Time

Time…

Time. Are you seeing lockdown as a blessing or a bore?

Now I have a funny feeling that we are in our 12th or is it 13th week of lockdown, I am not entirely sure!!! Haha. It all seems a bit of a blur now. Time is such a funny thing isn’t it. Everyone seems to have their own perspective of the time we have been given in lockdown. For us, it is a blessing. Time to spend as a family. Time to teach each other new things. Time to challenge ourselves at new skills. Time to just be together.

A massive difference for us is the lack of rushing around like complete lunatics to get somewhere or get something done. There’s no time travelling to and from clubs or activities. No time spent getting everyone out of the door! (Sometimes this feels like raising the Titanic with our two!!!) Hopefully we are not alone in our crazy bonkers world of little munchkins. I will never forget a scene from a Micheal McIntyre show where he explains what it’s like to get his two children out of the door. Haha, it was hilarious!! Think we only had our first then, but my golly we could relate to it!! Funny. Definitely the lack of getting out of the door, is a major plus for us at the moment.

For others, this time is a bore. They are missing their usual little rituals of popping to the shops. Going out when they want and having their independence. Being able to see friends and family. Being able to just pop to the shop, when you forget something. But I think as time goes on they will become used to this journey that we are all on. Shopping habits in our house have definitely changed. Most of our birthday cards are handmade by my daughter and our presents are from an online order or are again made by us. I do love handmade pressies. This is definitely the year that crocheting and knitting are coming in handy. And sewing too. A lovely pressie my daughter made was a book mark for my mum on my sewing machine. She used some of the different stitches on my machine and had great fun. Think I might see if she will make some more for me.

Days definitely pass rather quickly for us. You start the day with all these activities that you need and want to do. And have some serious high aspirations of how the day should pan out. Then one thing goes wrong, someone rings up or everyone is just having an off day and the whole day then goes to pot!!! So it’s been decided in our house, these are called ‘Go to Pot’ days. They are allowed, it happens, just move on and try not to dwell on it!!! Tomorrow is another day!! If in doubt, do some baking!!!

I managed 3 loaves in one day the other day! How mad is that!!

It was definitely one yummy baking day!! Goodness!!

The messages from the government seem to be changing more regularly now. Instead of Stay Home. Stay Safe. It is now Stay Alert. Control the Virus. Save Lives. With many more additions such as families making bubbles and 6 person group exercise! Life outside our door does seem to be moving quicker again now. There are definitely more people out and about. And the roads are much busier. But for us, life hasn’t changed much and I can’t see it changing for quite a long time. We are bimbling along in our little bubble. Coping with school work best we can and nursery challenges. Running and biking as much as possible and getting out in the garden. Being together. For hubby, the weekends seem to be filled with an abundance of BBQ’s feast!! Recipes seem to be discussed as early as Tuesday. I’m definitely not complaining.

It also means I tend to get a sneaky sit down for 5, normally with a spot of yarn and a cheeky Spritz. What a lovely little moment.

Nights out seem to be a distant memory. These have now taken a turn in a different direction and now look like this…

I even invested in some for my daughter. Well they had to be unicorn and had to have rainbows on now didn’t they. She’s getting good. I had better watch out.

Have any of you challenged yourself to something new? It’s definitely the right time for it at the moment. Feel like we all need something new in our lives at the minute to distract us. I call them Distraction Tactics. We all need them at one point or another. Whether you’re on your own, self isolating with nothing to occupy you, flying around like a crazy person looking after kids in the middle of a lockdown and attempting homeschooling or trying to work through lockdown with it all getting a bit much, then a new challenge is for you. Good to take your mind off your stresses and worries. Time to concentrate on something completely different, that focuses your mind.

This was my challenge. Knitting socks with circular needles. I’ve always been able to knit, but not ever tried circular needles and definitely not for socks. So I bought my kit from the amazing Abby at Orchidean Luxury Yarns and off I went. (Yarn is just incredible to work with as always. Love the name too – Chasing Rainbows.)

Now I would like to say that it all went swimmingly well and that I flew through my first sock. But yeah, that just wouldn’t be true. Started off ok. Managed the cuff and the leg, but I got a little stuck on the heel. May have had to undo it a few times, but got there in the end. I can safely say that I don’t give in very easily. God job, as I don’t think I would ever be wearing my own knitted pair of socks if I wasn’t!!

I challenged my daughter to make me a rainbow bracelet with our Kimihimo Discs. They are from the wonderful Bee at Crafts from the Clink. I met Bee and her wonderful daughter at the yarn festival at Wool@j13 last year. They are so lovely. They showed me and my mum how to make a bracelet with them. Hoping my daughter can figure out a new pattern.

Here’s the link if you would like to buy one of her kits.

https://www.craftsfromtheclink.com/

Well I will say goodbye for now. Hoping to bring you a pattern nearer the weekend. Was thinking I would create some patterns for a few gifts that you can make. Maybe a few little quick to make ones too. Just a thought to help with any of you that may struggle to get to the shops. I bought a few yummies from Abby the other day. Couldn’t resist getting a few specials in my yarn stash, ready for pressies. Hee hee, don’t you just love a yarn delivery.

Here’s the link to her website, if you fancy taking a peak.

https://luxuryyarns.co.uk/

Anyways, stay safe and take care. And don’t forget those Distraction Tactics. It’s definitely worth a go and you never know you might surprise yourself!!

One day, we will all look back on this and wonder. Wonder how the whole world seemed to come to a standstill from a virus so horrendous as Covid 19. How we all coped? How we all stood still? How we helped our neighbours and family? How we adapted and evolved? And the big question, how we got back to normal? (Whatever normal might be now.)

We will get through this, one way or another…

Happy Hooking.

🌈Xx

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One week down… I wonder how many to go?

The birds are still flying in the sky. Trees are blowing in the wind. The sun is out. Lambs are being born in the fields. And there’s sunny little yellow daffodils beaming at the world around them. And yet there is a distinct lack of people out and about. And the noise of our surroundings, is a little bit odd and some what eerie!! The roads are quiet, no kids are in the park and there’s a very strange queue outside most supermarkets! Scary and sad times.

Oh my, what a difference a month can make or even a week for that matter. This time last month, we had just come back from an amazing ski holiday. We had a few days back at school and I think if I can remember correctly, I was struggling to get all the housework done. Wow! Definitely not worrying about the housework now. Can’t quite believe how quick our lives have changed! How my head is filled with so many different thoughts now!

How are you all coping? I just wanted to check in with you and see how you are doing. I’m sorry I haven’t been on here or even social media much lately. This last week or so has been such an emotional time for everyone. Feeling decidedly overwhelmed by it all. My children have now been at home with me for a week now. Which in one sense I love, but on the other, I fear for their social interaction with their peers & emotional needs. The end of school/nursery seemed to happen so quickly for us. One minute they were going in and the next we were being sent home with PE bags and a lot of books to read. The kids didn’t seem to get what was going on at all. It was so sad. My eldest seems a lot calmer now that we have been at home for a few days. I think the fear of it all and being at school was getting a bit much. Children are so adaptable aren’t they. Much better than us. Our life changes & we all go to pot, where as the kids just seem to accept it and off they go. Bless them.

Today was the end of our first full week as our little unit. We managed the Joe Wicks PE routine every day. Which was rather hilarious!

I’m pleased no-one was watching. My daughter was doing rather well, but my son on the other hand is a little too young & keeps trying to tackle us & give us big hugs! Always slightly scary when you are attempting some manoeuvres that your body isn’t usually used to, in your living room, in your slippers with 2 children laughing at you and then one suddenly running at you for a hug. So yeah… It’s been fun! Lots of cuppas needed at times like this me thinks.

We’ve started getting lots of jobs done in the house. Amazing when your whole world seems to be existing in 4 walls, you have a sense of sort city!! I seem to be zooming through the house like some kind of steam train. It was my daughter’s room yesterday and the playroom today! I’m amazed how it all gets into such a muddle so quickly!! I’ve challenged my daughter to sort all of the playmobil toys back into their own little groups! Could take a while. (Good job I kept all the instructions!)

I think with us all being in the house so much, it’s even more important than ever that we keep it a bit more ship shape. (Easier said that done.) I think it’s a sense of not being able to work with the kids and set up activities when it’s a mess. Well that’s the plan anyway. It seems to be brushing off on my husband too. Last seen 8pm on Thursday night, painting skirting boards in the hall! Love him!!

I do worry about our little minds after all this time in isolation! I reckon I am definitely showing signs of hobbitness!! It’s worrying! Now for those of you who know me, I always joke about how I am becoming a hobbit, because we live in The Shire and literally only seem to leave once in a blue moon. On a usual (not lockdown) day to day basis, in the week I only tend to leave my home town for one thing. And that’s only 10 minutes away in the car. Everything else, bar swimming & the gym, is pretty much in walking distance! I spend most of my time on foot and will always bump into someone that I know! So now that we are all in lockdown, the likelihood of hobbitness has increased by 10 fold!! Haha. Oh and it’s gonna get a whole lot worse isn’t it.

Now, in my little Hobbit world, I would always visit Bore Street Bakery, twice a week for our weekly bread.

Now due to Coronavirus and the government rulings, they have made the sad decision to shut their doors until the foreseeable future. Properly gutted for them, but I know when they reopen, we will be there with bells on!!

But as a result of this, I find myself in situation where I need to make our own bread. Now this isn’t a problem, as I have made sourdough before. My mother-in-law very kindly made me and a few other family members a starter for our sourdough. Attempt one was made on Friday, but I think my poor little starter hadn’t worked properly and it needed some TLC. Since then, I seem to have been trying to nurse it back to life and have been seen carrying it around the house, trying to find the perfect spot for it to sit and get better.

I keep researching how to help it & trying new ways! Honestly, you would think it’s a little baby, the way I have been nursing it back to health. Oh dear! Maybe the hobbitness has kicked in already!! Fingers crossed the next loaf will be more of a success than this one!!!

And we are definitely missing our yummy coffees from the wonderful Debs at Melbourne Cafe. I think there are quite a few dogs missing their regular trips to her coffee shop. I follow her on instagram and the amount of little dogs that are sitting on Melbourne’s door step waiting to go in. So sad that they are shut too. Missing all our usual places to go. My purple flask hasn’t been used for ages!!

My daughter is definitely coping better now, than last week. She seems to be bimbling around the house quite happy. I found her the other day writing in her diary about the lock down. We had asked her to write a little a day, but knew it might be a big ask. But she has been siting every morning and filling it in. Definitely think it will help her with all the emotions she is feeling. Must be so scary for her.

On Thursday evening, the whole of Britain came out of their doors, windows & balconies to clap and show appreciation for the NHS. It’s was so emotional. I got my daughter out of bed. She was really taken with it. I think someone was even hitting a saucepan with a wooden spoon near us and there was some definite fireworks being let off. To all who work in the NHS, for your role, however big or small, we salute you! From the bottom of our hearts!

As it is early days, we haven’t quite got a routine on the go as to what we will do. I know some of my friends have devised timetables and home schooling routines, but for me it is a time for readjustment at first. A time to get used to being in the house so much for a start. As my loved ones all know, my dear husband has always got itchy feet, so we would always be out that door on Saturday morning, off on a bike ride or adventure somewhere. So to be told to stay in the house & not go & explore, has been a bit of a game changer.

So I’ve devised this system for our activities. All you need are 2 jars, some coloured paper, a pen and some scissors.

And all I did was cut up strips of coloured paper and popped a challenge or an activity on each. So we have a challenge jar and a fun activity jar. So the challenge one, is basically all the work that her school has set for her broken down individually & a few more from me & her tutor. I thought it was the best way to do it, rather than me just telling her what to do & when.

She was sooooo excited when I gave her the jars. It definitely had the desired effect! Yey!! Much better than nagging. So each challenge achieved, she gets a gold star on a chart. It’s definitely growing, so we’re winning on the school work front. And the best part is, she doesn’t really realise she’s doing it! The other jar has lots of fun activities that they both can do. I tried to think of all the activities that we can do in the house like craft activities, or things in the garden. There’s even Lego challenges in there. Can’t beat a spot of legoing! Think for us the old school way of teaching through learning and activities is best for us. Can’t beat a spot of maths, whilst making a cake!!

And a little bit of quilt making AKA Design Technology Lesson!

Heyho. It’s all go isn’t it. I can safely say that crocheting and knitting is so important right now. I think one of the main benefits to crocheting is the ability to loose ones self in it & be distracted by it. With everything that is going on & the worry that people are having to endure, it’s good to have a distraction plan in place. And especially one that you can enjoy the snuggly yarny products after too!!

Well, I‘m hoping to be on here as much as I can. I know my little ones are going to take up quite a lot of my time, but hoping to find little moments for my crocheting. I have plans for more video tutorials & simple patterns for you to follow. So watch this space. It’s so important to have a little escapism with all this fear and worry in the world and crocheting (and a spot of running.) is definitely mine.

Stay Home. Stay Safe!!

Happy hooking my lovely ones.
🌈Xx

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