Lockdown life in London

Well, it’s fair to say that this year definitely hasn’t gone to plan. In my last blog post, I hilariously wrote about goals for 2020; including going to the theatre more often, travelling more outside of Europe and visiting more museums - how funny this now seems! The coronavirus crisis has taken the whole world by storm and it really is the most unusual experience I've had to date. The UK has now been in some form of lockdown since 23 March, although London really started to close down the week prior when many offices made working from home compulsory. Eight weeks later and it feels like we’ve been living in some sort of time warp bubble.

It’s been interesting to observe the differences in how countries have managed the pandemic - some have imposed incredibly strict lockdowns on their citizens with no outdoor exercise, while others like the UK have been somewhat more lenient. We know that the UK is heading for the highest number of deaths in Europe, but we still have more idea how many people had the infection in the first place, the death rate or how we managed to miss the signs that we would end up in this situation. It really is a very uncertain time. Initially, I found the whole situation incredibly frustrating. I had a carefully planned agenda for the first half of the year including a trip to Morocco, a Glastonbury ticket, catch-ups with friends abroad and long weekends in the country. On realising that literally nothing would go to plan, I can’t say I was feeling particularly optimistic about 2020. Like the stages of grief, I managed to move on from this and gradually accepted that this is life now.

So what have I been doing in lockdown? Funnily enough, the flip side of this situation is that it has actually enabled me to do some of the things on my bucket list. I have had more time to sew, more time to practice watercolours, more time for yoga and more time to relax. I have been getting through my sewing projects much faster than usual and have even managed to start planning future sewing projects in a Trello board - certainly not something I had time to think of in the past. So far, I have made a new Zadie Jumpsuit, a Frankie Wrap Skirt and a Ruffle Sleeve Top. I had been wanting to buy Emma Block’s book, The Joy of Watercolour since it was released and finally had an excuse at the start of lockdown.

A painting from Emma Block’s Joy of Watercolour book

While I do miss my usual yoga studio, I have really enjoyed More Yoga’s subscription service with fresh new live classes each week. I have been doing about two yoga classes each week, combined with running about three times and a couple of YouTube fitness classes with MadFit. Not getting my high-intensity exercise at the gym has pushed me to run further, which has led to some really pretty running routes, including St James Park and Battersea Park. I’m not going to lie though, I honestly can’t wait to get back into a HIIT class! Living in an old Victorian flat means I can’t do any high impact workouts at home like jump squats or even star jumps so I do feel like I’m missing out a bit.

There are some things I have started doing in lockdown that I really didn’t expect. I’ve had to wear a mask in the supermarket and cut my boyfriend’s hair. I’ve never been into baking, but somehow, thanks to both encouragement from my friends and a lack of baked goods from the market (since it’s closed), I have baked three times so far. I have made a carrot cake for Asher’s birthday, mixed berry muffins and a coffee cake. I have also started re-organising the flat - it’s funny how being home all of the time makes little things start to bother you. So far, I have re-organised the kitchen cupboards, my fabric stash and the bathroom! I have also had countless video calls for both work and socialising on so many different apps - Zoom, House Party, WebEx, Hangouts and Blue Jeans. Never would I have imagined doing virtual quiz nights and a bake-along with my friends or watching a live stream of the ballet instead of attending in person.

I have been fortunate that I have a job that can easily be done from home and work for a company that has felt quite minimal impacts, so I have still been very busy Monday to Friday. I actually started a new job during the lockdown, which has been quite an unexpected and unusual experience. Somehow, things have pieced together though and work has carried on virtually with a decent sprinkling of WebEx calls and emails.

Despite managing to carry on, there are still many things that I miss and can’t wait to have again when the time is right. It’s funny how deprivation makes you realise which things you want most. I would love to be able to visit my local farmer’s market on a Saturday, get out to the country for a long walk with my friends on a Sunday and visit my hairdresser. Of course, I would also love to get back to gym classes, visiting museums and travelling - but none of these things seems as important without the basics. I’m sure when this is all over, it will become a distant memory that we occasionally look back on and laugh about over glasses of wine but in the meantime, it is very much still life as it is.