Articles

Well - who could have known, mid-March 2020, what was immediately in front of us all? Weeks of lockdown, shielding, self-isolation and all the following implications?

Stephen and Barbara are a delightful couple who have lived in Kibworth for over 30 years although neither of them was born here.

To help keep us safe, the government has announced that councils should be creating new cycle ways and wider pavements for physical distancing. We need your help to identify where these are most needed.

After we closed our doors on 18 March you may think we haven’t been doing anything at all in the library, but we have been so busy!

Given the amount of planning and anticipation we had for future events, it was with great sadness that the Village Hall has had to close its doors due to Government advice. That marked the end of the free VE Day lunch we were planning to host for the over 75’s, along with several Community Cinema screenings. It has also meant the cancellation of the Pre-School, Dance classes, Martial arts, Yoga, Pilates, the Kibworth Chronicle lay-up and numerous other events and societies who use the Village Hall on a regular basis. We sincerely hope that everyone involved in these organisations is keeping safe during this difficult and challenging time.

These are strange and scary times as the COVID-19 pandemic grips the planet. As of yesterday, the UK is in lockdown. This means that nobody is allowed to leave their homes except to shop for food and medicines, to care for a vulnerable person, to exercise once a day or to go to work only if it isn’t possible to work from home. Prior to that, we were asked to carry out social distancing, a minimum of 2m from another person, with a ban on all gatherings. This pandemic is merciless, nobody could ever have imagined anything so frightening could happen in our lifetimes. The schools and universities closed last week for the majority of pupils, it’s highly unlikely any of them will return for a summer term, and exams have been cancelled.

At the beginning of Lockdown, when schools were issuing guidance to parents about how to organise home schooling during the forthcoming weeks, my son and daughter in law prepared a timetable for the children’s daily activities. This included traditional learning, reading, maths, writing practice etc but also some more creative and diverting sessions such as painting and physical exercises. I knew the parents would be under pressure as they were both trying to work from home (one part-time and the other full-time) as well as home schooling, so I asked if I could help with any of the activities. After having my arm practically pulled off, I agreed to do a “Storytime” session via Facebook for half an hour every weekday in the 3 to 3.30pm slot.

Every year as we reach the end of May, and June is fast approaching, I recall my primary school days and my best friend’s sister who was called June. Her brother would tease his sister by singing “June is bustin’ out all over” from the musical Carousel whenever his sister appeared in a new outfit. He was usually chased out of the house but escaped in the garden.

At the beginning of Lockdown, when schools were issuing guidance to parents about how to organise home schooling during the forthcoming weeks, my son and daughter in law prepared a timetable for the children’s daily activities. This included traditional learning, reading, maths, writing practice etc but also some more creative and diverting sessions such as painting and physical exercises. I knew the parents would be under pressure as they were both trying to work from home (one part-time and the other full-time) as well as home schooling, so I asked if I could help with any of the activities. After having my arm practically pulled off, I agreed to do a “Storytime” session via Facebook for half an hour every weekday in the 3 to 3.30pm slot.

I have been monitoring the water level in a deep well in my garden in Smeeton Westerby and would like to compare my results with local daily rainfall data. Do you know if there is anyone in the Kibworth area who may have local rainfall data?