Living in the Lockdown…

One of my long term readers sent me a message the other day asking for a post with ideas of what to do during the current Lockdown situation.

Given that I am in the ‘Key Worker’ category, I am currently going to work every day so am not able to isolate myself, but I had a good think about the kinds of things I would do, if I was shut in the house for a period of time.

Now I am sure that there are probably a lot of other blogs or people with better ideas than anything I could come up with, but as I had been asked AND it seemed like a pretty fun post, I thought I would give it my best shot!

So here are a few things that make it to my ‘To Do List’ if I had to stay in indoors.

1. Do a big Wardrobe clear out.

It is obvious I have far too many clothes and some that don’t even fit me anymore. But I find it really difficult to get rid of beautiful things and it is one of those things that I put off doing. If I was going to do this, I would look at the items that are too small first, then move onto the things I fit into yet rarely put on at all.

2. Increase your vocabulary.

Grab a crossword book, puzzle book or you tablet and find an app that offers free puzzles, problems and enigmas. It will stop your brain from turning to mush from boredom and pass a fair bit of time. If, like me you get totally absorbed in solving problems and doing word games, I could lose half a day just completing my favourite varieties.

3. Dust off your old photographs.

If you are anything like me, you will have thousands of photographs somewhere in your house. From old Kodak printed rolls of film to digital images, I have captured hundreds of thousands of photographs over the years, stored them and forgotten about most of them. I think there are even some slides somewhere in the attic. Why not dust them off and have a giggle over the fashions and hairstyles. At the very least you can recall some wonderful memories.

4. Enrol in an online course.

Have you always wanted to speak Spanish, learn sign language, study ancient history or turn your University degree into a Masters? There are many courses available online; you can study everything from Art fraud to Norwegian, The Holocaust to romantic poetry.

There are hundreds of sites that offer free courses and of course the most famous one is The Open University Looking at all the courses, I have found about a dozen that I really want to do!

Currently trying to decide between An introduction to crime and criminology and Art and Life in Ancient Egypt.

5. Create an indoor cinema

There is nothing better than sitting down with the family watching a good old film. Whether it be a Disney classic or the latest Action flick, you can turn your living room into your own film theatre for not a lot of money. You can get a mini projector from a lot of places, but with over 2000 reviews and less than £35, this one looks pretty good.

Either put up a white sheet or use a plain white wall, set up your projector with your chosen connection method – this projector supports laptop, games consoles, USBs and memory cards to name but a few. If you want to go a bit fancy, you can buy a screen on ebay from around £8.00.

6. Spring Clean your house

If you are like me, the house gets the general clean; hoover, dust, disinfect etc. However there are lots of jobs that need doing which I never seem to have the time (or inclination) to do.

Those dusty wooden blind that need taking down and soaking in the bath, the gutters that could do with checking, the regrouting of the bathroom and cleaning out the hoover filters. Things that really need time and enthusiasm to do. Well, now is the time to do it!

7. Pamper yourself

Get out those potions and lotions and relax all those emotions!

I am lucky to have a box full of goodies that I can get out, you know, those different bits and bobs that you get for Christmas gifts. Facepacks, bubble baths, foot treatments and moisturisers. Lock the door, take a couple of hours for yourself. Why not put some of your favourite music on, slap that facepack on, soak your feet, paint your nails and totally pamper yourself.

Or why not get a bowl of hot soapy water and give yourself a pedicure. File those nails, wash and dry your feet and then use a foot masque/pack. Then choose your favourite nail polish and give yourself a Spring makeover.

8. Read a book/book app

I am a compulsive reader. I read books, on my phone, on my tablet and on my laptop. I have usually got a paperback in my handbag. I literally cannot be with something to read. Each week I will read between 2 and 5 books depending on length and they can be on any subject. Somehow I even manage to have two or three books on the go at the same time, so depending on my mood I may be reading a chick-lit book, a thriller, a true life story or a biography.

This week I am reading the memoirs of an undercover policewoman, a serial killer thriller and a murder mystery.  Clearly I have Kindle unlimited and the entire reason why I can get through so many books at a time!

9. Practice online hair tutorials

If you are like me and love to ‘dress’ your hair, you’ll know just how tricky this can be. I love victory rolls and wet sets, but to be honest I am rubbish at them. Some of my vintage loving friends go out daily looking like they have visited the hairdresser. I often look like I have visited a thorny old bush!

There are so many tutorials online and youtube that show you everything from intricate braids, to curler sets and those tricky victory rolls. A couple of my favourites are the wonderful Cherry Dollface  and Lauren Rennells in fact I have just got sucked in watching curler patterns on youtube right now!

10.  Play Board Games

Our family love to play board games. All kinds. Cards, dice, puzzle, strategy and quiz games.  Quite often we sit around the dining room table with a pile of games and work through them. One of the enduring favourites is the ‘Ticket to Ride’ series of games, which sees you travel across continents making train journeys whilst trying to block your opponents routes.

We first got a copy of this one year from the twins Aunt. This was the European version. Since then we have bought Asia and Africa. Apart from being pretty good fun, you unconsciously end up learning unusual Capital cities in diverse Countries.

Another of our favourites is one we actually bought for my brother in law in around Christmas 1994/95. A Sherlock Holmes game called 221b Baker Street. It is in the same vein as Cluedo, in that you have to travel around London, visiting places and picking up clues to solve the exact mystery, which is not always a murder!

When my brother emigrated to America, we inherited it, and have played is since the girls were quite young.

Just remember though… it is just a game! Don’t get stressed with your family!

11. Complete Surveys for Cash.

A year or two ago a colleague of mine told me about websites that you can go onto, spend a couple minutes completing a few surveys and earn various amounts of money by doing so. Once you reach an minimum amount you can cash your funds in and carry on. Or you can build them up and cash them in closer to when you need a boost of your income, such as around Christmas.

There are some greats one out there that give either cash or vouchers for the big companies and it is as simple as joining up and spending a little while every day/evening completing quick surveys.

There are some that perform better than others so check out this article for some really handy advice and help in starting out.

12. Write letters to friends and loved ones.

I am a sucker for a well written letter. Even more so, I love writing letters with proper pens and ink. Old school style. I am lucky enough to have a selection of fountain pens, some older than I am.

I get utter pleasure from setting up my ‘work’ space. Choosing my paper and envelopes. Deciding on which fountain pen to use and then getting the colour of ink I want to write with. I have a selection of both coloured cartridges and bottled ink. There is nothing like the feel of pulling ink out of the bottle with an old fashioned ink reservoir.

Before putting pen to paper I get an idea in my mind of what I want to talk about. I like to make the letters long enough to be interesting, but not so long that the reader loses interest.

It really is an old-fashioned hobby and one that has been lost over time. One that should be brought back!

So there you have it. Twelve ideas of things to do whilst on lockdown. As I said earlier, I am still at work but I think I may have to take my own advice and do some of these on my days off.

After all they seem like pretty great ideas!

Till next time,

Stay Safe, Stay Well and Stay HOME!

SPSG xxx

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