I was sent home just before the official start of lockdown, and then put on furlough from mid-April to mid-July. In my job at an art gallery in Liverpool I meet hundreds of people every day, so suddenly being at home all day, every day, was a huge change. I found it very upsetting at first. But as time went on I rediscovered how much I love where I live. It’s a small terrace house with a small back yard in Wavertree – my partner, Ann, and I call it the “Yarden” – and while I’ve always worked to make it look good and have colourful planting out there, this spring it became my haven.
I’ve had loads more time to take cuttings and grow stuff from seed. I planted food – lettuce, spinach, basil – and loads and loads of flowers. The flowers are the thing that has given me the most pleasure; photographing them, watching insects land on them, listening to birdsong and being able to be out there at a time I would normally be at work.
I love late afternoons out there because it’s a sun trap. We’ve also sat out there at night. There was a huge thunderstorm about a month ago, and we just sat on the bench with our umbrellas up in the lashing rain. It was really crazy and beautiful.
When you’re time poor, you run home from work and eat whatever may be lurking at the back of the fridge. Actually having time to prepare food and cook has been really brilliant. We didn’t have to buy any lettuce for two months, and I’ve lost a stone in weight. I’ll have to be very careful not to fall back into my old habits.
Where we live is usually so busy – it’s on a main road – but it was silent. It was too intriguing not to explore. Sometimes, I’d be out for four or five hours a day just walking around. I brought home all kinds of things that contributed to the yard. I built a potting bench from pallet wood and roofing slate, Ann found some galvanised buckets, and we made some water features with industrial junk. I also found a shop delivery crate and made it into a planter for coriander.
It was very stressful for Ann, who carried on working as normal in her job at a call centre that serves the NHS, while the world changed around us. Our house became a sanctuary of normality and our yard a place to relax in, leaving the parks and shoreline for people with children and with no outside space, who we felt really needed it. The area we live in has a lot of poverty, and we know how much people are struggling with illness and unemployment in normal times, never mind now. It’s made us focus on the positives in our lives more and start to think about ways we can contribute more to our community. We love it here and see our long-term future as Wavertree residents.
