I hope everyone in Europe remembered to change their clocks last night: spring forward an hour if anyone isn'r clear! An hour more light at night and a longer sleep in the morning - can't be bad
Both are heart-warming developments from the UK - simple but effective for the benefit of the front line NHS staff.
Now we have all had time to practise living with the restrictions, we thought it might be an opportunity to find out what others do to pass the time and how they are keeping in touch with others. I've heard more from family this week than for years - I'm not sure if that is something to worry about or not!
So over to you!
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I changed my emoji from my one and only stained glass project to my one and only mural (in the kitchen of my former home, my son photographed it before they hung shelves on it, I was touched that they didn't just paint it out).
Spending too much time on FB, and owing to my own activities (likes, etc) on social media over the years I get a lot of lovely things! Did you see the great item of a man mimicking US leader? I was in stitches. And yes I am literally a magpie, picking up feathers and pretty rocks, and in the autumn beautiful leaves which I press in the phone book where they lie forgotten until they fall out a year later.... Although I don't seem to be getting a new phone book any more.
Window sills lined with rocks/shells/driftwood, and books fluttering out pressed leaves. I use feathers and grasses for creating cyanotype prints, hit and miss but fun. So many things to do, and so much time!
Loved this. A lot of learning to do here on bird names. Now we have loads of time to slow down and enjoy some very simple things....for me, checking each day in the garden to see what has appeared or opened, sitting at my pond listening to and watching the frogs busy at making more, furthering my Spanish....and so much more. I hope you can all find some very positive moments.
Only on day 2 of C25K-I remember now that I never liked running but determined to give it a go. Hope it’s going well for you. Trying to sort out 8 boxes each containing about a million old photos is main project. All the best.
I've just been drafted in to help grandson with homework over Skype so that should take up some time each day. I also seem to have been spending an inordinate amount of time looking for supermarket slots (largely in vain).
I'm also - don't laugh - trying to walk up and down my stairs as briskly as my knee allows, about five times day. I can't go out to exercise as my garden is accessed along a communal passage and two kids next door have been playing football there and one of them has a nasty cough! So the stairs it is.
Have done C25K twice - great programme - so many resources for it online too. Ideally you should do it with a running buddy so you can inspire each other or with a club (running club not caveman club!!!) it helps with motivation etc.
A few days ago someone said that they had read people should stop taking steroids because of Covid-19. I found this today which backs up the comment “This drug (pred) is generally not recommended for long-term use anyway, and the additional threat of COVID-19 might be a good reason to consider slowly stop it.” It is by someone called Barbara Brody who runs creaky joints! One of the reasons we should not believe everything we read. Fake News as Donald Trump would say.
By way of explanation, pred is commonly used to treat asthma, bronchitis, pneumonia and other breathing difficulties, and at higher doses than those we use for PMR/GCA.
Initial reports are that pred doesn't help, and in some cases, does harm - but once again it is important to note that the doses used were far higher than those used for PMR/GCA.
Talk to your medical team if you have concerns about your dose and your condition.
I spent much of this week talking normally sane and sensible friends and family members down from a ledge in their panic about how to cope while Staying at Home.
Plus , a now daily check in , from my children , and to my Mother .
I haven't had this much social interaction in over a year , it's been a big shock to the system.
I don't use Facebook to help me limit getting endless notifications about updates from people I know . It's been invaluable in limiting the amount of time I have to spend on screen time , but I do the odd drop in visit to send my love and say hello via my OHs account .
Some of the weird and unusual things some of my friends and family have been doing at home to occupy their hours behind closed doors are making me wonder wether when Social Isolation is a thing of the past I would let some people back in my house again !!
A Cousin ( Male) is dressing and making up as various film and TV characters each day . A few days ago he uploaded a photo of himself as Ursula , the Sea Witch from 'The Little Mermaid' ...... He is a man mountain and has a beard !!!!
Honestly one of the most disturbing things I have seen in my Life !!!!😋😂😂😂😂
Apart from shopping delivery chaos and my dining room turning into a school its business as usual here , except for the calls from panicked friends of course.
I've given up on the supermarkets as it's impossible to get normal delivery spots and we can't register for priority delivery in Wales because we can't register like in England for the status. Even if I could the stress of waiting to see if half your shop doesn't turn up is something I could do without.
I'm going for deliveries from local people instead , all were really helpful and contacted me quickly to say they could deliver and when and confirmed everything on my list would be in the boxes. The Egg Man is now delivering and will also bring me honey and stop in to the local corner shop to pick up bread and milk on the way around if I need it.
I'm surprised that the area didn't get deliveries done in the end where you are , I know there was no panic buying and it's not usual to do it , but it could have helped vulnerable people reduce their risks.
No deliveries. OH went online to see if anywhere did - M-Preis does in Austria but not here. I don't have a problem going in the village, really don't. Can only be village people, there are 2 cases and some in quarantine. Max no of 5 in the butcher, never more than 2 in the baker, Loads of space if I go to the big supermarket.
But everyone is shutdown, unlike the UK, and the villages all have a few cases but the figures haven't changed up here. It is the towns that are worse.
Garden to see to, books to read, TV, TV catch-up, trombone, keyboard, saxophone and guitar to practise, new recipes to try out. Isolation? I haven’t got time for NON-isolation. Having written all that, I’ll have to go and have a lie down! 😂😂😂
Precisely , I think if most of us listed all the things that can be done at Home that we love to do , have always wanted to try , or have been putting off because we didn't have the time , we could probably occupy ourselves full time for a year in Self Isolation not just a few months.
After spending over five months living " Life at Home " I can honestly say that there are some days when I don't have enough time to fit in all the things I planned to do. It is obviously another thing to accept and adapt to , but let's face it , since learning to replace the " Old Normal " with a " New Normal" because of PMR or GCA we are dab hands at adjusting and making the most out of Life already. On this , we are ahead of the curve in comparison with the Healthy Population.
Your link to Southampton Uni: the speed of innovation and manufacturing is astonishing using off-the-shelf components plus 3D printing - I live in a world where I don't really understand how a lot of things work (since about the advent of the t.v. ) but am wonderstruck nevertheless!
There's a satellite launching outfit called Rocket Lab in NZ - they 3D printed their rocket engine. I also saw a time-lapse showing 3D construction of small round houses for refugee shelter. Now that's useful.
I love the person who featured in George Clarke's Best Shed programme . He was 3d printing limbs for children whom needed prosthetics because of war related injuries and illnesses to send around the world .
I am also amazed at the fact that you can 3d print food , it makes you think about those old episodes of Star Trek . Tell a machine what you want for dinner and if it has the plans it will make it.
Of course if things continue as they are someone could make a fortune in 3D printed toilet rolls 😋😂😂😂
Knowing my luck if I decided try again as a reprint they'd still lose half of the pages in the instruction book
Funnily enough apart from walking the dog my life hasn't changed much. No extra family contact and ..oh yes...I started as a moderator on the forum...picked a fine time to give up glue sniffing.
My kitchen is very clean and I have cooked a larger variety of meals as I very luckily got a box of organic veg with different veg in it.
I have ordered seeds but they haven't arrived yet. I will start planting this year's veg. Apart from that.....
Afternoon read for a while and listen to radio or play a game
Dinner and settle down to watch TV and do some knitting
I am so glad that I put all those jobs of like cleaning cupboards and drawers out .
I think I have plenty to do till June
I have my Son home so have company through the day
I must admit watching others walk past my big bay window sets us both off on what part of stay at home do thay not understand .
I see thay are going to set up a phone line to report those who are not complying .
I do story time over the phone each day with my Grandson I start the story then he has to continue we make it up as we go .
Yesterday I was a giant pink bubble going to the moon .
Bit worried about my Son away as yesterday he developed a cough sore throat and was aching.
Will phone him soon he works for a company that has the NHS contract for thier computer systems .Mostly remote working but has had to go into some surgery's.
I do much the same routine, you've reminded me to make soup!
I don't go out of the garden and if I go on planting stuff I won't be able to leave anyway.. I do hope your son is ok, there seem to be lots of colds, throats etc around but it's alway the question in one's mind.
Swapped Sky Sports for Sky Cinema. Hubby's loss, my gain.
Nothing much has changed with us as we spent most time at home anyway.
I have been inundated with messages from people I haven't heard from for ages. Seem to spend a lot of time chatting on messenger. My cousin is Nurse in Charge at a care home and she has been really stressed. So been there for her to help her keep up to date on what the government is saying. She only has time for work and sleep at the moment. I spoke to her on her day off and she was over the moon as she was able to get her dog a sack of dog food. On the other hand she couldn't get her gluten free supplies from the supermarket as the shelves were empty. I suggested Aldi, I know she doesn't normally go there as she collects Tesco points. Luckily she was able to find some meat and fresh fruit and veg. So less stressed now.
Been sewing masks too. I know the home made ones don't offer great protection but at least its a bit of protection from the sneezing and coughing in the pharmacy queue and likewise.
Other half has been happily playing games on his tablet and is very exercise resistant. He says it hurts, which is fair enough as it does. However trying to keep him moving as I don't want him seizing up on me.
This morning a kind friend drove 20+ miles to deliver me some essentials. Luckily his wife works for Waitrose so she was able to source some lactofree milk. Also got eggs and plain flour, yay, bring on the baking. I am also extremely pleased to have some fresh fruit too. There are some wonderful people in the world.
I have ordered a yoghurt maker as I am having difficulty getting yoghurt so thought I would have a try at making it.
I have taken stock of our pantry and been rearranging tins in date order. Also researching recipes to make from what we have. I love cooking so this is no hardship.
I have signed up for two photography courses online but so far haven't had the time to start them!
We have a sort of daily routine which hasn't altered much except that we don't go to the shops, meet friends or go to the Temple. I know the worst is still to come here in the uk so keep safe and well everyone. May all sentient beings be free of suffering. Blessing to you all.
Life isn't so different for me at the moment- I feel like I've been practising for this over the last couple of years because I've been recovering from the 4 joint replacement ops I have had. Stuck at home, not able to drive, not very mobile etc etc. I am now 6 weeks post op with the last one and so exercising morning and evening which is going well- the weather is really helping.
OH is working from home, so not with me all day, but more than before.He has a lung condition so we are both self-isolating.
I have also started meditating every morning at 11 through a live feed from a local Buddhist centre, which gives me a bit of structure.
My daughter is local so can do all our shopping for us and last night we had an Indian meal which was delivered to us!
Our local pub is selling basics and doing takeaway/ delivered meals.
For the first time in many, many years, I forgot! My sleep was been set awry yesterday by my indulging in a small quantity of alcohol so I was reminded by a radio station somewhere in the early hours. I eventually sorted the time on the radio some hours later - and then totally forgot about the issue and have yet to put any other clocks/watches 'right'.
What do people do who have to be very precise about the time they take medications?
Good question! Honest Miss, it was only a little bottle of wine, next size up from a miniature. The most expensive way of buying wine (other than in a bar) - so I very seldom do it - with the result that the small quantity of alcohol has a marked effect.
Still, I did complete a really tricky puzzle in a newspaper during my early morning awake period (starting 2.15ish) so my brain isn't pickled yet.
Yesterday we washed all the stones for our new gas fireplace that someday will be built in our family room. Now to place them in the order to be installed on a template we created . It will be lake a large puzzle 5 feet by 7 feet tall. Should be fun but tiring.
I just spent a delightful 4 minutes 25 seconds watching these valiant little Line Riders testing themselves to the accompaniment of the opening of Beethoven's 5th Symphony.
love it, perfect for watching while brushing teeth which is very boring, I do tiptoe walks and knee bends usually but this is much more entertaining. I see there are more, goody
I think our families are keeping in touch more because we are the 'vulnerable' ones and they suddenly realise how much they need/miss us. It works both ways as we are worried about them more too.
Are you able to have "relaxing" times during the day or are you stuck on the computer helping us??
Here (an hour north of Detroit, Michigan) our cases are exploding. Our schools are closed so I couldn't substitute teach anyway. For my hubby and I it is week 3 of staying inside and social distancing. We had been in Florida when this hit and our little subdivision there had the first two cases in Florida (both died) so they immediately shut down our Clubhouse and everything and we quarantined ourselves (we were scared!) We walk once or twice a day now (that was easier in sunny warm Florida) and if hubby doesn't come I "shuffle jog" 2 1/2 to 3 miles staying far away from others. I'm changing my art lesson website that had been aimed at other teachers, to be aimed at parents who are home with their children "home schooling." So that I feel is something I can do. Many friends around here are sewing masks for nurses as our hospitals have critical shortages of masks, gowns and ventilators. I call friends and family daily. My son was sick but thank God he tested negative and now it is thought it was just allergies. Still he is living in our basement, isolated and wearing gloves and scarf when he comes upstairs to get food. I keep surfaces and everything cleaned and we all wash hands constantly. Scary times. Hope everyone's loved ones are safe and okay.
It is scary but it's good you are keeping up with your teaching.
I had to go outside for the first time in a while. I stayed in for around a week, took the dog last Monday to secluded place as I know the lockdown was coming. Today the cloth that covers the weeds became detached in the wind. It was blowing everywhere . I thought the dog would be kite surfing if she got wrapped in it so dashed out and spent 10mins or more pinning it down with anything I could lay my hands on..I came in coughing like mad and where does your mind go...I drank lots of room temp water and after 30mins it calmed. Of course it was just the freezing cold air and the wind. Strange times!
Like anything in life....
You either get bitter or you get better. It's that simple. You either take what has been dealt to you and allow it to make you a better person, or you allow it to tear you down. The choice does not belong to fate, it belongs to you
This lockdown is doing me no good!! The longer I'm in it the lazier I become (except that I now have to do my own housework).☹️☹️
We used to go out for a short walk every day - sometimes now I just can't be bothered. I can't do stretching exercises because it hurts too much (and even worse on the day after). I am on my laptop about 4-5 hours per day (reading, playing games, looking things up). How am I to stay healthy I ask myself!?!
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