There’s a very good reason why I’m not at home crying about having to stay at home. No, I’m not superhuman or a smart arse with all the answers, and I agree that sometimes time is dragging on....but I’m not a medical professional having to face possible harm every day. Or a key worker having to go into work risking my health for the sake of others.
My family have been safe from it so far, I’m grateful that my mum and dad got back from Spain without catching anything there or on the flight home. I’m so so grateful that Sam is over all the problems he was having with repeated chest infections, the two together would have been disastrous.
I have a lot to be thankful and grateful for.
I can’t complain about being asked to do the least possible action, when there’re such heroic people out there trying to make this better for the rest of us.
I’m not having a go at you if you’re struggling, of course I’m not, you feel what you feel and that’s ok, it’s a weird time, I get it. But for me personally I feel relieved and grateful that I’m not in the immediate firing line.
I can stay home and stay safe, so I might as well enjoy it.
I kept having anxiety attacks about the once a week trip to the supermarket, I’ve decided to not go anymore.
We’ll live out the cupboards and freezer for as long as possible. Beans on toast is a perfectly fine meal. If we can get a supermarket delivery slot then that’s a bonus!
The numbers dying are soul destroying, the official number was 980 for Friday (that does not include people who have died outside of a hospital environment, it’s been suggested the real numbers are 15-24% higher than the official death toll). The poor families of those that have lost their lives, not getting to say goodbye, no proper send off. Their grief and pain are beyond our imaginings. Absolutely horrific.
I will stay put indoors, staying safe, doing things that distract and delight me.
Limiting news watching would be a good start.
I have showered every day, I’m not a complete lost cause yet, but I’ve got to be honest, washing & drying my hair had taken a back seat. I thought I was doing my hair a favour by giving it a rest from all the harsh chemicals in shampoo. But I was watching Lorna Luxe on her Instagram Stories the other day and she’s been seeing a Trichologist and apparently it’s not true that washing your hair strips it of natural oils (so it would appear that I’ve been being a total skank for absolutely no reasons at all!) hahahahaha
Anyway, I’ve been slightly more proactive with hair hygiene since I found out that leaving it for days on end without washing doesn’t actually repair the hair at all.
I did feel it was time to try some actual clothes for a change, I decided to combine the two, hair washed and outside world clothes on. Pj’s and joggers are a lockdown delight but I am going to have to wear my real clothes again eventually, so I thought it best to doll myself up.
Well the good news is, this outfit still fits. Although a little on the snug side.
It has lifted my mood no end.
Vest from Next, skirt from Tommy Hilfiger, Shoes from Tory Burch.
I’m finding all sorts of ways to lift my mood whilst staying at home. What could be more delightful than food, no, turns out I’m not sick of the stuff yet.
What I really love about meal times is making an effort with the table setting.
I’m not a fool, really I’m not, I know others may find it weird to dress a table up for just the two of us, but I am very visually stimulated, I find beautiful things are mood enhancers.
I realised that this was the first Good Friday that we haven’t had any hot cross buns. But Chris more than made up with it with his incredible pancakes. He spoils me this one does!
Chris’s pancakes are amazing! He is amazing, the best.
Being happy, calm and centred is about being grateful for what you do have, rather than worrying about what you don’t.
No hot cross buns - No problem!
It seems we have some issues as a couple with hoarding, it’s not like we even want to do it either, it just happens. A few things mount up and before you know it you can’t get inside the garage or shed.
We are, it would seem, unintentional hoarders. Or in laymen’s terms ~ lazy! Hahahahaha
So we hired skip 1 thinking it would suffice, turns out our hoarding is worse than we thought. So enter skip 2.
We have now cleared the garage, the sheds and garden of crap. It feels very freeing. I feel lighter of mind…but sadly not of body!! That’s bigger than ever! Hahahahaha.
When were we ever going to get the time to clear out everything properly? Never so far in our lives together.
We have been given the gift of time at home.
Without a pandemic in full swing there was always something far more interesting to do than to clear rubbish.
I can’t say that it won’t build up again. But I am very happy to have cleared it for now, we even cleared the loft out too! The buckling rafters thanked us for our efforts. :)
Plus we dug our my telescope, Chris bought it for me about 20 years ago. It’s been deeply buried in the loft for the last 12. I’m very excited to use it again.
There is down time away from skip filling;
Keeping up with friends and family is more important than ever.
Our friend Jasper came for dinner a few nights ago, panic not, no social distancing rules were broken! He cooked his meal at his home, we cooked ours at our home while we FaceTimed each other, we then sat and had dinner together.
It was really good fun, we forget quickly how things used to be, but luckily us humans are very adaptable.
FaceTime dinner parties feel perfectly normal and it was such a good laugh.
We had dinner with Ben and Kaitlyn the same way the following night too. Would recommend! :)
Seeing people in the flesh is out of the question, that said Ben and Kaitlyn ran out of eggs and wanted to make a carbonara for dinner, I had bought eggs to make a cake with which I decided against as Chris and I scoff the lot and we’re piling on the weight as it is.
They walked to our house on one of their daily exercises. I left a carrier bag on the drive way of eggs and cans of drinks. I disinfected the bag beforehand. There was no point in them risking germs going into a supermarket for 2 eggs.
We shouted greetings from 26 feet (I heard some scientist on the telly say that 6 feet isn’t anywhere near enough space and the real number is between 13 and 26 feet, which is why I’m not going to supermarkets anymore).
Then they set off home with their much needed eggs for dinner.
Chris and I had a bbq for 2, we had some food that was coming to the end of its use by. I must say I’m impressed (shocked) with myself at the lack of wastage that we’re having. It’s like the proper olden days!
I’m paranoid about germs in general without pandemic pneumonia on the loose. Usually I would throw things away if they were even near the use by, but this pandemic has changed me! I ate some food last week that was actually over its use by date!! OVER!! Me, Suzanne Doré!! I’m a new woman!
So Chris had some sausages and steak, I had veggie sausages and halloumi and we both had, as a side dish, the left over lentil and black bean bol of the veggie Spag Bol I made the night before.
This is a strange new world! Eating out of date food and left overs!? Who am I!? Who have I become!? Hahahahaha
(Why the veggie Spag Bol? Well I didn’t have any turkey mince that I’d usually make it with and I certainly wasn’t going to go out and buy any, so I raided my store cupboards, it was actually really very nice).
I thoroughly recommend FaceTime dinner parties. Being together while being apart makes you feel connected.
My meatless Spag Bol recipe;
2 shallots chopped
2 cloves garlic (to taste) chopped
1 vegetable stock cube
1 can of green lentils
1 can black beans
1 carton of passata
2 tablespoons of the red bisto gravy granules (it’s actually vegetarian)
1 tablespoon of Worcester sauce
Black pepper
Chilli flakes
Dried basil
Dried coriander
Do everything as you would usually do to make a spag bol, just using the lentils and black beans as the meat)
I bet you didn’t expect to see recipes on here today did you. Cooking is not my forté but coping, adapting and eating is!
We have had amazing weather here for a while. It’s been so nice that I even changed out of my joggers and into my bikini.
I’ve usually been to Spain 3 times by now so my tan was non existent.
Managed to top that up at least, and stopped giving Casper the ghost a run for his money.
Home feels good right now. Yes I’m lucky as I have a lovely garden (which looks slightly less like a dumping ground as of this weekend), but Ben and Kaitlyn live in a flat and they are occupying themselves by moving the furniture round. I recommend that too, nothing feels quite as refreshing as fresh crisp, white bedding or a room change! :)
Dress from ASOS, Shoes from LK Bennett.
Monday was a slightly cooler day here, so bikinis were packed away and I got dressed in real clothes.
I found a pattern that if I wash my hair I like to get dressed up a bit too.
Totally pointless, literally all dressed up and nowhere to go, but it felt nice nonetheless
It turned to be a completely pointless task on Monday anyway, as Chris, feeling a bit more chipper (Shingles healing nicely) suggested we clear the loft out.
A task we have been meaning to get round to for about 11 of the 12 years we’ve lived here.
By the end of it I looked like I was dressed for Halloween, covered totally, head to toe covered in cobwebs and dust.
But we did it, we ditched the clutter! Marie Kondo eat your heart out!
I have kept some sentimental things. A few favourite baby clothes of the boy’s. And dresses of mine that have memories attached.
I found so many outfits, with so many wonderful memories, like the dress I wore to a summer luncheon at the Houses of Parliament, when I was 27 and where I was completely out of my depth in conversation but had the best time chatting to the utterly eccentric, and extremely posh land owner I was sat next to, the suit I wore to my sister in laws first wedding - when Sam was 6 weeks old, and an outfit my mum made for me when I was 6 months pregnant with Sam for one of my cousins weddings.
She even made a head band in the matching material, she’s very clever at sewing is my mum, which is why she’s volunteered to sew scrubs for Queen’s hospital in Romford! What a fantastic way to make a difference. I really wish I was able to give back. But I can’t sew and I’m too cowardly to leave my house for food let alone volunteering for the NHS.
My efforts will have to be confined to staying confined at home and at least not making it worse for the NHS staff battling under extraordinary circumstances.
To those making a difference I am in awe of you. Stay safe! xxxxxxxxxx
If like me you’re staying home and staying out of trouble I wish you good luck and good health. xx