HAVEN AT HOME
Now we have our own holiday haven and it is right on our doorstep – Nurse Jacqueline Flanagan
Jacqueline Flanagan was looking forward to a fun-filled summer, with plans for a getaway in Spain and family flying in from America.
But the pandemic dashed the NHS nurse’s plans and that’s when she decided to spend her hard-earned cash on a holiday much closer to home. Realising Scotland was in for a sunny spell, the 55-year-old, from Bellshill, Lanarkshire, and husband William jazzed up their garden at the start of lockdown with an inflatable hot tub.
“It was the closest to a pool we could get,” Jacqueline, who contracted Covid herself in April, said. “We bought it just before the heatwave. “But then I decided we needed a she-shed to go with it. William has a man cave room in the house, so I thought I deserved somewhere to relax, too.” The couple hired a joiner to build a outdoor cabin at the bottom of the garden, which they’ve kitted out with a flat-screen TV, furniture and a wine fridge. “We’re so impressed with it,” mum-of-two Jacqueline said.
“If lockdown hadn’t happened we would never have thought of it, but now we have our own little holiday haven, right on our doorstep.”
The clinical support worker of 20 years, said: “Having the virus knocked the life out of me. It was quite frightening, but thankfully I’m a healthy person so I was able to get through it. “Being a keyworker throughout this has driven home the importance of spending quality time with the family – and taking time out of our busy lives when we can to relax.
“This means we can do that any time we choose – and we don’t need a plane to get us there. “We can, of course, have our son Kieran and daughter Kathleen over to visit for now which is great, but we’re looking forward to hosting many hot tub parties when lockdown is over.
“The best thing will be spending time with everyone we love again – and this will just make it even better.”