Weekend in isolation..

Hi everyone.... how was your weekend? this was my first 'proper' weekend social distancing and I tried where possible to maintain some routine.
Shopping, Cooking, Chores and some downtime.
Saturday saw me in the queue at Tesco at 5.50am for the 6am open. I never knew that I would get so excited about being able to buy toilet rolls, pasta and fresh fruit. With M coming home from work with hand sanitizer it was a win, win all round.
It has allowed me to meal plan for the week, this is helping my anxiety and trying to maintain a healthier eating plan.
M is a key worker and with the alarm going off for the last 5 days at 3am its vital we try to eat healthy and keep well.

Sunday gave me time to check-in with friends and family and just catch-up a little which was nice. It was also the 11th anniversary of the loss of Gramps and the first time that I hadn't been able to get to the cemetery which was a little difficult.
My learns from the week were to manage the volume of negative news as this was not great for my mental health so I have switched off all news notifications to my phone and we

 *  Only watch the Daily 'Boris' briefing
  * Follow the @WHO (world health organisation ) for Corona updates
 * Only read the news once a day, minimise facebook & twitter

My downtime involved a movie, a book and some blogging. My Saturday morning movie choice was Brittany runs a Marathon Synopsis- A hard-partying woman receives a startling wake-up call when a visit to the doctor reveals how unhealthy she is. Motivated to lose weight, she soon takes up running to help her prepare for her ultimate goal of competing in the New York City Marathon.

I really enjoyed this movie, it was an easy watch and one that I could relate to having been on a bit of a health and lifestyle change over the last few years. 

My kindle read was The Flat Share by Beth O'Leary - Tiffy & Leon share a flat but have never met. Tiffy needs somewhere to live fast and Leon needs cash quickly, with Leon working nights and Tiffy working days they find themselves sharing a flat and bed without ever having met. I was intrigued by the synopsis from the start and it did not disappoint - with friends, girlfriends all calling this a disaster from the start, Tiffy & Leon embark on this very funny and sweet flat share. I really enjoyed this book, the character of Tilly, a clutz with a kind heart will have you turning the pages to end.
This week I have an indoor photography course to complete and I plan to start some scrapbooking!

What have you been Doing, Watching?, Reading? - would love to hear .
Take care and stay safe & well
Tx

Social Distance Blogging....

 Hello ...
I hope that you are all safe and well and all social distancing.  With the country in 'lockdown' and with some time on our hands I thought it would be an ideal opportunity to pop on the blog and say Hello.
I've really missed blogging and needed to take some time away from it to realise that with all the social media channels that are now available this is my favourite. Also I have a number of friends and family that don't do Facebook or Instagram where this is great for them to read.
So I am back, at a distance and hoping to update as and when I can life with T.
Today I am sharing a couple of images from the talented artist @heather_rosehill  who I have followed for some time who's words & images are just beautiful.
I am loving the Quarantine List and actively working my way through some of them.

So how is the Social Distancing and Self Isolation working for you?.. I would love to hear.
Some of the things that I have done in between work are:

• Do something that you would do with more time - BLOGGING
• Sit outside and enjoy morning coffee
• Bike Ride
• Read

I will be sharing some images from my Social Distance Daily Exercise and also what I have been reading and watching.
Stay Safe & Keep well.
x

Hello 2020 ...

Farewell May...

May arrived in a bluster of blossom and signs that Spring had sprung and that Summer was around the corner.
London became awash with floral installations as the Summer season launched and the city started to get ready for Chelsea.
Favourites across Mayfair included Claridges, The Connaught, Annabel's in Berkeley Square, Wild Things Flowers and of course the Corner shop on Bond street which is festooned with balloons and flowers. These certainly cheered up my lunch time walks and commute to the station.
Aside from enjoying the floral installations across London, May was busy with walking, cycling and enjoying time with M, family & friends.

Mays highlights include:

*Purchase of a lovely blue bicycle, complete with basket!
*Breakfast at The Ivy Chelsea Garden with M
*Some 'me time' to read, relax & pamper.
*Night out at the Albert Hall with Bruv & Sis & M to listen to Harry Redknapp
*Date Night with M and Michael Buble at The O2
*Bumping into Peggy Porschen in her new parlour on our way to Chelsea Flower Show.
*Ticked another 125 miles off my walk 1,000 miles in 2019

Blog posts to follow of my May adventures. June is a mixed bag of work & fun & fitness. Work will see me spend several days in Newcastle on project work.
Looking forward to getting out with the Makelight Ladies this month to explore the Rose garden at Regents Park and playing with my Olympus Pen.
I am also pulling on my trainers to march 10k for men and raise some funds for prostrate cancer.
Where as May saw us boogie with Buble, June will see us bounce to Bon Jovi before we head off for a few days to Amsterdam.

Hopefully the sun will shine on us all and we can start to enjoy the sunrises and sunsets of summer...

Date with Dumbo

There are very few films that hit the big screen now that entice me to the cinema but once the trailer of Dumbo was released I knew this was something that I would like to see on the big screen. The last movie that M and I saw at the cinema was Mary Poppins which was magical so I had high expectations of the Disney / Tim Burton collaboration for Dumbo. The original Dumbo hit the screens in 1941 and has been a favourite of mine from a small child.

This updated live cinematic see's the original concept of a flying elephant help a struggling circus.
Circus owner Max Medici (played by Danny DeVito) enlists Holt (Colin Farrell) a once acclaimed circus star returning from war with injuries and his 2 young children to take care of Dumbo, a newborn elephant whose oversized ears make him a laughing stock of the struggling circus. Holt's children discover that Dumbo can fly and suddenly Dumbo becomes a big commodity. Vandevere (Michael Keaton) swoops in with his star act trapeze artist Colette (Bond Girl Eva Green) to make the little elephant a star.
As with all Tim Burton films there is a darker side to this movie but the cinematic effects used to create Dumbo are just as magical as the original and I defy anyone that watches not to fall in love with the little cute fellow and not shed a tear at certain moments in the movie. This is a delightful family movie with some great underlying messages environmentally and of greed not being good.

M booked to take me to see this on Mother's Day at the Imax in Waterloo and surprised me with a little white box hidden in my popcorn which held a little Pandora Dumbo charm to add to my bangle that he bought at Christmas.