with others in a warm-hearted way with food or a hot drink always lifts my spirits and helps me feel better.  In these long pandemic lockdowns, I have not especially missed shopping, getting my hair-cut or popping into London for the day.  I have missed everyday social gatherings with tea or food the most. It might seem like a very small "reward" for being stuck at home for so long (what about a nice holiday or yoga retreat?).  But having had so many social restrictions for the last year, these small changes actually feel huge.

Each small change in this pandemic situation, always seems to bring an equal and opposite mixture of emotions.  Alongside the wonder and joy of meeting friends on the beach, comes the strangeness of being "out" in the world again, as if emerging from a dark winter cave into the bright sunlight.   As we sat around our bustling stretch of beach, I was also aware of so many people around me, groups and noise that I haven't experienced since last summer.  I felt slightly overwhelmed as I usually share the beach with only seagulls and dog walkers. I also felt out of practise being in a group, with the pausing and waiting for conversations to flow in a different way to one-to-one chats.  My partner nearly didn't pop along for a cuppa saying that he'd forgotten how to talk to people!  Luckily we both found some words to say, some moments to listen and lots of warmth to be shared by the sea.

Today, to continue celebrating our new freedom and the last day of warm weather, I also ended up around a table with cups of herbal tea but this time in a friend's garden.  We escaped the busy beach and drove inland to some stunning countryside and woodland for a gentle walk.  The bluebells are just beginning to emerge alongside the primroses and daffodils in full bloom.  I could have skipped for joy to be out in nature, walking in woodlands and hearing a totally different array of bird song.  As we returned to our friends' cottage that they have recently moved to, we were allowed for the first time to actually enter and sit down in their stunning garden.  It felt so natural and therapeutic for five us to be seated plus four dogs on their patio chatting and resting after our walk.  

While I sat there, feeling connected and happy, it continued to amaze me that this simple activity has been not allowed for so long.  It still seems surreal that meeting for a chat and tea in a garden could be something that needed to be restricted.  I would never have imagined a year with such limited social contact. After having been out of the house to meet with friends three times this week, it is the most that I have socialised since last summer.  I have been buzzing with the excitement and stimulation of seeing real people in a group! And I am also a little tired and ready to return to some kind of familiar hermit-living to rest after my three-day socialising frenzy of tea drinking and chatting. 

As I notice the Easter weather looking chillier, I feel a sense of relief.  It will mean a slightly quieter beach.  Most locals that I've chatted to recently have already been echoing my feelings saying that they are dreading the crowds and warmer weather ahead.  I hear myself nod empathically, but wisely tell them that it is just "lockdown surge" when we are freed from months at home.  People may go a bit mad, crowds will gather on the beach, we will all groan for a while and then in the end, eventually it settles down.  We actually sat in a traffic jam today back into our town and I sighed, already missing the quieter roads of lockdown.  We are still supposed to be "staying local" I felt like reminding drivers, even though no one has ever defined how many miles "local" is supposed to be here in England?

But even a traffic jam can't dampen my relief at being able to see some friends more easily again.  I hope I will never take for granted the pleasure of meeting friends for a chat and drink.  Even though I know now I can manage with limited social contact and parts of my life on Zoom, it is not the ideal.  Laughter and cups of tea with friends are great antidotes to stress, which is much needed as we tip-toe towards easing restrictions with the nagging concern of "will this be okay this time?"  But I even forgot about those nagging worries while out with others, a wonderful respite from this whole pandemic.  Tea anyone?