If you had said to me 12 months ago that the world would have went into lock down due to a serious, deadly virus, I would have laughed at you. I don't think any of us would ever imagined something like Coronavirus would happen in our country let alone take over the world. I'm not going to lie, when we first heard of Covid19, I wasn't worried at all about it. I didn't think it would ever come to Northern Ireland. However, as soon as the first case in Northern Ireland/UK was announced (is that the correct word?), I began getting worried.
The last few weeks in work before the shop closed, were pretty scary. I love my job and the people I work with but I did not feel safe going to work everyday. I knew it was serious when I was sent out to get some supplies for the shop, such as cleaning products, hand soap etc and found it nearly impossible to find anything in any of the shops I visited. There was the whole drama over people bulk buying toilet paper and hand soap and I was worried I wouldn't be able to get any for the house. I did feel bad walking through my local shopping centre with a packet of toilet paper, even though we were running low in the house.
My last shift in work was on Sunday 22nd March 2020. It was the week where everything was happening. Schools had been closed and shops and businesses were closing too. The last week in work was very scary and a worrying time for me. As I've said above, I didn't really feel safe going to work everyday. It worried me that so many people were still coming out to the shops and buying non-essential products. It also amazed me how many people were bringing their children out to the shops as if they were on an extended holiday. This did set me on edge. Even though we were trying our hardest to practice social distancing, people were not making any effort at all. I had a customer completely ignore this and come right into my face, even when I tried to step away from her. She made me so nervous and was completely un-aware of how serious the situation was. As much as I miss work and the motivation of getting up every morning to go to work, I am glad that I am safe at home.
The last few weeks in work before the shop closed, were pretty scary. I love my job and the people I work with but I did not feel safe going to work everyday. I knew it was serious when I was sent out to get some supplies for the shop, such as cleaning products, hand soap etc and found it nearly impossible to find anything in any of the shops I visited. There was the whole drama over people bulk buying toilet paper and hand soap and I was worried I wouldn't be able to get any for the house. I did feel bad walking through my local shopping centre with a packet of toilet paper, even though we were running low in the house.
My last shift in work was on Sunday 22nd March 2020. It was the week where everything was happening. Schools had been closed and shops and businesses were closing too. The last week in work was very scary and a worrying time for me. As I've said above, I didn't really feel safe going to work everyday. It worried me that so many people were still coming out to the shops and buying non-essential products. It also amazed me how many people were bringing their children out to the shops as if they were on an extended holiday. This did set me on edge. Even though we were trying our hardest to practice social distancing, people were not making any effort at all. I had a customer completely ignore this and come right into my face, even when I tried to step away from her. She made me so nervous and was completely un-aware of how serious the situation was. As much as I miss work and the motivation of getting up every morning to go to work, I am glad that I am safe at home.
Sadly, Simon and I had to postpone our wedding on 30th March until October due to all hotels having to close and the lock down put into place on the UK on the 23rd March. We are both absolutely gutted but we understand that our safety and the well being of all our guests is important. We also had our mini-moon to Amsterdam cancelled too and our cruise in May has also been cancelled which I am also gutted about as I was looking forward to both our trips away. Thankfully, we got refunded for both trips.
So, how have I been spending my isolation/quarantine/lock down for the past 11 weeks? Here's what I've been up too.
Cleaning
During my first week off, I did a lot of cleaning. Simon and I had been getting bit by something quite a lot, causing large, red, itchy spots on our legs. In order to try and get rid of the culprits, I washed every inch of our bedroom, including our bedding, bed and all the clothing that was under our bed in the drawers. This took me a few days to complete and I even washed the bedding a couple of times to see if anything would help. I've also gave our living room a deep clean too. Having more time on my hands, meant I could keep on top of the cleaning and become a proper little house wife. I've been able to keep on top of washing as well. With Simon still working in the office, I've been left to my own devices and can do the cleaning at my own pace rather than the two of us having to spend our days off together doing a huge clean in one go. We figured out what caused the bites, which appeared to be when we hung our clothes in the shed to dry on the clothes horses so we brought them inside instead and it seemed to work thankfully.
Clearing Out and Organising
Weirdly, I get a kick out of doing a good clear out. After washing all our clothes from the drawers under the bed, it meant that I could organise them all again. I also gave the drawers a good organise in our room too and sort out all my toiletries and make up stuff. Once I had our bedroom finished, I sorted out the stuff from under the bed in the spare room to make room for our ever growing collection of jigsaw puzzles. I spent a lot of time over the 11 weeks, clearing out and organising. When we found out we had to move out of our house, it gave me a good opportunity to de-clutter and throw out a pile of stuff. We had piles of stuff that was taken to the dump and bags of stuff for the charity shops.
Cooking and Baking
I'm not the biggest fan of cooking. Simon is the better cook in our house. As he's still working, I get to do more cooking of breakfast and lunch and sometimes dinner. It's given me the opportunity to try new things. I used to be one of those people who was more "won't cook" than "can't cook" as I was used to having my meals cooked for me by my parents. Now, I just find an easy recipe online and work from there. My speciality dishes would be, potato and leek soup and creamy pesto pasta. Usually, I'd so something like poached eggs, bacon and toast for breakfast then something yummy for lunch. I've also made banana bread for the first time ever. (it appears everyone is making banana bread at the moment, so I jumped on the bandwagon). I tried to make cheesecake but it didn't turn out very well. We made cookies a few times too. The hardest part is trying to decide what to have for lunch and dinner everyday. When I'm working, I usually take sandwiches for a packed lunch or have to decide where to go to to get something yummy for lunch.
Bread Simon made and banana bread muffins.
Disney+
Disney+ could not have launched in the UK at a better time. It literally launched the day after lock down was announced. I was so excited to finally get Disney+ and have watched quite a lot on there already. Sometimes though, I get quite restless with watching things which is annoying. My favourite thing to watch on Disney+ is without a doubt The Imagineering Story. I love learning all about the parks being built and seeing all the behind the scenes footage from Walt's days. I find it all so interesting and I hope we get more than 6 episodes. I also love Disney's Fairytale weddings, though it made me upset knowing that our own wedding has been postponed until October. So how can I apply for a Disney Fairytale wedding? lol. I've also been watching Agent Carter as I've recently got into the Marvel franchise in a big way. I still have to watch High School Musical - The Series too. This will definitely keep me occupied for a while. Frozen2 finally arrived on 3rd July so hopefully Onward will be on there soon. I've been going through all the movies in A-Z order and trying to watch the ones that interest me.
Netflix/Youtube/Amazon Prime
Along with Disney+, I had much more time to binge watch Netflix and catch up on the mountain of Youtube I had to watch. Simon and I always sit down together in the evenings to watch something. We've already watched The Witcher and are currently watching Chuck on Amazon Prime and Orphan Black on Netflix. We've just finished 13 Reasons Why, though Simon didn't watch season 4. Season 3 was more background noise while we did a jigsaw puzzle. I find it quite hard to start a new television series or find something I might enjoy which is why I usually opt for something on Youtube instead. I started watching Station19 which is the sister show of Grey's which is quite good. I also need to finish Orphan Black and This is Us.
Sleep
I slept in until about half 9 every single day during lockdown. Sometimes I forced myself to get up at 8am, rather than have a sleep in. Do I feel better for it? Sometimes. I wish I could have dragged myself out of bed earlier and do something useful in the mornings but I tried to not put too much pressure on myself. Simon is an early riser so he'll get up early to go to work in our office while I sleep on. As the weather gets better, I will try and force myself out of bed earlier but for the mean time, I am enjoying my little lie ins in the morning. Maybe I need to get myself into a better routine for when I do go back to work.
Colour in.
I love colouring in. I've always loved it, since I was a child so I very much enjoy adult colouring in. It's a very easy way of relaxing. I spent a lot of time colouring in and sorting out my felt tip pens. I could honestly sit for hours, colouring in, until my hand gets sore anyways. If you don't have any colouring books, there's loads of websites that have downloadable colouring pages for both adults and children. I even purchased myself a new colouring book and some pens.
So, how have I been spending my isolation/quarantine/lock down for the past 11 weeks? Here's what I've been up too.
Cleaning
During my first week off, I did a lot of cleaning. Simon and I had been getting bit by something quite a lot, causing large, red, itchy spots on our legs. In order to try and get rid of the culprits, I washed every inch of our bedroom, including our bedding, bed and all the clothing that was under our bed in the drawers. This took me a few days to complete and I even washed the bedding a couple of times to see if anything would help. I've also gave our living room a deep clean too. Having more time on my hands, meant I could keep on top of the cleaning and become a proper little house wife. I've been able to keep on top of washing as well. With Simon still working in the office, I've been left to my own devices and can do the cleaning at my own pace rather than the two of us having to spend our days off together doing a huge clean in one go. We figured out what caused the bites, which appeared to be when we hung our clothes in the shed to dry on the clothes horses so we brought them inside instead and it seemed to work thankfully.
Clearing Out and Organising
Weirdly, I get a kick out of doing a good clear out. After washing all our clothes from the drawers under the bed, it meant that I could organise them all again. I also gave the drawers a good organise in our room too and sort out all my toiletries and make up stuff. Once I had our bedroom finished, I sorted out the stuff from under the bed in the spare room to make room for our ever growing collection of jigsaw puzzles. I spent a lot of time over the 11 weeks, clearing out and organising. When we found out we had to move out of our house, it gave me a good opportunity to de-clutter and throw out a pile of stuff. We had piles of stuff that was taken to the dump and bags of stuff for the charity shops.
Cooking and Baking
I'm not the biggest fan of cooking. Simon is the better cook in our house. As he's still working, I get to do more cooking of breakfast and lunch and sometimes dinner. It's given me the opportunity to try new things. I used to be one of those people who was more "won't cook" than "can't cook" as I was used to having my meals cooked for me by my parents. Now, I just find an easy recipe online and work from there. My speciality dishes would be, potato and leek soup and creamy pesto pasta. Usually, I'd so something like poached eggs, bacon and toast for breakfast then something yummy for lunch. I've also made banana bread for the first time ever. (it appears everyone is making banana bread at the moment, so I jumped on the bandwagon). I tried to make cheesecake but it didn't turn out very well. We made cookies a few times too. The hardest part is trying to decide what to have for lunch and dinner everyday. When I'm working, I usually take sandwiches for a packed lunch or have to decide where to go to to get something yummy for lunch.
Bread Simon made and banana bread muffins.
Disney+
Disney+ could not have launched in the UK at a better time. It literally launched the day after lock down was announced. I was so excited to finally get Disney+ and have watched quite a lot on there already. Sometimes though, I get quite restless with watching things which is annoying. My favourite thing to watch on Disney+ is without a doubt The Imagineering Story. I love learning all about the parks being built and seeing all the behind the scenes footage from Walt's days. I find it all so interesting and I hope we get more than 6 episodes. I also love Disney's Fairytale weddings, though it made me upset knowing that our own wedding has been postponed until October. So how can I apply for a Disney Fairytale wedding? lol. I've also been watching Agent Carter as I've recently got into the Marvel franchise in a big way. I still have to watch High School Musical - The Series too. This will definitely keep me occupied for a while. Frozen2 finally arrived on 3rd July so hopefully Onward will be on there soon. I've been going through all the movies in A-Z order and trying to watch the ones that interest me.
Netflix/Youtube/Amazon Prime
Along with Disney+, I had much more time to binge watch Netflix and catch up on the mountain of Youtube I had to watch. Simon and I always sit down together in the evenings to watch something. We've already watched The Witcher and are currently watching Chuck on Amazon Prime and Orphan Black on Netflix. We've just finished 13 Reasons Why, though Simon didn't watch season 4. Season 3 was more background noise while we did a jigsaw puzzle. I find it quite hard to start a new television series or find something I might enjoy which is why I usually opt for something on Youtube instead. I started watching Station19 which is the sister show of Grey's which is quite good. I also need to finish Orphan Black and This is Us.
Sleep
I slept in until about half 9 every single day during lockdown. Sometimes I forced myself to get up at 8am, rather than have a sleep in. Do I feel better for it? Sometimes. I wish I could have dragged myself out of bed earlier and do something useful in the mornings but I tried to not put too much pressure on myself. Simon is an early riser so he'll get up early to go to work in our office while I sleep on. As the weather gets better, I will try and force myself out of bed earlier but for the mean time, I am enjoying my little lie ins in the morning. Maybe I need to get myself into a better routine for when I do go back to work.
Colour in.
I love colouring in. I've always loved it, since I was a child so I very much enjoy adult colouring in. It's a very easy way of relaxing. I spent a lot of time colouring in and sorting out my felt tip pens. I could honestly sit for hours, colouring in, until my hand gets sore anyways. If you don't have any colouring books, there's loads of websites that have downloadable colouring pages for both adults and children. I even purchased myself a new colouring book and some pens.
Self Care
I think self care is very important at any time but during lockdown, I feel like it's more important than ever. For me, getting up and having a shower and putting on clean clothes makes me feel so much better than when I lounge around in my PJ's all day. Even putting on some make up and straightening my hair the odd day, made me feel much better too. During this worrying time, it's important to take care of our mental health and look after ourselves. Sometimes all it takes, is a nice relaxing bubble bath with candles lit to make me feel good. Some people on social media have been quite harsh and judgemental towards how people having been spending their time indoors. If people want to spend their days on the sofa watching Netflix in their pyjamas then that's fine. As is people showering, putting on clean clothes and wearing make up.
Me on a day I wore a dress, applied some make up and straightened my hair.
Me on a day I wore a dress, applied some make up and straightened my hair.
Walking
At the beginning of lockdown, I did a lot of walking but only short walks down to my village or down to my local shop. As the weeks progressed, I got bored of it so kind of stopped. I do wish I had kept it up, especially with the weather being so nice. I think the lazy part of me really kicked in.
At the beginning of lockdown, I did a lot of walking but only short walks down to my village or down to my local shop. As the weeks progressed, I got bored of it so kind of stopped. I do wish I had kept it up, especially with the weather being so nice. I think the lazy part of me really kicked in.
Building Jigsaws
Simon and I love building jigsaws so being off for 11 weeks, it meant that we could re-build all of our puzzles again. This was what we got up too on a Sunday. I even purchased some new puzzles. I like building Disney puzzles and have gathered up quite a few.
My Harry Potter puzzle
Simon and I love building jigsaws so being off for 11 weeks, it meant that we could re-build all of our puzzles again. This was what we got up too on a Sunday. I even purchased some new puzzles. I like building Disney puzzles and have gathered up quite a few.
My Harry Potter puzzle
Updated: Monday 6th July 2020
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