Lynne’s Column

Lynne lives in Colinton with her husband and two children. She dreams of being a freelance writer when she grows up but mostly just avoids growing up! For this lockdown issue of Konect, she muses on how her local community in Colinton is coping and what it has taught her about herself.

Last month I quoted one of my Mum’s old sayings “Stop the world, I want to get off!” little realising that, just a couple of weeks later, it would feel as though that had indeed happened.

These are the most extraordinary days that many of us have ever known - the generations who have not had to endure war, who have not realised until now how lucky we are to have had freedom and choices and abundance.

For those of us fortunate enough not to have been directly affected by coronavirus there have been feelings of disbelief, of helplessness, of fear and anxiety. But through those feelings there has also shone a beacon of hope as people have learned to adjust to the “new normal” and do what they can to help themselves, and others, through these difficult times.

Local businesses have risen to the challenges, offering takeaway menus and delivery services. Fitness instructors are running online classes and we even have a local pub blog to keep regular customers in contact.

Volunteer groups have been set up, facilitated greatly by the power of social media. Fliers with contact phone numbers have been posted through doors and WhatsApp groups have been created for individual streets where people can share information and offer or ask for help. Rainbows have been painted on windows – an activity designed to spread hope and raise spirits. The community spirit embodied by the now weekly “Clap for carers” at 8pm on Thursdays has inspired other creative ways to bring people together when we need it the most. An extremely talented local friend has been entertaining us with hand illustrated quizzes and amazing paintings on her windows. Another amazing neighbour played live music from his garden on Saturday afternoon whilst local people listened from their own gardens and windows.

In addition to the practical help on offer, our social media groups are full of humour, uplifting images and messages My old school chums have set up weekly Zoom “conference calls” where we can sit together in our own homes and chat and laugh over a glass of wine. Staying in, after all, is the new going out. I

realise that I am extremely fortunate in ways I have undoubtedly taken for granted in the past. Both my husband and I have jobs that enable us to work from home and we live in an area of outstanding beauty with an amazing neighbourhood who have rallied round to buoy each other up and make sure no-one is left out. Friends and neighbours are sharing their talents and gifts and lighthearted humour within our social community which helps us all to feel that there is a light at the end of this tunnel. The technology that I sometimes curse has become so vital to keep us all connected.

“it turns out lack of time wasn’t what was preventing me from cleaning and tidying my house”

I have learnt a thing or two about myself during lockdown. I have learnt that I tend to start things with great enthusiasm but tail off towards the end, adding them to my fairly lengthy list of “ongoing projects” (maybe I’ll finish those knitted bunnies in time for next Easter…). I have learnt, after fervently agreeing with a funny meme I spotted on Facebook, that it turns out lack of time wasn’t what was preventing me from cleaning and tidying my house. And I have learnt that, whilst I will never make it onto Masterchef (unlike my friend’s talented husband whose appearance on TV was a highlight of the early lockdown days!), I think I could have a decent crack at Ready, Steady Cook with my arsenal of three ingredient recipes. Corned beef hash followed by Nutella brownies for dinner? Preceded by soup made from absolutely anything that was lying in the fridge?

Despite the ongoing challenges that the world is currently facing, flowers still bloom, birds still sing, the sun rises and sets each day and new life is constantly entering the world. The world has not stopped but it has ceased all nonessential activities and forced us to do the same.

I hope that when we emerge from this tunnel we will remember the unsung heroes who have kept the world turning for us – the NHS, the carers, the shop workers, the delivery drivers, the postal workers, the researchers, the refuse collectors. I hope we will remember how we can unite when the going gets tough. And I hope we will remember the lessons we’re learning every day and face the world with a renewed enthusiasm and optimism.

The Colinton Tunnel. “I think it embodies everything we feel right now ”

Lynne Arnott