2 Metres Apart: A Photographic Chronicle of Community
In the midst of the pandemic, I embarked on a project to document the everyday lives of my neighbours. Adhering to social distancing guidelines, I captured intimate portraits of individuals going about their daily routines. From tending to their gardens to working on DIY projects, these images offer a glimpse into the resilience and creativity of our community. By preserving these moments, I hope to create a visual time capsule that reflects the challenges and triumphs of this unprecedented time.
Anna, Silvan (5), Dotty (5) & Orin (3)
Orin is wearing a dress again today, he loves raiding his sister’s wardrobe! The garden is the first year we have started a veg patch so very exciting!
Tabitha, Tom, Bethan (13), Martha (11), Jude (4)
Easter Day 2020. Here we are leaving our house to go for a walk together. Today we decided to walk up the valley via our allotment. The wheelbarrow is full of stones dug up from our garden path to be repurposed as edging for a vegetable bed. The allotment has become something of a sanctuary at this time, combining exercise, food, time out, hope. It’s our first year of planting - who would have foreseen it would have felt so vital? We are treasuring this time, despite the anxieties and pressures of living and working through this crisis. We feel closely connected as a family, a sum of our different parts, trying to accommodate each other’s needs. We always feel lucky to be living where we are, never more so than now.
Theo
Story to come…
Beth & Rob
Hello everyone Rob & I live at ‘121’ during this challenging time for us all, spending time in the garden pottering is therapeutic and a complete distraction from our worries and fears. It has been hard not seeing our family especially the Grandchildren our 18 month old Granddaughter Neve and our new 5 week old Grandson George. Very emotional and a struggle for us all, yet we have to take comfort in knowing they are safe and we have many many years of love and time together ahead building new memories to treasure in this beautiful part of the world.
As a key worker in Social Care often the reality of what is happening away from our homes can be difficult but again allows us time for reflection and pride when we are home. Best get back now always weeds to pull!! Take care and be safe.
Peter
Strange old times we are going through! Lets hope we all come through safe and well. We are so lucky living in the beautiful Golden Valley. So lovely to pass the time of day with the people passing by sharing a word of goodwill and a laugh or two.
For me I’m using my time well, I have cleaned the van, it is, I have found SILVER GREY!!! I have sorted the plumbing kit, I will never need to buy a 22mm straight connector in my life again. The jungles up the garden have been slain, I have just planted the first row of beans for twenty years. AND THE WEATHER Wooooo, the gods are shinning on us big time. Not to mention the suntan!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
So - my friends - keep smiling, keep laughing, stay focused on a bright future ahead.
GOOD LUCK
Peter
(CHELSEA FOR THE CUP!!!!!!!!!!!)
Alex
Story to come…
Hannah, Meryn & Wiley with Ruby
The weather being so good has helped, we’ve done lots of gardening and long walks with Ruby the dog. I usually work from home so it’s not so much of a shock for me but having the children around all the time makes things trickier to concentrate, even if my husband is looking after them. My fear is that things have changed indefinitely and we’ll have to keep this social distancing up for a long time. The children do miss their friends and having cuddles from other members of the family. I’m also aware how privileged we are to be healthy and well, have food, a garden and places to go from here. The neighbourhood response has been heartening.
Shelley & Juno
I do worry. I’m not anxious as such, but I worry a bit about the vulnerable people I love and about the unknown. But look around! Here we are so fortunate to have green space all around us. There is a serenity and a certain peace to lockdown. People are incredibly kind and it feels as though we have adapted well as a community. It makes me feel hope for whatever comes.
Mike & Cynthia
A few thoughts on being in lockdown. As my wife has Parkinson’s and is mostly wheelchair bound our movements are fairly limited so we are not as affected by the shutdown as many people. We have been gratified by the offers of help from several of our neighbours and the situation seems to have brought people together in the same way it does after a heavy snowfall. The weather of the last few weeks has certainly helped to sugar the pill and we are so lucky to have a colourful garden and a lovely view. The thought of being locked away for several more months does not appeal and the absence of our carer, the cleaners and hairdresser add to the pressure. I have just finished reading Pride and Prejudice. War and Peace here we come!
Kim & Eley
Kim: I lost all my income overnight but I am loving the time with my eclectic family in the garden and quite often the house!
Eley: ‘We, The Untouchables’
Les
Story to come…
Sian & Suzy
2 meters apart or farting distance as I tell the kids. Life is slower, but busier, calmer but highly intense at times. I get up at 5/6am work till 9am, I have two children who would have got up and either, on a good day started playing with toys or reading a book or flipped the tv on. This usually results in bad moods as it’s not the ideal start to the day but I try and shake that off with a run around the field or Jo Mobs (what’s his name?) exercise video on YouTube.
We then ‘home school’ they are keeping a Corona Virus Diary and we have been focusing on life skills more than the curriculum. A parent into a teacher transition didn’t go down as well as I thought it might, so we are aiming for mental well being for all involved. There have been some incredible moments which I am truly grateful for, I tell myself I am so lucky to have this time with them as it’s not something you’d usually have. There have also been some not so incredible moments but these pass. I then either try and fit some work in around the kids or finish up in the evening after bedtimes.
I am inspired by all the beautiful acts of kindness you are able to read or hear about daily. I am grieving for human contact, especially a hug from my Dad who lives up the lane. But as with intense moments, this too will pass.
Rachel
I feel really lucky that we live where we live. I can see the sky every day, I can see the changes across the valley, and all the first signs of spring. As a family we are doing this together, so there are 6 of us now, ranging from 17 to 58, and even though we are not going anywhere, our food bills are huge, and we have to learn all over again how to be tolerant. In many ways I think this time could be a gift - a chance to pause and reflect on what we value, but then I hear about people losing jobs, losing people they love, and being alone, or trapped where they’re not safe, and it’s hard to keep my balance. I’ve never thought of myself as especially cuddly, but after this I can see I’ll want to hug complete strangers.
Jane with pet tortoises: Tank & unnamed
Rich: We arrived in Brimscombe in October 1982 Proud owners of a very old, run down cottage. The only toilet was outside and very cold! The house had a solitary gas fire with 1950’s style tiled surround fireplace and an elderly pot belly stove in the kitchen that ate vast amounts of coal, belched acrid smoke and occasionally glowed cherry red if left unattended.
We had married in 1978, my wife was just 17 at that time and I was 22. By the time we moved into our cottage, Jamie and Kelly our two children were with us.
I was a struggling musician (and still am!) Jane, who had been working at Hill Paul's in Stroud (Who was summarily “sacked for being pregnant”) was a full-time mum looking after our two small children.
Money was tight. I worked as an Electrician (and still do) and continued to play in various bands across the country. Jane, to supplement our finances over the years worked at Bensons on the evening shift, then Carpets of worth running a huge 10 metre long spinning machine and a fitness workout to keep it running at maximum output, whilst taking herself back to college to learn something new.
Over the years and as money has allowed, we have added to our little cottage to (We think.) sympathetically improve it and our changing requirements. And yes, we now have an indoor toilet (Or two.)
Our children have left and got married giving us four beautiful granddaughters and most recently, at the beginning of lockdown, our first Great-granddaughter.
The tortoise, fish and chickens came between our children leaving and our family expanding. Probably to fill the gap they inevitably leave behind even when they are still close.
We love our cottage and are proud to call it our family home. We love Brimscombe and will stay here as long as we continue to breathe.
Covid gave us the opportunity to connect with many more of our neighbours and reconnect with ourselves.................
Brian & Sue
Our experience of ‘2 Metres Apart’ have been mainly positive getting to do things that have been put off for years in some cases, as you say in your project notes. We have also seen and acknowledged people walking past that we haven’t even spoken to since moving here twenty two years ago.
Karen
A brief overview of how the pandemic is affecting my life right now:
Highs - The beautiful family time, just the four of us. The children have become inseparable and spend hours ‘just playing’, we’ve discovered countryside we didn’t know existed and have played card games until late in the evening as there is just no rush to get up and go anywhere or see anyone or be anywhere, life has completely slowed down. I feel like the luckiest person to have a family, a garden and walks on our doorstop.
Lows - My Dad (age72) has contracted Covid-19 and has been in and out of hospital for nearly 3 weeks. Hardest part for us four is being completely useless, we can’t go and see him, we could’ve visit in hospital and he couldn’t take anything in with him. We can cook dinners and drop them off, we can do shopping and we can FaceTime, that’s it. We’ve got everything crossed that he fights this terrible disease.
Nicky, Elliot & Matthew
The boys were having a water fight! I was just finding buckets etc! We have had some good times in the garden. But the boys find it hard not being able to leap over the wall and play with next door, and miss playing football! You can’t just go to the park and play!
Jan & Lauren
As a cold room installer working from home is obviously not possible and with no income it's a challenging time. Lauren's helped me to sort out the tools in my van (today) and we're enjoying spending time together as a family. Despite the uncertainty of the future in terms of our business, we are focusing on working in our garden and enjoying long walks; making the most of the fantastic weather. It's an anxious time but there are definite positives - having time to appreciate the beautiful area we live in and chat to people on walks who I wouldn't normally get to see. It's great to see the community pulling together and the planet recovering.
Paul
Story to come…
Tracy
I started lockdown with a fractured heel so was already restricted in many ways - couldn’t walk, drive and was booted up and on crutches. As restrictions are lifting however I am now running again. Lockdown for me has been about resetting, refocusing and rediscovering what really matters. I have cycled to see those who have been isolated, ringing them when I am outside their house so I could at least smile at them and chat from their door or window; I have spent time with my five daughters and husband, ensuring they felt supported in what has been an unusual time with important exams cancelled as well as all their summer plans. As my mobility increased I have walked miles; discovered new pathways; watched how creation continues creating regardless; spent time praying, singing and I’ve used my time to produce daily illustrations and words to send to folk to encourage them. Whilst I have lost most of my work, it’s made me thankful and I’ve learnt to live each day full of hope and faith.
Mark
As a hobby farmer, my ‘working’ life is hardly affected as I tackle various projects around the farm and home. This feels all the more poignant as I know how much it affects most other people. But I do miss hugging friends and family.
Liz & Kim
Liz: Life has certainly changed during lockdown - it’s strange not having the freedom to go to work or travel. There’s been a definite shift in the pace of life and the opportunity to slow down and enjoy the simple pleasures of being at home. Spending time in garden and looking forward to visits from our neighbours’ “freerange” chickens who have started crossing the road to see us.
Moira & Tim
Moira: I am mainly in a bubble of joy: the clear quiet, the birdsong, the sweet conversations with strangers and friends, the beauty of Stroud in the spring, no rushing, time to be and time for days to take their own direction, time to create, time to walk. And watch the news now and again and wish this government could be more like our street.
Tim: So aware of how lucky we are around here. After a recent new hip I can and do walk - a lot! Stroud's woods and hills secrets slowly being given up. Like the quiet, which in normal (post 5.30 and Sunday) life can do my head in after a lifetime in London. Plenty of time for creativity. Really miss just hanging out. Hey ho, it’s a new world and let us hope the good bits stick around.
Martin
As a photographer, all my work came to a crashing stop mid-March, so I spent the first few weeks of lockdown digging over an allotment and getting ready for planting. It was good to have a project to put some energy into, with the added bonus that there’ll be free food through the summer.
Andy & Jamie
Story to come…
Stan & Vera
Story to come…
Jess, Matt, Dougie & Artie with Izzy
The pandemic has been bitter sweet. While we as a family are enjoying it I always keep in mind there are others who have been having a hard time whether that be worries about jobs, money, loneliness or losing loved ones. We are lucky so when I moan about anything I am quick to remind myself of this.
I am still in work as a school cleaner and my partner is still in work as a engineer/programmer. My Saturday job at McDonalds has been furloughed but I am earning more money from this so financially me and my partner haven't been affected.
It has been nice to see my kids get out of bed when they like, wear their pjs all day and generally have a rest from school structure and work. Its been a nice time for them.
We are missing family and now is the time when we needed them more than ever. They live in Bristol and Bath so can't ask if they have a loaf of bread to spare or see them at a distance. Thank goodness for technology!
Having no family around has meant we have become resourceful and reached out to neighbours. We have been cooking fresh fish and trying new foods that we wouldn't have done before. We are a part of a Thrupp lane WhatsApp group and the community spirit is lovely.
While we have been enjoying this time we are looking forward to getting back to normal. Our spending habits will not go back to normal and the question I will forever ask myself is do I need it?
Dave
There’s a paradox to this photo, as that’s a 3 metre skip I’ve filled. The slowdown in pace has been much welcomed despite the circumstances, and I hope we learn what’s really important out of all this. I feel very lucky to live in such a fantastic community where despite remaining a safe distance apart we still support each other daily. Reminds me looking at that photo I need to get up and fix that chimney cowl, anyone got a roof ladder handy?
Simon, Katharine & Rose with Ruby
Story to come…
Friendly Neighbour
Story to come…
Soozy & Dilys
Life has been such an intense series of up and downs during lockdown, its the only way to describe it, being self-employed, working with the children at home, it's felt almost twice as hard as normal as both Dan and I have been trying to work with Dilys (4) and Monty (10) at home.
Don't get me wrong, there have been some lovely memories and happy times that we won't forget but it's been a real challenge, particularly for Monty as he hasn't been able to stay with his Dad as he has multiple sclerosis and we wanted to protect his Dad. The confusion of what's ok or not ok has felt like a real minefield and such a worry that I wish wasn't on Monty's shoulders. This sense of worry has definitely affected Dilys too, who hasn't gone to sleep easily since the lockdown began, it's been pretty draining at the end of a long day of work and homeschooling to keep putting her back to bed for anything between one to three hours!! After sometime it emerged that she was worrying about dying, hearing different snippets about the virus and and older people and her big brother playing Fortnite. But that's the way life goes sometimes, these challenges are here to make us stronger and it's been great to see the amazing community spirit we have here around us and all the creative projects that have come out of the lockdown.
Steve
The day you were taking my picture I had nearly finished washing my car. Unfortunately, I had parked my car for the previous few weeks under a tree full of pigeons and didn't realise as I was self isolating and hadn't used my car for weeks!! Big mistake!!!
Apart from the sadness of so many people being adversely affected by Covid-19, I am actually really enjoying the lockdown. I have become more introverted over the years, so apart from missing a few good friends and family members, I have been really happy. I want to retire in a few years time and this enforced stay at home has shown me that I am going to love it! Looking at the wider picture, I believe this pandemic has been really good for the environment. We barely see any planes over head atm and there is very little traffic. It is quiet like it was back in the 70's when I was a lad growing up in this lane! I love it. I hope that this pandemic will bring some good things after it passes, especially to nature and our environment.
Jack & Riley
Story to come…
Meg
Shopping for fresh vegetables at Stancombe Fruit and Veg Farm - 2 metres apart - this is really quite a lovely experience when the sun shines - Yes, the Pandemic is having a huge effect on us all (not seeing the family except via video for one thing) but here in rural Gloucestershire we can walk in the woods, see the English bluebells and the garlic growing, actually hear the birds sing, and view the fields with cowslips growing.
Beccy & Jacob
As musicians, we've had to adapt really quickly since lockdown began. Most of our upcoming tour dates were cancelled / rescheduled and almost all our other work (teaching and therapy) is on pause right now. We'd been developing our new album for a while but now we're able to focus on it in a way we haven't ever had time to do so before. We've actually been busier than ever, mostly getting to grips with ways to connect with our audience online. So far we are absolutely loving it. We’ve started a weekly Facebook live stream, creating a place to connect, meet and share music with those who know us and Faeland. Originally we’d not been drawn to connecting online as we felt it wouldn’t be the same as in person but we’ve been pleasantly surprised. It’s been an amazing way to connect and the two of us really look forwards to it. Aside from music we’ve enjoyed going out for walks where we live, spending quality time with the cat and finally getting in some regular (sort of!) exercise in.
Michelle, Milly & Oscar
Today was one of those see-saw days - it was wonderful, after nearly two months, to see other families and for the kids to see some of their friends briefly, at a distance, while picking up school reports. A poignant reminder of the lovely community we live in. I think it stirred up lots of emotions for all of us because schoolwork was pretty much impossible when we got home, so we went for a bike ride. At least we're all a lot fitter!
Emma, Bathsheba & Blythe
In this photo I’m taking the kids to school to pick up some books, and then heading off to the park while my partner works from home. Then, when I get back, we swap over, he gives them dinner and puts them to bed, and I work the evening. Lockdown for us has, more than anything, been a constant, never ending balancing - of work and fun and highs and lows of love, worry, hugs, gratitude, grumpiness. It feels like we have become less of a family and more of an ecosystem. These days, the only achievement that matters in our house is the ability to make each other laugh. It definitely isn’t having a clean bathroom or successfully growing tomatoes:) We have sometimes been very tired, but we’ve been very lucky.
Gary
Story to come…
Rick & Sue
Story to come…
Julie & Imelda
Story to come…
Clair & Rob
Clair: Life in the time of Coronavirus ... it’s been a rollercoaster journey that continues daily ... quality time, slow days, winding down, claustrophobia, loneliness, family time, scared, missing family in South Africa, boundaries, endless walking, timeout .... most days are good ... so thankful for our health, catching up on quality time with my children and husband, for our friends and families wellbeing, for being in the most beautiful part of England with incredible people, but some days I wake up and it feels too much .... I love people, I love the energy of being around folk, interacting, sharing stories, seeing different people daily ... not having that, was the hardest. Felt, I hope, has helped other people feeling this way be able to reconnect with family and friends.
Nigel & Graham
Graham: “2m apart - closer in spirit” - Lockdown has definitely brought out the incredibly well hidden social nature of the typically reserved British. We now have a common cause to bring us together – every single one of us has reflected on Covid and its impact on ourselves and others around us. As we mourn the loss of contact with friends, family and loved ones we now have the perfect opportunity to reach out to others and seek out the interactions whenever we can. Clapping for carers or chatting to neighbours, smiles and encouraging nods to strangers, and, they are all met with a warmth of spirit as we get to grips with the changing world around us. Clouds and silver linings – the silver is slowly emerging as we venture out after lockdown. My what a creative bunch we are – and now we have the time to explore and share our gifts and talents.
Miles & Lotte with Fernando
When you are usually on show to the public as a Publican or pubworker which we have both been since our teenage years it’s very unusual to have so much time to enjoy some privacy and quiet, and our own space. To go from having endless streams of public in our house, and then just us and two young adults so quickly was a bit of shock - but ok. Luckily we had Fernando the Jackapoo to keep us all relatively sane. We felt very blessed and lucky in the fact that we had managed to have a three week honeymoon before lockdown hit. There were a few cases close to pub of Corona virus, it was certainly within spitting distance. We set up a table tennis on the pavement as the road was so quite for the first months and played ping pong most evenings with the family, and enjoyed the peace, walks and views from Rodborough Common on those beautiful Spring days
Emily
I've got some new music on the way and needed a photoshoot done to support the release. It made me reach out to the Stroud (where I live) photography community and discover local talent in order to get photographs after lockdown was eased. We had to do it socially-distanced of course which had its challenges, but ultimately worked out really well. I chose a spot I love: the patch of conifers by Woodchester lake. There were heron, ducks (and ducklings), and because it was a rather windy day, no youths with loud stereo systems! Here's me on the bench looking out to Emilie on the edge of the lake.
Rupert
Story to come…
Marc et al
Story to come…
Charlotte & Dave with Tess & Alfie
Lockdown feels like the wrong word to describe the self-isolation of the last 3 months. I associate lockdown with prison and a curbing of freedom in response to a riot, whereas self-isolation I've experienced in response to Covid-19 feels like a journey into freedom. I've really enjoyed the outward journey, into my garden and into nature, noticing and enjoying birdsong in the precious traffic-free silence. I've even managed to identify a few common bird songs. Walking in nature and observing wild flowers whilst getting fitter and thinner! And to my amazement, finding gardening much more enjoyable and rewarding than I ever thought possible. And then there's been the inner journey, sitting in my garden or rambling over the countryside, a fascinating time of self-reflection on so many aspects of my life. From these inner reflections have come big, life changing decisions. Finally, and most importantly, I've enjoyed having time with my wife Charlotte.
Kevin & Rita
This was taken on the day we were able to play in the garden with our grandchildren for the first time in 2 months. It was a glorious day in what has been one of the more bizarre periods in all my years…and there are plenty of years to choose from.
To me it seems to have highlighted contrasting extremities of behaviours in society;
the carers who leave their families to live in care homes to protect the vulnerable compared to party goers determined to ignore the lockdown;
the volunteers who give up their time to shop for the vulnerable compared to the hoarders who look to cater for their own needs only;
the inspirational Captain Tom using his time in lockdown to raise millions for charity compared to those willing to drive 2 hours to a beach during lockdown ‘because they were bored;
those striving to maintain a safe distance compared to those willing to crowd into a shop doorway simply to purchase an item of clothing.
I guess this is a reflection of our society at this time.
Caroline
So...‘I’ve learned that being a business owner is akin to having a child, who is in your thoughts night and day, needing nurturing constantly. But nurturing grows a happy, successful, wonderful thing. After nine years and various ups and downs, and those who know me well will know there have been plenty...my little, fun, quirky, vibrant cafe had reached its own successful rhythm. Then disaster struck in the guise of the COVID spectre, and our little team, in a cloud of disbelief, prepared to lock the doors for an unknowable amount of time. But experience has taught me to be tough and resilient, and to do what ever it takes to revive the ailing cafe. Now, a series of reinventions and some 9 weeks later, I have such joy and surprise to slowly welcome us all back there and to pick up the pieces. My loyal and committed staff are excited to get back, and so are the fabulous customers. It’s so great to hear people’s stories, to celebrate and considerate, to share in their enjoyment when meeting up with much missed family, grandparents, friends and lovers. After so long, I remember now why I’m here, at this little gem of a place. Joining people together, hearing their stories, watching their joy. Thankful’.
Lizzie, Laurie & Martha
We have been fortunate that as a family our time in lockdown has been mainly positive. We have fallen in love with the countryside where we live even more. Long walks and being outdoors have been a theme of lockdown for us. The children have also become incredibly close after spending all this time together. Of course it hasn't been without its challenges. It has been tiring looking after children and homeschooling without any time for yourself. We have missed family and friends and worry about the impact this has on the future for so many.
Jemma, Matt & Martha
For us the start of lockdown came just as I was entering the third trimester of pregnancy with our second baby. Like many others we found ourselves overnight trying to juggle both working from home and full-time childcare. Being pregnant on top of this made it a really tough time, and it has definitely been intense, but over the last few months we have felt an overwhelming sense of gratitude for having each other, for having a house with a garden and for living in such a beautiful part of the country. Martha misses nursery and the activities she did pre-lockdown, but I also see how she enjoys having Mummy and Daddy at home with her all the time.
Things are much nicer at this slower pace. We are hoping that we can learn from this and adapt our new normal so that we can work from home more, stop rushing around as much, stop consuming as much and truly value time spent with family and friends.
We are looking forward to being in our own little bubble once the baby arrives, but also feel sad for the grandparents and close family and friends who will have to wait until who knows when to meet and hold the new baby.
When Emilie came to take this photograph it was a few days before the baby was due. Since that day and writing this, we have welcomed a baby boy, George, into the world. We will certainly never forget this surreal period of our lives!
Gary, Rex, Adam & Finley with Bella
I have known Emilie, and her husband Karl, for 20 years - my wife used to work with Karl. The photo was taken at our house when Emilie and Karl dropped over some gifts for my wife Debbie; who was in the Sue Ryder Hospice.
Unfortunately Debbie has now lost her battle with cancer on 23 June 2020. Emilie and I have both lost loved ones at Sue Ryder so we can both tell you what a wonderful job they do for people suffering with terminal illnesses. I can honestly say they made Debbie’s last few weeks the best they possibly could have been.
Below is a poem my brave 12 year old son Finley wrote - and read out - at his mum’s funeral:
Janine
After moving to UK from Iceland, and via a few years’ stopover at to live and work in a community in The Forest of Dean, I moved to Nailsworth. I instantly fell in love with the Stroud area and all its creative connections. I have now been at Dunkirk Mills for nearly seven years.
At the back is the old railway line footpath, which makes for an enchanting walk into the village of Nailsworth. The old millpond and streams either side of the building make it a little paradise.
During the last few hot months of lockdown I've felt so fortunate to be living in this lush valley surrounded by water and trees, with cool air blowing between the thick walls of the old textile mill. Being a textile artist by profession, weaving away in my apartment with looms and yarns all about seems entirely appropriate.
Amy, Juliette and Eve
Structure of life didn’t change that much as my husband and I both kept our jobs, being key workers, and our two girls kept on at nursery. Oh wonderful nursery!
I got redeployed to work with district nurses for a bit which was insightful, connecting with the isolated elderly mostly and doing a lot of bandaging of swollen legs!
We have self isolated a couple of times as symptoms in family, but we are all well now thankfully.
Recently I have found the gradual ease of restrictions and move back to being social both a relief and a challenge. It has felt easier not having to hold a conversation with a variety of adults whilst caring for 2 little children at the same time. Being present so much harder with more distractions. Revisiting the stress of trying to get out of the door to be somewhere on time, even if it is just meeting a friend in the park.
Today I told a friend I couldn’t see her because I wanted to be on my own with my children. Before lockdown I often looked for company on my days off work.
I have felt very grateful for my husband and children, I wouldn’t have wanted to be locked down with anyone else. I have learnt to ask for my own space and learnt acceptance when I can’t have it”.
Podcast that got me through: Parenting Lockdown Hell - Josh Widdicombe and Rob Beckett - so funny!
Tweedy
Tweedy’s lockdown - Pretty much on the day we were told Giffords circus rehearsals wouldn’t be continuing as the show was going on hold The Barn theatre got in touch with me. They planned to turn the theatre into a film studio to live stream and would I like to do a show? I jumped at the chance so we filmed the opening sequence to Tweedy’s Lost and Found the next day. The first episode was mostly improvised, initially I thought we’d only do a few shows as the virus wouldn’t last that long, twelve weeks later we were still at it. Luckily legally we were allowed to carry on despite lockdown as long as were socially distanced. I continued to perform other shows online and personal birthday videos were also very popular.
Deborah & William with their children
The four of us have spent the past few months juggling two demanding jobs, Year 2 learning, and our youngest’s needs. It hasn’t been easy, and the kids have probably watched too much TV, but we have also taken the longest walks of our lives and done a lot of dancing in the kitchen. We will have mixed feelings about returning to normal life, but we are all ready for more time to focus, learn, and be with friends.
Stephen, Jess, Stanley & Bracken
Before all this, I could feel a storm brewing. I met a stranger on the train in December and we got chatting, we talked about life, the universe and everything. I had visited the Tutankhamun exhibition at the Saatchi gallery and I marvelled at how sophisticated civilisations like the Ancient Egyptians could so rapidly fall, and wondered what it would be like to be living at the end of a civilisation. He said “you don’t need to wonder; you’ll experience it first hand”. It stopped me in my tracks. He was just a random stranger with an eccentric view of the world. but I couldn’t shake the notion that despite the everyday monotonous security of my experience of life so far, it all could suddenly be pulled from beneath my feet. What on earth could possibly change things that dramatically?
Perhaps this isn’t quite the demise of a civilisation (or perhaps we are teetering on the brink of the end of days) but whatever happens next, life as we know it has been shaken up and turned on its head in a way inconceivable to the Me from that train journey in December.
To begin with it felt a bit like a surreal joke, but I would play along, waiting for someone to pop out and say “fooled you!”. It was a relief to stop tearing through each day at breakneck speed - something that couldn’t have come too soon. It was wonderful walking across the common without the eternal grumble of traffic. A flurry of heartwarming posts about wildlife reclaiming the world filled my newsfeed. Home-schooling was a new game we’d play, just for a giggle. Video chatting became the norm, which I hated at first, then realised it was kind of nice, though I have never before looked at my own face so frequently and where before it was acceptable to multitask seeing people or calling people while doing other stuff, this medium required my full, undivided attention.
Right now, I consider myself one of the lucky ones. Though it does seem like fate has selected some wildly unpredictable rules as to who suffers and who comes out on top in all this; it’s anyone’s guess what will happen next. After months of news about Brexit, worldwide environmental protests, storms and flooding, the latest thing Trump has tweeted, the death of George Floyd, the crisis in Hong Kong and an almighty dose of global pandemic my eyebrows are no longer motivated to lift at the next headline. My normality gauge has shifted and I feel like I can take a glimpse into how on earth someone like Hitler snuck into such a position of power, or how cults recruit followers, or how relationships continue through decades of abuse. My brain has just come to accept the current level of absurdity.
I haven’t learnt a new language, or taken up a hobby. I haven’t been doing tv yoga or watching any more Netflix than I normally would. And despite spending far more time with the kids, my life hasn’t really changed that much. But the world outside my four walls has become a very different place. Society has connected and fragmented to equal measure in strange new ways. Technology has advanced rapidly, while many have enthusiastically embraced a simpler life. My heart is filled with fear and hope for what’s to come. I fear how much worse things may yet become. I fear the anger and desperation that might bubble up to the surface as a result. I fear that all the progress we’ve made in recognising the need to reduce waste and plastics will be reversed. I fear communities will split further and prejudices will become ever more prevalent. I fear all we’ve realised or learnt about doing things differently will be forgotten. I fear promises will be broken and history will eternally repeat itself.
I’m not even sure what my hopes are, or how to articulate them but I’m hoping them with all my might, my eyes tight shut and my fingers crossed. It’s not a selfish hope, but one on behalf of the whole world and every living thing in it. I guess then maybe my hope is that everyone else has the same sort of hope and when we emerge from whatever we still have to get through, we can collectively support each other in building something new and better from what’s left.
Luke
Story to come…
Marianne with Lakota & Titus
Story to come…
Nick with Seuss
My name is Nick Oakley-Smith and I have been an astrologer and student of the I-Ching for thirty-five years. My main work has been coaching leaders in large international firms. I’m actually teaching taoism and astrology to help them understand themselves and lead others in an enlightened way. I’m not sure how I got away with practising astrology and the I-Ching in the heart of the business world. In addition to this, I work voluntarily for a charity (Key4Life) that works with young offenders. I train the mentors as well as the young offenders. I also help run a stables, non-dig vegetable business and airbnb as well as teaching astrology. I suspect that Covid is a perfect manipulation on Life’s part to push us into evolving. We are learning that we don’t need to travel the world (and damage it) to be globally connected and we are being reminded that for all our brilliance we are not in control (a lesson in humility). Personally, I am adapting to being on-line in my coaching and to living with less more simply. I am enjoying being more locally based and more in tune with the seasons. Are we entering the age of Aquarius-Leo? These two archetypes represent a collective consciousness (plus software) and individual (local) consciousness. with
Stroud Brewery
Greg: Overnight our bar and most of our customers had to close their doors. Our team was paired down to a skeleton crew and the building remained strangely quiet for the 3 months of lockdown. Most unnatural for a space whose purpose is to bring people together. Today (the photo) brought some of the team back together as we prepare to open our doors again, cautiously, differently, yet recognising the need we all have to hang out with others.
Alex & Aron with Mabel
We’ve poured a lot of our energy into the garden during lockdown. When everything in the outside world has felt overwhelming, we’ve found it so healing to get our fingers in the soil & connect with nature. We hadn’t really spent proper time in our garden before - we’re both always rushing around & busy with other stuff, so we feel so lucky to have had the time & space to learn how to grow veggies & plants. Our happiest memories from this whole experience are in the garden & it’s been amazing to (literally!) put down roots & watch it grow.
Rosie, Emi & Tilda
It’s been an extraordinary time for me; a rollercoaster; tough bits and brilliant bits.
When lockdown began I had terrible indigestion. I lived on Gaviscon for a week. I think I was swallowing my anxiety, trying to hold everything together, suddenly having to shift to online teaching and becoming a home educator to a fairly unwilling 7 year old (why would I want to be doing maths when I could be playing Lego?) and a rapidly changing 11 year old (now suddenly with smart phone....). There was a lot of tea, adrenalin, fear. Would I lose all my work?..
I’m an actor and theatre practitioner. My work is unstable at the best of times. A lot of people in my industry lost all their work within days. I lost a chunk of work - youth theatre sessions, medical role play gigs, a summer school, a solo project that I’ve had to shelve for now, but I didn’t lose everything (for which I feel very blessed).
I managed to get most of my acting teaching and my movement class up online. It was an intense time; trying to create working spaces for us all within the house, making sure we each had a functioning laptop that could cope with Zoom, and Teams, and Purplemash and blah blah blah; reminding everyone to wash their hands; wondering how long the loo roll would last; checking in with family; shifting production dates; switching a play from stage to radio...
But then things began to settle. T (age 11) was amazing about being taught online and became impressively self reliant.
We pretty much gave up on formal lessons with Emi (7). She wrote millions of song lyrics and play scripts instead and many dances were choreographed. I loved dancing with them both. These were golden times.
We had a run of fantastic weather. We were outside a lot. The girls started running with me and we spent a lot of time practising dances on the common. I felt guilty that I was actually having a lovely time.
There was also plenty of door slamming and ‘why am I the only one who picks up wet towels?!’ type grumps too.
I’ve kept teaching my movement class. To start with the tech stuff freaked me out, but I feel relaxed with it now. I get everyone to turn their camera off while they’re dancing and right at the end we come back together for a closing moment. Everyone turns their cameras back on and my heart swells for the sense of connection I feel to the community of women who dance with me.
Community, creativity and connection. That’s what this time has been about for me. Oh and Carex of course.
Adam & Alex I Good On Paper
On Monday 16th March in light of the current situation at the time together with many local events starting to be postponed and cancelled it was with heavy hearts that we announced that there would be no April edition and the magazine was effectively going on hiatus.
It was an extremely difficult decision to make as it would be the first time in five years that we had not produced the magazine, it was due to be the biggest edition so far and it was all designed, written and ready to go…
Unfortunately due to the way in which the magazine is put together and funded and with the venues and festivals advertising in the magazine all facing difficult month’s ahead we felt that it was the right (and only) thing to do. Shortly afterwards the COVID-19 pandemic spiralled, venues closed and
people were told to self-isolate.
Suddenly the culture and community which many locals thrive upon and others survive on was gone. Seeing this unfold we launched a new on-line project - Good On Paper TV - inviting local artists to produce self-recorded-sessions which we premiered on our YouTube channel and subsequently put up on our website as an archive for people to easily access and share. It also included rarely screened and hard to find films by local filmmakers.
This resulted in creating a platform for local artists to carry on promoting their work, perform in front of an eager audience and in some way coping with self-isolation and the stresses on their own mental health…It also created a virtual community with viewers streaming content at home, joining the online chat during the YouTube premiere and providing a sense of routine - especially with the Friday and Saturday night DJ sessions!
As well as this project we carried on publishing regular content including articles from our five year archive.
We have now returned to the printed world albeit in a different way via our continuing Supporters Subscription Service and stocking the magazine in the few places that are opened with, for the first time a price tag on the front cover.
Aside from the above one half of us has carried on in his regular 9 to 5, the other half is on furlough and we've both been pretending to be teachers at home for our kids.
So Good On Paper continues its journey, in a different way for now, continuing to celebrate the printed word and this amazing place we call home.