Lockdown 3 Inspiration and More Decorating Disruption

After the news last night, that we are now facing at least a couple of months in lockdown, which wasn't a surprise at all, there was a plethora of online courses advertised on Facebook. One such advertisment was from Udemy, and having used the platform before, I couldn't stop myself from taking a look.

I started with looking at the free courses and downloaded a few onto my account: baking, learning the piano and how to make vegan salads. I always make a point of viewing the preview for the course, to get an idea of what the course tutors are like on camera.  Some I find very hard to watch, so I make a point of avoiding these, especially if I'm paying for the course. There were a few other free titles that appealed, but the presentation didn't, so I didn't download them.

I then decided to look for some sort of dance or exercise course and settled for a Zumba course. I watched the preview and the teachers seemed okay. At £10.99 for a 2 hour video, with unlimited lifetime access, I thought it was good value. I normally pay £10 for a class at the gym, now that I've cancelled my monthly membership and pay as I go, so this seamed reasonable if I can use it over and over again. If, might I add.

I know there are probably lots of free resources online that I could tap into, but I'm happy enough to pay for something and provide income to the creator. Besides, the courses were reduced by 80%, so I know I got a good deal. I'm not sure if they're still on offer, as it was supposed to end last night, but they may be. Free courses should still be available though, if anyone is interested.

With Lockdown entertainment and inspiration sorted, today OH decided that he was going to start work on prepping and painting the walls and woodwork of the upper part of the hallway/stairs.  The upstairs landings have high ceilings, so are difficult to decorate, but he figured that while it's still quiet after Christmas and New Year, if he didn't do it now, he might get busy again and be unable to do it.

As a consequence, today we cleared any furniture or other items that usually live on the landings, to give him room to work. That done, he can now get started, but it does mean there is extra stuff in all the upstairs rooms this time, until the work is done and everything can be put back. More disruption, but not quite as disruptive as doing the downstairs. All in a good cause though. I'm sure we'll manage.

In other news, as part of my Low Buy plan for 2021, we're currently trying to eat down the fridge, cupboards,freezer and food stash. I bought a bit too much food for Xmas and also some extra food in anticipation of a no deal Brexit, so we have quite a bit to work our way through. I may have to do a series of small shops to top up on the things we use up quickly, but hopefully I won't need to do a big shop for at least a couple of weeks. This suits me, as I'm not too keen to get out there and do a big shop, as the queues to get in the supermarkets might be long for a couple of days until things settle down.

How are you planning to occupy yourselves during this new lockdown?