Notes From Northern Lands

The End Of Lockdown Is Nigh, Right?

From Monday, pupils will return to school in England. Schools have only been open to the children of key workers for months, with the majority of pupils having to continue their studies online at home. With schools returning, it will be a welcome relief for parents up and down the country, although teachers aren’t too happy about the prospect of carrying out lateral flow tests on thousands of teenagers.

From 12 April, non-essential shops, hairdressers and some public buildings such as libraries will be allowed to reopen. I have already booked to get a haircut, but I’ve been trying to keep it tidy with clippers.

By 17 May, indoor hospitality and hotels can reopen. This is a big thing for everyone as it’s a source of entertainment for many, as well as being a big part of the UK economy. It’s a bigger deal for me because I work within the hospitality sector. While I’ve luckily never had to be on furlough myself, we’ve seen a massive impact from the sector closing.

By 21 June, all legal limits on social distancing will be removed and the final closed sectors of the economy can reopen. It will be weird to actually be able to be close to someone that isn’t your own household, although I feel like there will still be a lot of wariness out there.

There is some irony in that Boris Johnson, our current Prime Minister, stressed that he didn’t want to put dates on things, then immediately went and put dates on things. Although I do understand that we need to have some sort of timetable for all this.

Am I optimistic that everything will be back to normal by 21 June? No, because it’s not going to be any sort of normal for a long time. Covid-19 is here to stay, especially as we’re now being hit with multiple variants. The speed of the vaccine roll-out gives a lot of hope but, given the complete mess that the UK government has made of every stage of the pandemic, it’s not a stretch to say it would be unsurprising if that date passed us by.

This was our last meal out before the whole country collapsed into chaos and the lockdown was announced.

I have no idea when I will be able to get the vaccine myself. I’m not in any kind of vulnerable category, so I’ll have to wait until the letters for over 30’s start getting sent out. My wife, Alex, has already had her first jab as she works for the NHS. She’ll be getting her second jab at the end of March.

We’ve really tried our best to stick to every rule that’s been put in place during our multiple lockdowns. It’s not always been easy, especially when we have a child that needs to be looked after when we’re supposed to be working, but we can safely say we’ve played our part. That can’t be said about the morons who still refuse to wear a face mask in places like supermarkets, bleating on about how it violates their ‘human rights’, but selfishness is an ugly human trait.

That said, I’m really hoping that we can get back to some semblance of normalcy by June. I enjoy my home comforts and I never really say no to a night in, but I miss the ability to just go where we please. I miss being able to say ‘shall we go out for tea tonight?’, even if it’s just something cooked from frozen at our local pub. I even miss going to watch a film at the cinema, even if I always feel like throwing something at the noisy person in the row in front.

But most of all, I miss being able to do things as a family. There’s only so much you can do in your home before you go a little stir crazy. We want to be able to visit places that are outside our local area, such as go for walks in the countryside or take a trip to Blackpool. When June rolls around, we’ll have all had to sacrifice over a year of our lives for the greater good. But it’s the kids I feel for, as a year to them feels like a lifetime. There are so many small milestones and activities that can be packed into a year, and I feel like he’s missed out on a lot of them.

So, we’ve got a lot of catching up to do. It’s something I’m very much looking forward to, but it’s also something I’m nervous about as I’m always wondering if the goalposts will change, and we’ll have to wait even longer.

3 Photos That Show A Child Has Taken Over Your Home

Everything changes when you have a child, including every room in your home. You’ll even find a sign of their presence in the rooms they never go in (at least that’s what they want you to think). You’ll find a random object that’s on the other side of the house from where it’s supposed to be. While the back of the sofa is apparently a good place to store your toys. This is their home now, you’re just a guest who happens to feed them and change their dirty nappies.

Here are three photos that show a child has well and truly taken over your home.

I see those Paw Patrol dogs whenever I close my eyes.

The bath is no longer a place to relax after a long day at work. It’s now a place where you have to peel off various bath toys that are stuck to the surface of the bath, or completely give up and kiss your relaxing soak goodbye. That’s if you even get the chance to have a bath, because you’ll inevitably hear your child screaming about something downstairs while they’re with the other parent. Bath bombs and candles cease to mean anything.

They say that this is the War and Peace of toddler literature.

As I said yesterday, we fill our home with books so that we can encourage Noah to be a big reader as he grows up. My child must be super advanced for his age, because he’s suddenly giving me book recommendations by deciding to carry one of his books from his bedroom and popping it on top of the stack of books that lies next to my side of the bed. Either that or he thinks I’m socially inept and I struggle to say hello to people.

I truly hope that my sons future child isn’t left face down in the middle of the floor.

Finally, your living room will go from looking neat and tidy to a complete bomb site within the space of 5 seconds. Because your child also has an attention span of about 5 seconds for each and every toy that they own. Once everything is out on the floor, they’ll inevitably get bored and wander off to try and play with something that they shouldn’t be touching, leaving you to accidentally step on one of their toy bricks for the 50^th time.

Oh, and that carpet you spent a small fortune on? Milk stains, milk stains everywhere. Admittedly, giving him a bottle of milk to run around with isn’t the best idea we’ve ever had. We should now be fully aware that a toddler will simply throw their bottle once they’ve had a swig from it.

My wife also wrote about the final point and used the same photo. While it looks chaotic, it’s actually been worse, and that photo only shows a small slice of the living room. He also appears to be watching TV in that photograph, completely ignoring the chaos he’s caused around him.

If you’re about to become a parent, just be prepared to deal with every object in your home being suddenly sticky and you have no idea why. There’s little point in trying to keep the perfect home, especially when it will be all torn apart as soon as they wake up or walk through the front door. Just deal with the fact that this is your life until they’re old enough to fully comprehend what tidying up means. Of course, by then they’ll probably be refusing to do chores, but that’s something we can look forward to having to deal with in the future.

World Book Day 2021 & Why You Should Read To Your Children

Today is World Book Day 2021!

This is a fantastic initiative that I’m 100% behind. Its mission is to promote reading for pleasure to kids around the world, saying that it’s ‘the single biggest indicator of a child’s future success – more than their family circumstances, their parents’ educational background or their income’.

I completely agree with this and I believe it’s important to start reading to your child as early as possible. While it may feel a bit silly to read aloud to a 4-month-old who isn’t understanding a word you’re saying, it gets you in the habit of doing it for when your child is older. Plus, their brain is already developing the fundamentals of language before they can even speak. The more words they hear, the more words they’ll ultimately start to learn.

Reading has always been a massive part of my life and I want the same for Noah. I vividly remember when I was first learning to properly read, lying in bed with a Biff, Chip and Kipper book and suddenly realising that I understood the words. When a child finally learns to read, it opens up a whole new magical world for them. Until then, parents should take the time to read to their kids. We do with Noah, and while it may not seem like he’s always listening, he’s definitely still taking in the words (and he’s getting pretty good at words too, as I wrote about in this post).

As the years rolled by, I’d be that kid who tried to read with a light under his covers, frantically turning it off when I heard one of my parents coming upstairs. I fell in love with the worlds on the page. They allowed my imagination to run wild while also teaching me a hell of a lot about life. I was always baffled when a friend would say to me that they never read books, other than what they had to for school. Reading for pleasure was a foreign concept when TV and video games existed, and I imagine that maybe their parents didn’t read to them much as a child. While I love TV and video games things too, one of my favourite parts of the day was climbing in bed with a good book at night – and still is – even if it cost me a couple of hours of sleep.

To help Noah develop a love for books, we’ve made sure that our house is filled with books. We’ve got three bookcases upstairs and a bookcase downstairs, which is a feat considering that we don’t live in a large house. One of the bookcases is a smaller one in Noah’s room, and it’s now rammed full of books. Some of the books may be for kids a few years older than him, but we’re planning ahead. Just look at him getting a book from it here:

Whenever he goes into his bedroom, he’ll always run over and grab a book off the shelf (ok, usually more than one!). He’ll then flick through it to look at all the pictures, and we’ll read it to him on the floor or when he’s in his cot.

When the lockdown is over and our local library opens to visitors again, I can’t wait to take Noah there to browse through the children’s section. Hell, I can’t wait to go there just for myself. I love the library and regularly have around 4 or 5 books out at a time. It’s a great way to read without spending a fortune (which I end up doing anyway, as I still buy books) and also supports a valuable institution that should be a part of every community.

I’ll write more on libraries in the future, because I really want to stress how much we should support them. For now, remember to read to your kids. It will expand their minds and help them develop into a well-rounded, intelligent adult. Plus, you may just unlock a passion that will be with them for life, and you may just catch them reading a book instead of watching mindless YouTube videos of people unboxing toys.

My wife, Alexandra, also posted about World Book Day on her blog. You can read it here.

You can find out more about World Book Day 2021 over on the website.

I Have The Most Northern Child

Boy called Noah watching TV on the settee — Noah watching TV on the settee.

If there was ever any doubt that my child is growing up in Lancashire, you only have to listen to him. He’s still a month shy of turning two, but his words are now coming thick and fast. It feels like every day he comes out with a new word.

We use a series of flash cards with pictures on to help him learn new words, and I feel proud to say that I taught him the word ‘apple’ by doing this (he delights in repeating it over and over again whenever he sees an apple or a picture of one). He’s getting so good that he can say what each picture is for about 80% of them now. It’s fascinating to see a little human learn before your eyes.

With these words comes a maturing accent. Most of the words come out as little squeaks, but there is one thing he loves to say that sounds like a heavy Lancastrian accent. The Burnley form of it, of course.

Whenever we go to the childminders, we have to drive down a narrow country lane that’s riddled with potholes, which have only grown larger and deeper due to the couple of months of freezing days and snow we had. The car jumps up and down as we drive over these, and it’s in this moment he’s learned to say ‘alright’. He’s probably heard us say it to each other, but for some reason he always chooses this particular moment to say it.

But it doesn’t just come out as ‘alright’, it comes out as ‘ALRRRRRRIGGGGGGHT!’ in a heavy North West England accent.

It’s hilarious. I’ve started thinking about getting him a flat cap.

When he says it, he looks at us with a questioning look on his face, so it feels like he’s genuinely asking us if we are alright because the car is bumping up and down. We always answer that we are alright, and then repeat the word back at him, which he copies again. He knows we find it funny too, as he grins when he says it back again.

It’s these little moments that I’ll always remember. I’m endlessly fascinated by all the new things he learns, like it’s the most surprising thing in the world for a growing child to be developing and growing his own personality. Most people won’t care, as it’s the way humans should be developing. But for a parent these moments are pure magic, and it always makes me look forward to what’s to come.

As Noah would say:

‘ALRRRRRRIGGGGGGHT!’

My Current Obsession Is Craft Beer

I’m a big whiskey fan, but there’s two issues with this. One, trying lots of new whiskies is expensive, especially if you’re expecting quality (not that you can’t get decent whiskey for a low price, as there’s an Aldi one I particularly like *look it up in whiskey book*).

Two, there’s a time and a place for whiskey and it’s something I enjoy every now and again. I can’t, for example, drink a whiskey with my dinner. So, in lieu of loving whiskey I’ve been rediscovering my love for craft beer.

This is my current craft beer situation:

It was sparked by my wife signing me up for a free box of 8 craft beers from Beer52.com (we just paid for delivery). The box that was delivered had beers from Melbourne, Australia and it was exciting to try beers I would normally never come across.

By the way, the photo above isn’t including my next box from Beer52.com that’s due in a few days. I have so many right now as I’ve just received a crate of 24 I ordered from BeerHawk.com, who were running a deal of 24 cans for £24.

Marching On Through March

I’m not one for saying ‘new year, new me’ as I might be prone to slightly throw up in my mouth if I ever said that. But even if I did say it, I’d be a bit late to the party now that it’s March. Yet, I’m going to buck the trend and take this new month as a fresh start. I’ll just try not to use the words ‘new me’.

I’ve used the pandemic lockdown as an excuse for too long and I need to get off my arse. I’m not saying there’s anything wrong with using it as an excuse, because there’s not a lot of mental headspace left for becoming an Adonis or learning a new hobby like learning to juggle the cans of Spam that, let’s face it, seemed like a good idea to buy at the time but you’re never going to use. The past year has been tough for a huge amount of people, so who could blame us if we decided to just lounge on the sofa and watch Netflix? It’s part of the reason why Tiger King became so popular.

Watching TV and eating junk food is great, but it’s also a quick way to feel lethargic, put on weight and possibly even end up in an early grave. I don’t want to be one of those dads who can’t play with his kids because I’m out of breath after 5 minutes of running around the garden. Although I am getting older, so maybe that can be a little excuse (Alex says I’m already a grandad, but she’s also just turned 30 so I am feeling delighted that I can now call her grandma)!

So our plan is to hit at least 10,000 steps a day through March. Alex is also being sponsored to do it for Cancer Research UK. You can donate to her here.

I’m pleased to say the month has started well for me and Alex. We’ve been on three walks today, totalling 16,861 steps as I write this. The great thing is that we’ve managed to fit this around working too. We went out in the morning before work after Noah had been picked up by his grandma. We went out on our lunch break then ate lunch while we continued working. Finally, we walked up to Alex’s parents’ house to pick up Noah with an empty pram. After picking him up, we walked the long way home.

It’s not something that would have been possible if we’d not been working from home, so I know it’s not always going to be the case that we can do this. But I’m going to take advantage of this while I still can. Besides, getting out of the house and the small room I’m stuck in all day is both fantastic for my body and my mental health. It also helps that the weather is pretty great at the moment, if a little chilly.

After all this I know I earned the homemade crispy chilli beef we had tonight (it was delicious! You can try it for yourself by following the recipe Alex used from here). I’ll go to bed exhausted too, but it’s the kind of exhausted that’s been good for you.

It really is simple. Eat well, exercise, drink plenty of water and ensure you get enough sleep. It’s the motivation part that’s hard, but hopefully that will stick around as long as we get into the habit of doing this. We’ve done it before and can do it again.

Also, it means I won’t feel too bad when I do have the odd takeaway. Although I’d say that the crispy chili beef that Alex made tonight was way better than any crispy chili beef I’ve ever had from a Chinese takeaway.

Side note: I think this is the first time I’ve managed to post two days in a row on my website. I’m going to try and post more this month as I’m getting the writing bug back and it’s helping me take my mind off things.

UPDATE: Read how I’m getting on in my mid-month check-up here.