Life lately: social distancing, boredom and hope

So, here we still are. This is my third week of social distancing. I think. For my sanity and that of those around me, I'm not counting. Some things are best left unknown. My daily routine hasn't changed that much. Before social distancing started I would get up, get dressed, have breakfast and drive to work. In the evening, I would drive back home, cook, clean the  kitchen and do whatever I felt like doing. Now I do exactly the same -  minus the driving. And I can work in my 'home clothes'. So the routine hasn't changed but other, little things, have. 

How has social distancing affected you?

I am a well-known homebody but I miss the little things I cannot do. Buying urgent groceries used to take a few minutes. Now I have to wait in line. Sometimes I even have to socialise - from 2 metres away, of course. It feels strange but people are now actually talking to each other, picking up conversations with strangers. Is this the new reality or will it all end once we go back to normal?

I miss our hikes, the freedom to roam around with my camera, visiting my favourite stores and going to our favourite restaurants. We're all hoping that small businesses will survive, that the restaurants we loved to eat at will be there when this is over and that life, as we know it, will continue. But, perhaps, some things need to remain as they are. Reaching out to help the vulnerable, buying some extra items to place in the Foodbank's collection box at the supermarket, running errands for elderly neighbours - all these acts of kindness should remain and we should encourage others to join these small efforts. Every little bit helps.

I'm sure we all have moments of meltdown. When we're not sure how long this is going to last and how we're going to bear it. Wuhan was in shutdown for 76 days. That's almost 11 weeks, close to 3 months. That means we are only at the beginning. Maybe the warmer weather will help shorten the time we have to spend indoors. Who knows? We'll wait and we'll see. We're all in this together. I am far from perfect. I have my moments of moaning that I want to go out because these are the nicest days of the year and, when I think how badly my hair needs a keratin treatment and a cut, I almost despair. But I will not give in. I will stay positive by not over-thinking, reading blogs I love and overloading on the visual delights of Instagram. Which doesn't mean that I don't get bored but I am finding ways to reduce this feeling to a minimum.

How I'm relieving boredom

I have to admit we are very lucky. Our garden door opens on to a public foot-path overlooking a valley. The photos I have scattered around this post were taken last week. It's looking pretty right now and the fields of yellow flowers are crown daisies. They grow wild and are like splashes of sunshine on the landscape. The sea is also never far off. It weaves in and out of my line of vision but its constancy is reassuring. Still, like everyone else, I do get bored. And here are some ways I am relieving my boredom:

Cooking treats

I made a Victoria Sponge using this recipe shared by the lovely Miranda  Mills on her blog Miranda's Notebook. Sadly, we gobbled it up too quickly for me to take a decent photo but I might make it again as an Easter treat.

At this time of year, lemons are in abundance. To use some up, I made lemon curd. I followed the recipe I found on the blog Kitchen Confidante. I promise that what you're seeing in the photo is made with lemons not oranges but I used eggs from free-range chickens and the yolks were a deep shade of  gold, like yellow on steroids, if you know what I mean. This is a simple recipe and you'll have your batch ready in around 30 minutes.

Watching one (or five) TV series 

We're on season 5 of Outlander and I'm finding it a bit hum-ho but I still enjoy it a great deal. Season one will, however, remain my favourite. If you're not familiar with the series it's about an English combat nurse from 1945 who is mysteriously swept back in time to 1743 and falls in love with a dashing Highlander.

If you're into Philippa Gregory and historical fiction there are 3 series based on books she's written: The White Queen, The White Princess and The Spanish Princess. They are about the end of the Wars of the Roses in England and the start of the Tudour reign. They're probably only interesting to those who enjoy history - although the author has taken quite a few liberties with the truth and embellished events about which historians don't know that  much. It might be bad history but it makes for good viewing.

World on Fire is a series we've started recently. It's about WW2 and it might be a bit heavy-going for some people at this time, so watch the trailer first to check whether you're up to it.

Reading blogs

I am doing my utmost to avoid the doom and gloom on social media, the fake news and the downright lies. So I am focusing on blogs that I enjoy. I had shared a few in my post Blogs by women over 40 that I love to read.

Travelling virtually

And since we are mostly stuck to our armchairs and sofas with nowhere to go, we can make the most of our time by traveling virtually to places near and far.

I did my own post recently: Armchair travel - part 1 and I'll do more in the future. But if you really want to dive in to blogs dedicated to specific cities or countries, here are some of my favourites:

• An American in Rome
• Girl in Florence
• Lost in Arles
• Merisi's Vienna for Beginners
• Snapshots of an Island
• Postcards by Hannah

Hope

Ah, hope. Always the last to die but what would we be without it? This inconvenience we are all going through will pass. We will do the things we love again.We will come out of this ready to embrace the life that we knew fully but differently; with a greater appreciation of the natural world, of each other and with a heightened perception of what really matters.

HAPPY EASTER to all those of you that are reading these words. 

The darker the night, the brighter the stars, The deeper the grief, the closer is God - Fyodor Dostoevsky