Keeping busy during the coronavirus lockdown

These are strange times. Certainly not what I expected from 2020, but here we are. I'm not the sort of person who enjoys staying indoors all the time, I always like to get into the fresh air at least once a day, so I wasn't sure what to do with myself once the lockdown happened. I think it's been officially four days, but prior to the situation getting worse, I'd already chosen to stay indoors as much as possible, going out only to buy food, so it already feels a lot longer.

I started off strong however, and to be honest I thought this wouldn't be so hard after all. I retracted that sentiment by day three. So, I've decided to write a diary-type post of what I've been up to, to keep track of and maintain productivity.

1. Gardening

I was originally thinking I'd have to scale back my gardening plans this year, but now I've obviously got a lot more time to dedicate to it. So, as well as vegetables I'm trying to grow some flowers from seeds. I have grown sweet peas before, but that's it. A few of my seeds I've started on the early side, but at least if they don't work out I'll have time for another attempt. This is what I've got growing so far:
Vegetables: courgettes, cucumbers, spring onions, peas and tomatoes.
Flowers: violas, lobelia and sweet peas

Over the next couple of weeks I want to plant some more spring onions and peas, green beans and French beans and perhaps some lettuce, spinach and radishes. I also want to sow some pansy seeds, large daisies and wildflowers.

2. Sewing repairs

I've had a few items of clothing that have needed minor alterations or repairs or since the Autumn but I'd been putting it off. Earlier today I pulled out my sewing supplies and repaired a dress and altered another. Last night I'd also managed to rip my favourite pyjamas and although I really do have enough other pairs, I couldn't bring myself to throw them out. (It would happened to be the comfiest ones!) Luckily I remembered that I had some hemming web tape that can be used for repairs too, so I dug that out together with a scrap of fabric I had and carried out the repair work this morning. Even though the rip was really quite large it's not too noticeable now so I hope it holds up and I can get some more wear out them. It seems like the more I repair the more I'm finding to repair though, whilst typing this I've just noticed a small hole in my trousers, so I'll be fixing that when I'm done here!

3. Cooking and baking

I've been making an effort to cook more food too. I can't usually be bothered with lunch, either picking up something small on the go or just having a snack at home. Whilst I've been indoors though I've been trying harder. A few days ago I made a chestnut soup with some boxes of chestnuts that I already had in the cupboard and it was so good, I can't wait to make it again. Tonight I'm going to make a cheese sauce from scratch too, so hopefully that turns out ok. I'm also looking forward to getting baking again, I think that tomorrow I will make jam sponge upside down cakes.

4. Exercise

Mostly gardening so far but also the occasional walk outside of the house. I want to get back into yoga too as I found it so good for both mind and body.

5. Reading

Over the past couple of years I've grown a collection of books to read without actually getting through them, so one of my New Years resolutions was to read one a month. I'm reading Dreaming of St Tropez by T A Williams at the moment, which is a nice, light mood-lifting book and helping me to dream of holidays in warmer climates too!

These have been my main focuses so far, but I'm also trying to sort out my rooms to find anything I no longer want and putting them aside for the charity shop when they reopen and I'm keeping up my daily Duolingo practice. It's a great app if you want to try learning another language. I am hoping to also get on with some DIY projects too, if the weather stays sunny and dry. Hopefully that's enough to keep me busy for now :)

Birthday celebrations with Tutankhamen

A couple of weeks ago it was my mum's birthday and as she has a great interest in ancient Egypt, I took her to the Tutankhamen exhibition at the Saatchi Gallery in Chelsea. She had been to the exhibition the last time it was in London, fifty years ago and was looking forward to going back. This time round the exhibition featured items which had not been on exhibit before. I'd booked us early tickets on a weekday, so we were able to walk straight in (by the time we left at mid day the queues were very long, so it's worth getting an early slot, once you're in you aren't restricted in how long you spend there).

 We started by watching a short film before heading through to the galleries. One of the first things that caught my eye was a beautiful gilded wooden pencil box which was very ornate.

Alongside each item was a description and information, as well as information about the dig that discovered the lost pyramid, so it is a fascinating collection. 

This is a wooden game that was found in the tomb, so intricately designed and made. I'd love to know how it would be played. 

This was another of my favourite artefacts, a tiny replica of the famous casket, so small and yet so exactly copied, the skill and craftsmanship is just unbelievable. 

After spending almost a couple of hours in the exhibition, we stopped for a cup of tea in the gallery cafe before having a stroll through the quaint shopping area in Chelsea. We then stopped at the John Lewis store which has a cafe on the top floor with amazing views over London, where we enjoyed a slice of cake and a cup of tea.

NYE 2019

We had a quiet New Year's Eve this year. My boyfriend and I went out for dinner (and a yummy dessert of banoffee donuts) and then walked back to watch the fireworks on TV.

On New Years Day we went for a walk in the woods at Hampstead Heath before heading home for a family roast dinner.

Christmas 2019

We're finally at the end of January! I cannot wait for Spring to arrive and I'm so happy that the days are finally getting a little longer, but roll on the warm, sunny weather. 

As long as January has felt, the festive months flew by. Even though I don't post on my blog often, I always like to recap what I got up to over Christmas so I can look back. 

We kicked off the festivities by going along to seven dials Christmas light switch on event, where my mum and I took part in a free wreath making class. We then enjoyed a glass of prosecco and a mulled wine whilst we wandered through the cobbled streets, browsing the festive displays. After watching the light switch on we walked through Covent Garden and met my boyfriend and dad for dinner at cafe rouge. 

A couple of weeks later I had free tickets to some exhibitions in London, so I took my mum for a day out in central London. We started at the British Museum, where we had free entry to an exhibition about the influence of the Islamic world in Western art. I wouldn't otherwise have gone, mainly because the tickets are quite expensive, but I was glad I was able to go as it was very interesting. There were beautiful, vibrant paintings, exquisite fabrics and ornate armour. One brightly coloured and intricately woven silk scarf was believed to be nearly a thousand years old!

We had a brief look round the rest of the museum and saw the Rosetta Stone. It is incredible to think that thanks to this stone and much hard work, the mystery of hieroglyphics was solved. I'd love to know more about why the stone was created and who commissioned it.

After a quick lunch break we went on to the London transport museum. Again this isn't something I'd normally go to, but it was worth the trip. Having watched the downton abbey film a short while before, it was so interesting to see vehicles from around the same time, imagining how life was. I appreciate the horse drawn buses would have likely been a bumpy ride, but they do hold a charm you just don't find on a red London bus today!

In early December, my boyfriend and I went to a Christmas shopping weekend in Chelsea. It coincided with a food market, so after listening to a brass band play Christmas carols for a little while and browsing a few shops, we shared some vegan potjie (basically a curry on chips dish) which was so good, followed by some mini pancakes with chocolate and strawberries. So indulgent, but worth it! I bought some cute festive cannoli for dessert that night and we did a bit more window shopping and listened to the Chelsea pensioners sing carols before heading home for takeout, Netflix and a cannoli! 

 My boyfriend and I also managed to fit in ice skating in Covent Garden on one chilly December morning. It was a pop up rink by Tiffanys to promote their new fragrance and although small, no one else actually turned up for the session so we had enough room to skate for a while, before we walked around Covent Garden for a while and did some Christmas shopping.

A few days later I got to attend a free wreath making workshop at h&m home. The event was fun and informal and they provided lots of cute accessories to make the wreaths pretty. I was really pleased with it (admittedly though it wasn't anywhere near as good as many of the others made - but it suited me and fitted in with my decor so it didn't matter!)

The week before Christmas, my boyfriend booked us tickets to see the gingerbread city exhibition at the south bank, which was interesting and some of the entries were very impressive, but the space was very small and crowded, so I'm not sure I'd go again. 

Finally after braving the supermarkets for all the essentials and battling the crowds, Christmas was upon us. On Christmas Eve evening we had a buffet dinner before we attended midnight mass. I'd not been before, but it was a nice service with a message of hope. We got back home at about 1.30am and I was exhausted, but hadn't finished wrapping my gifts which took another hour. By the time I was done I was basically wrapping in my sleep. I never leave gift wrapping to the last minute usually, and I definitely won't again haha. 

On Christmas morning I made salmon blinis for breakfast served with Buck's Fizz and orange juice. We'd bought some citrus infused, gold edged salmon from waitrose. It looked so festive and tasted so good.

After breakfast we opened our gifts. I received some nice leather boots from my parents, which was exactly what I wanted, some sanctuary spa facial masks, (I love their face masks), a couple of books I'd wanted, including the latest shopaholic book (Christmas themed, so very apt and my all time favourite book series), some cosy pjs, a couple of lush bath bombs and a Mary Berry Christmas recipe book which has some great recipes in that I am looking forward to trying. My boyfriend bought me a lovely necklace, a Spanish book to help me learn, a recipe book and a cute little enamel pin badge that I'd wanted. So in short, I was spoiled! After dinner, I settled down with my new books and we enjoyed a peaceful evening in front of the TV. 

Sweet peas from the garden

For the last couple of weeks my sweet pea plants have been blooming gloriously in the garden. I'm really pleased with how well they are doing this year and I have been picking a good sized bunch every few days to help prolong the flowering season and it means the living room is filled with their gorgeous sweet scent. Going into the garden to pick such beautiful fresh flowers is one of my favourite things to do right now.

I grew these from a packet of mixed seeds, but by chance about 90% of the flowers are white! There are a couple of pretty purple stems and just one pink and one red stem!

These are my current blooms from the garden, sweet peas and a rose!

First home grown vegetables of the season

With the wet and cold start to summer back in June, all of my vegetable plants are behind schedule this year. However now with warmer and sunnier days, things are picking up and yesterday I pulled up my first crop of potatoes I'd grown in a plant pot about 40cm wide. Because it was such a small pot I wasn't expecting much, just hoping for enough for dinner. I was pleasantly surprised! After pulling up the stems of the plants I was met with the sight of golden potatoes; I always find this part fun and exciting, it feels like panning for gold!

I ended up with just over two pounds of new potatoes, half of which I used this evening for dinner and the rest I shall use over the weekend. Now I have high hopes for the potatoes still growing in a big grow bag!

Finally some of my courgettes have been pollinated so this evening I picked two to have with dinner and it looks like there will be another one or two ready tomorrow so I will make a vegetable lasagne with those. They taste so much fresher than store bought courgettes (like all home grown produce really) and their skins are much smoother and not tough like the store ones either. And at last I have a cucumber! It was the only one growing, I'm not sure if it was inhibiting any more from growing or if the others simply didn't get pollinated, but now I've picked it hopefully it won't be long before another is ready to pick. I'm still waiting for the beans to grow and tomatoes to ripen.

There really is nothing better than picking your own vegetables and getting them straight on the plate.   The dream is to one day have a big greenhouse and lots of raised beds to grow all sorts of delights!

Tulips in Amsterdam

Every year I have promised myself that I will book a weekend away to Amsterdam to see the tulip fields in bloom and finally, after four or five years, this year I did it! I booked a two night mini break at the very end of April, as the best time to visit the fields is usually mid April to the end of the first week of May. Unfortunately this year, unseasonably warm weather meant that the tulips were flowering a week or two ahead of schedule (typical!) and were likely to be cut down a few days before my trip, but I did a little research online and found some farmers fields which were taking tours and would still have some fields in bloom, so all was not lost after all!

We took a direct Eurostar from St Pancras and arrived in Amsterdam at lunch time. After a little confusion on the trams, I got my bearings and headed out of town to the hotel. We stayed at the XO Park West hotel, which was pleasant, if a little out of the way, but the tram stopped right outside so it wasn't difficult to carry our luggage. The first thing we did on arrival was book our tour to the tulip fields the next day and then had a walk around Amsterdam, wandering through tiny streets and over bridges, admiring the canals and the pretty architecture. We found a sweet little Italian restaurant for dinner by chance, which served good food and must have been known by the locals as a table was never free for more than a few minutes and most of the time there was a queue. After dinner we stopped by the supermarket for some snacks for the hotel room and of course some Tony's chocolate and stroop waffles to take home as gifts! By the time we got back to the hotel we were exhausted from all the walking and travelling and had an early night.

The next morning we took the tram into Amsterdam and found a cafe for breakfast, before picking up some sandwiches from the mini mart and going to join our bus tour. The bus took us to the farmers fields first and we were told interesting facts along the way. About an hour later we arrived at a huge tulip farm, where we could see that some flowers had already been headed but there were a couple of fields still in bloom and we were taken to a sea of pinks and reds. After a brief explanation of flower bulb farming, we were able to take pictures in the fields and then were taken inside to watch a video about the history and cultivation of tulip bulbs. 

The next stop on our tour was Keukonheuf gardens, a huge garden with thousands of flowers which is only open for a few weeks a year, during which time it houses the most impressive displays. We had our picnic in the garden and walked round, taking so many photos along the way. We even went inside a windmill! When we got tired of walking, we sat down and had a cup of tea before making our way back to the bus. I think everyone must have been tired out from walking around the gardenas the bus was very quiet going back!

By the time we returned to Amsterdam we were pretty tired so we picked up a quick dinner and then decided to walk to the tram station we usually changed at, so that we could visit Anne Frank's house en route. We found the house which is now a museum and the front has been enclosed in a glass building, which I believe was to protect it from development. However the side of the house is still visible and was quite moving. The museum tickets were all sold out and even at nearly 9pm there were still queues outside, so I would recommend booking tickets in advance if you want to go inside.

We eventually got back to the hotel by around 9.30 and packed our cases before heading to bed, absolutely exhausted!

The next morning we decided to indulge in breakfast at the hotel, as our return train was not until 3pm and it had not been easy to find somewhere the previous day. The hotel breakfast was so good! It had the usual hot and cold food you'd expect plus a fresh omelette and pancake station and plenty of fruit and pastries, so we filled up and then checked out to make our way home.

We arrived at the station early and sat having a cup of tea whilst waiting for our first train, as there still aren't direct return services. Although the first train was nice it ran slow and we ended up having to run to make our connecting train in Brussels, reaching the check in just minutes before it closed. By the time we returned to St Pancras we were both exhausted but had enjoyed our mini break away. I would like to return to Amsterdam, but when the direct return train services are in place, so I don't have to worry about missing the connection!