2020

Well! It's been a funny old year hasn't it? But although there has been huge heartache and hardship in the country, we  have been very fortunate and we can count ourselves lucky.  We also have a new member of the family (baby Hana). 

There are some advantages to being an old age pensioner - our finances haven't really changed, unlike most people in work, or for self-employed people like musicians. Anyway, let's start off when it was a normal year!

In January, before the pandemic hit us,  we went to London to see a Bridget Riley Exhibition, and the play with Bob Dylan's songs "Girl From The North Country". We also bought an electric car! Very exciting.

In February we could still go to gigs, and we saw Lucy Farrell and Leveret in London.

In March, before the Lockdown started, we were able to get up to Glasgow to meet the new arrival (still very small - very lovely!). When we got back we went to a concert by Jim Moray, which turned out to be our last real gig of the year (sigh). 

At the end of March we went into lockdown. We decided not to go to the shops and tried to do all our shopping online. We couldn't get supermarket slots to start with so ended up with some interesting work-arounds.  A weekly organic veg box was a lifesaver, but we did have lots of parsnips and swedes!  And we did have strange treats, like tinned 'fruit cocktail', which we hadn't had since our childhood.

After this the year all seems to roll into one. The concept of different months sort of faded away. We missed going to gigs, but artists starting doing online gigs and we found these were a great solace. In the end we actually went to about twice as many gigs as we did in 2019.

The weather was glorious here in the early part of lockdown, so we could sit in the garden, and meet up with Chris in a socially distanced way. And we could have Facetime meet-ups with John, Holly and Hana in Glasgow. Thank goodness for the internet! 

Kate turned to the garden, and growing things, and knitting, and Mike turned to 'projects' in a big way, some more useful than others it has to be said...

After the first Lockdown we managed to get out to various National Trust places like Anglesey Abbey, Wimpole and Wicken Fen, and in September, in the lull between the lockdowns when the cases were quite low, we managed to get to a postponed holiday in the Lake District, in two separate houses, and all the family could meet up together for walks.

There have been hopeful moments. The American election, and now the news of a vaccine, and also the way so many people have rallied round to help others. So we're looking forward to 2021, looking forward to being vaccinated and to meeting up with friends and family again, and going to gigs, and even going to shops! 

So we hope to see more of you all in 2021. Keep in touch! Click here to contact us