You don’t need a lockdown to experience the rollercoaster ride that comes with relationships; the ups and downs are a fundamental part of it.
But with lockdown as the new reality, our usual tests of love have gone from a ride on the teacups to the Nemesis Inferno.
We were interested in finding out how all of you were getting on, so we called out to hear your stories.
We had a great response from Quidco members with plenty of stories telling tales of triumph and woe with lockdown and love. Here they are.
Over to Sheila to kick things off with this fabulous, poetic ode to lockdown love!
We were childhood sweethearts, been together for years and years;
Now we're locked together, there’s been laughter and there's been tears!
I can't say it's been easy, in fact it's been so very tough;
But we're managing it together, through the smooth and through the rough!
I think we've learnt patience, to listen to one another;
To give each other space and learn not to smother!
It's brought us closer together, so while it’s hard, it has been been fun;
And I now know why I picked him, and why he's my number one!
Shiela
Those lockdown pressures seem to have kicked things up a notch for Tanya.
My husband is a trucker so he’s still out working and is away from home all week. I'm working at home full-time with my two sons, aged 13 and 14. While he is out there avoiding the worst of the people who think social distancing doesn't apply to them, I sit at home working trying not to worry. It's tough enough on my own all week in normal times.
Ever since coronavirus has hit and we have the kids with us 24/7 at weekends, not only has every emotion been heightened but not having any space at all has turned us into naughty school kids having to sneak our time alone together.
There's a lot of negatives at the moment but the intensity of feeling between the two of us is off the scale right now! Making the most of it, although he's even more tired by Monday morning!
Tanya
This one is anonymous, and you can probably see why...
I’m working full-time, my other half is furloughed and our daughter is working from home. There was no intimacy prior to lockdown, and it’s reconfirmed that we shouldn’t be together. Life, in general, is no different to before lockdown.
Anonymous
Nikki won’t let lockdown stop her from writing the happy-ever-after ending to this fairytale!
When I was 17 I dated a guy for a few months, he was my first love. We hooked up again when we were 25 and rekindled our relationship, but then life took us separate ways. Fast forward 19 years and once again our worlds collided. But, just as we were getting off the ground, lockdown happened and now we're apart, again! Only physically though, this time we've promised we're not letting go.
Nikki
Lockdown’s led to some questionable choices in Becky’s household, but there is hope on the horizon.
Okay so I am an NHS psychological therapist currently working from home via lockdown, (treating my patients over video call), my husband has been furloughed and we have three children. Two boys aged four and nine, and one daughter aged 16. There has been a total lack of romance so far which is only getting worse.
The children are wearing my husband out whilst he’s trying to quieten their noise, laughter, shouting, fighting and jumping and banging in the background, whilst I’m in the front room trying to have successful video treatment calls!
He has grown a beard which I dislike a lot so he’s not coming near me, and I’m staying up until all hours cleaning up the mess they have all created in the day whilst I have been working in the next room. However, we did briefly hold hands for about 2 seconds whilst out for our family daily exercise the other day until our smallest fell over from the dog pulling on the lead too much — he’d thrown a tantrum insisting he was big enough to hold the lead. He found out he’s not big enough the hard way.
I ate about 10 Easter eggs too and five Victoria sponge cakes which I keep baking on the weekends, so I guess as unattractive I find my hubby’s beard, he probably finds my new second chin a bit of a turn off too. He did clean the bathroom for me though, which other women may or may not agree is pretty romantic (when that’s the household chore you hate the most), so I guess there’s still a glimmer of romance for us.
Becky
Kylie’s PC gaming Cupid.
Just before the lockdown happened, my husband upgraded his gaming PC with the goal of gifting me his old one and getting me to play games with him. We've played a few games in the past but I haven't really committed as much as he would've loved me to.
Although we spend pretty much every minute he isn't at work together, we were mostly doing our own thing and not talking as much as I would've liked.
Anyway, lockdown happened, he can no longer go to work and his dream of us gaming together came true. We spend more time talking to each other, laughing together, working together on missions in game and as a result have gotten on so much better in the past five weeks whether we are playing games or not.
Kylie
It’s those little daily activities in Lisa’s lockdown life that are keeping her going; hopefully killing her husband doesn’t become one of them...
My other half and I have been together for 15 years, we have three furry delinquents (cats) and no children. We work for the same company, and while we typically work in the same site, we only really see one another at lunchtime. Lockdown has meant we're suddenly office mates, but he works upstairs while I'm in the dining room downstairs (surrounded by cats).
Romance to us is making one another a brew during work breaks, having a hug while making lunch, or going for a walk round the block together at the end of the working day, and talking about how our day has been. The romantic highlight is when it's his turn to do the shopping, and he picks up a punnet of strawberries for me.
He didn't do anything for my birthday during lockdown, but that was fine, I'd rather we do something special when we get some more freedom. I'm amazed that we're both just going with the flow, taking one day at a time, and supporting one another through these weird times. I'm also amazed we haven't killed one another yet... but there's still time!
Lisa
Sounds like you should make the move permanent, Mahima.
I’ve been with my boyfriend for almost two years now. We live in different cities and I usually spend weekends at his. I was at his place when lockdown kicked in. I didn’t want to take the train home as I’d be going to an immunocompromised family member so we decided I’d stay at his for the time being.
It’s honestly been the most amazing experience. Waking up next to him everyday has been a treat. We’ve been taking it in turns to cook and clean, started to work out, play video games and board games, and then have some alone time too (everyone needs a break!). I was worried how this would affect our relationship, but I couldn’t ask for a better lockdown partner.
Mahima
Lockdown may have put Sarah’s Venice dreams on hold but, as they say, every cloud has a silver lining.
I love my husband dearly; we've just celebrated 10 years of marriage. It was actually our anniversary during the lockdown, so the celebrations were a bit tame — a bottle of bubbly that just happened to be in the fridge already, and steak and chips for tea rather than a lavish and romantic evening out — but it was fine.
After all, the main thing is we're together, for better or worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health — I'm pretty sure that's what we promised each other 10 years ago, although it was in Italian and spoken too quickly for my limited language skills.
We had planned to go back to Venice again this year to pay tribute to our favourite city, the most romantic of cities (sorry Paris, it's not you), maybe unofficially renew our vows overlooking the Rialto Bridge, but alas, we're in lockdown together instead. Which brings me to the real romance here.
Even after 16 years together, 10 of them as husband and wife, even after living together for 13 years and driving me mad with his snoring, his untidiness, his selective deafness, he can still surprise me with an unexpected kiss, or make me fall in love with him all over again with a thoughtful gesture.
He's been doing his best to protect me from this coronavirus by driving me door-to-door to all my weekly chemo sessions and blood tests, he's been shopping, cooking and cleaning, and we've even reached a compromise on the toilet seat issue — up or down has finally been solved by agreeing that we both put the lid down after use. Romance can be found in the most unlikely things! I can't think of anyone I'd rather be in lockdown with.
Sarah
