Self-imposed isolation, day 2

The first night here is over. It was not a good night. As a chronic insomniac, it is difficult for me to sleep in a new place (or even a familiar place, at that). Without my family, under these strange circumstances… impossible. This is an old house, so it creaks and groans constantly, and when you have an overactive imagination… well, you can imagine! When my husband is travelling and not at home at night, I usually sleep with one of my swords within my reach (though it would be little use in case of a fire, which is one of my greatest night time fears).

It seems I forgot to pack something quite essential (along with my melatonin, which my DH – Dashing Hero, in case you’re wondering – had to bring me last night): a cheese slicer! Now I have one! So much joy over so small a thing. 😀

I kept myself busy all morning, but after lunch, all this seemed awfully depressing. Even a good book failed to distract me, and that is saying something. Writing seemed too demanding, and so I turned to translation: we are working on an English translation of our first novel. That did give me something else to think about, and now we’re just about to start our first family group chat for the day.

Self-imposed isolation, day 1

Today, after a long period of learning at home, our daughter had to go back to school – and I moved out. The number of covid cases keeps rising and I am in a risk group (and so far non-vaccinated), so we decided to rent me a room. It was not an easy decision – we agonised over it – but there was no alternative that would have been both safe and tolerable. (I did consider barricading myself into the bedroom and using a bucket as a toilet, and my DH gallantly offered to empty the said bucket when needed. True love!!! But due to hygiene issues, that plan was discarded.)

Now I have moved into a small room in an old wooden house. I have unpacked and am trying to settle in. I don’t fear being alone or getting bored, it is the separation from my loved ones that makes it very nearly unbearable. We three are something of a very close-knit unit as it is, perhaps even more so now that we have spent a year almost entirely in each other’s company. They are not far away, however; I can go home whenever I want to. There is that. It is entirely possible that after three hours of this, I will ask my DH to please come fetch me home.

It has now been two.