Hey there! Really long time no see. Networking drinks have taken a
big hit this year as we all went into lock down in March and group gatherings indoors, as well as use of public transport, are still no one’s favourite, high-risk
endeavour.
Like the rest of the
population, some members have been hit hard, whether in terms of physical or
mental health, financially, or emotionally. Loss of work, space/time, as well
as increased isolation all take their toll, even if you are relatively safe
from virus. I’m already at least two virus scares and one test, (negative), in
and we’ve a long road to go before we can safely claim to be out of the woods.
Like many, I went into full
retreat at the start of the lock down, with illness, and have only very
gradually begun to emerge. As a script consultant and screenwriter, I’ve been
lucky to be able to gradually get back to working from home, providing online
meetings, reports and story development, alongside home school and childcare. I managed
to get my thriller pitch in for the Red Planet Prize and was delighted to get to the
final 4% (top 50) of 1,280 entries, competing to develop a series for ITV.
Sometimes the best way to deal
with the anxiety amidst rising danger is to switch off from social
media and not engage too much with the news. I've been pretty absent out there. 
With the extra time at home I’ve made
new forays into exercise, gardening, home organisation, décor and DIY (trying to fix a kitchen tap with guidance over video call, no easy feat), cooking (the same meal miles apart), hair experiments, home lattes, Warhammer and chess, family film quiz. For a
while I was practically living on a popular video calling app, as a lifeline to
loved ones far away. 
There’ve been darker times and humour, new perspectives,
and experience. I’m very lucky to have a garden, but the impact of our world
narrowing down to one little isolated box away from some of our closest loved
ones, without enough hope of it changing soon, is not to be underestimated.
It was momentous in June when I was first reunited with my partner after months, or able to
get out of the local area and into the countryside for a day.
It’s meant a lot as I start to
see more of friends and family and even look forward to a holiday perhaps. We
may be back in lock down again at some point, so good to appreciate any freedoms
while we have them.
On that note, In Development will stay on ice for August. But
all being well, we'll be back, at least in some form, in September. If it’s
possible to gather in person we will, or if not then an online gathering to
chat about what we’ve been up to and how projects are progressing.
In the
meantime, please do email with a photo from your lock down life and any
thoughts you’d like to share, and I can post again in September. Stay safe out
there In Devvers. Sarah x
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