Balcony Blog #3 - Jean
Jean, 83, lives on the Trowbridge Estate. We find out how she’s coping with the latest lockdown, and about her hopes for the future of Hackney Wick.
“This is a different kind of lockdown from the first.
Everyone’s getting tired. You begin to lose your hope.”
What can you see from your door?
There’s not much of a view from my door. I can see the alleyway and the other houses on Trowbridge. The little pear tree in front has just about lost all its leaves and winter is here.
What does your day look like?
I’ve done lots of puzzles. This is a different kind of lockdown from the first. I suppose we are getting used to staying in. It’s not so bad because this time I’m allowed to go outdoors but worse because it’s winter. Everyone’s getting tired and you begin to lose your hope.
What are your worries?
I worry about shopping and getting the MOT done on my car because I couldn’t get it into the garage. I didn’t know what to do.
Sometimes I worry that I can’t manage here by myself. I am a very independent person. I don’t like to ask for help. I’m used to having everything sorted out myself.
I’ve got arthritis which means the pain never really goes away and vertigo which makes you feel like you’re going to fall over all the time (and I do pretty often).
What are you missing from the old days?
I’d like a laugh! I miss feeling free to do what I want. But it was just as well that I didn’t get to see anyone because I looked like Cat Weazel with my hair all straggly until recently! I was so glad to get to the hairdressers.
On the day I was finally allowed out I was booked into the nail salon. Getting my nails done made me feel like myself again.
How are people coping these days?
To be honest, I don’t know how people are coping. It feels like we’ve all gone indoors and shut down. Since June, Catrina has come every week to do my shopping. I can rely on her. She’s lovely and has kept me going.
What's changed?
It has felt quieter round here and that has not always been a good thing. When you do talk to people it seems like there is only one thing to talk about. We keep asking each other how they are.
Good/bad - what are we going to lose when we go back?
A couple of weeks ago some volunteers came to clear up my garden. The weeds had taken over and I couldn’t manage it myself. I was delighted to get the garden tidied up. I felt like I was being looked after and really cared for.
That was lovely. I’d like to think that such kindness won’t stop.
What will community look like in Hackney Wick next summer?
I really hope that a vaccine works out and we can get back to normal but it feels like summer is a long way off.
This thing has taught us not to take anything for granted.
Being in pain so much has made me realise that you just take good health for granted. I think that this coronavirus has shaken people up and reminded us that it’s not always easy.
