County Clare 2020:
A Day in My Life
Creative Writing Competition for children and teenagers
Shortlisted 13 to 15 category
County Clare 2020: A Day in My Life
by James Costello
Dear James,
Life is hard during lockdown. There are so many restrictions and rules. I can't see my friends, I can't go to sports, I can't even go to the local beach! And all we can do is stay at home.
I am spending a lot more time with my family now and I am even learning new things about each of them. I play with my younger siblings every day and we’re making the most of our time. I hope everything will be back to normal soon as I am starting to really miss my friends and sports. It feels so different now, I've changed my whole routine and the fact that I don't have to go to school is very different indeed. I’m trying to think of new things to do each day but by now it has become a bit boring. I do have a lot of time to think about myself and other things now and I am learning new things every day.
School work is different at home. It has its pros and cons. At home we have more time to get everything done but in school we get more attention from the teacher and we have all the resources for work. I’m getting everything done at home fine and I get work done every day.
I hope to be back to school soon but it's not looking promising. It's a good thing that we don’t miss anything by doing work at home. That way we won’t be behind in our subjects. Also it's good to be getting something to do. I was happy with my Easter Results and a lot of that work was from the work I was given during the break so I’m glad to have been able to get it all done.
As I said, I am learning a lot. I’m learning practical things like farming, but also how to get on better with my family. Also I have learned a lot about my family. My little sister Emily is now able to bake cakes and buns. Something I never knew she could do! Lockdown is a great opportunity to try new things and I am learning something new every day!
I am helping my father a lot more on the farm now. I have learned to drive the tractor during lockdown which was probably the highlight of my break! All the time we spend working together is a great time for bonding and my little brother, Sean, is learning his bit as well. We got new chickens for our farm as well. They are a great addition to us as eggs are in shortage at the moment. We had to assemble a chicken coup to make sure they don't get out. It was a long, hard day but we all ploughed through and now our chickens are safe and sound.
I think I will take a lot of memories from this time as it is a big change and very different living experiences for me and for a lot of people across the globe. I have done and learned things in lockdown that I might never have learned if we weren’t cocooning and all those skills will stick with me forever. I will be able to look back later on and actually be somewhat grateful that this all happened!
Hopefully everything will change soon and everyone will be happy again. But for the while we have to just hold on.
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