I like to think of myself as a woman who can cope - not just when I’m hiking across Africa, trekking in Nepal or scrambling up archaeological ruins in Latin America, but also when I’m ‘forced’ to spend time alone.
But coping with isolation, truly, is no joke.
‘Lockdown’ in London has left me living in a small (albeit beautiful) mews house, with no-one but two gorgeous ginger cats with whom I pass the days. Normally, as an avid reader, I’d spend hours absorbed in books, but of late, I’ve found it hard to curl up with printed matter. Not being a baker, a crafter, or someone who wants to clean up obsessively also leaves me stuck. Podcasts and Netflix have saved me up until now, but I need something to pass some serious time.
Enter the 1000 word jigsaw puzzle (an early birthday gift from a good friend).
I love a good challenge and I immediately see this is going to present me with one. It’s a replica of a map of London - ‘A to Z style’ - stretching from Regents Park (in the north) to Spitafields (in the east), Chelsea (in the west) to the Old Kent Road (in the south) and with all of the magnificent centre too. Hyde Park, Buckingham Palace, Mayfair, Fleet Street, the Bank of England, St. Paul’s - oh my goodness, I’d forgotten how vast London is.
My small dining table has been taken over and, naturally, I begin by assembling the outer frame. There’s a couple of pieces I can’t find but I figure they will come to light over the following days (I am correct).
I have no obvious strategy at this point so I start with Regents Park (I used to go there with my grandparents, so it has sentimental value).
I then begin attacking the green park areas (they are enormous) before a good friend calls me up and suggests I adopt a ‘river’ strategy, putting the Thames together and working my way out into the surrounding areas.
Smart idea.
Having been born in London,clearly I have a competitive advantage - this is my territory! Add to that the fact that I’m a social butterfly (and love going out in the city) a freelancer (who travelled all over the capital in her 20’s and 30’s, for work assignments) and a girl with a great memory (I’m famed for my ability to retain information), this surely has to be an easier assignment for me than a New Yorker or Parisian.
Still, working at it painstaking, I’m being forced to use many of my skills. Memory (where did I see that street name before?) logic (how can that piece fit there?) and attention to colour (the main ‘artery’ roads are deep yellow, and the more minor roads a pale yellow) come into play.
And don’t forget patience.
So much patience is needed...especially when you realise (cue a groan) that you fitted a piece in the wrong place.
But I’m getting there. (Or at least I feel I am). And then, one afternoon, four days into the challenge, disaster strikes…
(to be continued…)