1 Feb 2021

Apologies to the rest of the world for coming very late to this discussion, but what exactly have the rest of you been doing to keep yourself amused during lockdowns?

So far I have ascertained that I need to have a place set aside where things I have found for the charity bins can be stored for when I’m allowed to leave home again. And my bin might be quite full when my regular rubbish day rolls around.

I’m working my way slowly through the house, sorting through cupboards and drawers. So far I have:

1. Found the bench top in the laundry. I knew we had one, because it’s the place where things get dumped when the kitchen bench has disappeared from view.

2. Discovered I actually have no excuse for not cleaning the shower screens. Actually – that’s a lie. Today my excuse is that I need to save myself some jobs for tomorrow or the day after, or the day after that.

3. Resisted the urge to clean out the pantry. My excuse is that I need access to everything in the pantry, ignoring all expiry dates, because the loonies are in peak capacity at the shops still, and I’m not going to even bother attempting to purchase food that is still within its use-by date. I’m looking for recipes that involve two tins of corn and not much else.

4. Lost my constant companion. The dog now has the choice of two humans in the house, and has chosen to keep my husband company at his temporary office in the spare room. I totally understand that this choice she has made has nothing to do with her preferred human, just that his new office has a comfy bed in it.

5. Hand watered plants and bemoaned the fact that I hadn’t done a pre-emptive lockdown purchase of potting mix. I could be spending hours out the back repotting plants. Oh well – next lockdown, maybe.

6. Packed away all the toys that I normally leave accessible for when my oldest grandson comes to visit. In the process, I’ve had a bit of a play with the play dough and also a new toy forklift that just got delivered.

Yes – I have books and games and time wasters galore as well, but I need to justify my time wasting with a bit of work.

Those of you who have spent more time than me in lockdown – got any tips for me?