I Left the House…

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I haven’t posted since March which probably makes it the longest period of time in which I haven’t looked at the blog since I started it over eight years ago, and I’ve missed it. 

Part of the reason why I’ve had such a long absence is that there has been very little to post about. With lockdown restrictions only starting to ease over the last few weeks I’ve continued to live a rather Groundhog Day existence that has primarily involved getting up, washed and dressed, logging in, logging out, eating dinner and going to bed. It’s hasn’t been a bad thing – my workload has grown by a phenomenal level which has kept me really busy and I wake up most mornings raring to go and excited to start the day – but it has left little time to focus on my own content. 

May was also a month of dealing with multiple health issues. It’s rare that I’m ill, but when something hits me it tends to stick around for a while. I had my first covid vaccination at the start of the month and the side effects kept me in bed for three days, followed by an ear infection. When getting the ear checked out at the doctors he was concerned about something else which resulted in multiple blood tests, an anxious wait and thankfully a surprisingly clear bill of health (aside from the ear). I then developed a nasty tooth infection in a tooth that I’ve had issues with for over a year, and I’ve never experienced pain like it. It was so bad that the tooth had to be pulled last week, and so the last few days have consisted of eating soft and puréed food, multiples salt washes and looking like I had been punched in the face. I also started experiencing pain in my back and so have had multiple chiropractor appointments, which leaves me feeling like I’ve been hit by a bus for a day or two afterwards. 

It never rains… huh?

I did get the opportunity to go into the city and have brunch before my tooth was pulled, which was very much needed. It was quite a surreal experience – going from staring at my bins from my living room window for several months and then suddenly finding myself in what seemed almost like normal life took a second to get used to. I’m conscious of trying not to be too paranoid about being out and about again – I had to resist the urge to yell “back away people!!” when they even dared to step within six feet of me, but I suppose that there are many who are feeling the same. I’m looking forward to the chance to see my family in person – I haven’t seen my mum since the beginning of March 2020 – and there are some fantastic things that will be happening in Birmingham over the next few weeks, so I’ll be able to start posting again!

What about you guys? How are you feeling about venturing out again?

32 thoughts on “I Left the House…”

  1. Lovely to see you back Suzie! Hopefully your health issues are now being resolved and life can return to some normality for you.

    • Hi Debs! Yeah it’s all good thanks, took a while to sort everything out but thankfully there wasn’t much wrong aside from the stupid tooth haha! How are you?

      • All going good down here but have my passport ready for when I’m fully vaccinated and can leave the country (no-one can leave Aus except if they get an authorised exemption), as I’m missing Melanie and Dottie so much! It won’t be for a year or so at the earliest though, thanks goodness for technology is all I can say!

  3. Like you there have been health issues that kept me pretty much confined for months. Treatment at home as I hadn’t had the jabs then and I wouldn’t go into hospital. My last home treatment was just two weeks ago and so having had both jabs now I’ve tasted freedom. So far I’ve enjoyed sitting in a cafe and enjoying a coffee and also a meal at my favourite place which now requires booking online. At least the food was still good and some of the same staff were there. Distancing rules mean less people can eat here so no more guaranteed table for the two old farts. Normality nearly reigns.
    Huge Hugs

  4. Sorry to hear about all your health problems, Suzie. The tooth infection might have been a sequelae from the ear. there are multiple transit lines from ear to mouth.
    We ate out at a restaurant last night for the first time. Except for having to wear masks in certain stores (we always assume you must), things are really normal here.

  5. Welcome back, Suzie! I’m sorry about your vaccine reaction and bad tooth, so painful. I had a really bad headache and fatigue from the first dose, the second did nothing. I look forward to your new posts, thanks for following me on IG by the way. ❤️🇬🇧

  6. Oh, dear! So much at once. I hope you are feeling better! Toothaches make your whole body hurt! And ear infections. Our county has opened up to the point that if a person is fully vaccinated (both shots) then no mask is required unless the store/business requires them. It is weird, and I wonder all the time. I know I’m vaccinated, but what if the other people are not and are just choosing not to wear a mask? Anyway, we’ve been out for meals and shopping. Still wearing my mask most places because it is required for now by the owners. It is nice to get outside and enjoy the spring!

  7. After living like a hermit for more than a year, my family gathered on May 19, and we had lunch together in the same house without masks. My daughter arranged it all after five of the six of us had both vaccine jabs. The only one that didn’t get the vaccine was my daughter’s almost-three-year-old son. But since all the adults were vaccinated, we decided to keep the masks off.

    During lunch, I mentioned how the isolation didn’t bother me. I have always been a 50-50 introvert/extrovert. and I am equally happy alone as I am with a small gathering. But I’m not a big crowd kind of guy.

    During the lockdown, I stopped eating out and lost almost 10 pounds by mostly eating in. I used to eat out three to five times a week. LOL! I think that’s a good thing and I may never return to eating out as much as I did before the pandemic. Maybe I’ll allow myself to eat out once or twice a month from now on instead of several times a week.

    Some of the new habits from the pandemic are going to stick. Instead of driving long distances for meeting with the writer critique groups, I belong to, it looks like we are all going to stay online and meet through Zoom. During the pandemic, the critique groups attracted new members and some of them live in other states. If we return to meeting in person, we could lose those writers.

    Another good thing was the cost of car insurance dropped dramatically due to not driving as many miles. I used to pay about $140 a month for car insurance and now its down to about $80 a month.

    Before the pandemic, I was filling the car’s gas tank every two weeks. Since the pandemic, I’ve filled the gas tank twice since March 2020. Saved a lot of money on not buying as much gasoline and saw the car insurance go down because I’m not driving as much.

    I am not eager to get back on the road and drive as much as I did before.

  9. Hey, Suzie, so sorry to hear about your health issues. Though they are painful and irritating, you seem to be mending.

    Here in the US, some of the populace is heading for Nutville Extreme (“Covid? Never happened here along with anything else relating to science, history, or truth.”) and the rest of us are trying to put our lives back together as safely and thoughtfully as possible.

    My family has been vaccinated, including our two teenaged grandchildren. Still, we are cautious and wear masks in public, because we know: there would have been many millions more killed by the virus had we not locked down to control it.

    Wishing you and your family good health and the joy of greeting each other with hugs and kisses – how sweet it will be.

  10. South Australia eased restrictions quite some time ago and things have returned to normal here. ( well alomst) There are still some restrictions regarding venues and allowed number of patrons at hotels, clubs, churches, weddings and funerals, but other than that we are normal. Annabell and I have been down to Adelaide several times to attend the clinic and we will be going back again in ten days – so no concerns there at all. My health is good, so no concerns there either.

  13. Hi Suzie. I’m working part time in a school so still mixing apart from Lockdown and a while during my furlough. I was very emotional first day back (I cried,) so can imagine how you feel. Hang in there. x

  14. The vaccination wrecked me, I was wiped both times. So I can definitely relate. I’m not really venturing out yet but I understand not having content to write about. I’m glad that you are on the mend.

  15. I guess sometimes break from blogging is good. Which vaccine did you take? I suppose AZ one must be the default choice. Just heard the covid cases resurgence in some areas of UK is causing panic again. I suppose these are not huge numbers.

    • I’m so sorry for the late reply! I had the AstraZeneca one – felt horrendous after the first one but after the second I was fine other than feeling a bit tired. The numbers caused by the Delta variant have caused a big spike which is unfortunate, but I think a lot of people are just getting on with things as best they can. How are things with you?

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