Well done!

This is not a good photo, well it’s actually rather bad, and I know I should find out how to take screen photos (and maybe clean the laptop screen anyway!), but this photo, for all its faults, so captures the spirit of what we as a family have been doing every Sunday afternoon, during the period of lockdown, that it has to be my blip. 

Every Sunday our younger daughter invites us to a Zoom meeting. And we all arrive - the joy of appearing on screen one or two at a time is wonderful. For example, this afternoon we were there, but the youngest granddaughter was the only one of the Kent group to arrive - they do have two laptops to set up. So Ella sat there on her own and said: ‘Now what shall we chat about until everyone is ready’ - priceless.

Today we had a Zoom version of Taboo, where one of the team had to guess a word based on clues given by the other whilst avoiding given words. It was taken very seriously and was hilarious at the same time. This photo is of the two who were running the game - Alice the oldest did a great job of presenting the words and keeping us all in check, whilst Ella the youngest kept the scores. Here she is claiming centre stage as she announces the winners - the first time grandma and granddad have come first. (Stripes or spots were the dress code for today)

These sessions have been a wonderful family get together into which the three girls have entered wholeheartedly. Because of the distance between us, and the age of the girls, we are used to not actually meeting up very often, so in fact these sessions have kept us closer in touch than normal. Now that’s a thought isn’t it. Possibly aligning with people saying they now know who their neighbours are. Are we so busy with our own lives that this slowing down is setting us new and better priorities.

And tonight was the end of Hay Digital - what a splendid event it has been. Enjoyed by thousands of people all over the world, it has given us ideas, inspiration and hope in the very strange world we live in. Well done to all concerned.