Corona Diaries | But I Smile Anyway...

Chai And A Chat #118 #ChaiAndAChat #CoronaDiaries Week 42

11 Jan 2021 27 Comments

by Ritu in Chai and a Chat Tags: Blog, Blog Post, Blogger, Blogging, Catch Up, Chai and a Chat, Corona Diaries

Well, what a week, that has been! I sit here, on Sunday night, writing this, and feel exhausted just thinking back… and when considering the future, too…

Right, got your drink?

If we were having chai I’d begin by telling you how the first week of remote learning at school went. As most of you know, especially if you read my Spidey post yesterday, and the the other one on Thursday, it’s ben a tough week. You wouldn’t think that having no children in the classroom could be more exhausting that having a whole class full, would you? Well, let me tell you, it is. Aside from my management responsibilities, I was on the computer all day, either responding to and commenting on learning, researching other ways to engage our pupils remotely, planning for next week, with my team, or answering emails from parents and SLT, (Senior Leadership Team). On top of that, we were phoning each family, to make sure they were okay, and giving them support and advice on how to help their children. And making rotas, and trying to be prepared for situations of any eventuality. I was shattered. And I still am, to be honest. IT is very hard to switch off, too. I have, even though I said I wouldn’t, been on our online learning platform, to see if there is anything I need to mark, or handle, urgently. But it will make tomorrow a little easier. that’s what I tell myself, anyway!
If we were having chai I’d tell you that one way I have helped myself to relax is, is to continue my #journalingjanuary challenge, and I have really enjoyed it!

If we were having chai I’d say that my reading goal for this month was to read all the Bridgerton series, after bingeing the series on Netflix on Boxing day, and out of eight books, I am now on number seven! All in January. #Bridgertonuary I may just finish them before January is up. Don’t fear, though, I have plenty of other books to read!

If we were having chai I’d tell you that life outside of school continues, and we had someone come aand view our house on Saturday. Apparently there may be another viewing, too. And we went to see another prospective forever home, but, alas, it wasn’t the one to make our hearts tingle. Onwards and upwards. It’ll come forward, soon enough…
If we were having chai I’d have to give you some HUGE, wonderful news, though. Lil Man, after three years of trying has been selected for the North West Kent Cricket Squad! He is over the moon, as are we, but, obviously, until the lockdown ends, there can’t be any face to face training, so they will be having thrice weekly Zoom meetings, and a once a week squad training session, online too, focusing on fitness, so they are all in a good place, once things get back to some normality. Happy mummy, here!
If we were having chai I’d leave you with a photo of my gorgeous Sonu Singh, who tried very hard to get my attention, and to stop me from reading… but it didn’t last long!

This week, I’ll be trying to juggle all of the above at school, along with a couple of my pupils in, as well, under the Key Worker or Vulnerable status. It will be interesting to see how things pan out. Obviously, I have to still plan, and respond to everything online, as well as be there for the children in front of me. Let’s see how this works. And we have another house to go and view, as well as getting feedback on the viewing of our property. Honestly, I can’t think much further than all that!

And while you’re here, did you sign up for my mailing list? I am in the middle of writing an exclusive Chickpea Curry Lit story for my subscribers, and there will be news, tips and even recipes! You know you want to join… go on! Click the pic below to sign up!

Not Remotely Interested… #LockdownTeaching

07 Jan 2021 84 Comments

by Ritu in Thoughts Opinions & Memories Tags: Blog, Blog Post, Blogger, Blogging, Corona Diaries, Lockdown 3.0

I’m sitting here, freezing my toes off, as well as several other parts of my anatomy, as the UK is in the midst of a cold snap… Seriously, my fingers are like little icicles, as are my toes, and my nose feels like a little icy bump on my face.

Miserable. That’s me!

But no, seriously.

Ritu? Miserable? That’s not normal, is it?

I’m not miserable. A little fed up, maybe. Cold, definitely.

But as you will all be aware, the UK is now in its strictest lockdown phase again. I live in the South East, where we are now the hotspot for the highest number of cases of Covid-19. In fact in my specific area, I think we have the second highest figure…

That is just scary.

So, shops closed, (apart from essential items stores), restaurants closed, pubs and bars closed, everything closed, even schools.

They always said they would close schools again, only as a last resort. because education and the welfare of the children was paramount.

Correct.

Except, it tool the government a good while to admit that, though schools (the buildings) were safe, and didn’t transmit the virus, it was children who were the ‘vectors’, and though they may either remain asymptomatic, or suffer the virus mildly, they, in turn were spreading it to adults within their families, and also to members of staff.

So, with a heavy heart, they decided that Secondary schools should close for two weeks, and move learning on line, while they trained staff and volunteers to test pupils within the school settings. Then four days before starting, several areas in the country, including mine, were told that Primary schools would also do the same.

There were outcries. Why not the Primary schools in the rest of the country?

But no, BoZo decided that everywhere else was safe. Everywhere else, who had been given the chance to mix households on Christmas day, too… Unlike us, who had our lockdown Christmas and New Year.

On Monday, thousands of pupils went into school. We were in too, but as staff, setting up for our two weeks of home learning.

Then that alert on my phone pinged. I knew, from the sound, it was an update from the BBC, which meant something major had occured.

The BoZo decided, finally, that all schools need to close with immediate effect, and that the whole country was in top tier lockdown until February 15th at the earliest!

And, another almost last minute call… GCSE and A-Level exams are cancelled, too, this year, and being replaced by teacher assessed grades. (Better than the ‘algorithm’ method they used last year which messed up the futures of many youngsters.) This will affect Lil Man. He’s been revising hard this last two weeks, getting ready for the mock exams which he should have been sitting right now. And now, even those are cancelled. Not sure what we think of that, right now…

So now, we are scrambling together to sort out the next six weeks of online learning, phoning parents, ensuring they all have the support they require, marking and responding to the work being handed in constantly, creating rotas, new timetables, researching new ways to engage these children online…

It is not easy.

I’d be the first to tell you that, as a teacher, I hate online learning for my age group.

Be honest, which 3-5 year old can be expected to engage with learning, for up to 3 hours every day without the right people around them to teach them?

It’s a bit easier as they get a bit older. They can (mostly) read and write, and understand basic mathematial concepts. They recognise letters and sounds, so can type work out online.

My class, and others like them? They are still learning all of the above! They still need the teacher to (literally) hold their hand, while they learn how to make letters, then words, how to learn the reason why that number is 1, or 2 and know, with concrete understanding, how those numbers turn into 3, 4, 5…

It’s not easy. And parents aren’t teachers.

Also, parents won’t have the knowledge of what realistic expectations are. Some will crave perfection, whereas we would celebrate that sentence that has imperfections, but shows us that child has progressed from squiggles, to real letters, and quite possibly, even a phonetically correct word…

Meanwhile, at home, Hubby Dearest is balancing his own working from home, with policing two teens (well, one teen and one tween, soon to enter teenaagerdom) who work well when they have to, but then errupt into loud arguments when they cross paths with each other.

Truth be told, anxiety is through the roof.

I know I have to be in and out of school, with minimal contact with others, but we still have the children of key workers in, as well as those from vulnerable backgrounds. And I still have to do the shopping, so going out to the supermarkets, as well.

Then I come home, and have to clean up, before making sure no blood was shed by the squabbling siblings, soothe the fraying nerves of the father who has even had to cancel client calls, to deal with the ridiculous disagreements of the te-weens, and make sure all are fed and watered…

Wish me luck, Peeps. I already guessed that the two week home schooling plan would be extended, and I’m worrried now, that if the plan to vaccinate a certain number of people in the next six weeks, doesn’t give the downturn in figures that all hope for, we might be in this for even longer…

Stay safe, all you wonderful people!

Chai And A Chat #117 #ChaiAndAChat #CoronaDiaries Week 41

04 Jan 2021 31 Comments

by Ritu in Chai and a Chat Tags: Blog, Blog Post, Blogger, Blogging, Catch Up, Chai and a Chat, Corona Diaries

The first Monday of 2021! Is it just me, or did that weird year, 2020, actually fly by?

Wonder what the joys of 2021 will bring?

Right, got your drink?

If we were having chai I’d tell you that I wasa quite excited to get my desk a couple of days early! Yes, I had one before during the original lockdown, but when we did our house refurbishment, my desk ended up being repurposed as a TV stand! So, with the chance that we may need to work from home more this term, and the fact that I really want to get writing, again, I decided to sort another desk out. It’s still white, but it’s a little highter, and bigger, so I can really spread out. Ideal, as I want to be able to get back into my lettering and journaling, too, and the space is perfect!

If we were having chai I’d have to tell you that I signed up to a #journalingjanuary challenge. They email a prompt a day, and I get a chance to sit and relax while I create! How do you think I’m doing?

If we were having chai I’d tell you that we visited another three houses, too. It is tough trying to find a place that everyone agrees on! Pretty much everywhere there is three out of the four of us who likes, and one who says a flat No! So, the search continues…
If we were having chai I’d say how we had to give in and take the tree down just after Boxing Day, because of this little munchkin. He has a tendency to go aand chew the branches, then spends a while regurgitiating all the fibres he chews… nutcase. I’ve had enough of waking up, and having to clean the carpet or floor!

If we were having chai I’d excitedly tell you that I took part in a Tweet competition for the RNA (The Romantic Novelists Association) entitled #RNAFestiveTweet, where we had to write a mini festive story… and I came third! I won an Amazin voucher, which will always come in handy!

If we were having chai I’d have to tell you that I have not slept well the last few nights. Three reasons. 1. I am struggling to get back to my school routine. 2. The government have done their usual of playing havoc with the Education Sector, at the nth hour, and many, but not all, schools are transferring to online for the next two weeks. That means Lil Man’s mocks for his GCSEs are postponed. And as we are in Kent, with a really high infection rate, our primary schools are shut, too. So we need to get all our home learning ready for the next weeks, and make sure all safety measures are in place, including some amendments. We will be having Vulnerable/Key Worker children in, as we did in the last lockdown, too. A definite reason to not sleep well… and 3. because I am not sleeping, I end up reading, and then it is 3am in the morning!
If we were having chai I couldn’t forget to tell you that, if you have signed up to my newsletter, I managed to actually send my first one out! I’d love to know if you received it, and whether you enjoyed it, too!

This week, I’ll need you to give me some strength. This week will be all about school. Getting back into school, but getting into school online, which I have always said, is far too hard for the younger ones to cope with. School is not safe, right now, with the numbers, and the inability to socially discance sufficiently. We have seen it with the amount of staff who tested positive over the holidays. We are starting back wth at least 4 members not able to return to work yet, because of either testing positive now, or still being unwell. Hoping to hear about more house viewings, but that just isn’t my priority right now…

Chai And A Chat #116 #ChaiAndAChat #CoronaDiaries Week 40

28 Dec 2020 28 Comments

by Ritu in Chai and a Chat, Thoughts Opinions & Memories Tags: Blog, Blog Post, Blogger, Blogging, Catch Up, Chai and a Chat, Corona Diaries

So it’s Monday, again, Peeps. And I’m kinda jumping for joy right now because it is the first day of my freedom, after 10 days of self isolation!

I’ve got the joy of grocery shopping to do, but hey, at least I can get out of the house if I need to, now, even for a walk!

Right, got your drink?

If we were having chai I’d start with telling you I had a really quiet week. And I really think I needed it, to be honest. I haven’t left the house, and rather than constanty cleaning, or pottering I spent days reading, dozing, eating, reading, watching TV… you get the picture? It has been quite lovely, actually. Aand whilst bingewatching TV, I discovered Bridgerton. Oh, my! I absolutely loved the series! Yes, I have read much about the controvertial plot in the book, regarding a rape of a character, which wasn’t protrayed as such in the adaptation, as well as the unconventional casting, but you know what? It made for a fantastic bit of TV, and I’d happily wait for another series! I have become so obsesseed, that I am devoting January to reading the Bridgerton series, by Julia Quinn, which has nine books… Do you think I’ll manage?

If we were having chai I’d tell you that having left most of the shopping for the week to Hubby Dearest, dinners and snacks were interesting, apart from the main meal of the week on Friday. Still we survived, and there are still plenty of junk food stashes, thanks to his overexcitement! Whaat with advent calendars and gifts from others, we had a very ‘sweet’ christmas!

If we were having chai I’d have to report back to you that at least five staff members have now tested postiive so far, and there may be more, that find out after our school track and trace time ends… It’s scary, but we’re all trying our hardest to be safe and calm. Means even more people unprepared for their Christmas Day, though, especially if they weren’t informed until a day or so, before…
If we were having chai I’d let you know that, though our Christmas was quiet, we had a lovely time. A leisurely wake up. My kids are that age where it is more important to sleep, than to get up early, so it meant Sonu Singh and me had a lovely chilled start to the day, and I had a wonderful catch up with my Finndian family. Then at midday, when all were up we did a round of video calls to the grandparents, opening presents together, and generally having a catch up. What did I get? Well, a lovely coat, a cutee keyring from the kids, smellies, and chocolate, as well as notebooks! One of the notebooks, I created into a Five Things book, which I will fill with positive lists as the mood arises, which means, if I feel down, I have something to look at, to remind me of all I have to be grateful for!

If we were having chai I’d say that, cooking-wise, that was the most chilled I have ever been! I think I’ll go frozen more often! I made myself a little list of what was needed, with timings, and after preheating the oven, all it required was a well choreographed routine, to get relevant elements in the oven at the right time, and we had our lovely dinner ready at 3.15pm! Yum! We don’t have a dining table as such, since Hubby Dearest is using it as his home office, right now, so it was TV Dinner style, on our laps, but still enjoyed just as much!

If we were having chai I’d mentino that the last weekend has been equally quiet, since I still couldn’t go out, but, I feel refreshed, now. Here’s to freedom, today! (But not too much, I’ll still be careful, promise!)

This week, I’ll be getting the grocery shopping done properly, giving the hosue a good clean, as usual, hopefully seeing a couple more houses, and getting another desk area ready in my room. The last desk is being used to put the TV on, as we got rid of most of the furniture in our room, when we painted. But, not knowing what is happening with schools, come the new term, I felt I should be as prepared as possible, for home school, so I ordered another folding desk, a little bigger than the last, and will need to pop into the in-law’s garage, where we stored our things, to get some extra bits and bobs out, ready for any eventuality… (Actually, I am quite looking forward to it, Might get my writing mojo back too, having somewhere to sit, and work/write!) Oh, and Lil Princess is due to have her appointment to get her teeth removed, finally, for her braces. Third time lucky!

Chai And A Chat #115 #ChaiAndAChat #CoronaDiaries Week 39

21 Dec 2020 35 Comments

by Ritu in Chai and a Chat Tags: Blog, Blog Post, Blogger, Blogging, Catch Up, Chai and a Chat, Corona Diaries

So it’s Monday, again, Peeps. I’ll try to make it as happy as I can, but I tell you, it’s been a bit of a week to be honest!

Right, have you got your drink?

If we were having chai I’d start and probably end with school. School and its implications have totally taken over my week, to be honest… We werent sure how many children would be in, last week, envisaging parents wanting keep children hom, to get them out of the germ-holes that are schools. But our classes ended up pretty full, to be honest. Well, our reception classes were, anyway. There were a fair few absences further up in the school. Everyone was operating on fumes. We are shattered. The whole of the population of school staff, from teachers and teaching assistants, to the caretakers, dinnerladies, mid day supervisors, and cleaners. And the leadership teams. What can I say? There are heads and deputy heads who have been working their arses off (excuse my french) since March, trying to decipher the coded rules that the Government and DfE have been setting for educational establishments, jumping at last minute changes to guidance, writing and rewriting policies, losing weekends and well earned time off to try and ensure as safe a return to education as possible, without much support from the powers that be. Everyone deserves that two week break…
If we were having chai I’d then huff and say “Break? What break?” Heads had been told they couldn’t transfer learning in the last week to online, so everyone had a fair shot at isolating before Christmas, where they may have had a chance to mix with family they hadn’t seen for months. And they were also informed that they would be on duty until around the 23rd, at least, as school track and trace systems, dealing with the fallout from any positive tests that may get reported, because even if it’s the holiday, a positive result, even then, could affect the Christmas of many. And that is exactly what happened, the night before we were to break up. A bubble popped, and it popped big. A staff member tested positive. Someone I had contact with in the 48 hours leading to her symptoms becoming noticeable. That was a straight ten day self isolation for me, taking me, and many others, to Boxing Day. Good bye Christmas… Then two other members of staf tested positive, too. A whole year group, and a huge wave of staff now isolating for the majority of the Christmas break. Thanks, BoZo, for not letting us work online the last week, so we could at least have had a more relaxed break…
If we were having chai I’d sigh and tell you how it really didn’t matter in the end. The cases of this virus have been shooting up, and a new variant has been discovered, that is prevalent in the South East, where I live. Apparently it transmits faster, especially via school-age children. And officials have been aware since September. Yet still they threatened schools, academies and Local Authorities with legal action, if they tried to take school online for the last week of term. But the icing on the cake came on Saturday afternoon, when BoZo decided to, at the very last minute, cancel the promise of Christmas with your loved ones, a five day period where rules were to be relaxed, and families could be together, and introduce a new tier, the highest of the high, basically lockdown mode, where no one can mix outside of their households until 30th December, and the rest of the country, can only mix on Christmas Day. Queue crazy last minute panic buying from all corners, as non essential shops were to close as of Saturday night. I had a colleague in tears, as she tried to cope with the rush of the local shopping centre, trying to buy gifts for her family. Things she would have done over the few days before Christmas, but didn’t have the time to do, because of school. I’m sitting here, shaking my head…
If we were having chai I’d have to share with you the incredibly generous gifts from parents and colleagues at the premature end of term. This year, I wasn’t expecting anything. We had to quarantine anything brought into school too, but as I unwrapped yesterday, they all brought a smile to my face. From the ever practical hand sanitizers, and notebook, to the pampering bath bomb, candles and face mask: the choccies and biscuits, bottles of wine and fizz, and a wine glass with my name engraved on it, to the gigglesome We Do Lockdown book. It’ll definitely be merry here in the Bhathal household!

If we were having chai I’d tell you that I managed to finally get my flu jab done, at least, and aside from a slightly achy arm for a day, all was well!
If we were having chai I’d be a little relieved, though. I managed to buy most of my Christmas dinner, and freeze items, already. It was like I had this feeling things would take a turn… I also wrapped presents, ready for the big day. And I have read… The next few days, I still can’t go out anywhere. So my friend will be my Kindle, and hopefully, my MacBook Air, as I try to forget the crappiness of the last week, and bury myself in the world of words. I was lucky enough to treat myself on Thursday, just before finding out about my confinement. I bought a Pill-O-Pad. It’s like a stand for a Kindle or tablet, and I can confirm it is fantastic to use! See below, as I enjoyed a sneaky Baileys on Saturday night, while reading, with Sonu Singh watching me.

If we were having chai I’d mention that Lil Man has had the last of his District cricket trials. I really do hope, for his sake, that he gets in to North West Kent squad, this year. He has worked so hard, and really deserves it. And he has been working so hard for his GCSEs too. He needs this boost. Meanwhile, Lil Princess is just finding frustration, upon frustration, with all these Covid related changes. We were meant to get our eyebrows done on Friday, but due to my isolation, we couldn’t go. Then she was devastated that we weren’t going to be with her grandparents for Christmas. And after we went into tier 4, she was concerned that her teeth extraction wouldn’t happen, either, cancelled a third time… but that still needs confirming. I just hope her Christmas presents put a much needed smile on her face!
If we were having chai I’d end with a little house update. We went to see another place on Monday, which was an interesting prospect… but need to see it in the daylight, too, to be honest. Since last weekend we have had two more viewings on our house. One was a no no. Didn’t like the woman, to be honest. The other… promising, but lets see… And Hubby Dearest went to see another house, himself, yesterday, as I can’t go anywhere. Another interesting prospect, but again, it becomes evident how talented Estate Agent photographers are, at making properties and gardens look much more spacious than they are… Hopefully 2021 will be our house year!
If we were having chai I’d gasp and say “How could I forget?!” Being as I an housebound, and it’s the week before Christmas, there was no chance of an online shopping delivery slot, so the grocery shopping was entrusted to Hubby Dearest. Let me explain a little background here. It’s not his usual duty to do the shopping. I am a bit pernickety about getting what I need and want, but equally, he doesn’t have the patience! The last time, a couple of years ago, I had a terrible migraine so he took my list and went shopping, for the week. He arrived back with two bags and a bill for around £40. Because he bought everything on the list, but nothing out of the regular items, like bread, milk, fruit, cheese, ham etc… I had to go shopping again, the next day! Thing is, I usually only add the odd items to my list, because I know we will need things like bread and milk! This time, I clearly wrote everything down, even in department sections, so it would be easier, and bless him, he got it all! (Okay, one dessert for Christmas Day was dated use by 24th December, but hey, I can deal with that!) So at least we won’t be starving, this week, at least!

This week, I’ll be stuck inside, reading away, and stopping the kids from causing havoc. Christmas will come, and it will be our first one on our own, since we got married, so that will be weird. I’m just praying that I stay healthy, and don’t develop any symptoms, either, so we can actually have a quiet, but merry Christmas of our own…