It's Friday 24th of April and we're now 4 weeks into Lockdown here in Scotland
This is a snapshot of our typical daily routine during the Coronavirus crisis
As an early riser I'm typically up well before 6 a.m
Yep, I head straight for that switch and fire up the PC
It's pretty dark outside. I wonder what time it is.
Nothing quite beats a cold glass of Scottish tap water to start the day
I still suffer from RSI. So I always boil up a little hot water bottle which helps ease the hand and rest joints
No, I'm not starting the day with a Solero. I'm just taking out today's lunch from the freezer.
One of my favourites. Home-made soup
Jenny's still sound asleep. So I usually spend the first couple of hours in the morning working on my website
Today, I think I'll replace some old photos with new ones
Here's one. Actress Stacey Dash.
I'll go and check out BigStock.com and see if they've got a better version.
Yep, there's a few possibilities here. I like this one
I'll go ahead and download that and fire up Photoshop.
I reckon I should crop this a little bit, before uploading it to CelebHeights.com
Whilst I'm at it, I better do a thumbnail.
So that's before and here's after. Looking good!
One of the most important parts of lockdown routine should be regular hand washing
You know, I don't think I've ever washed my hands so much in my life before
You know, I'm getting rather hungry, I think it's time for breakfast.
Today, it's Cheerios
Half a banana
And a generous portion of cranberries and raspberries
Delicious :)
I prefer Soya milk, but Jenny?
Well, she's not so much a fan of soya milk
She'd much rather have some Cravendale
You know, I can already hear Jenny's tummy rumbling.
I better get in there quick sharp!
With services like dentists currently been shut
Now is the time to really keep on top of your dental hygiene.
I also use a Water Flosser
Just don't fill up with cold water
Make sure it's lukewarm and get cleaning
It's no past Eight and I'm heading to the shops
But firstly I need to take some essential items with me
Remember wallets and keys can also be given a little clean
and door handles too. Don't forget them
Wait
You mean you've never cleaned your Letterbox either?
I think I just heard a knock at the door I wonder who that could be?
Well, Hello Kitty !
I always leave my outdoor sneakers in the porch
and give them a regular clean
I've got my shopping bag and essentials ready to go
but you know what? It's such a beautiful day out there
Firstly I better get a washing on
Whoa there Kitty!
After feeding Scaredy and washing my hands for the 5th time this morning. I'm ready for the shops
Remember to give those surfaces a wipe down
Steering wheel
Gearstick
Handbrake
And don't forget the door handles
Now the dashboard says 7.51, but I'm a bit lazy to change it. It's actually 8.51!
This is a Friday morning and normally driving at this time would be far far busier
But during the lockdown the roads this morning are extremely quiet
What might be a 15-minute journey in our car to the Shopping Mall
only ends up taking me about four minutes
Oh oh.
Better keep my distance here. Remember folks 2 metres apart
It's almost 9:00 a.m. and the shopping centre is extremely quiet
And there's barely anybody using the public buses
Pubs and restaurants are still closed down and it's mainly shops selling food that are still open
I'm straight into one of my favorite stores
Home Bargains
This is my kind of store
Great prices and fantastic bargains
And this morning....very quiet
Next up is Farm Foods
I'm bypassing the chocolate and ice cream and heading straight for Scotland's national drink
Irn-Bru
It's good to see you to see social distancing there,
but not that many people are wearing masks when out shopping
I'd estimate about 10% of people wear them
Shops are doing pretty well limiting customer numbers
Before the crisis they used to sell these in Home Bargains. 3 for a Pound.
Just one more shop to head into and again, there's no queuing to get in
I think a lot of people are venturing out to the shops far less often
than they were in the first couple of weeks of lockdown
I'm finding the shelves in most stores pretty well stocked.
There's only a few things I notice that get low in stock
Baking items being one of them. I
I used to pay with cash before the lockdown
But now I'm starting to forget what money looks like.
It's contactless card payments at every opportunity
You know, I'm gonna check just in the off chance they have some in...
Nope, no Hand Gel.
Maybe next time!
I also do all shopping for my parents
They usually text me on the Monday with their Shopping List
and on Tuesday morning, I'll do the big weekly shop
I've been finding Tuesday's to be one of the most quieter days of the week
Since the last week has felt like proper summer weather,
I'm seeing more people going out for their daily walk and exercise
Being cooped up in our homes for so long
will be hard on many people
Since Jenny and myself both work from home
our Routine hasn't changed that drastically
and it's not been a massive change like some people have to cope with
I do sympathise with those people who are struggling through this lockdown
Jenny and myself usually go for a walk about 8am
but today I plan on combining our walk with dropping off some of the shopping to my parents
Trust me. These bags are heavier than they look
Whilst I've been out shopping Jenny's been keeping up with her daily workout routine with Joe Wicks
I think that washings ready to go. So let's hang it outside
All that hard work has made me a little bit tired
I think it's time for a bath
I much prefer a soak in the tub than a shower
Mainly because our shower is actually broke
but a long soak helps clear the mind and relax your muscles, too
After that lovely bath it's back to CelebHeights.com
This time I think I better get on with some comment moderating
Usually I spend about two or three hours a day reading and responding to comments
It's certainly always an interesting experience
And before you know it another hour has passed by
and now it's time for lunch
Today we're having homemade soup
Ingredients are pretty simple
Two or three leeks, some celery stalks, half a bag of lentils, 5 carrots, 2 red onions
quarter bag of broth and five vegetable cubes
During lunch we'll catch up on the daily briefing from the first minister and then watch a show
I like to mix up Genre's
So today we're heading back to the 70s
with John Thaw and Dennis Waterman
in The Sweeney
After our delicious soup, I'll give Jenny a yogurt with some cranberries, whilst I'll probably have an apple
And then, I'll put on another washing on
After lunch a time it's time some gardening
I think Jenny's had enough weeding for the day.
I think she's quite eager to go for her daily walk.
Me, too
Walking is great to clear our mind's, keep active and get some vitamin D
Maybe it's the good weather, but this afternoon there's a lot more cars on the road than normal
But no a lot of people on the streets
just remember to keep your two metre's apart
If you're passing by other walkers, you can always move on to the grass or even just cross the road
Spare a wee thought for our pets during lockdown
that poor dog has just given up.
It's only 2:45 p.m and that's his fifth walk of the day
I'm quickly dropping off some shopping at my parents
But before I go I'll help them out by doing a little bit of gardening
Whilst I've been hard at work doing some edging
Jenny's been catching up with a neighbour
It's good to see Jenny keeping her social distance
Our neighbor was telling Jenny that places like B&Q
which is the big DIY store here in Scotland
Was extremely busy. They were up 7:30 a.m. in the morning
and it took them over an hour to get in
Something you tend to notice during lockdown is the quietness in the air
I'm definitely hearing a lot more birdsong and seeing far more animals
Oh, I just spotted some local wildlife
Once back home, remember to leave your shoes in the porch and also give them a wee clean
That second washing is almost ready
but let's get the first load in
Where does the time go to?
4:20 p.m. and I better start thinking of dinner
I'll keep it simple today
Some sausages, a few carrots and Uncle Ben's rice
We always like to watch a TV show when eating our dinner
at the moment we're doing a big rewatch of Star Trek: Voyager
almost at the end of season 4
After dinner, I might go back onto the computer for another hour.
Whilst Jenny does some work of her own
Jenny's a crafter. She mainly does handmade cards
She even has her own craft room and I'm sure she has a place for everything
I tend not to go in this room very often
Oh No! There's been an accident
What'd you do to your thumb?
I dropped the remote control on it.
Jenny's had a problem with her thumb for years and just dropping a remote control on it was agony
Oh it's burning up
That's the worst it's ever been
The worst it's ever been
Would an egg help?
A Cadbury's cream egg will definitely ease the pain
After finishing up some work on the computer, it'll soon be time for bed
It's quarter to nine and outside is getting darker
After brushing our teeth and putting our jammies on
another day in Lockdown has come to an end