The Garden looked amazing bathed in warm sunshine it had been pruned, weeded mowed more in a few short weeks than any previous years.

Roses in full bloom delivered on scent, the hum of the happy insects going about their days and the seeds purchased in March were revealing themselves to the earth.

And within the safety of our nests we scurried about our lives secretly enjoying the time while guiltily remembering the drama that was unfolding.

The air was consumed with the smells of midsummer although it was only May.

BBQ smells, lawns freshly moved, jet washes, crys, and screams of children on a trampoline and corks popping as surely it was 5pm somewhere in the world?

Almost normal but it wasn’t normal as we carried sadness in our hearts as we missed friends, family, spontaneous visitor’s, lazy lunches afternoon shopping with friends. Despite the glorious weather we missed being with people.

The sun beated down on what would normally be a busy street. Full of children screaming and laughing with delight cycling, scooting playing having fun yet it is silent and empty.

Then, quite unexpected one sunny afternoon without prior warning it started.

Music, loud uptempo happy fun music. Genre on Spotify definitely Mood booster or happy.

You see front doors opening, heads poking out of windows, balcony doors swinging open.

Confused faces, perplexed all thinking “where is it coming from?”

So for an hour every Saturday at 2pm we listened and enjoyed our mystery DJ. Some including myself moved chairs outside on our drives so we could listen and see our neighbours.

We never found out who played the music that filled our streets in lockdown. The mundane days suddenly had something else, something to set your alarm for. It added a touch of sparkle to those Saturday afternoons.

It wasn’t everyones choice of music but it lifted our spirits and helped us heal. When we were feeling sad, melancholy consumed mentally by Covid and how life was unrecognizable from before. It helped us forget.

And for that Mystery DJ I thank you.

The pandemic was a very strange frightening time. For me, it was the first time in my life I felt I had lost my freedom. Not being able to see family and friends was so hard for everyone. For me, my mum had Covid very early in the pandemic and the sheer panic I felt I will never forget.

I wrote lots during that time to help process my thoughts and never forget how it was.

Once again thank you for taking the time to read. I hope you enjoyed it. X