The third week of confinement in Normandy was filled with a few more ups and downs than the previous two weeks…which I think is completely normal all things considered. There was a definite shift from feeling like we were temporarily in Normandy to a longer lasting situation. I’ve learned that now more than ever I thrive on routines and a little bit of alone time.
I don’t have many new things to report from week three since we can’t leave the house. We experience both unique frustrations and joys associated with our intergenerational living situation daily. I’m thankful for sweet Dalton, the 11-year-old golden retriever, even though he serves as an unwanted alarm clock every morning.
It’s starting to sink in for everyone in the house that we’re kind of stuck. When it’s time to go to the grocery store everyone quickly volunteers just to get out of the house.
Whenever I feel like complaining about the situation here, I have to stop myself. I can’t imagine how exponentially more difficult the confinement would be in Paris. I love my apartment, but it’s tiny. Staring at the exact same thing day after day would get old very quickly. We’re lucky to have space in the house and places to go in the garden to spread out in Normandy.
We’ve talked a lot as a group how much more we’re appreciating simple things. We’ve also talked a lot about how much less we really need. In week three we continued to have lots of sunshine and blue sky, which is not typical for Normandy this time of year. I’m taking advantage of the weather with daily walks and runs. My favorite kind of cherry blossoms are blooming in the garden and it’s been so fun to watch the changes day to day. Being together “à table” for lunch and dinner continues to anchor our days.
One of my favorite things to do here is cook. We’ve been making foods at home that I would’ve never attempted otherwise. So far our list includes butter tortillas, brioche buns, BBQ sauce, and caesar dressing among others.
The big homemade meal of confinement week three in Normandy was pizza from scratch. It was surprisingly good given that homemade pizzas are usually a let down. The difference was taking our time with the dough and using all fresh ingredients to top the pizzas. It was such a big hit that Romain is now going to try to make a pizza oven. Will report back.
I think the key to getting through the confinement is remembering that everyone is going to have difficult moments and days, and that’s just part of the deal. We’re all just doing the best we can!