Objects that have sustained us during lockdown:

Gina (aged 9): art set. My art has kept me entertained and helped me be creative.
Frank (aged 13): Nintendo Switch. I use this to play video games and communicate with friends.

Donna: A bike lock. I don’t normally cycle as I’m scared on roads, but streets have been so quiet, and I’ve discovered parts of Hackney I’ve never been to before.

We’ve all been busy – Gina and Frank home-schooling and Donna juggling home-schooling, work and endless cooking, cleaning and washing. Gina feels she’s not learning as much at home as she can’t put her hand up and ask for help. Frank agrees. He finds learning online much harder without a teacher. Donna’s working remotely via virtual meetings that don’t depend on face-to-face contact. 

We’ve all missed seeing family and friends – Gina Facetimes both her grandmas every day. She misses not being able to hug people. She thinks, but isn’t quite sure, that they’ve had more arguments than usual. Sometimes Frank’s felt like screaming at the wall, but Donna thinks that’s because of living at such close quarters all day long and that they’ve become closer as a family.