Tuesday, Three Awesome Things I’ve Done in February

I feel I was a bit too harsh on February in my last post. I don’t want to look back at it with too many negative thoughts, so here are three things I thoroughly enjoyed last month.

My First Lockdown Birthday!
Last year I was walking around in York – where a few weeks earlier the first UK covid case was confirmed. This year’s low-key activities included a long sunny walk to an undiscovered wood, a huge takeaway platter eaten at a film screening inside a blanket fort my boyfriend created and last but not least, the most delicious and light Esterházy cake. Also, all the best presents, thoughtful cards and virtual greetings helped me cope too.

I didn’t expect to feel the birthday vibes in times like these, but then I remember I felt all the vibes during the three wartime birthdays I lived through, and I gave in and accepted it.

I Did Pretty Well At A Virtual Macaroon Workshop
I’ve mentioned the amazing workshops the events team in my office building organises in previous posts… well they did it again with a raspberry macaroon workshop by Great British Bake Off’s Dan Beasley-Harling. It was very hectic and everything that could go wrong went wrong. I didn’t have a mixer, then it took forever to whip up the egg whites, then I added in the sugar too early and had to whip even longer, and to top it off I didn’t receive the food colouring so mine looked a sad grey/beige colour.

BUT all that doesn’t matter because they tasted SOOOOO scrumptiously good and now I understand the technique I’m going to make use of that in the future. I also have so much raspberry cream left that I might make raspberry / pistachio or raspberry / white chocolate sometime soon. I just need a good reason for it.

The Ever-Changing Weather
Mainly the snow at the start of the month and the sun towards the end. Not only do the trees and plants in bloom give my daily walks around the blocks a change of scenery, I also loved bringing out my spring bedsheets, the first day of not wearing tights under my skirt and savouring a morning coffee in a sun-lit garden. I welcome it all.

What was your February highlight?

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Thing I’m Looking Forward To This March

I didn’t plan much for February, wanting to take things easy, but then halfway through the month it really hit me and I got completely stuck in a rut. In order to get through the last month of lockdown (whoooh) I’m going to overstuff it with things to keep me busy in the evenings and weekends so my mind doesn’t have time to wander off.

Welcome daylight savings time. Not only is it the last month of lockdown, it’s also the month when the clocks go backwards again and we’re gaining that bit of extra daylight in the morning. I know it’s only the end of the month, so I’m going to enjoy the journey towards it as well.

Go out and do some foraging! Wild garlic and nettle leaves are on my hit-list. Can’t wait for wild garlic and home-made feta pastry pita. And washing my hair with young nettles. I just need to find my local spots as I can’t take the train to my usual places.

Also, planting my next batch of vegetables. Sugar snaps, tomatoes and tomatillos are on the list for March. I’m still not sure if I’m putting too much pressure on myself for this, but I figured it’s better to have a variety of veggies to the test.

Stay creative. I can’t go to New York to see the real Starry Night by Van Gogh, so my friend got me a paint by numbers set, so I can make my own! And I should give it a try if I can get the confidence. For now, I might just stick to the colouring books.

Put out new clothing items. A new season means a new capsule wardrobe! I’m not too strict about the amount, it’s just what fits on my clothes rack and drawer. Either way, it’s exciting to add some softer fabrics and maybe more colour or florals to the rotation.

New movies! From Raya and the Dragon to Gaia and Potato Dreams Of America. But I’m most excited to see Amy Poehler’s Moxie that’s coming to Netflix next week.

What’s March going to bring you?

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Hobbies and Trends I Haven’t Jumped On

Do I love jumping on every lockdown hobby / trend? As read here, here and here… YES I DO. As long as it promises to keep me busy for a bit and isn’t too hard to source I will give it a try. But over the past months, I must admit I have said no to a few lockdown hobbies.

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Weekend Happy List!

As part of the staying sane in January project I’ve been writing happy lists like crazy. Here are some things that made me happy over the weekend.

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Lockdown Hobbies I Tried And Liked

Doing things with my hands makes me less worried and stressed. And with the extra time I’ve had, plus the extra worries, there’s been nothing better than trying new things to keep me busy in the last several months.

Aside from crying, baking and scrolling, these are the 10 hobbies I’ve tried and liked, so I wanted to share in case they inspire you too.

Cross Stitching
A £5.99 set that I bought a few years back kept me entertained for a few summer afternoons and has helped me be more innovative. Since then I’ve found some questionable but cute designs on eBay and have even made my own very basic template!

Puzzling
I was halfway one when the first lockdown kicked in and it definitely kept me stress free for a few evenings. I love how it’s fun and cheap, but it does make you question yourselves at times and takes up space. Good thing there are puzzle mats to solve that issue. I also like that you can trade it easily, keeping it budget friendly.

Knitting
Every autumn/winter I have this urge to knit, so I have a simple set of needles and a ball of wool I got at a charity shop that I’ve been re-using for years. I’ve finally been inspired to finish a scarf and think this is it for the season. Someone in my village in Bosnia still makes wool, which I hope I can get my hands on. My dream is to eventually knit a pair of thick wool socks just like I had as a kid.

Playing Tabletop Role-Playing Games
I love board games and dice games. But now I’ve been able to give the tabletop role-playing games a try – I’m talking Dungeons & Dragons (D&D), Humblewood and Gloomhaven – and have been loving it. Have I already bought a second D&D book, maybe…

Friendship Bracelets
Cross stitching threads brought me back to one of my favourite time wasters growing up: making friendship bracelets. I did a bunch over the summer and then forgot about it. Now I’m making my ‘winter collection’ using a new bunch of colours and I can’t wait to share them.

Lego Afternoons
Putting together the Lego sets sure has been fun, but pretty costly and takes up space. At least the Friends set and the London Routemaster Bus look cute. Will I keep up with it? I’ll let the three sets that are waiting to be built answer that.

Drying Flowers
It’s a slow and mindful process and leaves you with a nice something to keep the spring and summer alive! It’s seasonal, but definitely worth repeating.

Embroidery
Learning various techniques and creating the cutest things. I thought this would be similar to cross stitching, but I feel embroidery is more practical. I’m all inspired by this room at the Exchange Hotel.

Making Cheese
So far I’ve tried Bosnian soft cheese, Mexican queso fresco and ricotta. It’s fulfilling for both the mind and the stomach and I absolutely love it. This is also an important step into my low waste journey. Once I find bottled milk that is. And I also want to try making it from alternative milk drinks.

Clay Pottery
The kit from Sculp’d came on time and I loved the pots I made. I got a bit discouraged when checking the hashtag and seeing all the amazing creations other people made. Then I reminded myself I’m a first timer and that my next project – the Pinterest famous moon hanger – is something I can do.

What have your favourite lockdown hobbies been?