Wanderings Lately :: June & July

Here you go mum!

June and July flew past, all mostly spent inside our flat and the furthest I've been is Wandsworth Common (excluding one surprise trip to Essex).

Sewing

My sewing machine arrived at the beginning of June, which was exciting and transformed lockdown time!

First sewing project was a curtain for our bathroom. One of the windows isn't frosted and I've had a towel hanging from the tension rod for the first year of living her. So first thing to sew was the curtain from seahorse fabric. Quite basic but I am still quite chuffed with this one!

First clothes item was this 'vivien' dress. It turned out ok, and I am pleased with the zip insertion but I actually don't really love wearing it and the fabric is quite stiff so it's not particularly comfortable. I made quite a few mistakes with this too, but it's all part of the process and the only way to improve so chalking that down to experience.

These last two months I have also developed a bit of an obsession with buying fabric online. I have now restricted myself to not buying any new fabric until I have used some in the cupboard!

With left over fabric I made a few reusable kitchen towels. The poundshop towel hasn't washed very well, so I am now reassessing how to re-hem to stop it disintergrating in the washing machine.

Most pleased with these shorts. They are definitely not perfect, and close up I can see bits where the sewing isn't great or seams are likely to come apart a bit, BUT they fit well and from a distance they look ok. So that's a big win. They were definitely not a suitable project for a beginner sewist!

Food

Made some bread, made some cake!

Brunch at our local cafe. They have closed the road to pedestrianise it, which is nice generally because there's less traffic but this is also so that restaurants can put more seating outside. So this was a nice sunny brunch in the middle of the road!

Got dressed up for our first evening meal out for 5 months!

Friday night fish and chips!

Exercise

When you leave the house for a run and then see this sky at the end of the road...

Wet, wet, wet.

And finally

This pigeon likes to wash in the puddles on the top of the house next door to us. For obvious reasons he's not been there recently, but there was slightly more rain in June/July and he became my unofficial colleague.

Wanderings Lately :: April & May 2020

Life in lockdown. April and May two months in lockdown. I've never spent so much time at home, not seeing friends or exercising. What a strange time this is. I'm fully working from home, which I am very luck to be able to do. I'm also extremely glad we decided to go for a flat with a spare room which has become my office and means I can leave work in there and not have it permeate into our kitchen or living room. Although we did so at the expense of any outside space so we've had to use other opportunities to go to the local park for a walk, or wander across the road to the churchyard. I've also started running again, and have tried to keep up a few bike rides here and there.

We've barely left Wandsworth, venturing only to Putney for a long walk or slightly further afield on bike rides. Just as we were beginning to take bike rides together Victor's bike got stolen so that was a bit of a downer. Hopefully we will be replacing it soon and then be able to cycle out together again.

This period of life is full of much uncertainty, the unknown of when we will be able to return to work again, when we will be able to visit friends and family again and when things are eased, which businesses will have survived?

As we go into June, some of the rules are being relaxed. For the first time in two months I have made plans. On Tuesday I have organised to meet my friend in a local park to sit two meters apart and chat in person. It's only something small, but at least it's something!

Here are some photos from our lockdown life.

Puzzles; I started doing puzzles again before the lockdown but since we got shut inside I have definitely completed more than I would have otherwise. Currently more than half way through the Tube map one.

I finished a 30 day yoga course online between March and April. I haven't managed to keep it up, but I am pleased I completed the first 30 days. Since then I have started couch to 5k once more and have been getting out some mornings to enjoy some exercise in the fresh, cool morning air.

Cooking over the Easter weekend - Victor made Beetroot Soup and when we finally got a new oven (our other one caught fire!) we had roast lamb.

A very quiet Covent Garden and Oxford Street on a bike ride in early April.

Still baking, although less than before because there is no one to eat the things I make!

A very empty Tower of London on a recent bike ride to town.

My window boxes have started to bloom, and again, due to my lack of other plans I have been able to dedicate more time to tending to them so I'm pleased to say they are still doing well!

The story of no flour in the supermarket! Although other items are now pretty much back to normal in the supermarket, flour has remained in scare supply. So when I went in and there was bread flour I bought a packet. 

And swiftly made some Chelsea buns. I remember learning how to make these at school. One of the things we made in H.E. that was actually interesting and nice to eat. I enjoyed making them so much that I made a second, third and probably fourth batch by myself at home. Since other things we made at school were the likes of coleslaw and sandwiches the day we learnt Chelsea buns was a particular highlight!

Been such a lack of other plans that I was able to finish Tomb Raider, which Victor bought me to play at the beginning of lockdown in March. Time well spent?

On our semi-regular walk to Putney, we decided to stop at a local small business that re-opened in May to help support a local business and also experience another small step to normality.

Early on, when we had just moved into our flat, I took a photo of Victor which is still one of my favourites. I've been attempting to recreate it with our new look furniture now that we're nearly a year in. I haven't got there quite yet but this was a recent attempt.

We don't have a garden but have wandered over to the churchyard across the road some evenings to sit in the sun and enjoy some time outside.

Another lockdown purchase was a sewing machine. It hasn't arrived yet - due to be dispatched in June but the sewing kit arrived quickly and I've now also received my first fabric orders. Soon to have all the gear, and still no idea.

This was Boris' infamous announcement - 'go out, don't go out, go to work, work from home, don't travel on public transport, travel to work.' Clear as mud.

Before the bike theft we had gone to Battersea Park with a flask of coffee to enjoy some time outside. Hopefully we'll be back on two wheels again soon.

Wondering Lately :: March 2020

I've changed the title of this month's retrospective since there has been a distinct lack of wanderings. March was a bit mental, wasn't it?!

I did, in fact, do some travelling right before we all stopped going out. It was quite a hectic beginning of the month preparing for that work visit, and then a strange week in Nigeria. I got back on the Saturday, went to work on Monday and then was told to work from home Monday night. So the Chocolate Guinness cake I made for my colleagues on St Patrick's day was destined not to make it to my office.

Since the 17th March, I have been working from home and have not ventured further than a walk to Putney. I've now stopped watching the news - except for listening to one bulletin in the morning. 

Most of my summer plans have already been cancelled. Netball in Spain is off, as is our annual club tournament and the entire summer league. One consequence of that is incredibly long nails which I've painted since I have time on my hands in the evenings now.

I'm missing cycling to and from work each day, as well as netball. One daily walk is not a substitute for that. Victor and I have been to the park to throw around a netball and kick a football back and forth but that still isn't the same.

It's strange to not know how long this situation will last, or how many people in the end will contract the virus. All we can do is stay sensible, follow the advice and recognise what a privilege it is to be able to work/stay at home during this pandemic.

Nigeria

I was given my own pass in the High Commission, which I took advantage of to enjoy lunch in this small outside 'garden' area. The weather was a bit cloudy but lovely and warm.

The situation in Nigeria meant that I was not permitted to walk around the street on my own, which was weird as I have always gone off to explore places independently before. This meant that my day was very regimented. I had breakfast in the hotel, a driver came to collect me at a set time, then would pick me up at the end of the day, where I would spend the rest of the afternoon and evening in my hotel. The food wasn't that great at the hotel and the options limited. Thankfully by the end of the week I was able to go out with a few of the people from the High Commission (see below!)

This is the face of someone who is so happy to be having a meal outside of the hotel. The food was also pretty good.

Lockdown

Since going into lockdown, I have started a 30 day yoga journey. Currently half way through. It's a good way of keeping a routine as I do the classes before I start work, and I'm enjoying doing more yoga practise as I've always been a bit sporadic with it in the past. Maybe I'll be able to do an unassisted headstand by the end of this?

How is it possible that the postman couldn't deliver this, I has literally been in the house for 3 solid days when this was delivered.

Uninterrupted kitchen time = baking my own bread.

One day the message on the podiums changed from a coronavirus info webpage to 'Stay at home, protect the NHS, save lives', people weren't really getting the message before then.

Since we're going to be in a lot more, I thought it was about time to spruce up our window tubs. I hope these flowers last a while!

One long bike ride I took, which passed by Fulham football ground which is seemingly undergoing a facelift. The area along the river was very busy with everyone taking their one spot of exercise per day and all having the same idea. The riverside path was lovely but I don't think I would venture that way again.

I managed to complete this puzzle - the pink edges were SO HARD! I have another one ready from my birthday but I don't want to bust that out too early!

This wasn't the greatest start to working from home.

Zoom has become a big part of both my work and social life.

All staff meeting was interesting...