Maggie Pettigrew

Maggie’s Lockdown Story

‘On regular walks to the north end of Regents Park I was attracted to two ornate Victorian street lamps. Sitting on plinths the beautiful ironwork frames support the three circular glass bowls. I wanted to capture the solidity and stillness of these sculptural forms on a corner busy with traffic in normal times and now busy with lycra-clad cyclists and people jogging.

Lockdown has been a curious mixture of comfort and despair. I am lucky to live with family members in a house with a small garden. I experienced anxiety, however, at the thought that I couldn’t easily access a GP, the hospital, dentist or optician should I need them. I frequently experienced twinges and aches and had more time than usual to focus on them as my regular singing, painting and museum visits were impossible. Now that we are coming out to some extent I can feel the anxiety lifting.

I normally paint with the Highgate Watercolour Group. During lockdown we have agreed weekly topics for painting and sent these to two committee members who have posted them on our social media page. Having this target each week as well as online social contact with the group has been extremely helpful in providing structure to my week.

Covid-19 has made me check museum and gallery websites but these are a poor replacement for visits to see actual works. The time spent at home and the slowing down, however, has given me more time to write. The events to celebrate the end of WW2 prompted me to write my experiences of growing up in post war Britain and I’ve shared these with a school friend and my children. I am also finally going through the letters my father wrote to my mother during the war and extracting sections of particular interest. Some of these relate to life in the RAF in North Africa and others to personal family history that I hadn’t previously understood completely, so some benefits.’

maggiepettigrew.jimdo.com