Mum will understand | 1001 Stories

#86 Pete Mum will understand

Pete

A very sad day today: it would have been my mum’s ninetieth birthday. A milestone. I would have loved to have celebrated with her, but cancer had other plans for Doris, and it took her, back in 2009. My usual trip to Harewood cemetery is cancelled because of back pain. I can barely stand. Mum will understand, as she suffered for years with back trouble.

I feel the loss often, as I’m sure many do, when you get the reminders that people you loved are no longer in your life. Birthdays, Christmas – the usual times when you want to celebrate with family. So you surround yourself with reminders, photographs, objects. I still have a couple of my mum’s paintings.

Precis

From the beginning of May 2020, the UK government began easing the restrictions around lockdown, and people began cautiously opening their doors and venturing back out onto the streets and into open spaces. There was still much confusion about how safe it was to do this, with wildly differing views from both government spokespeople, the scientists – and the people themselves. In some ways, this was a more stressful time than the previous lockdown. In the following extracts, company members reflect on these changing days, with 31 days recorded, spanning May and June. Edited by Barney Bardsley

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#86 Pete Mum will understand

Precis