Friday, 7 August 2020

My Bouquet with Dot Scribbles


This year has seen unimaginable changes to our lives and for many it is a time of uncertainty and anxiety, but despite all of this we are finding ways to cope and get through. My Bouquet is about putting together all the things / people that are making you feel good, that make you smile, that make you feel loved and that life is about trying to make the best of everything, no matter how steep the hill is to climb.

Today, I am delighted to have the lovely, Dot Scribbles share her beautiful bouquet, so please help yourself to a glass of bubbly and settle down in a comfortable chair and meet my lovely, special guest.

  
My name is Dot and I live in Leicestershire with my husband, 8 year old daughter, 2 dogs and a tortoise! I have been blogging about books for over 5 years and I can't imagine going a day without reading!  The Coronavirus pandemic has tested us all in very different ways but these are the things that have kept me going:


The NHS!- My husband is a frontline doctor so I have had so many mixed emotions, veering from feeling sheer pride one minute to serious anxiety about him going into work. Many of our friends work within the NHS and their bravery and care has really lifted me, to see them meeting such difficult challenges everyday and going above and beyond to care for their patients has been very humbling to observe.


Books- In the first few weeks I really struggled to read as I was so distracted by what was going on which was very frustrating but then I soon reverted back to finding reading a huge comfort. I have been drawn towards psychological thrillers during this time as I have found that they have really held my attention and helped me to switch off.


Cooking- I love cooking and baking but this has been so important to me during lockdown. I have had more time to try recipes that I had been saving and we have tried to make a bit of a fuss of some meals, especially at the weekends. For the first few weeks we had themed meals on a Saturday night where we had certain food, music, costumes and entertainment, we had Italian, French, Greek, American, Chinese and Indian and they were all a lot of fun!


Running and Walking- We have two dogs so I have to walk everyday or our labrador in particular would go bonkers! Walking has been something we have very much done as a family when we could and then other days it has just been myself and my daughter Darcey. We are so lucky to live in beautiful countryside and the pandemic has made me appreciate it even more as we have often talked about how we would have felt if we'd lived in a city or without a garden or outdoor space. I'm quite new to running but this activity has been a great way to take time to myself during these months and it has done me the world of good to have that time during the week.


Friends- I think this time has been a real test to many people's friendships and it has really shown who your true friends are. My friends have been a huge source of comfort during this time, from Zoom chats, to swapping recipes, socially distanced chats from across the road or at the bottom of drives, lengthy whatsapp chats, rants about homeschooling, book recommendations and good old fashioned snail mail, my friends have really kept me going!

Twitter: @Dot_Scribbles

Instagram: dotscribbles 


A huge thank you, Dot for sharing your beautiful bouquet with us today. Also a big thank you for calling by. I hope the sun is shining on your face and in your heart.

Hugs
Pauline x


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