Broke Girl in the City’s Lockdown Diaries: Week 14
Happy Pride Weekend to you all! I would normally be in Soho partying, but we are all showing our solidarity this year in a virtual way through the You!Me!Us!We! Campaign. It saddens me to see so much hate, discrimination and violence in the world.
I am a huge Stevie Wonder fan, having listened to this album growing up. I wanted to post this song and Marvin Gaye, which seems very apt right now.
Pride in London calls for 30,000 ‘Acts of Allyship’
I might not be there in person this year, but I can still lend my voice in an ‘Act of Allyship’ to Pride in London. It upsets me when I see friends report back that they have been shouted at in the street for being in a relationship; something many of us take for granted or that they have faced discrimination in the workplace.
Laura & Iain in Celebrity Gogglebox
After a long week, watching Laura and Iain on Celebrity Gogglebox on Channel 4, Friday Night was fantastic fun. Not forgetting Mick, of course. The variety of people on there is brilliant. I am a huge fan of couples Joe Swash, Stacey Solomon, Harry Redknapp, and his wife Sandra. Rylan Clark-Neal and his mum Linda were great fun tonight. Whoever put Shaun Ryder and Bez from Happy Mondays on this show is a TV-Genius. Apart from the fact that I cried buckets at the episode, it has become my new Friday must-watch.
Shielding ends on 1st August
This week they finally made the announcement that they would end shielding on 1st August. Due to end on 1st June, it has been an incredibly anxious week waiting for the Government announcement, which was formally due on 15th June. It’s been a very strange time for anyone shielding. We have all been on our personal journey through the COVID-19 Crisis. It’s the first time I have ever had to disclose that I have a Disability to work, as I have severe asthma. As a hidden illness, many people don’t believe that I have a serious illness. Yet when I have an asthma attack, people point the finger asking what I have done wrong rather than acknowledging that I have an illness. I have been hiding away in my bedroom to ensure that I don’t catch something, and I have been told I am at severe risk of being ill. I think that anyone with severe asthma also has underlying anxiety about their environment. I am allergic to dust, cats, dogs, grass, pollen, and bed mite, which usually means that I spend most of the year taking antihistamines, steroids and avoiding anyone with a cold. I think that anyone who leaves the house after shielding will find this psychologically difficult.
My Top 3 Tips for Lockdown: Week 14
What a week this has been. Many of my friends have been telling me they are tired, partly due to the emotional toll this Coronavirus has had on everyone. My mum wrote to me this week a long letter with newspaper cuttings. It’s such a lovely feeling to receive a letter from someone you love. You should try it. My Top 3 Tips for Lockdown this week.
1. THINGS WON’T BE LIKE THIS FOREVER
OK, most of the time, we don’t even know what day it is! Weeks drag out one after another, but it won’t be like this forever if you are out of work right now. You will find work again. If you are bored at home, your life will soon return to being hectic, so relish the downtime. If you are broke, you will have money again. Things won’t be like this forever.
2. SPEND LIKE YOU ARE BROKE
If you are broke already, then make sure that you keep spending to an absolute minimum. I have articles in this blog about how to budget effectively. Even if you are not broke, spend like you are. We do not know what the future will hold, so it’s good to be as frugal as you can right now. Boxes of cava and Amazon Prime Deliveries might have got me through lockdown, but even so, I have been only spending on food and essential household items where possible.
3. KEEP LIFE SIMPLE
I follow a daily routine and rarely watch TV. I like to keep myself informed, but to me, the focus is everything. Blogging and being creative is what I love. So I prioritise my work during the week, and then Sundays are my day to write. I love to keep busy, but every now and then. It’s good to chat with friends and family.
That concludes Week 14 of my Lockdown Diaries!
