Description
On 22nd March 2020, when it became clear that a coronavirus (Covid-19) was spreading across the UK, my husband, Jack, and I went into lockdown, determined to remain shielding for as long as it took, not only to avoid falling foul of the virus ourselves but also being mindful that in order to overcome this curse, we all needed to respect the health and safety of everyone else. On 23rd March 2020 the Prime Minister, Boris Johnston, announced the first national lockdown in the UK, ordering people to 'stay at home.' Conscious that for a while we would be unable to meet with our friends, I wrote a short poem and tentatively emailed it to a number of the people with whom I wanted to stay in touch, asking whether they would like to be one of my 'Poetry Pals.' I explained my idea was that, in a light-hearted way, from time to time I would let them know how we were doing by sending short poems, which could embrace passing events. I was delighted to learn that my suggestion was well received! It didn't occur to me for a moment that I would be writing for 16 months. My background is in science and I had no knowledge of the rules of poetry writing. I just wrote whatever popped into my head as the days went on. In late April 2020, I watched an attractive snail climb the wall of our house and he (MacSnail) proved to be so popular that his experience of lockdown became a regular fantasy element within some of the poems. As the time progressed, I continually wondered when and how would be the right time to hang up my pen. I finally decided I would do so when the last stage of the Government's publicised roadmap out of lockdown was reached on 19th July 2021. A number of my friends suggested I publish the poems as a record of the time from the outset of the pandemic until the end of lockdown, as experienced by ordinary people. So here is the result. I hope that anyone who reads the poems enjoys them in the spirit in which they were written and that they will bring back positive memories and a reminder of the strength of our human spirit!
About the Author
Cathryn Sinclair was born and raised in Lancashire. After graduating from The University of St Andrews she went on to gain a DPhil in chemistry at Somerville College, Oxford. During this time, through her interest in jazz, she met her husband, Jack. An accomplished semi-professional New Orleans jazz clarinettist, Jack had been invited to join the University Jazz Band inasmuch as he was Printing Manager for the Oxford University Press. She worked in medical research, in the water industry and in the oil and petrochemical industry before setting up her own consultancy in people development and management. Cathryn is now retired and lives happily in Oxfordshire with her husband and two guinea pigs.
Reviews
A Lyrical Life in Lockdown, by Cathryn A Sinclair, BSc DPhil A Review A literary gem, offered up in poetry, of everyman's (and woman's) personal pandemic journey. This work by an insightful and questioning U.K. citizen is Bill Bryson-esque in style but done in well-metered rhythm and rhyme. Sinclair's background in science keeps her vignettes well-grounded and accurate while delving into our most personal close-ups with Covid. There is angst and humor, fear and elation, and even political context. The themes evolve with the science on the virus and our endemic personal and societal experiences. Her syntax and Queen's-English vocabulary alone are worth the read and the messages are ultimately a comfort if only to remind us that we were not alone and we survived. Her linguistic cleverness lends to sharing through reading aloud. Her introduction of MacSnail, a hard-shelled but soft-hearted garden transient provides additional perspective, even the prospect of romance in an anxious time. Sinclair's contemporaneous, consecutive anthology of "one-pagers" are individual delights, perfect for intermittent reading at the bedside, the coffee table or even the loo. Her compositions were dispatched as they were written to a small cluster of international friends and as the offerings accumulated over the last eighteen months, we were all of one mind-let's conspire to insist on publication! We won't be the only ones that are pleased. Robert R. Shreck, M.D. Emeritus Oncologist Mission: Cancer + Blood Des Moines, Iowa, USA
Book Information
ISBN 9781839758034
Author Cathryn A Sinclair
Format Paperback
Page Count 462
Imprint Grosvenor House Publishing Ltd
Publisher Grosvenor House Publishing Ltd
Weight(grams) 584g
Dimensions(mm) 216mm * 140mm * 27mm
About the Author
Cathryn Sinclair was born and raised in Lancashire. After graduating from The University of St Andrews she went on to gain a DPhil in chemistry at Somerville College, Oxford. During this time, through her interest in jazz, she met her husband, Jack. An accomplished semi-professional New Orleans jazz clarinettist, Jack had been invited to join the University Jazz Band inasmuch as he was Printing Manager for the Oxford University Press. She worked in medical research, in the water industry and in the oil and petrochemical industry before setting up her own consultancy in people development and management. Cathryn is now retired and lives happily in Oxfordshire with her husband and two guinea pigs.
Reviews
A Lyrical Life in Lockdown, by Cathryn A Sinclair, BSc DPhil A Review A literary gem, offered up in poetry, of everyman's (and woman's) personal pandemic journey. This work by an insightful and questioning U.K. citizen is Bill Bryson-esque in style but done in well-metered rhythm and rhyme. Sinclair's background in science keeps her vignettes well-grounded and accurate while delving into our most personal close-ups with Covid. There is angst and humor, fear and elation, and even political context. The themes evolve with the science on the virus and our endemic personal and societal experiences. Her syntax and Queen's-English vocabulary alone are worth the read and the messages are ultimately a comfort if only to remind us that we were not alone and we survived. Her linguistic cleverness lends to sharing through reading aloud. Her introduction of MacSnail, a hard-shelled but soft-hearted garden transient provides additional perspective, even the prospect of romance in an anxious time. Sinclair's contemporaneous, consecutive anthology of "one-pagers" are individual delights, perfect for intermittent reading at the bedside, the coffee table or even the loo. Her compositions were dispatched as they were written to a small cluster of international friends and as the offerings accumulated over the last eighteen months, we were all of one mind-let's conspire to insist on publication! We won't be the only ones that are pleased. Robert R. Shreck, M.D. Emeritus Oncologist Mission: Cancer + Blood Des Moines, Iowa, USA
Book Information
ISBN 9781839758034
Author Cathryn A Sinclair
Format Paperback
Page Count 462
Imprint Grosvenor House Publishing Ltd
Publisher Grosvenor House Publishing Ltd
Weight(grams) 584g
Dimensions(mm) 216mm * 140mm * 27mm
