I have been meaning to write this post for at least a week. Last Sunday night I even grabbed my laptop ready to settle down to it but then a window got broken (diy related incident) and there was glass to be swept so I didn’t get chance.

I should probably start by saying that there would, of course, be no way that I would choose to be in this situation, and that I am fortunate to have a job where I am continuing to be paid and that I am also very lucky that my nearest and dearest are all keeping safe and well. The point of this post is to write about what I have been doing in the last few weeks and how I have been making the best of the status quo. I’m continuing to be in school 2 weeks out of 4.

Over the last month I have done more consistent sewing than I can remember in a long time. I had amassed a bit of backlog of fabrics I needed to sew up and then photograph and write blog posts for. I’ve now used them all and still have a couple of photo sessions I need to get in the next week or two, as well as two or three blog posts still to write. I also sewed up a baby quilt for a friend of a friend which I agreed to back in November but hadn’t had the time for until now. Last September I was very gifted a secondhand dressmaker’s dummy and last week I sewed up a lightweight sweater as a thank you.

Last weekend I sewed up two pairs of Safiya dungarees after being suitably impressed with the Safiya trousers I recently made. I modified the pattern slightly to improve the fit on my second set and am already planning more, as well as a set with shorts instead of trousers as my US friend Nat’s looked great! I could actually see myself getting right through summer with various versions of this pattern, but that’s another blog post waiting to happen.

This week I’ve caved and ordered three lots of fabric from different places; one small selection of knits from Loubodu, some linen, FQs and tropical Lady McElroy from Holm Sown and a splurge on a few different Rifle Paper Co from outside of the Uk, which will be amazing if it makes it way through customs etc, particularly at the moment, so I’m keeping everything crossed for that! I have lots of plans for next and future projects and it’s been great to have chance to think about what I want to make and actually wear as the weather improves.

The weather! Hasn’t it been incredible? I definitely think it has lifted my spirits over recent weeks, especially combined with the onset of spring. It’s been wonderful to watch the blossom bloom and the trees come back to life. The new leaves are so vibrant and almost acid green. I haven’t yet managed a decent photo of bluebells but over the last week or so they’ve carpeted many of the local woodlands. I’ve still been running, some weeks more than others, and still been opting to head slightly further for trails rather than the streets near home. Being surrounded by nature; fields, trees and bird song grounds and calms me.

At home I have been enjoying simple pleasures. I have yet to settle into a book but I have done a bit of cooking and made bread and cookies. I have filled up the bird bath in the garden and done a bit of pruning and tidying. I’ve wished I had bedding plants to add more colour and am hoping to get a greenhouse at some point, which I used to have at my last house and found extremely soothing. Plus, you can’t beat a homegrown tomato. I have sorted and tidied my sewing supplies due to an overhaul of the room where I sew. It’s now a much lighter, brighter and more pleasant space and most of my fabric and patterns are stored away upstairs.

I’ve spent a lot of time with the dogs and have brushed them lots which they have mixed feelings about – neither of them go the groomers and as the temperature rises they both shed loads, so it’s been good to be able to do a couple of minutes every so often to try and get the worst of it off. My working day is much shorter than normal and I’ve had more energy to take the dogs for walks and runs. I’ve managed a total of 4 sessions of PE with Joe which I have actually loved even though I really felt it after! I’m hoping to join in again the week after next when I’m not in school.

Last Christmas I barely sent any Christmas cards. I don’t send many at all anyway, except for special people like close family and also those who I only keep in touch with once a year. Well, my once a year check-in didn’t happen as time ran away with me, so a couple of weeks ago I wrote and posted notelets, to let people know I haven’t forgotten them and in the hope that this year I’ll be back on the ball and get Christmas cards despatched on time. Handmade ones, in an ideal world.

All in all, I’m trying to appreciate this extra time I never expected to have, whilst trying to rest, relax and breathe and sleep. Currently I seem to have settled into a new routine and although I am missing people and places, I am grateful for time at home and for my garden, to be able to get outdoors and run or walk every day. Watching the birds go about their business reminds me that nature hasn’t really noticed that anything is different, or if it has I hope it’s a positive in that there is less traffic on the road, less fuel being used etc etc.

I’d love to know how you’ve been keeping calm and making the best of things. Thank you for reading and take care and stay safe.