Maggie Clayton: Keeping a lockdown diary helps us note what we miss – and how we are blessed

It’s reassuring to discover how many of you have been putting pen to paper every day, trying to make sense of these troubling times.

So, rather than just writing about my own thoughts and fears, this week I’d like to share excerpts from our readers’ lockdown diaries.

They speak of courage in the face of a cruel virus and the strength of spirit which motivates us all.

Janette Niven hates being separated from her family, but video-calling has come to the rescue.

She writes: “This is the first year I haven’t had a Mother’s Day tea party for in 42 years. Jenny, who lives in Worthing, sent me a lovely card and some crocheted coasters, and she FaceTimed me. The kids are so excited we can hardly get a word in!

“Lynsey is in isolation because of her asthma so she FaceTimed, too, which was lovely.”

Janette’s diary entry for Easter Sunday shows a resolve to carry on as normal: “Went to church online. Nice service. Went for a walk round the estate and bought The Sunday Post.

“I spoke to Dorothy over the back fence. Her son has finished his doctor training but no celebration or graduation. A shame after all that work.

“Sat out in the garden. Watched Made In Dagenham.

“I am over 70 so will do the SOCIAL distancing.”

Geraldine Jolliffe is another who has caught the writing bug.

“I have been keeping a daily diary since March 16,” says Geraldine.

“I worry it’s not interesting, just things like going for a walk to buy a paper or a weekly shop.

“I’m 67 and I do some crafting, just trying to keep myself busy.”

Margaret Gibb, a contributor to The Sunday Post’s Email Jury, has been adding to the journal she has kept for decades.

“This has been a very strange time but, in some respects, I have enjoyed it,” writes Margaret.

“Life seems to have slowed down. I have cleaned cupboards, dusted those corners that are usually avoided, caught up with washing and ironing.

“However, I have also filled bags for charity shops. Read books I’ve been meaning to get around to for years. Watched old films and enjoyed old series of Hamish Macbeth, and laughed at Billy Connolly.

“I’ve sorted photographs out, writing names on the backs of old family photos so my children will know their ancestors.

“I’ve made phone calls and reconnected with people.”

Like so many of us, Margaret is worried about family members working on the frontline.

“My niece, a nurse, had Covid-19. She was quite ill but didn’t need hospital treatment and recovered. Thank God for our NHS.

“My grandchildren are safe and well. The youngest, Ellen, is four and I miss her cuddles so much.

“I tell my children I spent the first year of my life fighting a virus (paralytic polio in 1950) and I have no intention spending the last years of my life fighting a virus, so I have observed all the rules to keep me safe and well, I hope, for many years.

“My generation has been lucky. I have lived 70 years but never had to experience war as previous generations did. This virus has shown us just how well our own younger generation can cope with adversity.”

I couldn’t agree more, Margaret. Take care, everyone, and please keep writing those diaries.

Are you keeping a corona diary, like Maggie? Tell us about your experiences in lockdown. Email ps@sundaypost.com.