Perhaps I’m lucky because I don’t mind staying home too much, but even for someone like me, this lockdown is hard. We’re all in it togerher, which definitely helps, but it’s easy for sad thoughts and fear to creep in. Here’s a list of things that are making me happy at the moment, maybe they’ll help you too, if you need it. Let me know in the comments what is helping you stay sane and helps you find a smile.

My Neighbourhood

People in my area make me smile. People are being a little kinder and more open than usual, which is nice to see. At 7pm every night, we all go out on our balcony’s and give a big round of applause for the people who are on the front line, and it feels good to be able to do something, even though it’s small. It also boosts my own morale a lot each day. Some neighbours bang pots and one has a thing that makes a sound like a moose horn that always makes me laugh. I also have a balcony that has a 6ft gap to my next door neighbour, who is a lovely gentleman. I like to stop and have a chat to him, check in, and he always picks me up a little bit with his sense of humour.

Books

I have an insane TBR pile, and the thought of staying in and reading something sounds good to me. I put a photo above of some of my Agatha Christie paperbacks because this year I’ve been reading all her books, of which there are many. (Up top under reading lists, I have a page dedicated to her books where you can see my progress and get some recommendations if you like) Independant bookstores are often doing contact free delivery at the moment, and it’s a great time to support them. I’m reviewing a lot of books that are coming out soon too, to help you out finding new things to read.

If you’re looking for something to read or watch, check out Archive.org. It’s the internet archive and you can find a lot of classic books that no longer have copywright and silent films and things. A great resource.

Drawing, Craft and Puzzles

I picked up some great books on Book Outlet. I have a Hangman book where you kind of scratch away the letters, a dot to dot book for adults, and a great book of doodle prompts, see above, that’s got me back into sketching and drawing. Doing something like this gives me a sense of being creative and acheiving something, which is great because some days I get almost nothing done!

Movies

I have a movie blog where I review classic and modern movies, so I’ve been watching some of those (take a look HERE). So I’ve been watching and sharing some of those, but I’m really enjoying watching some old comforting things that always lift my spirits. Disney movies, Ace Ventura and The Mask, Sabrina with Audrey Hepburn, Legend with a really young Tom Cruise… Light things that make me feel reassured and aren’t about anything scary. Though I have been watching some haunted house movies too.

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Podcasts

Beach Too Sandy is so good and so funny. They’re doing extra episodes that are keeping me sane. Phoebe Judge of Criminal has a new series of This Is Love, which is beautiful and life affirming and she’s also reading a book a chapter a day. She started with Poirot and is now on Wilkie Collins, and I love it. I really enjoy My Favourite Murder, which is a true crime comedy podcast that I think everyone listens to. I also love Anything Ghost, where people write in their experiences which is sometimes really spooky, and always good for a spine tingle or two. Of course, the boys at Dark Poutine are always good. They’re generally doing lighter stories through quarantine.

The Rest:

• binge watching old TV shows like Murder, She Wrote, Golden Girls, Columbo….
• talking to friends on Skype or in messages, I actually feel more connected than I did before
• Going for long walks. It’s safe around here to exercise because no one is really around. I like to walk down to the ocean and breathe deeply, and all the flowers and cherry blossoms are out, the ducks have had babies…..
• My cat, Grimoire.
• I’ve done some home repairs, cleaned out my closet, done some deep cleaning of my cupboards, rearranged my book shelves….
• Some friends have given me recipes to try and I’ve also been baking cookies and trying out simple things from Pinterest.
• While the stables may be closed, I do have plenty of reading up to do, from my Level 2 exam book from HCBC to some fascinating journal articles that my friend who is studying vet science sent me. Alwaus plenty to learn about horses and riding…
• Heron Cam. The Blue Herons nest every year in this one place and there are cameras set up so you can watch them nest and raise their young. It’s really relaxing and they’re such a lovely bird.

What about you? What helps you through? What are you reading and watching?