A Nana in lockdown – tales from the garden pond

Joy Housham   Project Administrator

I am a Nana in lockdown and been given two new names by my four fabulous grandkids who I’m sadly not able to hug and squeeze.  Well not yet anyway.

Let me explain ‘Nana Newt’…..in the March days before we all had to stay home, the kids would come over to check on my garden pond action.  Annoyingly that all kicked off when they weren’t around to see it, so my lovely new iPhone captured plenty of an impressive mass spawning of at least 10 pairs of frogs….right there….in a teeming corner of the pond.  I was ecstatic and looked forward to the day the kids could come over and marvel at nature.  Then came lockdown 🙁

Tiny tadpoles en masse are fascinating but I’d remembered just how much the kids had loved feeling slippery newts in their hands last year – tadpoles are a bit weeny for that!  This year’s crop obliged and I was able to livestream me fishing out a couple of adult Lissotriton vulgaris (smooth newts to you and me!) and getting up close and personal, rolling them over to reveal their bright orange bellies.  Name number 1 was born.

Technology has revolutionised the way we communicate.  WhatsApp, Facetime, WeChat, Skype – so many options to choose from.  For my generation, this extended time spent away from grandchildren is emotionally challenging but would be infinitely worse without that virtual connection.  Yes, I do on occasion complain about how screen time has negatively intruded in on family life (wasn’t around in my day etc!) but during these crazy days, frankly it’s a lifesaver.

So name number two?  ‘Nana Soon’ as every time we say our virtual goodbyes, it’s punctuated with ‘I’ll hug and squeeze you soon’……..can’t wait 🙂

For more information on how we can help through lockdown and what we do please visit our www.ltl.org.uk or pop us an email training@ltl.org.uk