Category: Keep Walking

Written 26/08/20

Lockdown was actually a blessing to me personally in many ways, the main one the accessible online opportunities it offered. For several years I’ve been semi-housebound, and struggled to keep up a routine for myself beyond mealtimes. But once so many things moved online, it gave me so much structure.

I made myself a timetable based on my writing group’s Discord socials, my church service and group(s), and WritersHQ’s virtual writing retreats. It worked. I felt so much more purposeful, made much better use of my limited energy, and it helped me keep habits I’d been failing to keep for months or years previously.

But then came the summer. The heat itself, as I’ve posted about before, makes things much more difficult for me, but actually what impacted my routine most was the loss of half of my scheduled activities. My church takes a break from groups meeting over August, and because lockdown has been easing my writing group has, for now at least, stopped its online socials. And as a result I’ve been slipping. I’ve found it harder to remember dates and times, been forgetting to prepare meals, lost complete track of my bullet journal (which I started a few months ago to organise myself better), and felt a bit more isolated generally.

While structured routines don’t work for everyone, it was working for me. I was able to be flexible about what I did in between the set times, but those set times gave me a framework for my life, and I’ve missed it. A while ago my mum and I swapped our timetables (because we both kept phoning at inconvenient times!) and a while ago she asked how my poetry writing went, as I’d previously made Monday my “poetry writing day”. I had to admit I hadn’t done any for a few weeks.

Written 2/10/20

I originally drafted the above in the last week of August, then got distracted and forgot about it. Since then, I’ve made myself a new timetable, which I’ll admit I haven’t been sticking to as much but I have been making better use of my energy than I was during the summer. I’ve half-started my bullet journal again, and trying to work my way through a list of tasks that I wanted to do over the summer. One of them sorting out this blog.

I posted Safe Alternatives to Leisure Activities yesterday, and it turned out to be the hottest day of the year in the UK. Today is looking like it might be another record-breaker in terms of heat, AND there is also a warning about the very high UV levels.

PLEASE stay safe.

If you’re desperate to get outdoors, or you need to get outdoors for your health—I saw interviews with some people who live in very high flats which get hot easily—take as much care as possible, not just with social distancing but also with good sun protection and an awareness of the risks and symptoms of heat exhaustion and heatstroke.

If you’re planning a trip, for example to the beach, follow the lead of the family I saw interviewed who had arrived on the beach very early—go at a time when there will be much fewer visitors! You don’t necessarily have to arrive before the sun is up, as they did, but aim for a time when social distancing will be much easier, and leave before it gets too busy. Also if you’re going to the beach–or somewhere else where there’s water–make sure there’s a lifeguard on duty, as many places don’t have any at the moment. (Unfortunately the RNLI website is currently unavailable so I haven’t been able to provide a link. I will check back later.)

Since a lot of people living on their own will be staying indoors, please check in on vulnerable family and friends to make sure they’re okay. If they’re not the kind of person who outright says if they don’t feel well, quiz them a bit to make sure they’re not suffering from heat exhaustion and just don’t realise. Make sure they’re doing what they can to protect themselves, and help them out if there’s something they need.

I realise not all of these will be practical for everyone, but these are some things I’ve found useful for keeping cool at home:

• If you don’t have one already, large fans can be bought quite cheaply. I recommend having one in your living-room (and whatever room you spend most of your time in) and one for your bedroom.
• If it’s safe for you to have your windows open, open all of them, even if you’re not using the room. Use fans if you have them to further air your home.
• Cooling sprays like Magicool are wonderful, and much better (and less faffy) than squirting water on your skin.
• Keep drinking water in your fridge. If you want to cool the water quicker when refilling, pop it in the freezer. (But don’t forget it’s in there!)

Also, my most extreme way of cooling myself down is to take a cold shower or even shallow cold bath. I’m sure this might not be suitable for everyone though, and I don’t have adequate medical knowledge to be able to say who it would and wouldn’t be suitable for, so please use common sense before doing this.

Recommended steps for a cold shower:

1. You will not be getting dressed in the bathroom, as it’s usually warmer than other rooms. Make sure that your bedroom (or whatever room you get dressed in) and any rooms in between that and your bedroom have the curtains closed and are free of other people you don’t want seeing you naked.
2. Run the shower at lukewarm temperature and get in (unless you can tolerate getting straight into cold water, which I can’t).
3. Do NOT get your whole body wet. Avoid the shoulders and focus on the lower part of your body.
4. Gradually turn the temperature down in increments until it’s as cold as you can bear and you are shivering.
5. Get out, but don’t dry off. Wrap a towel loosely around you, just enough to stop you dripping too much, and leave the bathroom as soon as you can.
6. If you have one, stand naked in front of a fan while you’re still wet to cool you down further.

The longer you take under the cold water and before drying off, the longer the cooldown will last for, but it’s still only a temporary relief. A cold bath should last longer but is still only temporary. I most often do one of them just before bedtime.

I came up with this method after a few hours in an unheated swimming pool had me shivering in a sweatshirt for the rest of the (very hot) day, which is unheard of for me because I’m rarely cold enough to wear a sweatshirt even in the coldest part of winter. (I really feel the heat!) The trick to staying warm in a cold pool is to get your shoulders wet, so therefore the trick to staying cold is to not get your shoulders wet.

Once again we have more lockdown rules easing in the UK, and I’m here writing my response.

Although I try not to criticise on this blog as much as possible, I think before I go into the details I need to clarify my position, that I think lockdown is easing far too fast. I acknowledge that there are many consequences of lockdown, to mental health and people’s livelihoods, but I feel that the government is making change after change without pausing long enough in between to see the effect it has. While virus testing is theoretically available to everyone, it’s not an automatic thing for the general population—people are being tested if they’re symptomatic or are known to have been in contact with someone who has confirmed positive. So the actual number of people infected is still unknown as common sense says there must be asymptomatic people slipping through the cracks. It’s basic maths—if it can take up to 14 days for someone to show symptoms and an unknown portion of the population is asymptomatic, and it takes a number of days (I’m not sure how many) for the statistics to be gathered, then any rise in the infection rate is going to take some time to filter through. Any rise in the death rate will take even longer since there will be a time gap in between someone being confirmed as having the virus and their death. During the time in which these numbers aren’t yet available, more easing of restrictions could have taken place.

Having said all that, I was closer to being relieved than I expected when I saw the decision of the debate about the 2m distancing rule this morning. I was very anxious about the thought of it being reduced, especially after seeing someone on the news (I can’t remember who) confirm that a distance of 1m is definitively riskier than 2m, and I’m aware that the review is probably mainly down to the pressure on the government from the business sector.

I’m very thankful that it’s not been reduced as a standard thing, and that it’s been accompanied by the advice to keep to 2m wherever possible.

However to quote a doctor on Breakfast, “We must not get complacent”. Don’t take the smaller distance limit lightly, as it carries a significantly higher chance of being infected if the other person has the virus. I did try to make a note of the stats, but I couldn’t actually make sense of what he said.

I feel for people worried about losing their livelihoods, I really do, and I wish there was a simple solution. But protecting lives has to be the priority here.

So my advice to people is to please avoid going out where possible. If you go out, keep to the 2m as much as possible. Don’t switch back into your pre-pandemic habits; be vigilant about hygiene and protect others as well as yourself. Avoid indoor public areas and areas in which social distancing is being ignored. If you see a shop or other kind of venue that’s not taking the proper precautions, don’t stay silent about it.

I understand that with the warm weather, and places opening again, it must be very tempting to go out for a bit of enjoyment. But for the sake of those of us who don’t have that luxury because we don’t feel safe doing so, please find responsible alternatives to help prevent a second wave. I’ve done a post on alternative leisure options here.

As aforementioned doctor also said: if we have a second wave because people go back to their normal lives, then it will likely fall in colder weather, when being outdoors—where the virus transmission rate is much lower—is much more difficult. A second lockdown in colder weather will mean less freedom than before.

It’s summer. Most people want to be outdoors during this warm weather, and I fully appreciate that. And many outdoor places are either re-opening or expect to re-open in the near future, so I’m sure a lot of people are tempted to visit.

But although outdoors is safer than indoors, that doesn’t mean there’s no risk attached. For instance, everyone should be social distancing, but there’s been reports of that being ignored in some areas. And while deep cleaning is supposed to take place where appropriate, can you be sure it’s been done to a satisfactory standard and that no-one has contaminated it since the last time it was cleaned? I’m urging people to do whatever they can to find alternatives.

While I appreciate that many of these places are businesses which desperately need visitors, protecting lives has to come first. But that doesn’t mean to say we can’t be responsible and try and support some of these places.

I’ve previously posted on zoos when Chester Zoo made their announcement that without visitors, they were facing having to close. While I’m sure they’re happy at the announcement that they can re-open, and I’ll admit a part of me did feel happy for them, I’m still concerned.

So if you may be thinking of planning a day at the zoo, or a private garden, museum, etc, here’s a suggestion. Look up wherever you were planning on going, and see if they’ve got any virtual experiences on their website or Youtube channel. If not, try somewhere similar. Instead of buying a ticket/entry fee, make a donation instead, and then create a virtual day at home. Have a picnic in your living-room and, if you have kids, find some fun related activities for them. (Chester Zoo has some on their website and I’m sure other places will have similar.)

With regard to theme parks, you can find plenty of virtual experiences on Youtube. Not the same, I’m sure (I’m not a rollercoaster person), but might go some way to satisfying any rollercoaster cravings until a later date?

With regard to holidays, I’m sure many people are itching to get away, whether that’s abroad or elsewhere in the UK (or whichever country you live in). Campsites etc here are eager to get people there to try and salvage the summer; I strongly advise caution in considering that.

But if you’re keen to get abroad—maybe there’s somewhere you had been planning to go but had to cancel—I offer an alternative which, I hope, would help you survive not going until it’s safer to travel.

If you haven’t seen my Culture From Home posts (here and here), I’ve been collecting virtual experiences of all kinds, and in the process discovered virtual tours. Youtube is overflowing with all kinds of experiences from all around the world. Pick a destination, do a bit of research, and put together a virtual holiday. With an internet connection, a bit of creativity, and maybe something edible to suit the location, you can make something quite special.

I myself am working on creating my own Around the World Virtual Tour. I’m currently working on Paris and London, and will be posting them on this blog when they’re ready. From there I will move onto other places.

More generally, if you’re lucky enough to have a garden, wonderful! Make the most of it. But if you don’t, why not look into getting some low-maintenance indoor plants or window boxes? A bit of indoor nature combined with the windows wide open I know is not much of a substitute, but it’s something. Also, investing in a fan and some cooling spray is a really good idea!

EDIT: I’ve added a new related post on Staying Safe in Hot Weather.

As I was exploring online culture experiences, I had a brainwave. I’ve had a desire to travel for years, and there are SO many places on my bucket list I would love to go to. But I’ve been unable to travel much due to a combination of health and finance restrictions. (And some places I would be very reluctant to visit until I can cope with hot weather better!)

But now, with so many things going online, I’ve decided to see how many places on my bucket list I can ‘travel to’ from the comfort of my own living-room. A virtual tour of the world! And I would encourage anyone who longs to travel further than to the supermarket or your workplace to do the same.

With all this discussion about holidays, I think it’s a good time for me to do this, as an alternative to physical travel. Obviously there are limitations doing anything virtually, but for those who would normally go abroad on holiday and are currently weighing up the risks and downsides of potentially booking one this summer, I hope this might satisfy your itch until it’s safer to travel.

I am going to list some of the places on my bucket list (I’ve never actually written it all down, so I’ll probably think of a lot more after posting this) and then later, when I’ve put it all together, I will post all the links—probably one country/city at a time! I will most likely start with Paris.

In no particular order:

• Paris
• New York City
• San Francisco
• Iceland
• Japan
• Greece
• Italy
• Egypt
• New Zealand

In the process of beginning my research, I came across a Youtube channel which does virtual walking tours (some of them hours long), documentaries and many other travel-related videos.

I actually drafted this post several weeks ago, before I wrote Culture From Home 2. Since then I’ve had the idea of doing this for places in the UK as well, for the benefit of anyone who wants to explore it a bit more, whether or not you live here. I personally have been to Wales a few times, but not to Scotland or Ireland, and though my family have almost always gone to different places in England for our summer holidays, there are plenty of places I either haven’t been to or would like to revisit.

In the follow-up to my first Culture From Home post, I’ve done some Youtubing for experiences that aren’t official tours etc from museums and things. I decided to do this after looking up The Garden of the Gods in Colorado and finding that they didn’t have anything like that on their website. (I’ve been there before, and it is absolutely amazing, so I wanted to share it.) And that is how I discovered the existence of virtual tours!

There are tonnes and tonnes of virtual tour videos on Youtube; I was really spoiled for choice! Hope this gives you some enjoyment and a place to start if you become hooked as well!

Garden of the Gods, Colorado Springs: 360 degree virtual tour

Longleat Safari Park

Sydney Opera House

Shakespeare’s Globe

• The theatre itself also has its own Youtube channel, with some full productions available for free (one at a time on a two-week rota) and other interesting things

Niagara Falls

Walkway in the Amazon rainforest

Virtual tour of the Titanic (how it would have been, not the actual wreck)

The Titanic (this time the actual wreck)

Dubai Marina Waterfront

Northern Lights

• It’s worth noting that when you see the Aurora Borealis in real life, it’s a lot less colourful and more difficult to see, as the colour has to be VERY strong in order to be seen by the naked eye. Most of the time it’s fairly grey. I saw it several times when I was in Norway and we were lucky enough to see some colour, and it was very energetic as well!

At the beginning of the lockdown, the #LoveYourNeighbour campaign was launched: a collaboration of volunteers, churches, schools, hospitals, charities, businesses, local councils and others across the UK to deliver food and necessities and provide support for those in need during the pandemic.

“The church resembles a supermarket, with supplies coming in from local partners, and teams each day bagging up and delivering hampers to 20 hostels. Last week alone, we delivered 698 food hampers, including 2022 ready meals, plus an additional 403 hot meals at Safehaven Men and Safehaven Saturday.” – St Peter’s Brighton

Unfortunately, I can’t embed videos; but you can see some of the details of what’s going on at their website’s Stories page.

If you want to volunteer or need help, you can contact one of their centres.

I’ve been meaning to write this post for weeks, but kept having more time-relevant ideas for posts which took priority. However with all the discussion of free school meals and food poverty in the news in the last few days (and the fact that it’s been a while since I posted something like this) has prompted me to finally do this!

Heads up to people in the UK:

I’ve been tipped off by a friend that people are posing as Track and Trace via text and/or phone.

The corona virus test is FREE. If you’re asked to pay for it, it’s a scam. Don’t pay, and report the number.

More information on virus-related scams and how to report.

I only discovered this morning it was the 3rd anniversary of the Grenfell Tower fire.

Because of the pandemic, the date will be marked virtually today, with services at 11am and 6pm, and Instagram live through the afternoon. Details are here.

As of today, people living on their own can form support bubbles with someone else. For many people this is really welcome news, and I can empathise with them since I live alone and, theoretically, fall into this category.

I’m not going to get into all the criticisms. It’s not a perfect system, and the priorities of government do come across as … weird. But I try and keep this blog fairly positive overall.

When it comes to vulnerable single people or vulnerable people in the households they want to form support bubbles with, this is clearly more complicated. With regards to shielding people specifically, they’re not able to form support bubbles, but apparently there will be a further announcement regarding them next week. I wonder if it’s something like you can form a support bubble if the household you form it with also shields.

But for those of us who fall in the middle category, we have some tough decisions to make. I personally don’t feel comfortable doing this with my family (parents and brother living together) as things stand, because my mum goes out to do shopping for all of us. My first thought was that it was one more lockdown-easing rule which I wouldn’t be taking advantage of because I wouldn’t feel safe to.

However, I only discovered today that supermarkets have delivery slots available for non-priority customers. (Since I don’t fit the high-risk criteria, I’ve been unable to get priority.) Which opens up the possibility of my mum not having to go out. I haven’t discussed this with her yet, since it’s something I only just realised was a possibility, but plan to raise it with my family when we Facetime tomorrow.

To everyone who doesn’t fall into the right category, or who have chosen to not form support bubbles because of vulnerability or other reasons … hang in there. You’re not alone.