2020 started off rather well, LJ had a new marina, we’d packed up the business and by the time we’d got home in the Autumn of 2019 our youngest kids had moved out of the house!
The pain of their loss was hard to take but we’d recovered by lunchtime and, before either of them had the remotest chance of returning, we’d sold up and went flat hunting. The theory was to downsize and relocate into a ‘lock up and leave’ apartment and spend the rest of our summers meandering south towards the Mediterranean.
Following a spring trip to France to check the boat over we walked away expecting to return by Easter. However, the reality was that we wouldn’t stand on board for another 20 months.
When we returned to the UK words like ‘Lock down’, ‘Pandemic’ and ‘Furlough’ all became common place. I’m sure we’d all agree, it was like looking both ways before crossing the road and being hit by an airplane.
I shall therefore precis our 12 months in order of importance
- Everyone within our family remained well and Covid free
- My Grandson took his first steps
- Majestic Wine accepted us into their support bubble.
and
- 2020 was our least expensive year of sailing in that LJ’ spent the entire year plus in her cradle in France … “I shall come to regret that statement”..
During our first lockdown we slowly turned into dogs. We roamed the house looking for food and slept a lot. We were told ‘NO’ if we got too close to strangers and we got really excited about car rides and walks.
That aside, we sold the house and became the proud owners of a moth infested ruin of an apartment which had not seen human traffic for over four years. Consequently, it wasn’t long before I was on first name terms with many of the operatives at Chichester’s household refuse depot and a gold card holder (if there is such a thing!) at Wickes amongst other builder’s merchants. So, with nothing else to do we embarked on a total refurbishment of our new home which had stood in time for more than 30 years.
The summer months saw a vague opportunity of retuning to France but the international border gates remained firmly shut as we entered “lockdown 2’’ and so the refurb continued.
Throughout the brief intervening periods of normality, we enjoyed family days at our nearby beach where we even spent Christmas Day! With festive lunches reduced to limited numbers our Christmas table consisted of a washed-up wooden pallet for two with a lunch consisting of bacon rolls and coffee all cooked on a camping stove.
It was here that we reflected on a very strange year whilst looking out over the blue waters of the English Channel, vaguely in the direction of our beloved boat which wasn’t forgotten but sadly sat alone in a foreign marina.
Surely 2021 couldn’t be worse ?