All Locked Down

Apologies for not posting lately, but with everything that's been happening in London with regard to you know what, it's been a little stressful and I haven't really wanted to post and cause any anxiety to anyone.

As of yesterday, our charity shop finally closed, which was a really big relief.  I was due back to work today and would have had to commute into Central London at a time when the virus is rife here. I was so relieved when my Manager told me, as you can imagine.

Everyone else in the household is staying home.  LB is doing lessons over the internet, OH works from home, of course, it was just me that might have to head out of the house.

The last two weeks have been incredibly strange. Dancing classes closed quite early and refunds were issued, which I have to say was a good move on behalf of the company who run them. They are now producing short videos on Facebook to keep us dancing at home, which is good. OH's cycling activities have also ended, so we have little reason to go out, save for topping up on fresh food weekly, walking the dog or going around the corner to the allotment plot to get some fresh air.  I consider us lucky to have that option, as most people don't and must feel like caged animals.

Now I know that I'm not going to work, I can start to get into some sort of routine.  Already my routine has changed, as OH seems to do the morning dog walk and I do the afternoon one, so mornings are more relaxed and I can fully catch up with news, blogs, etc. before getting dressed and ready for the day. Also I dress much more casually, knowing that I'm staying home.  Tracksuit bottoms and a t-shirt most days, which is appropriate for exercising at home too.

I'm intending to get into the routine of doing some exercise very soon, possible stretching, sit ups, planks, hand weight work on a daily basis, combined with occasional cycle rides around the marshes where we live, which is a wide open space.  I've noticed a lot of people without dogs getting out for a walk on there in recent days, probably to blow away the cobwebs I imagine. 

I think that London will start to empty more now with the announcement that schools are closing tomorrow.  I think some families will head out to stay with relatives outside of London, or go to second homes, as they do during the Easter holidays and Christmas.  I might be wrong, many may stay put because of the virus and risk to vulnerable parents.

Our street has started a What's App group to help out those who might be self isolating, by dropping off much needed groceries.  There was already one family who were self isolating due to someone in the household being quite unwell and the others having to self isolate, so much needed help was given to them.  It's nice to live on a street where there is a sense of community like that.

With regard to shopping, the supermarkets are a bit mad and have been for the last few weeks. It doesn't surprise me, hence why I made sure to get ahead of the curve and do some shopping very early almost a month ago now. It's worked though, as although I've been going to get fresh groceries on a weekly basis, it hasn't bothered me that some items just can't be found on the shelves, as I have some at home already.

I was watching a video this morning of the push and shove to get into a supermarket in North West London this morning at 6am, where people were screaming with the fear of being trampled in the crush to get in.  A stark contrast to another video of people queueing one or two meters apart in another similar video from another part of the world.

Even our local small supermarket has been extremely busy lately. I had to go in to get a few items I couldn't find in the big supermarkets, i.e. toilet rolls and managed to get a pack from them which was good. I may just shop locally from now on for fruit and veg, bread and milk etc. as going into busy supermarkets doesn't really appeal too much.

I'm hoping that we can use the time at home productively.  OH has talked about doing some decorating (if the DIY stores stay open), which would be great as our house desperately needs some work. I did a big clean whilst on annual leave, so I'm just keeping surfaces and floors clean at the moment and changing towels and bedding more frequently.

We might get out and get the garden up to scratch too, which is also overdue. A bit more pruning is needed and I've got some bulbs to plant if I can get hold of some compost. I've also got lots of books to read, a host of movies to watch, a jigsaw to do and then there's always sewing to get on with if I feel like it.

I actually did sew myself a face mask the other day, but haven't actually worn it outside of the house.  I used a similar video to this for reference.

and put bits of LB's old brushed cotton baby blankets inside as a kind of filter. I don't know if this would work by the way, I'm no expert, but I figure that any layers over your mouth and nose might be more protective than nothing.  I haven't worn it yet, but would consider using it for supermarket trips from now on and of course, it's completely washable and reusable.  Here's a picture:

I'd recommend using thinner elastic at the sides though, as this wide stuff makes your ears stick out, which although a bit vain to say, can make you feel self conscious wearing it.

I've also made some hand sanitiser from rubbing alcohol that I managed to buy from our local chemist combined with aloe vera gel. It's not particularly thick and gel like, but it does the job if we are or have  been out and about. I also managed to buy a motion sensor dispenser from Lidl for £5.99, so you don't even have to touch it to dispense the gel which is great.

The rubbing alcohol was pretty cheap - £3.50 for 500mls, which is reassuring that local pharmacies aren't ripping everyone off with inflated prices. There might not be any left now though, as I bought it last week. I just mixed a cup of alcohol (200mls?)with maybe 50-100 mls of gel.  You can add essential oils too, but I didn't. I've heard it recommended that you use as pure aloe vera gel as possible. Mine was from Holland and Barrett.

For normal daily hand washing, I'm using plain old bar soap or hand wash.  I read that the lipids in it is what breaks down the virus's ability to attach to your hands, which makes absolute sense.

We are not planning on going anywhere in the next 3-4 months.  OH's parents are in the vulnerable category, so we are staying well away to avoid any risk to them. We'll keep in touch by telephone though. I'm not sure the enormity of the situation has reached some areas of the country in quite the same way, but just be prepared for when it does.

I'll try blogging a bit more over the next few weeks, but I'm going to try to stay away from the subject of the virus, as we get bombarded enough in the news and elsewhere.  I'll stick to vintage fashion, gardening and other subjects if I do. This was just by way of a catch up to where I'm at at the moment. I hope I haven't caused anyone any alarm by posting it.

Stay safe and keep blogging, especially now as we get more isolated in our homes, it will help to pass the time and give a feeling of connectedness.