MAGGIE, TIM AND FAMILY
Maggie, a writer, and Tim, an optometrist, live in Palmers Green with their three children; Evie, eleven; Lola, eight and William, four.
“It’s been a time of reflection, a moment to concentrate on what matters and despite what’s going on in the world, a time of strange peace for us. That’s not to say we haven’t struggled with aspects of this and got on each other’s nerves – that happens on practically a daily basis! We’re both self-employed which feels quite precarious right now. Tim is off work so has taken on the main childcare, homeschooling and cooking duties while I work upstairs four days a week. It’s a major challenge for him to get the girls to sit down and study, especially with William, our rambunctious four year old in the mix. We learnt early on, you just can’t force it.
We’re keeping an eye on our 75 year-old next door neighbour Eleni, who has been self isolating for the past three months due to underlying health issues. Sadly, she’s lost a few friends to Covid-19. Although her family live nearby, she hasn’t been able to see them so we’ve been the only people she’s physically sees on a daily basis, albeit it over the garden wall.
Overall, it’s been a strangely life affirming time for us. I love not being in a crazy rush all the time; running to get out the door for school and work every morning and commuting into central London. We’ve enjoyed simple things: more walks in the woods, family bike rides on quiet roads and watching the robin nest in our garden. I love having the children near me all the time and eating every meal all together. Yes, we have good days and shouty days and times when we get bored but overall I’m feeling the love. This has taught me that it’s all about teamwork more than anything.”
