Lockdown in Bristol

Entering a third lockdown was not how I'd planned to start 2021. 

I'd been living in my new house in Bristol for four months and only had a few weeks of exploration time before the November lockdown stopped me in my tracks. I'd never been a huge fan of cities, but I'd wanted to move to Bristol for a long time, and it's great to now have a home here, but I've not been able to enjoy it in the way I wanted to, thanks to another stay-at-home rule announced in January.

Of course, I knew it had to happen given the rising cases. After the announcement, I shrugged my shoulders nonchalantly. I'd been through a few lockdowns already and had proven to myself I could cope with them. I'm lucky to be a writer who works from home, so am able to stay occupied during a lockdown.

The last few months have indeed kept me occupied. I've dedicated all my time to my freelance job which means I've done more hours and made more money than I did previously. I have also taken the time to start a number of new projects, including a new TV script, and two short film ideas with directors on-board. 

It's been a combination of many Zoom meetings, long scriptwriting sessions in the evenings, and discovering wonderful new series like Life on Mars, Ashes to Ashes, Dead To Me, and perhaps my favourite, Dark, a mind-bending Netflix series from Germany. 

All of these at-home endeavours have happened because I've been given the time to dedicate to them, which has been wonderful for my creativity. At the same time, I can't lie and say the constant cabin fever from being in my room all the time hasn't been demoralizing. After a while, the house you're in starts to feel boring and the constant work and play done via a screen can be too much for your brain and eyes. 

I spent the first lockdown in my Devon home with my parents, but this time I've been away from them, which is why the atmosphere has felt so different. Even though my family and I wanted to kill each other half the time, we were a unit who comforted each other when things got difficult. This time, I've been in a house I haven't lived in for very long, focusing on nothing but work for three months at the height of winter with many cold, dark and depressing nights.

My housemate and I have definitely grown closer from being stuck with each other for so long and passing the time with walks and TV series, but it's been a strange way to live, cooped up in one room for what feels like forever. 

Fortunately, things have recently started to turn around with the lifting of a few rules. Bristol hasn't fully opened up yet, but I've been able to take a few walks and appreciate the area I live in again. My boyfriend and I recently walked what felt like the entirety of South Bristol, passing through Redcliffe, Temple Meads and Castle Park, and it did wonders for my mental health.

We're cautiously moving out of lockdown with gradual rule-changes, but I'm looking forward to all the rules being gone so I can make the most of Bristol, as I'd always intended to.