This is part of my year in review. Writing one post will make it too long, so I’m breaking each month into a separate post. This is the latest instalment.

For the first month of lockdown, my April was surprisingly busy. I delivered two training courses virtually. I was also on social media and the news apps quite a lot trying to get a handle on what was happening around the world. This is what I saw:

• The corona memes and humour started.
• There were tons of videos of how to make home-made fabric masks.
• Many people making banana bread and sharing recipes and photos.
• Zoom security flaws uncovered and fixed.
• Online ads for desks, office chairs, laptop stands and computer monitors dominated.
• In South Africa every online shop began selling groceries (we had a strict lockdown level 5 and people were only allowed to leave home for groceries, medical assistance or to go to work). This helped lessen the queues outside supermarkets. For the first time ever I was able to email a grocery list to the local Spar and they delivered within 24-hours. These were the early days; now grocery deliveries arrive on the same day, depending which retailer you order it from.
• Parents juggling working from home and homeschooling their kids.
• Not knowing what day of the week it is.

Closer to home, my family:

• Shared recipes and photos of our baked goods. We baked a lot more than usual.
• Took selfies with our pets.
• I shared many selfies with my cats – they were in their element having their humans home the whole day every day.
• I set up my home office – I already worked from home but never needed a background that I felt proud of showing paying clients on Zoom. My dual-core laptop doesn’t do virtual backgrounds.

  

• I cooked a lot – no travel, more time to cook.
• More Zoom calls with family, friends and virtual drinks with co-workers.
• Lots of deliveries so lots of photos of cats in boxes.

• Coffee and lunch breaks in the garden with the cats.
• Easter and baking but no family together time just a Zoom call.
• Played around on Procreate and created a portrait of myself (with YouTube help of course).
• BC cat, who sleeps in my office, decided that he would sleep the day away on my lap while I work; his silhouette and occasionally his rear-end have made an appearance in front of paying clients. Nermal cat has much more decorum.

• The last of the summer-beginning-of-autumn rains and hail ahead of the dry winter.
• And last but not least – work! I’m blessed to be able to do my job from home.

This is it for April. See you in May.