A WOMAN from Blaenavon has been sharing honest portrayals of what life is like in lockdown as a mother, wife and a self-employed business owner.

Vicky Titchener's diary entries, which have been shared every day for the last month on social media - four weeks since she was informed she would have to isolate for 12 weeks - started with a light-hearted post on Facebook.

"I started it after a random day with my six-year-old Noah, my husband - who is also a 42-year-old toddler - Craig, and my two dogs," said Mrs Titchener.

The first post on March 19 reads: "I locked myself in the bathroom last night when Craig came home in desperation for some quiet time. My bathroom has literally never been so clean.

"The WiFi went off for a few hours (I thought Craig was going to cry) and the boiler is starting to play up. I'm also debating whether I have enough tonic in the house to go with the ridiculous amounts of gin I am sure to need to consume to simply get through this difficult time. On the plus side, I haven't had to put a bra on."

Since her first post, Mrs Titchener has been inundated with messages of thanks for her daily anecdotes.

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"I did it the next day and received even more messages," she said.

While the entries, often including images of the family dressing up, are posted to bring humour in the most challenging of times, they are also designed to show the imperfect world of life in lockdown as a parent.

"I just wanted it to be an honest approach," she explained. "I think parents are putting too much pressure on themselves at the moment to give their child that perfect learning environment away from school - but it's not perfect and isn't going to be.

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"My six-year-old and two dogs drive me up the wall most days."

While most of the entries are comedic tales, there have been some more poignant moments.

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(Vicky's son Noah enjoying some lockdown sunshine)

On Saturday, April 12, she posted: "Woke up, went downstairs expecting a lovely Easter Sunday. Uncle Dean arranged a conference call for us; themselves, the Grecos, and Dad and Claire. Noah didn't appreciate this effort as much as I did and talked over everyone, and everything. I've sat in the kitchen since it ended drinking Prosecco. I should have stayed in bed. The end.

"Well, actually, not the end. Because I hope, if you're still bothering to read this, that it makes you realise that even the strongest people crumble.

"And to all of those people who are still going out willy nilly, letting their children play with others and basically anyone who is being a d***, please remove yourself from my friends list.

"The truth of the matter is that you are responsible for the extended period of lockdown. You are responsible for the amount of deaths this country is suffering. You will be responsible for the amount of mental health issues which will occur as a result of your total regard for anyone else.

"I however, have been through a lot worse s*** than a six year old p****** me off on Easter Sunday, so tomorrow I will be fine. I am always fine, because I know it's okay to crumble as long as I get back up again."

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Minutes after the post Mrs Titchener began receiving messages from others who had also had what she refers to as a "down day".

She's well-versed in getting "back up again", however.

She's on a list of 70,000 seriously vulnerable people due to her lupus diagnosis in 2010 - which meant she had to quit her job and lost her driving licence (which she has since regained).

"It was a tough time, but it's another reminder that life isn't perfect and we've got to find something good where we can," she added.

Just over 18 months ago she started her own beautician business The Beauty Ark, but as she hasn't been self-employed long enough to qualify for the government support grant, she is currently relying on savings and her husband's income.

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"It's tough, but I'm counting my lucky stars for social media which is keeping us all connected," she said.

"I don't know where I'd be without Noah and the dogs. Either me or Craig would probably be living in the garage, that's for sure!"