By Natasha Allen
Relationships can be tricky at the best of times. As we hopefully emerge from the COVID-19 pandemic, three couples at various stages of life and romance explain how their relationships have weathered the global catastrophe
Love in the Alps
Against the backdrop of the panoramic Tyrolean mountains in the small town of Innsbruck in Austria, 94-year-old retired civil servant Karl Zug fell in love with 83-year-old retired sales assistant Isabella Bodner. They met during an old age pensioners’ holiday in between the first and second lockdown.
Both had previous long loving marriages but sadly they both lost their partners. They consider themselves incredibly lucky to find love once again during their twilight years.
“Once you get to our age you understand how precious life is, and know you must live each moment to the fullest,” said Bodner.
“Due to this and the pandemic we decided early on to move in together to enjoy each minute together. We have deepened our tolerance and respect for each other, and we haven’t let the stresses and perils of COVID affect our relationship.”
Positive test – pregnancy joy
Whilst many were required to work from home or were furloughed, millions around the world were going out to work despite restrictions. Demi Rowe is a 25-year-old healthcare social worker who met her partner, 30-year-old assistant manager Terry Mason, through a friendship group. The couple have been in a relationship for over five years and live together in Twickenham.
Many couples found that spending more time in each other’s company led to more arguments and irritations, as they simply were not used to being in each other’s company for that many hours a day. This couple had a different hurdle: they have been trying to conceive for almost two years.
In January of this year, they found out they are finally pregnant, and were elated. Due to the general caution that is given to women in their early stages of pregnancy, the couple only shared the news initially with close family members.
The limitations of lockdown life have not been easy, says Rowe. “As we have both been working throughout, our daytime life has had no impact, although after work and weekends we bicker as we are fed up with having nothing to do and nowhere to go, although I’m not sure if those are simply my oversensitive hormones,” she says.
“Falling pregnant and not being able to do things, such as my partner not being able to attend my ante-natal appointments, or even something as small as going shopping together as everywhere has been closed, has meant Terry hasn’t been able to be as involved in these first stages of pregnancy, which has been a great shame.”
The couple have become closer, not simply because of the pregnancy but also due to no outside distractions. As a result, they have come to appreciate the small things they can do together, such as decorate, do DIY around the house and go on walks together.
As many are waiting to go back to how things once were, this couple are very much looking forward to the future and becoming parents.
Ingredients for sourdough and relationships
Georgie Brightwell is a 53-year-old former IT Leader from New Zealand who met 59-year-old senior care worker, Richard Browne, on a dating website. They have been together for 20 months.
Browne, who lives in the leafy Greater London suburb of Richmond, says the two have encountered many obstacles due to lockdown.
“My partner has had to deal with a long-term illness, which has been very difficult and stressful for the both of us. It has, however, given us each a great insight as to how responds and deals with things during stressful times.”
But being together has also brought them some happy memories. “With lockdown coming to end soon I will miss spending uninterrupted time together and enjoying baking sourdough bread, which has been a hobby of ours during this pandemic,” said Browne.
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