So I started my own list. She's not quite up to all of these but the more we practice, the more Rox seems to grasp the idea. Her arm motor skills are developing, but she's well on with talking and  responding to sound and visuals. Feel free to steal these ideas! 

1. Painting with mashed potato.
Safe if they (when they) eat the 'paint'. I dyed ours with beetroot, blue food dye and turmeric. Hello, first artwork!

2. "Where's the baby?" 
Stand in another room and call to your baby to see how she responds. I do this a lot when I'm going upstairs to collect her from a (rare!) nap. 

3. Press the doorbell and watch her catch on that doing so creates a sound. 

4. New toys - I'm not into masses of plastic or spending a fortune, so we've been experimenting with new things...

 - wooden spoon - a winner!
 - pots and pan lids
 - pebbles and sand (for a few months time)
 - double cream pots for stacking and playing 'hide the rattle'
 - paddling pool
 - a busy board (made by me, so proud!)

5. New songs - relive your childhood with some nursery rhymes! Dance in front of your baby to old.classics! Sing along with the radio in an opera voice!

6. "Chumi TV" - that's what we call 'watchibg the dog play'. Chumi is a lively collie and knows to run away when Rox goes for her ears...

7. Start the learning for using cutlery - plastic, of course. That'll keep you busy with the mess and the fun of a new thing baby can master. Be patient!

What new ideas have you had for your baby while you can't socialise? 

Lou x

I found it pretty interesting, with my brain that both hates and loves numbers.

BBC article

I found no.5 (about grocery shopping habits) especially interesting. I have noticed a change in our household; we go less frequently to the shop, and for shorter time periods. No browsing, in and out! I'm not sure our actual purchases have changed much though... Apart from the lack of pasta and flour!

Hope you've enjoyed the long weekend (safely),

Lou x

Night all,

Lou x

I first saw someone wearing a face mask in a supermarket I was visiting, before lockdown. I thought it was a little premature, as we'd had no cases in Bristol by then. I thought also it's a bit over the top as the jury is still, even now, out on whether or not masks actually protect the wearer, and they offer a limited protection to other people by stopping the virus cough everywhere. And, we all should know by now, if you think you have covid-19 you should be isolating at home! 

I went through Gatwick airport in early March and I saw just five mask wearers; I was relieved it was only a handful of people as it's quite an unnerving sight. I did however see someone wearing a mask that resembled a storm trooper helmet, which was more than amusing, more than overkill.

Seeing the general public in surgical masks is a little scary. It does make my inner voice panic a little - should I be wearing one too?? Is that person sick?? Quick, leg it! I saw two women on my dog walk today who had Freddy Krueger type masks in black, horrible!

On another non-medical level, masks hide expressions, and most of all, sadly, smiles. We all need a few more smiles aimed in our direction these days. If I started wearing a mask (unlikely), I'd definitely draw a big goofy grin on the front.

Lastly, I hate seeing people in surgical masks because there is a shortage for the NHS. Medical personnel need them more that the person on the street, so make them if you can and donate, don't bulk buy for yourself (or buy at all), and above all, keep calm! 

Lou x

Funny what you miss when places are.closed and you have to stay in. I was about to make a hair appointment just before lockdown started and wished now that I'd done so!

I don't have enough or many haircuts in the year, maybe two, three at a push .. curly hair masks a multitude of sins, but it does need doing. 

So today was more relaxed than yesterday. Productivity wise I barbecued mackerel fantastically (along with honey mustard chicken an veggie kebabs). This made me happy as I love playing with fire and followed it with a poshed-up milkshake! And helping someone, i told a friend with a newborn the brands of some of the products we use - vitamin d etc. 

I think I need to work on the 'helping someone' thing, but it's hard when you can't leave the house!

See you tomorrow,

Lou x

What's made me happy today? I lay in the garden teaching my baby how to bang on pots and pans. She's still a way off but it was relaxing. 

Productivity wise, I did the shopping, cleaned the floors, baked bread, disinfected all the high traffic knobs, banisters and buttons in the house, planted out my seedling of cucumber and courgette, made ribs for lunch, walked the dog, did two laundry loads, put a will pack together for our solicitor...

And helping someone out? I delivered some homemade Chelsea Buns to two of my neighbours. They're a bit brown due to not having the correct flour but they taste pretty good - hope the neighbours had a nice tea tonight!

Doing these three things - making time for my on happiness, being productive and helping someone - is really doing me good through social isolation and lockdown. It's keeping me busy and my mind off other things. I just really fancy a change of scenery!

See you tomorrow, 

Lou x

Today I made bread and it was beautiful. I bake to show love, and we had a gorgeous ploughman's tea tonight as a result. Yum!

That's my biggest productive thing for the day...

Doing something for me... I watched a lot of This Is Us on Netflix. I felt bad to not be out in the sunshine but I felt like a bit of a break today with baby going through a grouchy stage. 

And something for someone else... I delivered two packets of baby food pouches to a friend round the corner. We don't like using them for Rox after hearing of at least two cases of packets with mould inside, and that's all I can think of now when I see them. So passing them on didn't waste them and helped out another family.

Take that covid-19, a good day in isolation.

Lou x

Now, I've never been a massive fan of his, and haven't always agreed with everything he's done in his premiership, but I hope he recovers fully and quickly. 

He's going to be a dad again, for one thing, and I really believe that he's been working so hard for us all in this difficult time. 

I even feel like I know him, almost. He's a character, for sure, and I've seen footage of him for years, possibly the first time on Have I Got News For You (in the early noughties??), so weirdly, I feel quite sad on a personal level that he's so sick. 

Of course, he's our leader - the first world leader to contract covid-19, my husband tells me - and there's a substitute leader already sorted, but it's yet more uncertainty for the British people. What a year it's been so far! Boris Johnson has a hard job, for sure.

I haven't seen anything that suggests that the Conservative party are divided or arguing about much at the moment, which is a blessing. Long may it continue and get well soon to our PM.

Let me take up BoJo's baton and say "stay safe and home to save the NHS and save lives".

Lou x

Some days I feel like a 'real adult'. At 35 years old, these moments shouldn't come as a surprise, but they often do. I felt oh so adult when we bought our house, for example, that was the pinnacle of adulting before I had a baby I think. But today a thought occurred to me: what a great day it was to be washing and drying clothes. That's adulting. You'd never catch 13 year old me thinking that!

Adulting can be fun, impressive and adventurous, but today I was a boring (no less of an) adult with my adulting.

That's what CoVid-19 has done to me. I'm blogging about how pleased I was about the weather and showing you my washing line. 

Anyone have any ideas how to make a photo like this seem more arty? Lord knows we have time to learn in lockdown!

Now I'm off to wash the dog towels too. 

Lou x

P.S. Productive thing of the day - tick. Something for someone else - delivered an Easter card to a neighbour. Something for me - sat in the garden with my baby on a blanket and we are breadsticks (her) and icecream (me).

It's ugly as sin, but times are hard. I used the last of my self raising flour -  plainhas already disappeared - the last of a packet of marshmallows and four precious eggs. I have always been able to find butter in the shops in lockdown but I am going to miss cake flour!!

That's my 'help someone' thing for today. My husband likes plain vanilla cake and condensed milk. This cake is both and more. 

My little something for me... I sat in the sunshine on my sun lounger for a good 15 mins while baby napped.

Productivity wise, I continued with the project that needed sanding down yesterday. Today was painting. Tomorrow the real fun starts, if the weather's nice. Stay tuned!

Lou x