I finally got Covid! It’s true- my daughter brought it home from school and infected the whole family over Christmas. One person landed in hospital- but was luckily discharged a week later.

It was still a great Christmas, but things got tight. Daily Ubers to the hospital started to add up. I didn’t want to get Covid a second time (it actually IS as bad as everyone says it is) so avoiding public transport was a must. Panic buying of fuzzy slippers, onesies, no-touch super gun thermometers and anything else even moderately advertised to bring one comfort was purchased (in addition to the regular Santa haul necessary for Dec 25th). And last, but not least the loss of taste resulted in buying uncalculated amounts of spices and salt which, (regardless of the heaping amounts administered) did not ameliorate the fact that every meal still tasted like I was eating an ugly Christmas sweater soaked in water. . . my kids noted no difference from regular meals and I still refuse to react to that feedback.

Thank goodness it was ONLY 2 weeks and thank goodness for the small perks at work that helped to balance the budget when the unexpected happened.

1) Thank you boss for the grocery discount vouchers- I used them on the extra salt and spices!

2) Thank you boss for the plethora of shopping discount vouchers- with over 2,000 brands to chose from- we really did buy the softest slippers and the plushest blankets to wrap up in during our family Covid time.

3) Thank you boss for the bike to work scheme- after a round trip £20 Uber ride to go to the hospital, I got very smart very quickly and realised if I can bike to work, I can bike to the hospital- and that is even SAFER than an Uber- especially since there are no cars on the road!

Honestly, I sincerely hope you do not get covid, but if you do I sincerely hope your boss has put in place a benefits package that can help you like it helped me, because every little bit helps-