Life In Quarantine!

As I write this, I am on Day 25 of Quarantine in Southern Spain. The reports state that there are 110, 283 cases, over 10,00 deaths and over 20,000 people have recovered.

Prior to this,we were all very much aware of what was going on in China and Italy, but we really had no idea what it was actually like. It just seemed to happen overnight here. One minute I was out and about at the local market and the next thing we were all being advised to stay in our homes, to only leave to get supplies or for medical reasons.

I'm lucky cos me and my girls live on a beautiful bit of land, where they can roam around freely and I can find secluded spots to just sit and enjoy the outdoors. But it felt so surreal when it happened, almost like we were living out a movie. I felt some what unsettled and nervous at first, until I reminded myself that it is all about how I react to this restrictions and that I have it easy compared to those living in towns and cities with hardly and space and no out door space at all.

Everyday there seemed to be more and more restrictions put in place. A few days in, we were told that only those who have residency can go into town to get supplies, this worried me as I am not a resident and to be honest seemed really extreme as well.

Only one person per household is allow out and only one person per car as well. Children are not allowed to go outside (again I feel so lucky that I live on a piece of land). You have to spend at least 30euros when you shop and the police will check at check points to make sure that you do. You have to carry identification at all times and show your receipts to prove when you were out and why.

If you do not follow these rules you will be fined anything from 600 to 1000 euros. There are random police checks as well and the police have the right to enter your property if they wish to do so. The most recent is that seeds and plants can not be sold, as apparently it is encouraging people to go outside!

Today I just saw that the police have begun to seal off roads so that there is only one road in and out of each town. This feels very, very extreme to me and we are now really living under martial law.

But I have my 3 girls to think about so even though this is really unsettling, I am doing my best to stay positive and to keep creating a warm and nurturing environment for them. I have been focusing on what I can do rather than what I can not.

I home educate my girls so I am used to them being around most of the time. We already have a very flexible routine in place that works well for us and which includes lots of outdoor time and art. But one thing we done which was different, was to make a couch for our truck, something I have been wanting to do for ages.

I couldn't have picked a better time, as it has rained here for the last 2 weeks, and we have been using that couch a lot to chill out together, read stories and watch movies.

Me and the girls have been busy making healthy tasty treats for us to enjoy and to also boost our immune systems. With hemp seeds, pumpkin seeds, chia seeds, sunflower seeds, dates, cacao and spirulina.

I have been busy sowing seeds and planting loads of food, especially Kale, it is one of my favourite greens. Being outdoors has really helped me to deal with these unsettling times.

I've also been harvesting some medicinal herbs from the land, not this beautiful mullein though, she is sitting pretty amongst some cleavers and mint and I will only ever take her if I need to. Cleavers on the other hand are plentiful, as well as chickweed and borage.

There is one exception to the rules and that is that you can take your canine friends out for a walk. so i have been doing this, I share the land with another mother and we take turns walking Freya, the Rottweiler cross that is a huge part of my family.

Bear is still not well enough to go for walks. (He still has a way to go in his healing, but he does go outside for some of the day.)I really cherish these moments, as I get to leave my girls with my friend and have some time to myself. And to clear my head and get some prospective. There is so much propaganda out there and so many people feeling very fearful right now.

My days are always busy, I'm a single parent with 3 kids and I always have lots to do. But these last few weeks have got me realizing how lucky I am and also how fragile life is. It has been a bit of a roller coaster at times, with me feeling overwhelmed one minute and blessed the next. But as I always say it is how we react that matters the most.

I had a birthday recently and I asked all my friends to put on some tunes and have a dance with me at 6p.m. Because even though all of this is going on and the world feels like it is coming to a halt, we are still very much alive and it is important to celebrate that. To make sure to find a way to do the things you love.

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