Oxted Town Re-Opens

As we emerge from lockdown to a different world to the one we left in March we can begin to enjoy freedom again.

In June I took a trip into Oxted town to take a few photographs to see how the town was looking during lockdown and to see the construction progress at the former gas holder site Courtyard Gardens from different viewpoints around the town.

The last time I was able to go onsite to take progress photographs was in February, a link to my blog from then can be found here. I think you’ll agree it is going up very fast! I don’t know when I will be given access to photograph onsite again as only essential workers are currently granted the right to do so.

Above photographs of Courtyard Gardens from various viewpoints around the town in June 2020.

On July 4th hair salons and barbers were given government permission to open their doors to start trading again following strict guidelines to avoid the spread of coronavirus. I wanted to record this moment for posterity and to see how the town was waking up after closing in March.

Above photographs of the re-opening of hair salons, barbers and other shops in Oxted town on July 4th 2020 to mark this moment in time.

Hopefully, it won’t be too long before I’m given permission to resume my site visits at Courtyards Gardens to bring you up to date photographs of the development.

To read other previous blogs these can be found on the ‘Featured’ blogs below by using the arrows on the right to scroll through the past 30 blogs.

Thanks for reading

Stella

Lockdown In Oxted Town

Now that I have settled into lockdown I find myself in some kind of surreal routine – combining daily exercise, work and virtual social life, I am feeling institutionalised.

A couple of weeks ago I ventured into the local town of Oxted where I once had my studio to take a few photographs.

I hadn’t been to town for over six weeks because of being abroad and lockdown. I decided to take the half-hour walk as part of my daily exercise to take photographs to document the effects of coronavirus on the high street so I could look back on them in years to come.

It wasn’t until I arrived on the high street that the full impact of the pandemic hit home – it felt like I was on a desolate film set and the director was going to shout – ‘lights, camera, action’ and the actors would start performing, but no this was real life, there was no one around and no traffic. The shops all had notices to say they had temporarily closed, some windows were covered from the inside, the restaurant tables weren’t set for diners and coffee shops in darkness.

I had been living in a bubble, even though I had watched the news bulletins, somehow it wasn’t until now the reality hit home – our lives won’t ever be the same again.

I’d like to share with you some of my observations, I’m sure one day I’ll reflect on this time as if it were a dream.

In the meantime, lockdown continues with a few relaxed rules meaning we can venture out for more exercise, go back to work by keeping to the 2-metre social distancing rule and even meet up with one other person outside of our home in a park. Weddings, events and overseas travel continue to be off-limits for the foreseeable future!

Keep well and stay safe!

Stella

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To read other previous blogs these can be found on the ‘Featured’ blogs below by using the arrows on the right to scroll through the past 30 blogs.

Life During Lockdown by Stella Scordellis

I do hope this finds you and your family well during these unprecedented times in week four of lockdown. I don’t know about you but I'm finding isolation is making me resourceful and grateful for so many things I took for granted, especially my freedom and health.

Having returned back to the UK from overseas mid-March, a couple of days later I went down with the virus that knocked me back for the best part of two weeks. I thought I had sinusitis and dismissed it as such, but the extreme fatigue and drastic weight loss made me think otherwise, as well as the loss of smell and taste, which still haven’t returned! I’m one of the lucky ones because I didn’t experience any coughing or breathing difficulties and have made a good recovery. Each day I am posting my recovery symptoms on the Covid-19 app - along with nearly two and a half million others - so the information can be used to gather data to understand more about how CV19 affects different people. I have heard of many others who have had the same symptoms as mine and are making a good recovery too.

Along with the majority of the UK population as per the Government regulations, I’m not able to continue with my work for now and the foreseeable future ( I miss it so much), which is teaching me how to use my time otherwise. My three adult children have virtually flown the nest, leaving my twenty-something son living with me; he continues to work full time within the IT industry from the dining room, which seems to be working fine for now. He is good company, well so far anyway!

I am working on different ways of communicating with you and will be writing a blog shortly about my public speaking presentations via Zoom to enlighten and entertain you during lockdown, I have trialled it with friends and the feedback good, I enjoyed it too!

Lockdown is teaching me new things, such as — meditation, how to enjoy the sound of the dawn chorus, how to slow down and do one thing at a time (that’s a hard one) and learning new words like furloughed. As time goes on I may learn to improve my spoken Greek, watch Netflix and so much more!

I look forward to 8pm on a Thursday evening to join the clapping of a united nation in recognition of our NHS and all the carers and frontline workers; I get to see and connect with my neighbours for a few brief emotional moments.

To pass the time of day I have been gardening, tidying drawers and cupboards and doing all the household jobs that I kept putting off before lockdown, like everyone else I expect! During my daily outdoor exercise allowance I have taken a few photographs around the neighbourhood to satisfy my curiosity and creativity of our current day lives, it felt very surreal, like I was working on a fictitious commission of some sort.

Anyway, here they are below, as time goes by and I venture out to the supermarket I’ll capture other images showing life as we now know it and will share them with you on my next ‘Life During Lockdown’ blog next month.

Thank you to all you lovely people out there who are continuing to go out to work to maintain our basic needs so we can enjoy good food and nourishment. I know this involves a whole string of people, from food producers to the check-out people on the tills; the refuse collectors, the postmen and women, the delivery drivers but most importantly the front line workers at the NHS and everyone else involved working in the hospitals and care homes up and down the country. THANK YOU!

From past experiences I have learnt that disruption and storms are processes that teach us different ways of thinking and being. By clearing the mind of beliefs and challenges that are no longer of any use to us, making way for fresh clear air, new positive appreciations and most importantly a sharper sense of who you are, your values and a determination to create the life that is right for you.

We have to learn from the lessons we are now being taught and to be thankful for the opportunity to use this time wisely for the greater good.

Children around the world and in the UK are creating pictures of rainbows and sticking them in their windows and outside their homes to signify the importance of staying positive. This one is from outside a local children’s home, isn’t it lovely!

Last but by no means least, my sympathies to those of you who have lost loved ones to this dreadful disease.

Till next time, Stay Safe and Stay Well!

To read other previous blogs these can be found on the ‘Featured’ blogs below by using the arrows on the right to scroll through the past 30 blogs.

Stella