What to do if we don’t travel?

[Pauline]

Now that many of us have cancelled our travel plans for this Spring/Summer, let’s talk about all the fun things to do at home as we socially isolate ourselves. These are my plans:

• Get my travel photos organised! Create albums for recent trips and add captions.
• Move some of my old trip reports to the forums.
• I love cooking and spend a lot of time on that already, but I want to try more recipes. Since we won’t be eating in restaurants we can have more interesting meals at home.
• Learn how to make the perfect Cortado.
• Go hiking/walking in uncrowded areas.
• And, of course, do research for future trips so I am ready to go when things get better. I may start with places we can drive to.

What are your plans?

 

[Steve R.]

Update our wills? (Ok, so that’s just my warped sense of humor kicking in).

 

[Clive Muir]

The Andalucian government have just announced that all education from 0 years to univeristy will stop from Monday 16th with all schools closed.....

So I will be homeschooling 3 kids in isolation here at our house for the foreseeable future.... Sigh!

Last week I bought 1 months food supplies for the 5 of us so on Monday I will be helping the kids learn how to set up a rationing system to see if we can stretch it to 6!

 

[Tina]

I usually don't watch television (haven't got one) but have watched more films in streaming in the last ten days than in the previous five years
Study (better) a language of our favourite country so that when we can travel we can communicate (better) in the local language.
Finally get around to writing up some trip reports to put on the sloweurope website
Fortunately it's spring and so my vegetable garden will be amazingly weed free for the first time ever.
Ring for a chat all those people you have been meaning to call for ages, generally people are anxious and even a phone call can brighten the day.
Good topic Pauline!

 

[Colo]

So things are crazy at the stores around our house. My sweetie sent me to the store and told me to get everything we need for a 2 week self-quarantine. I think we are set! I am not sure she agrees

 

[aap519]

Hopefully things will be OK after 30 days. If not, we have a 20ft trailer, so we will go camping at a few state parks down south.

 

[Cameron]

Jigsaw puzzles of travels. One of my winter hobbies. Recently:

 

[SMJ]

More time for gardening; lots more reading; sort out cupboards and drawers; improve my limited Italian, and learn a bit of Gaelic!
Gaelic is now offered on Duolingo.
Maybe go through all my photos again and sort them out.
Hubs doing woodworking and sorting out his workshop.
We don't have cable, haven't had it for 22 years...so no TV watching except Netflix, which is really hit and miss here in Canada.
Oh.......and having a knee replacement on April 14th!.....as long as elective surgeries are not cancelled as the Covid-19 situation progresses.
Fingers crossed (and scrubbed.)

 

[JustTravel]

Oh.......and having a knee replacement on April 14th!.....as long as elective surgeries are not cancelled as the Covid-19 situation progresses.

I was going to start the process of getting my right knee replaced in late spring but I just canceled my orthopedic surgeon appointment for March 23rd. I decided to wait a little longer just in case hospital beds are needed during this crisis. Originally, I was going to have this surgery in August after we returned from our spring/summer stay in Brugge Belgium.

 

[JustTravel]

It's the first day of spring. I took a short walk in the neighborhood for some fresh air and exercise.

We are under "shelter in place" order. The only outings I have done in the last eleven days were a doctor's appointment, one food shopping, a couple of pharmacy errands and this short walk today.

 

[Clive Muir]

How about researching the trips for next year.... I am still here in Spain on total lockdown... (almost 2 weeks now....) so I have updated the paradors in natural parks page in Spain...

16 stunning national parks in Spain to visit. - Wildside Holidays - Walking and Wildlife Holidays In Spain

Explore the 16 national parks in Spain, each with unique beauty and biodiversity. From the Sierra de las Nieves to the Balearic Islands, discover the stunning wonders of Spain's national parks!

wildsideholidays.co.uk

If you use facebook you can see what we are getting up to over here.... Especially the kids!!!!

https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=10222157995287464

View: https://www.facebook.com/clive.muir.1/videos/10222157995287464/

 

[Pauline]

I seem to have spent most of our lockdown time worrying about groceries!

I did one run to the supermarket (Waitrose) last week for us and our elderly neighbors and was not happy being in the crowded shop. I put together an online order for them and us combined for this week but they have shut down the deliveries! I check about 500 times a day - nothing. Today finally they say they are going to set up delivery slots for the elderly and vulnerable. My neighbor’s daughter got her registered on Waitrose.com and now we are waiting to see when she can get a slot.

We get our weekly vegetable and fruit box from Riverford and usually that is all I need but because they are so overwhelmed they no longer offer all the other products they used to (butter, pasta, grains, tinned beans, etc). Luckily I stocked up on pasta, grains, beans etc as soon as we got home, two weeks ago, so we are good. But I miss walking into town and picking up a few things.

It’s the uncertainty that drives me crazy. I need to forget about it all and start adding some resources to Slow Europe.

 

[Pauline]

The Beehive in Rome are posting great cooking videos on Instagram.

View this content on Instagram

View this content on Instagram

View: https://www.instagram.com/tv/B-UhMOAgj_U/?igshid=1s0jncshbw1ci

 

[Pauline]

Learn how to make the perfect Cortado.

Done! I have a great Jura coffee machine and I had never used it with milk. Turns out to be simple, just a tube I put into a milk container. We changed the cappuccino settings to have a short strong coffee with very little milk and that gives us a Cortado!

 

[SMJ]

Well...I cut my husband's hair today, for the first time ever!
A bit nerve wracking, to say the least...but he's pleased with it, so......
Anyone else doing the same now that hair salons are all closed down?

 

[Ian Sutton]

Done! I have a great Jura coffee machine and I had never used it with milk. Turns out to be simple, just a tube I put into a milk container. We changed the cappuccino settings to have a short strong coffee with very little milk and that gives us a Cortado!

A very good coffee machine maker!
Ours is a Rancilio *Silvia along with a Eureka Mignon grinder. Beans now always from one of the great local roasters, most often '**Strangers' who have a roastery in the middle of the city.

* Coincidentally the name of a dear deceased friend
** A term that used to be used around these parts for religious refugees from the Low countries who brought specialist textile skills to the region (and quite possibly the penchant for very steep stairs in houses!)

 

[Ian Sutton]

Well...I cut my husband's hair today, for the first time ever!
A bit nerve wracking, to say the least...but he's pleased with it, so......
Anyone else doing the same now that hair salons are all closed down?

Mine will grow long, something I did for a while last year on the grounds that if I don't do it now, I might not have the chance in the future!

 

[Ian Sutton]

We've been taking the self-isolation approach seriously, so much so, I offered the company I'm working with an alternative of me taking holiday, or them my resignation. Thankfully common sense has sent all workers home now.

A recent highlight is the return of a hedgehog we took to the local animal sanctuary last year (it was out and about at midday - never a good sign). We got it back a week ago, and they asked if we'd take a mate for it as well. So two hedgehogs dutifully released into the garden, the female we'd previously named 'wibbly-wobbly' for obvious reasons, the male yet to be named (the working title 'a mate' isn't the best). The food we put out going down faster than before, so we're hopeful they're doing ok. We think they've taken refuge in the habitat pile (cuttings from the tree with a leaf litter topping), rather than the purpose built hedgehog house (with home made picket fence).

 

[Ian Sutton]

So things are crazy at the stores around our house. My sweetie sent me to the store and told me to get everything we need for a 2 week self-quarantine. I think we are set! I am not sure she agrees

View attachment 22044

Apologies for missing this earlier. A very impressive cellar! Lovely to have so many individual slots - mine are mostly in two wine fridges, which means I have just a dozens 'bins' recorded in cellartracker.

Of course that roll of toilet paper is now worth more than your classed growth claret!

An intriguing Pommard label on the left? As minimalist as they come.

 

[Pauline]

A recent highlight is the return of a hedgehog we took to the local animal sanctuary last year (it was out and about at midday - never a good sign).

Hedgehogs! I have about 100 ft of native Dorset hedge along the edge of our garden and I have a hedgehog house in the hedge, but we’ve never had a hedgehog. Lucky you!