DRIFTING ALONG - THROUGH COViD

Hi there! Welcome to my little corner on the web! I'm so excited to share with you, a range of topics that ignite my passion: beach combing, self care, art and the environment. Keep an eye out for helpful hints and tips – there will be so much to explore. However, today's article is about the When.... so read on and I hope you enjoy?

2020 was a wild ride wasn't it? With unprecedented changes in the UK such as school and business closures. It's remarkable how quickly people adapted to this 'new normal'! From government offices to family homes, everyone found ways to keep going despite all the uncertainty. It was difficult at times, but it also brought out the best in people too - inspiring acts of kindness and creativity.

When that first months of coronavirus lockdown started, I'll admit I was feeling a bit worried. But then my feelings shifted, this concern was quickly followed by a feeling of calm and confidence in knowing that my family and I were safe.

It's been a remarkable journey since March 2020. On the up side, Mr Tidal Tree and I got hitched in October 2020. On the down side, I lost my Dad to COViD in January 2021.

There was so much happening in all areas of life, our country, and the entire world! It certainly wasn't an easy time for anyone. Surprisingly though, it forced us to pause and take some time for ourselves. Looking back on it now, I'm so glad we had this chance to slow down our lives and just drift along for a bit!

Do you rember all the beautiful hand painted rainbows scattered in windows? That heartfelt effort to make people smile, bring joy, and extend a message of hope was surely appreciated by many!

The pandemic certainly provided some unexpected challenges. For me, the biggest challenge was having to balance working from home with homeschooling my boys. It was a lot of work and definitely pushed me outside my comfort zone. I quickly had to adjust to the new reality and figure out how to balance all of my responsibilities. It was definitely stressful at times, not just for us parents, but you know what? I am proud of myself for rising to the challenge. I learned a lot about managing my time and patience, as well as about teaching and working from home. It was a great learning experience, and I wouldn't have had it without the pandemic. However, saying that, I really don't think I would ever want to experience it again.

The lockdown also offered us a chance to reflect and appreciate the positives of this situation. For example, we were able to invest more time in ourselves than ever before.

It was a blessing in disguise for so many people! It's true what they say: When life gives you lemons... try something new!

If you were anything like me you were able to find some solace in knowing that we did have this opportunity. The shoreline of Portchester became a place of refuge, peace and joy. It became a place where I could renew myself, connect with colour, not concrete.

I have always had a love affair with the sea and its powers. I have great memories of spending time with my Dad, either on local shores or foreign beaches. Apart from wearing crazy head wear, as you can see in the photo, when I was a kid, we would often have our heads down scanning the shores for lucky pebbles or other treasures from the sea to bring home with us.

So when the pandemic came along, we realised that we had time, more time than ever before. I found this was a great opportunity to get my head back down and look towards my feet, to check out where I was going as opposed to where I had been.

On our daily walks we would often end up at the beach, while my boys would skim stones in the water or enjoy a game of football, I would sit on the bank and marvel at how picturesque it all looked, I couldn't help but admire the beautiful and unique pieces of driftwood scattered across the shore.

Suddenly, I had an urge to create something, to use all the natural mediums surrounding me. It's then that I started gathering driftwood and began piecing them together in a way that felt natural and organic. Back home, I found myself lost in the moment, letting my creative energy flow through the objects I had gathered. After a couple of hours, I had created a piece of art that was truly one-of-a-kind. That’s how it started, and I haven’t looked back since. Nature has an amazing ability to inspire creativity and drive innovation, and I am thankful every day that the pandemic gave me the time to find this love.

In spite of the overwhelming uncertainty and confusion that we all experienced during COViD Lockdown 2020, there were bright spots to be found. Prior to this it was easy to forget what's truly important. Before the pandemic, things seemed to move at light speed for my husband and I. We were always running around for our boys' football training and games. But when grassroots sports were put on hold, we finally had the time to just slow down and appreciate each other again.

Although we all struggled through the climate of fear and chaos and as difficult as things were during this period, there were ways of finding comfort. For me personally, it was creativity and knowing we were all doing our best to find our meaning in the madness of what was Covid Lockdown 2020.