Incredibly anxious times.

Now that large parts of the world are on, what is effectively, a total lockdown, life has changed beyond recognition. Clever Bird knows that Baggy is incredibly fortunate: she lives in a fairly large house, with a lovely garden, in a semi-rural location; so it is comfortable for her to "stay at home". But the truth is that there's a rather large problem for Baggy in this scenario - that being a woman called Hormonal Hannah! As regular Baggees know, Hormonal Hannah is a bit of a challenge to say the least! When she is suffering from depression, or is particularly anxious, all she wishes to do is to remain at home! But now that she has little choice in the matter, she needs exactly the opposite, and it is having a seriously detrimental effect on her mental well-being. Far from finding it her safe place, Hannah is feeling as if it is her prison, and it is causing her depression to reappear.

Hannah was okay, because Grotty Groom was spending time with her horses, Furry Mama was taking her and the Pooch to the beach regularly and therefore over half her day was used up by Baggy being active. The routine was soothing Hannah, and she was in a good place. Now, Grotty can't go to see her horses and Baggy can't take Furry Mama and the Pooch to the beach, so her newly forged routine was over before it had even become properly established. Hannah and Freda Fretter found themselves obsessing about the latest news on Covid-19, and becoming afraid to even leave the sanctuary of their home for their daily exercise. This was good news for The Domestic Goddess, who became the gang leader and did a marvelous job of feeding Baggy and getting the house in order. But as the days went on, and number one furry continued to work all over the country, Hannah got worse, and more anxious.

Last Friday, as Baggy chatted to Calum on the phone, she heard him swear, as people at the site he was delivering to, started to jump onto the back of the trailer on his lorry. When she put the phone down after the conversation, Hannah had a bit of a meltdown - staying at home, self-distancing as best she can, is a bit pointless if her husband was exposed and brought it home with him! So, she was highly relieved when he told her on Friday evening, that he would not be going back to work until this lockdown is lifted.

Today is therefore day 6, of self-isolation with Baggy's husband at home, and Hannah is beginning to cope a little better - as long as she stays ridiculously busy, that is! The photos above are of their newly reclaimed patio. (Creative Clara forgot to take the 'before' photos, and frankly, they would have been embarrassing anyway), the entire patio was covered in junk! It took two days of hard labour to get it to this stage, and much rubbish, including the old, rotten table had to be disposed of, so Calum had a bit of a fire-pit session.

The man shed, has also progressed a little bit, closely supervised by Pepper Pooch.

But today, Hannah still woke up in a panic! Freda Fretter was worried about Pepper, who is scratching badly, whether through stress or allergies, Furry Mama isn't sure. And Clever Bird knows that he is struggling with the lack of exercise; as is Hannah! So, today, Calum suggested a proper walk!

After walking across the fields, they headed across the park, before going into Halesworth. As Hannah started to panic at the sight of the ghost town, Calum said, "Just pretend that it's a Sunday." She tried, but actually, even though the town remains pretty much closed on a Sunday, it was always still much busier than it was today. But they bought some fresh meat and vegetables, before walking home again, and at least Hannah didn't have to worry about avoiding people. By the time they got home, they'd walked four miles in total, with one-and-a-half of those miles home, lugging their purchases! But even though Baggy ached in every muscle, Hannah was once again relaxed!

In these difficult times, wherever you are, whatever you're doing, try to take care of your mental health Baggees! Even people who do not suffer from clinical anxiety, might be finding themselves extremely anxious at present, and it's to be expected; so do whatever you need to, to keep positive, whilst staying safe. Take care Baggees...

Note to readers: For the avoidance of any doubt, every character in this blog is Baggy! No Baggy was harmed in its writing, although some of them get pretty confused!