Like many people, the biggest pleasures for me in lockdown days has been doing the food shop every couple of weeks.
And a trip to the dentist a month or two ago was like a day out! (I find I now no longer require a handbag when going out but rather a ready supply of face masks and hand sanitiser).
With every day a bit like groundhog day, it doesn’t take much to create a point of interest and the last couple of days have had me enjoying unexpected things I can actually chat about on the phone!
Thankfully it wasn’t an invasion
The first happened at the weekend. A distant rumble of a plane grew nearer, and as I looked up I was rewarded with the sight of parachutists peppering the sky.
Thankfully it wasn’t an invasion — there’s an army base fairly close by, so they were obviously getting in some practise.
Photograph by Yvonne McKenzie.
And the recent spate of good weather also saw me traipsing the local hills for hours. The mild temperatures helped lift my spirits with the promise of better days to come.
I enjoyed a walk at sunrise. Getting up with the larks to enjoy birdsong aplenty and stunning scenery as morning light bathed the countryside.
It’s not so unusual for me to spot a couple of deer while out walking. But I was delighted to count seven this particular morning – how many do you need to make a herd?
Well camouflaged deer. Photograph by Yvonne McKenzie.
I think if anything that I’ll try to hold onto as we gradually emerge out of lockdown, is to never take for granted the simple pleasures in life.
To hold onto that heightened awareness of all that we have to be grateful for and seeing life through fresh eyes.
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Yvonne McKenzie I work on the Features team and admit to being nosy, so I love looking after the Between Friends letters and finding out all about our lovely readers. I also look after our health copy and enjoy writing about inspiring people that help make the articles in the magazine so interesting.
