Are there any blessings to our self isolation? These are some of our collective thoughts at Broseley…
- The silence and peace is sublime – we can think
- We can hear the birds singing and the rustle of leaves in the breeze
- Our air atmosphere is so much cleaner – we can breathe
- No traffic. Less carbon. We can smell the flowers and the earth
- The streets and roads are largely deserted, we see forest animals leaping
- We notice the bees and the butterflies. So many!
- Neighbours are more helpful – we are making local friends
- We’re more often in touch with our family – we are caring for them
- The elderly are less lonely – we are thinking of others, not ourselves
- The sole occupants at home – we are generous and kinder to them
- The people who help us, the postman and the delivery man – we are grateful
- We make do and mend – we are becoming more resourceful
- We are learning on-line – we are improving our skills and knowledge
- We are eating more nutritional food – no fast food and takeaways
We asked 6 well known people which particular benefits they had discovered … Here are their spontaneous thoughts:
Today’s global pandemic has put me in a state of awe at the power of nature and the interdependence of things.
Our carefully constructed notions, all that is solid, melting into air!
Adriana Natcheva – Groves Natcheva Architects
Time! There’s no rushing. Of course I’m passionate about gardens and there’s never been a better time to ‘Grow your own’. More time with family and talking to my father much more frequently.
Richard Miers – Garden Designer
People are so kind and caring on the ‘phone. Everyone wishes you keep well and stay safe. It’s also a good time to take stock. We’re working from home and it’s great to have our young daughter with us, to see and share how we all work together
Claire McDonald – Architectural & Interior Design
My family and I now Face Time my parents in Austria every day, which is wonderful for them and my children. We’re lucky enough to be able to spending more time outdoors, and I’ve noticed that everyone is shopping locally and supporting the local communities much more than before
Henriette Von Stockhausen – Interior Designers
Now we’re in lockdown I bless the day my husband fixed a TRX strap to a first floor, south facing terrace at our home. I attend virtual classes twice a week and it’s been a life saver. Nothing beats working out in the brilliant sunshine with a gentle breeze!
Another of my lockdown treats is a really good leave-in hair treatment and face mask – I just switch off the Zoom video!
I finally have the opportunity to focus on turning my three previously unadventurous daughters into food explorers! Every weekend I give one-on-one tutorials and it gives me endless pleasure to have taught them skills they’ll take forth and use time and again!
Kate Slesinger – Publishing Director
One good thing I’ve discovered, or even rediscovered, is the 60’s – a period when I was growing up, but of which I have no memory, tragically. The book which has coloured it all in for me is White Heat by Dominic Sandbrook. There’s Harold Wilson, The Beatles, the World Cup and Mary Quant. Plus plenty of good stuff about religion, drugs and supporting the pound.
Can we just rerun that decade again please and this time I’ll pay attention? And chicken pox was about the worst thing you could catch.
Dickie Bannenberg – Super Yacht Designers
