Day 13 - Different Bunnies!

The bunny appears to be eating some of his food, and certainly the Nibbie treats that we give him. So he seems quiet happy. Plus, my wife managed to find the food he likes, so he'll be back in action shortly!

But still on the bunny theme, Easter has provided us with bunny shaped crumpets!

Winners!

My wife decorated them, and they were epic!

ALDIs was well stocked, which is where these crumpets came from. It seems that the panic buying is finally dying down, at least a little bit!

Day 12 - Bunny Trouble

Monday is back, and there's still plenty of work to do, which is good as it keeps me and the team busy. We have been asked to take holiday in April, so there isn't a huge backlog to be used towards the second half of the year, and this makes sense. It's all very strange these changes to business and routines, but we're pushing on!

We've had to move on to a different brand of rabbit food for our Bunny (Peter) but he's not touched it for a couple of days. My wife nipped to the pet shop this morning to try and get some of his favourite brand, but they don't have it! So another one has been purchased in the hope that he'll try it.

Day 10 + 11 - The Weekends Back!

Another lock down weekend! We did go for a walk on Saturday and one on Sunday to keep our legs working and the kids fit. Otherwise we spent the weekend cleaning, watching movies and generally chilling out with books and games.

Not much to report, but that's basically because there's not much we can do.

I did nip to a local shop for essentials, milk, bread and fruit. It was certainly an experience queuing 2 meters apart, only around 4 to 5 people allowed in the store. The staff are all wearing gloves and sterilising everything after every use. It's just weird.

I did get to take a few photos on our walk, we saw some sheep!

Day 09 - Disney+

So last night we bit the bullet and paid for a years subscription to Disney+.
This was for a couple of reasons:

1. It'll keep the kids entertained, and there's a whole host of Disney and Marvel movies they've never      seen!
2. It's Disney, I mean come on!

Last night we watched Iron Man with the kids, today it's Iron Man 2 (I bet you can see where this is going) ideal for lock downs!

Day 08 - The cats are back

The cats lost interest in my home office, favouring the bedroom windowsill due to the lovely hot sunshine streaming through. But today they are back, and they felt that this was the best way to boost my productivity!

I disagree!

Day 07 - Homeschooling

The kids have been great, they pop in to see me from time to time, checking I'm still here or telling me what they are up to.

There has been some work assigned by the school, and my wife is homeschooling them with that, and additional projects to keep them occupied throughout the day. I remain in my makeshift office working away on emails and phone calls, but it's nice to hear them in the background enjoying themselves.

Luckily the weather is great, so they are getting a lot of outside time too, playing with water and looking at bugs and other wildlife.

Lock down is tough, and it must get boring for the kids at times, but they are soldiering on and I wouldn't want to be locked down with anyone else. Hard times, interesting times, but we're all healthy, and we're all together!

Here they are learning about forces and throwing home made parachutes from the upstairs window:

Day 06 - Total Lock Down

So it happened, last night, around 20:30 the PM addressed the nation and basically grounded us all for not following the government advice. Stay home unless you really have to leave for food or work, stay at least 2 meters apart, and wash your hands regularly.

Of course, the weather was nice, so vast crowds of people instead decided to go to parks and beaches and increase the chances of spreading the virus and potentially causing further chances of infection.

Madness.

So here we are, officially locked in, the Police technically have the power to fine or arrest, and also shut down any businesses that should not be open. Interesting times.

In lighter news the trains are still running, and I get to watch them from my window!

Here's a lovely passenger train:

And a Freight train:

Day 04 + 05 - The First Weekend

The first weekend locked in, the weather was glorious, if a little chilly. But we did loads of housework, gardening, reading and playing.

Overall, considering the circumstances it was a lovely time together as a family. There are still a lot of people walking and cycling passed the house, it seems not everyone is as strict as we are, but it does sound like we may be heading to a lock down scenario.

No real change in regards to the Governments stance here in the UK, keep your distance, don't go out if you have to, and stay safe. Although they have now officially closed pubs, clubs, theatres etc... So now it's not just advised to stay away, you have to.

Saturday night was movie night with Frozen 2:

On Sunday we worked and played in the garden, and saw lots of insects, and it gave me an excuse to take some photos!

Day 03 - Friday!

It's Friday, not only is it nearly the weekend, a weekend where we are unlikely to leave the house, but it's also the last day of school until possibly September. We don't really know when the kids will go back, but it sounds like it could last through the summer.

The kids are excited, we hope they don't start clawing at the walls being locked up all the time, but we are looking to keep a schedule and keep them learning throughout the lock down period.

My neck is aching, I think my desk is slightly too high, or my seat is too low, even though technically that's the same thing. I'll pad myself out with some more cushions and see if I can find a happy medium!

The PM did his speech again yesterday evening, no real changes: Don't go to public gatherings, work from home, close the schools and don't leave the house unless you have to. Yet he doesn't close pubs, theatres or other venues despite advising people not to use them. I feel sorry for all the people who work there as things will be very uncertain insurance wise.

But we solider on! The sun is shining, and Spring is in the air!

Day 02 - Cats everywhere

Day two begins, my office is all set up and everything is working well. One thing that has become apparent though is the interest of our three cats. They are very interested in why I'm in the spare room, and they come and sit with me. Trying to get on the desk, the windowsill and have now settled on a nice towel next to the desk.

Here's Peaches, our orange cat:

They have become my office companions and hear about my day as I curse when things fail and ask them about solutions to customer's problems. They tend to stare, sleep or purr exclusively.

So far so good, things are working, no one has the virus (that we are aware of) and we still have toilet rolls.

Day 01 - The set up

So everyone knows what Coronavirus is, or COVID-19, and due to the unprecedented situation it presents to us we have been forced to take extreme measures to reduce to reduce the spread of the virus. Supermarkets are empty, people are panic buying, wearing face masks, and keeping their distance. Sounds like some kind of dystopian future.

So this is day one of being sent to work from home, no one in the household has the virus (thankfully) but this is the beginning of an entirely unprecedented experience and I thought: 'Why not record this?' So here it is.

The date is Monday 17th March 2020, it has been decided by the government that anyone who can work from home, should, and our company has (after a short think) decided to follow that advice. So we pack up our things, grab monitors and docking stations, headsets and peripherals and head home.

Day 01 at home:
I need a desk, I hadn't entirely planned where I was going to work, I had imagined sitting at the dining room table, or lounging on the bed. However, that just won't work with multiple monitors and a docking station. So she comes up with a plan, a really good one. After digging in the garage for a cupboard door, and rearranging the furniture in the spare room, a desk is born:

Now I have a home office, complete with plant, a stuffed lion and a 1980s Fisher Price Music Box Record Player. Because why not?

The set up works, I work all is well.

17:10 - There's a government announcement, schools will be closing from Friday indefinitely until it is deemed safe again. Interesting times, the kids are excited, we plan on keeping a routine and keeping them busy.

We currently still have loo rolls.