Things I’ve Learnt in Lockdown

Three things I’ve learnt in lockdown in Forest Hill:
Nobody tells their dogs to shut up
Or their kids
Nobody obeys the speed limit

The pavement is for cycling

People think it’s acceptable to spit on the street - disgusting pre lockdown , baffles me post , it blows my mind people can be so vile and inconsiderate.
To balance out the negative- the community really came together to help the vulnerable.

Actually the pavement is for driving.

Are we going to have another go at cyclists? During lockdown I learned that the Lewisham food bank needed volunteers to deliver food and have now done a couple of hours a week for the last month on our bikes with a lovely group of young lads. We don’t cycle on the pavement, we deliver food to needy people instead of making random generalisations.

No, it is open season, no sacred cows.

It is great when residential roads are residential and not filled with the pollution of non-residents cars.

Schools are probably one of the biggest sources of pollution in the borough. Not the schools themselves but the parents and teachers driving to them. It would be good if schools did more than just virtue signal with letters to the Department of the Environment calling on the government to reduce pollution, why don’t the kids write to the teachers and parents and ask them to do something a bit more personal which would make a difference locally.

I often can forgive the teachers, if they have to transport books full of marking from home (I’m not sure what kids use in this computer world)
Kids have no excuse - until their free bus pass disappears this month

Things I have learned.
People are amazingly generous with their time, energy and money.
Most people are actually kind and will do nice things for strangers.
The local community is self organising and can do amazing things to help each other.
Many people (inc me) prefer the peace and quiet rather than the hustle and bustle.
Supporting local business is important and we are lucky here to have so many good ones around here.
My computer chair is uncomfortable and my arse goes to sleep after 4 hours working.
Air quality is better and cycling so much more enjoyable - glad to see so many more taking it up.
Some of the lowest paid workers are the most important.
How to fix a stuck tap.
I don’t need to be near people to be close to them - I have spent more time with some old buddies online and I don’t know why I didn’t before
There are many other things of course - some bad but I also hope that if there is one thing to come out of this is that most people don’t just want to go back to a carbon copy of pre covid life. People seem optimistic that there are better ways of living individually and as a society. I know it has firmly cemented my desire to live a different sort of life - unfortunately it wont be in Forest Hill.

Some lovely points above which I agree with, but I think we also learnt that the NHS is stronger and far more resiliant than we first imagined, and that the NHS and all its staff have a lot of support and respect from the people of Britain.

My sons school give scooter safety lessons for this reason and they give awards to children that walk/cycle to school.

@Foresthillnick - the peace, quiet and air quality was nice - but it is pretty much back to normal now.

If your arse is falling asleep - remember to take breaks - it won’t do you eyes or back any good either

After 25 years of IT work I fear my eyes, back and nether regions are all past their best. Another reason for a change of lifestyle for me! The noise seems to be down a bit - less planes I guess but traffic has increased back to near normal levels…

Things I’ve learnt

• my local community is actually a community (rather than just an agglomeration of housing) that comes together in a crisis…
• …but there are always a few inconsiderate a**holes who at times make you despair of humanity
• there is an amazing diversity of wildlife lurking around in local gardens and green spaces if you take the time to look out for it
• Polish is a really, REALLY hard language to learn from scratch

No more long weeks or working Saturdays. I started a job in Wimbledon this Monday and walked half way through Tuesday after the foreman told me that the hours were 8 - 6 with one half hour break. Just picked my tools up and left. Also, once the dust has settled and I’ve bought a car I’m looking to move further out towards the greener pastures of north Kent/M25 corridor.