Lock Down Week 4 In Review

This week has been pretty good in my world.

I completed a set of art commissions and delivered them to their new owners. They were really happy – particularly the 3 daughters, who the pictures had been designed for. It was a real thrill to imagine these little girls pouring over their “magical initials”, looking for the details, the tiny flowers and miniature people woven into the sprigs and florals.

Another win was completing the first draft of the Rebel Beauty book and getting it across the my editor, despite having some pretty challenging distractions to contend with throughout the writing process (ie. kids, dog, husband, washing, general lack of mojo due to bizarre circumstances gripping the world of humans).

Managed a 4 minute and 5 second plank …

Erm … washed my hair …

I’m sure more has happened but I can’t remember anything else!

How’s everything going in your neck of the woods?

How is all this extra time and space impacting your mind, your way of being and interactions?

I’ve noticed that I have loads of really gentle, fun, meandering conversations with the children that I’d never normally have time for. There’s time for frivolous chats, day dreamy imaginings and ridiculous jokes and stories. All this space has given me time to be a lot more present with people.

Other things that seem to be happening are super vivid dreams (anyone else having these?); having to use people’s birthdays as “landmarks” in time because nothing else seems to have any relevance in my mental framework (ie. weekends, school holidays, events and working schedules).

Oh – also my friend Naughty Nordbruch has even returned to Facebook after 4 years, which is bizarre and miraculous in itself.

I said to her, “Jeez Louise, why are you BACK on FB?”

She (who isn’t called Louise, but Caroline) said, “Well, it was very strange really. I was lying in bed day dreaming and thinking about nothing in particular, when suddenly I remembered my Facebook password. It just popped into my head. I haven’t remembered it in years.”

This was staggering.

It’s like, now we’ve been in lockdown for 4 weeks and decluttered our houses, organised our sheds, cleared the cupboards under the stairs and put the loft in order, our minds have started to eject and reshuffle, reorganise and bring to the surface things that have been long missing. Such as passwords. The location of that that random DVD that went missing. Dreams of people we haven’t seen in what feels like a hundred years …

Trippy times.

Anyway, here’s my week in review.

Baking the daily bread.

Doing the daily run.

Finally getting some time to play with my website and upload artwork onto the boutique page.

Stomping to pretty places …

… Rowan braving the chill …

… Adam and Reid whiling away the hours.

Getting the summer house ready for whatever it’s going to be used for.

Was supposed to be an Airbnb this year.

Now I’m thinking that it could be repurposed into a drumming/writing/drawing/gong/meditation space for me.

Not sure how I’m going to evacuate the squatters though …

Delicious 5 pound sea bass delivered by our brilliant fisherman buddy, Justin … at a two metre distance, of course.

This bunch of beautiful flowers that Rowan and Reid picked for me whilst out on their walk.

They insisted that these were wild flowers that they’d picked.

I’m not sure tulips grow in the wild … but this was truly THE most glorious, breath-taking, uplifting and gorgeous bunch of flowers anyone has ever given me.

Reid tells me that next time we’re out, he’s going to show me the wild area in St Lawrence that grows such sunny blooms. Eek.

And this time collecting garlic that IS wild garlic.

Rowan finally surrendering to drawing stuff, even though he hates it! He did some fab pictures too.

Absolutely loving spending time with Adam, Rowan, Reid and Frida.

I miss seeing Aysha and my mum, but regarding the family who live in our house, Covid-19 has brought us together like nothing ever has before.

That earthy smell of the dust and mulch as the tractors plough up the fields. Smelt whilst running the cliff path.

Side splitting laughter about stupid things/trends that keep occurring in our household (too hard to explain this – but funny).

Occasionally seeing people we know when out walking and having socially distanced conversations.

The tightening and forging of friendships in my circle and community.

Increased love and appreciation of people.

Music.

My neighbours not appearing to mind our music.

The kids dealing exceptionally well with everything.

Screens.

Increased time, space and creativity emerging.

The various “challenge” groups that I’m in. For example; Lockdown Plank Challenge, Lockdown Press Up Challenge, Lockdown Core Challenge. Every day the whole family takes part and then we upload videos into the group. These groups – inhabited by people I really like – take over my Facebook feed, blocking out a lot of the negative stuff and replacing it with videos of people doing things that make me feel happy, supportive and proud of them.

 

 

Letting the kids use screens waaaay more than we usually would.

Reid accidentally watching “Sausage Party” one morning when he was supposed to be watching cartoons.

Wondering what the heck is going to happen to our restaurants.

Forgetting what day it is.

Running out of paper.

Nothing major, basically.

More sunshine please.

For my sunflower seeds to germinate as they don’t seem to be doing anything.

Planting out our vegetables in the raised beds.

Leaning back into our home-learning routine with ease and flow.

To do a 5 minute plank in the Lockdown Plank Challenge group.

Crack Reid’s bike riding skills.

Some good art.

Daily run.

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