#LittleLoves – March 2020

I’ll level with you – there isn’t much that I’ve particularly ‘liked’ nor appreciated throughout March nor the current year if I’m honest. People are forever telling me to look at the positives but right now, at this moment in time, it’s not that easy.

I’m well aware that the UK is on lockdown and that the entire world is suffering and struggling with what has very quickly grown to be a pandemic. Covid 19 however, is the least of my worries at present. This statement itself (without illustrating my issues any further) may give you some insight into just how tough times are.

Here are a few of the things which have offered a distraction, some rest bite, and a little timeout from life, the universe and… whatever might be next.

Read

I’m not sure about you but I’m sick to the back teeth of reading, hearing and watching the news at present. That old phrase ‘no news is good news’ holds some truth as I’d rather avoid the news entirely than scare myself silly and depress myself further with the current global misery. I will admit to scrolling through the news maybe once or twice a day but I’m no longer reading the figures, I no longer wish to know…

For Mothers Day this year, the children (and my husband) very kindly gave me a brand new deck of tarot cards (The Tarot Del Fuego) along with a beautiful wooden storage box. I have since relit my love for tarot card reading, a hobby which I first began at the age of twelve and which, twenty-something years later has now become a daily distraction and an enjoyable pastime.

Watched

Whilst many soaps have had to reduce their schedules due to the covid 19 outbreak, Home and Away (my guilty pleasure from down under) is thankfully still airing daily on channel five. How long this will last for – who knows… This is the one show which I have watched each evening without fail and whilst it may be ‘trashy television’ I couldn’t care less – it helps me to wind down at the end of ‘yet another day’.

Being ‘box set buddies’, Paul and I have tried to find other things to watch to wile away the time. Although we’ve attempted watching a few episodes of ‘Flea Bag‘ and ‘Breeders‘ they just don’t seem to float our boat. I’m sure that given time (which we have plenty of at present) that we will find something on Netflix or Amazon at some point – any suggestions, please throw them our way.

Heard

With the kids being at home we’ve been busy homeschooling and though we’ve done plenty of work, we’ve also ensured there is plenty of play. The house (and the garden) has been awash with the sound of my children talking, shouting, screaming, laughing, playing and making memories together – these are the sounds which I hold dear, the sounds which I need to surround myself with right now.

Though I usually always have music playing in the background to keep me company if you will, it’s just too emotive at present.

Made

Earlier this month it was World Book Day and whilst most children flitted off to school in their fancy dress outfits, my kids were asked to design and decorate fruit and vegetables as a character from a book. J wasn’t entirely enticed nor impressed by this idea but after some encouragement, he eventually transformed a carrot into a character from Captain Underpants. E, on the other hand, decided to go ‘Disney’ and changed a white onion into the White Rabbit from Alice In Wonderland.

With the current lockdown, we’ve busied ourselves with baking. The kids have made biscuits, cakes, scones, bread and all sorts of tasty treats. We also spent some time painting rainbows to place in the bay window to raise a smile and to add a little colour to our neighbourhood

Wore

Never in my life did I expect to tell you nor anyone that I’ve been wearing a mask and gloves but that’s exactly what I’ve been wearing each and every time I have had to leave the house for shopping or medical supplies. Maybe Michael Jackson had the right idea all those years ago when he paraded around in protective gear…

It may not be a medical nor N95 mask (as you can’t seem to get them for love nor money) but this at least offers me a little comfort and reassurance should I cough or sneeze when I’m out and about in the current climate.

And Lastly

As I said above, the kids have been busy working from home which from my perspective (as a trained and experienced teacher) isn’t difficult in the slightest. I can, however, understand that some parents may find teaching tricky at times.

We’ve rather enjoyed using the structure of school work to pad out our days whilst in isolation. It certainly keeps the kids focused which is a blessing in our house right now.

I hope that you and your loved ones are able to STAY INSIDE, stay safe and to stay healthy during this horrendous time. My thoughts go out to any of you that have family or friends who are classed as an ‘essential worker’ especially those within the NHS.

Thanks again for reading my blog and I hope that you enjoyed this month’s #LittleLoves. If you fancy sharing some of your own #LittleLoves, then why not join in either through your own blog post or by leaving a comment below, I would love to hear what your #LittleLoves might be.