TURNING HAVEN INTO HEAVEN

I was getting ready to paint whatever that needed to be painted or repainted in the garden. It's an annual regime this time of the year. So I went to the shed and searched for  tins of leftover paint. As I laid newspapers on the floor, I was asked, 'Why are you painting? No one is going to see them.' (translation: there will be hardly any  visitors during this pandemic)

'It doesn't matter. I like things to look nice.' I answered. (translation: I take pride in my haven and am particular about quality control and it makes me happy if things are done well, whether or not anyone is looking)

So I keep myself busy, painting this and making that. Once a project is done, another begins. Full momentum. Now that the days are longer, time seems endless when I am immersed in doing something that makes me happy.

And it is very contagious. Himself is also sawing this and hammering that. So there are two happy worker bees in different corners of the haven creating beautiful things, meeting up every few hour or so for a cup of tea and a nice bun, and then back to the different corners again. One of my friends having seen what I have done said, 'Living with you would be so cool' and I said she should have moved in with me before the lockdown. Another friend asked, 'If you are finished with himself, can we borrow him?'

I have lost track of how many days we have been in isolation so far and observing safe distancing if we have to go out. In fact I don't even know what day it is today and I have to look at my phone often enough to check the day.

Basically we are social creatures.

I miss simple things like going to Dunnes in Jetland every Sunday and pushing my trolley and surveying what's on the shelves. After that, finding my favourite seat at Cafe Sol to sip a good cup of latte . Perfect Me time. No hand sanitiser, no gloves, no masks, no rush to go home.

I miss all the travelling that we do. Like many others, our planned trips this year are cancelled. We have to contend ourselves to watching the Hairy Bikers' trip to Bratislava. And I hardly ever watch the Harry Bikers on BBC before.

'Have we been to Bratislava?' he asked.

'Yes, we have.' I replied and showed him the photos that I've neatly organised into albums on facebook. (so they can be whipped up easily in times like this)

This is what cocooning does to our brains. We forget.

As in any unprecedented period of cocooning, I find myself one day laughing silly over Johnny English for the umpteenth time, especially the scene where he is sitting on a chair that goes up and down uncontrollably in the presence of the Prime Minister  and then bawling my eyes out watching Billy's father singing 'He could be a Star' in Billy Elliot the musical the next day. There are so many phases and moods that we go through.

Translation: 1. This spud is tired
                    2. This spud is stressed
                    3. This spud needs a hug
                    4. This spud is Soo Ling

So how can we turn our HAVEN into HEAVEN?

It's all in the spelling.

Just insert the letter 'E' after 'H'. 

 E is for Effort. 

Without Effort, every day is about staying at home and feeling that we have to stay at home and wondering when all this would be over and life can be normal again. I was just thinking about the vegetable seeds that I sowed on February 26 before the pandemic. As usual, I have excess plants and it's lovely to do plant swaps with like-minded gardening enthusiasts. Even now some of them are ready for harvesting - the joy of it.

E is for Excitement, Exploration, Experiment, Encouragement.

When I go to sleep at night, I get all excited because I can't wait to wake up again.

 'What are you going to do tomorrow?' he asked.

 'I don't know, but I'm sure there's plenty to explore and experiment. So we stay encouraged
and  that 's why I'm excited to wake up again.' I said.

So that keeps us going day after day until.

And in the meantime, that turns our HAVEN into HEAVEN.