Beyond the Cover Early Spring 2021

Soraya Evans tells us more about the beautiful image used for Issue 71, Early Spring.

I remember, just after having my second child, I was always nervous about the days when my eldest wasn’t in nursery. I still had to figure out how to juggle the two little ones, and how to actually make it enjoyable for all of us. Then the pandemic hit when Etta, our little daughter, was about 4 months old, and the days I felt nervous about became a daily occurrence. With my husband being a key worker, it was just me and the children, day in and day out.

Sometimes I moan about the maternity leave I didn’t have, or the one I had envisioned differently, but at the same time, I celebrate the growth I have experienced during this time; the mother I became.

This picture was taken during the first lockdown, on our doorstep, after my husband had just come home from work. The relief when you finally get to share the responsibilities and have someone to talk to. At this moment, he is watching our 3-year-old playing with the hose-pipe, watering the flowers, while I just get to stare at them – through my lens.