Since my last blog post, it seems like quite a lot has changed.
Firstly, it’s now official that I am a ‘vulnerable’ person and I’ve been recommended to stay inside for up to 12 weeks. I’ve also been added to the Government/NHS’s Coronavirus text service (which is offering a wealth of handy advice such as ‘open a window‘ and ‘fill your time doing things you enjoy‘.) I had stopped going out for any reason other than to buy food, but now I’m having to avoid food shopping too.
It’s good to see supermarkets taking social distancing seriously, with spaced queuing and protective screens at checkouts, but now we need them to make their home deliveries more available for those of us who have been deemed too ‘vulnerable’ to go outside at all.
The second change is that I’ll soon be leaving home and heading back to my Dad’s house. Not permanently – this is just a precaution as my housemate is a nurse who is temporarily treating Coronavirus positive patients and this makes my home quite a risky place for me to be. This is sad as I don’t know how long I’ll have to stay away, but who knows, maybe the change of scenery will make some of these 12 weeks pass faster…
One more change is that I’ve been put on the furlough scheme, meaning I’ll no longer have the option to keep myself busy with work. It’s estimated to last for two months, but this could be extended or shortened – it depends on both the impact of Coronavirus and how the business is doing. I’ve heard a lot of companies (and some much larger than mine) have opted for this scheme and it means employees still receive 80% of their monthly wage – so the only real problem left is finding a way to beat the boredom!
I’ve been encouraged to make the most of this time off work – it’s not often anyone gets a several months paid time off – but it’s hard to see many opportunities on the horizon when we are all under lockdown (and isolating for
another 11 weeks at least.)
I know what I’d like to be doing with two free months… seeing Bali, Cambodia, Malaysia and revisiting Thailand and Vietnam too.
Instead, I’m exploring some options I can do from home, and this is my list so far:
- Complete a Udemy course
- I have a copywriting course to complete, which I did begin but never completed. I guess I have no excuse now…
- Finally watch Dirty Dancing
- And 4 Weddings and A Funeral. And Happy Valley, Line of Duty, Killing Eve and Noughts and Crosses. I’ve already started Gossip Girl.
- Write more blogs
- This should be easy as it’s easy to talk about how the current situation is affecting me, but I have also seen the amount of content being shared by others online right now – seeing as no one has anything else to do!
- Read more
- Last year, my goal was to read one book a month, and I easy surpassed it. This year, the idea was to complete this same goal again, but I’m ashamed to say I’ve read half of one book in three months and no longer having a commute hasn’t helped. Maybe I can use the next few months to catch up on that pile I’ve been collecting.
- Take up more crafting
- I’ve recently learnt to cross stitch, so I’m going to keep practicing that and maybe take up embroidery too. I’d also love to try creating some of my own clothes, but first I need to invest in a sewing machine. Oh, and some fabric.
- Listen to a new podcast
- I’m not particularly a podcast person (I’m better at the reading, rather than the listening) but I’ve heard a lot about Chris and Rosie Ramsay’s Snogged Married Annoyed podcast and it looks like I’ve got a lot of time to try it.
If anyone has any more ideas, let me know what else I can add to my list. I’d also love to hear what kind of blog content you might want me to write, so please comment with ideas for that too.
See you next time,
// Beth
Bethany Jay 
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