For any regular readers of my blogs, you may have noticed my slightly long absence from writing. It isn’t that I have had a writer’s block, it’s more that I kept thinking “What do I write about?” and even though I’d start the occasional blog, I could never finish, and I’d end up ditching them. As I usually write about my art experiences whilst on holiday, or my visits to museums and galleries, since lockdown this has been impossible. So I thought, “Why don’t I write about not having anything to write about?” At least that would get me writing again.
But as soon as I started to write about nothing, I found there was something to write about!
Physical Health
COVID-19 has been a bit scary. At first I dismissed it, not appreciating the seriousness of what was about to unfold. I think this was because we weren’t told the full story and I was working from incomplete information.
Then, after a week of feeling a bit under the weather, I developed a fever on March 6. Two days later, I collapsed whilst out for a walk, unable to breathe, and I fainted. I phoned 111, then went online. I was told not to go to a doctor, not to go to hospital, take paracetamol and wash my hands!
That was not very reassuring!
I had a whole range of symptoms, each one quite mild, and no obvious cough. I joined the Covid-19 Symptom tracker app from Kings College, and logged my health on a daily basis. Within a week, I felt quite a bit better. Then, after another week of quite good health, things took a turn for the worse. My lungs screamed with pain. I was short of breath. I had terrible headaches, which resolved around a point at the top of my nose. I lost my sense of smell. I was exhausted and slept all morning and most of the afternoon. I had pains everywhere.
However, as there weren’t any testing opportunities open to me at the time, I guess I’ll never know if it was Covid-19 or not, but given how many of the symptoms matched, I’m sure it was. 111 told me to take paracetamol; and wash my hands! I self isolated for all the rest of March, and much of April. It took a long time to recover.
Then I received an email from Kings College saying my symptoms matched those of the virus, and I was offered a test. At this stage tests were only available to key workers, so they gave me a key worker status, as a volunteer!
I had the test on May 3, 8 weeks after developing a fever, and 9 weeks after the first symptoms surfaced (although I didn’t recognise them as Covid at the time). I had been symptom free and recovering for 3 to 4 weeks and I tested negative, as I expected. Still, it was good to have it confirmed.
Mental Health
During this time, things occasionally got difficult. My holiday to Sicily was cancelled, so was my Sky Sports subscription. I couldn’t read a newspaper or watch the news on TV. It was difficult to paint, and I felt as if my life was being stolen. I was not happy.
I couldn’t go to our wonderful studio in Barnet, or see my fellow painters. I was lonely. Zoom and Houseparty are OK, but I missed my family. I missed the physical. I was tired. I could hardly stand up to paint at an easel. So I sat down and started doodling, watching YouTube videos of other artists. I dug out some old gouache paints and came across some old sketchbooks. I started sketching some designs I used to do as a teenager. Gradually I got back into the swing of things.
Creative Health
As I couldn’t go to the studio in Barnet, I used my home studio. I resumed painting an oil seascape I had started at the end of last year, and started another. In between oil painting sessions, I would sit down and draw in ink, adding gouache highlights. I started gilding some of the designs.
Back to reality
These last few days, things are starting up again. I have been out and collected two of my paintings, which have suffered their own lockdown, from a closed exhibition, in the New Maynard Gallery. I’ve seen family. The streets are busier. I’m nearly recovered. I’ve regained my sense of humour.
Then I had a visitor. A squirrel. Wild animals in confined spaces, even small ones, terrify me. This squirrel had sharp claws, was very fast, and caused mayhem, running up my paintings, knocking things over. I retreated in panic!
I made a short video of my very brave return to the studio, which you can watch here,
So keep your sense of humour, keep a sense of proportion, keep safe, and keep well.