5 Ways To Pass The Time Till Lock Down Ends

Disclaimer:  I haven't been paid to promote any stores, products or apps in this post, just sharing some fun ways to pass the time while we're all still at home.

Hi Honeys
How are you today?  It was a beautiful, sunny day outside yesterday, so I spent the day doing laundry, with the help of our furbaby Jade, my adorable constant companion and laundry assistant 💖

These past few months have been a real challenge in all kinds of ways for all of us.  I haven't left our home since my last shift at work, in mid March, and Hubby is working from home via conference calls.

We've been relying on amazing delivery drivers to bring us grocery supplies whenever Hubby hasn't been able to make it to the shops and it's felt a little like we've been marooned on our own little home shaped island.

I can't lie, it's been wonderful Hubby appearing at lunchtime each day to have his lunch with Jade & I before going back upstairs to work again.  I'll miss that when the world goes back to normal again and Hubby said it's a far easier commute.😊 

As I've said many times honeys, being a Spoonie really has given me the most awesome hermit skills and these skills have stood me in good stead during the current lock down.  Being in our little home is my favourite place in the whole world to be.  I feel at my calmest and safest and happiest here.💖

Whenever I've been outside, at work or at a Doctor's or hospital appointment, I get home and as soon as the front door closes behind me my shoulders relax and I feel wrapped in such an overwhelming sensation of calm.  If someone were to tell me I could never set foot outside our home ever again, I'd just smile and say "OK, fancy a cuppa?."

I'm fully aware how odd this sounds honeys, I really am.  Around this time of year, in our break room at work, co-workers would usually be discussing their holiday plans.  Lots of excited, happy chatter about where everyone is going, what they're going to do there and how long they have to wait till they leave. I love hearing everyone's plans and seeing how excited they are.

Even after all the years I've worked there, I know I'm still looked on strangely every year when it gets to "my turn" and I say (again) that we don't go away anywhere.  Throw into the mix that neither Hubby nor I have a passport and there are wide eyed, unbelieving stares and the occasional comment along the lines of "... but, how can you not, though?.."   

Where would be the fun in life if everybody was the same dear ones? If there has to be somebody cast as the odd one, well it's fine if it's me 😊

This is quite a post so why not go grab a cuppa (and maybe a cookie or two?) and I'll meet you back here after the page break?  See you in a few honeys...

Easiest & Yummiest Ever, Use-What-You-Have, Garlic Chicken Tray Bake

Disclaimer:  I have not been paid to recommend, or promote, any products. Just wanted to share my latest little kitchen experiment x

Hi Honeys
How are you today?  All well I hope?  Today's been a lovely, sunny day so Hubby's been out cutting the grass and I ventured further than I have in weeks - to the edge of our patio to peg out some laundry 😊

Not so far at all then I suppose but it felt like a real journey to me.  I was outside, not just looking out through the kitchen window as I have been doing till now, and I had the wind blowing through my (getting longer by the day) hair.

Can you imagine how long the queues will be at hairdressers and barbers when lock down is over honeys?  I'm starting to feel a little like Cousin It from the Addams Family already 😊  Who would ever have thought that a trip to the hairdresser for a quick snip and tidy up would become such a dreamt of, longed for even, event? 😃

Life in lock down has been an eye opener in all kinds of ways.  It's changed how we all live, with the compulsory "stay home" orders proving to be a real challenge for most (though not for this hermit.) Staying home for everyone, of course, has meant separation from family and friends who are not part of your immediate household so I'm sure there will be a great deal of happiness and maybe some parties when this has all passed and people are able to be together again.💕 

I think one of the more lasting changes, after covid-19, will be found in our kitchens. The difficulties we've all had in being able to buy even the most basic, essential items, has meant, at least in our household, that we've had to be a little more inventive in meal planning.  Which neatly brings us to today's post...

This was definitely a culinary experiment honeys 😊  Even before Covid-19 and the stressful adventures in grocery shopping it's caused, Hubby and I have been trying to live a more sustainable life.  Essentially, just trying to buy less, use what we already have and cut down on waste.

The present lock down, and the scramble for grocery delivery slots, have certainly made us appreciate the food we have at hand more, as well as making us more creative in cooking with it.

Among our latest attempts to buy less, were these silicone baking sheets.  They've completely replaced the aluminium foil, and some of the parchment paper (though not the loaf tin liners) I've always used to line cookie sheets and baking trays.

When they arrived, I set about using these silicone baking mats for everything and nothing, not a thing stuck to them.  All we do after use is to wash and dry them, they're then put away in my kitchen trolley till they're needed again.  Where have they been all my life!

So, one long, very boring afternoon, looking for ideas for dinner, I reached for one of our rectangular, oven proof dishes. the ones I use to make lasagne... then, and this is where the "I'm bored" bit came in😊 I had a thought.

I wonder what would happen if I lined one of our roasting tins with one of the new silicone mats and made a tray bake? Then, well, why not go grab a cuppa (and maybe a cookie) and I'll share what happened.  See you after the page break honeys x

Bee Bombs: Planting A Habitat For Our Buzzy Friends 🐝

Disclaimer:  I haven't been paid to promote or share any products.  I was introduced to these wonderful little seed "bombs" by a dear Twitter friend and just had to try them. Anything to help our buzzy friends 🐝

Hi Honeys,
How are you today?  How's your week been?  We have rain today, which no doubt will be welcomed not only by the garden, but by our garden's many tiny visitors too.💖

Yesterday afternoon, while it was still sunny and warm, our furbaby Jade & I spent a happy half hour or so on the patio.  We re-filled the feeders for our feathered visitors and also left some nuts for our terribly timid squirrel guest.

While outside, I also decided to plant the "Bee Bombs" which had arrived yesterday morning.🐝

For some time now honeys, I've been trying to do whatever I can to make our garden into a tiny oasis for the assorted wildlife who visit. 

One of the first things we did, during our first spring after we moved into this house, was to plant an apple tree.  The apple tree is very well established now and every day it's full of movement and noise.  The tree is where the bird feeders are I adore looking out the kitchen window watching all of the birds flying in and out, sitting on the branches, sometimes eating and sometimes just singing💖

Being an apple tree, we're also blessed to have lots of lovely Bramley apples each year to bake with too 🍏  In addition to the apple tree, we also planted a blueberry shrub which has now grown so much it's taken over one part of the garden.  We planted the blueberry shrub as a food source for our many tiny birds and I love seeing them fluttering around it's branches and hopping in and out of the shrub and across the lawn.

I'm really excited about the latest addition to our garden honeys, but I'll tell all in a few minutes or so.  Why not go grab a cuppa, and maybe a cookie (or two) and meet me back here after the page break?  See you in a few minutes...