Thursday, March 19, 2020

Cocooning....


Cocooning in The Humble Bungalow

We have been listening to the daily press conferences on the Covid-19 virus.

People have been asked to take "shelter" in their homes
 work remotely from home if possible.

Schools are closed indefinitely.

Recreations centres, libraries, and shops are closed or only open a few hours.

Grocery stores and pharmacies are open but many shelves are bare.

Restaurants and coffee shops are offering "take out" only.

Who knows how long we will need to cocoon in our homes and practise social distancing?


Our cupboards, closets and drawers have never looked tidier.

I've been baking, cooking and looking through my cookbooks for new recipes.

Tackling tedious jobs that I usually put on the back burner.

Each morning I linger longer over my coffee...
while I catch up on the news and social media.


I've been reading more than usual.


Rosemarie, a dear reader from Vancouver
sent me some sunflower seeds to sow...
she has sent me a packet each year in memory of my Mom.

Rosemarie is a generous, kind and thoughtful woman.

I hope to meet up with her at some point when we get through this pandemic.


The primulas are putting on their annual cheery display.
They bloom from February until May and then I plant them out in the garden.

Geraniums will replace these pretty plants from May through until September.

I've been embracing the opportunity to get out for my daily walk.
It is a chance to enjoy fresh air, absorb some Vitamin D and get some exercise.

With sunny days and natural beauty at every turn it is not a hardship.

Wee pops of colour elevate my daily round.


Cheerful anemone
such a pretty shade of blue
almost purple.

How are you managing during this health crisis?

Are you enjoying slowing down?

Have you been cocooning and creative?

Please chime in and share how you are spending your days.

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Stay safe.
Wash your Hands and avoid touching your face.

~ Be Well and Be Kind ~

18 comments:

Jeannine said...

Thanks for those lovely flower pictures. I work for the local school district in the district administration office. I'm working from home as I have work I can do at home. We will continue to be paid throughout this time we're closed - which is indefinitely at this time. I feel very fortunate about that as I know many people are not so lucky. I do have a lot of concern about the economic impact of all this. I also have concern that my plan to retire in 3 years may have to be postponed.

Sheila said...

What a weird thing this is! I went for a walk today, down to the waterfront and there were so many people around. I'm posting as usual, even making outfits, and taking it one day at a time. Hang in there and be well, my dear!

Rosie said...

I am doing the same here, and avoiding crowds where possible. I always have a supply of food in my pantry and freezer so am only going out to get fresh fruit and veg but that may change as we get more restrictions. Your flowers are beautiful and brighten my day. Take care and keep blogging!

jackie said...

Had the tree trimmers out today to prune deadwood out of my maple. Tomorrow on to quilting. My stash was made for these kind of times.

Doré Way said...

Thank you for your cheery post.

And an addition to your closing comments
"Stay safe.
Wash your Hands and avoid touching your face."

And for Pete's sake, please stop hoarding - the things you overbuy deprive your relatives, friends and neighbours of getting anything and make people even more fearful.

The Mayor of Vancouver has already announced he will put strict restrictions on stores/customers if we don't just stop this insane, panicky behaviour. Do what your Mother taught you - share.

mars said...

I am cleaning,organizing,reading and walking outdoors.I am also skyping with the family. We will all get through this. It is times like these that makes you appreciate what is important in life.

I do enjoy your blog so very much and it is always a source of calm and beauty for me. Thank you for all your hard work to brighten our day.

hostess of the humble bungalow said...

I understand your concerns about the economy and our future. We will all have to rally and pick up the pieces when this pandemic is over. I do believe we will return more to the comfort of our home and family with a focus on living a simpler life.
The children are resilient and will continue to learn new things while they are not attempting formal structured classes.
Stay well Jeannine.
XO

hostess of the humble bungalow said...

I walked along the waterfront and saw those driftwood sculptures too! And the painted rock! So cheery. That eagle that you saw sits there a lot...it raids those crows nests. We have had such beautiful sunshine to enjoy on our walks. There were a pair of otters feeding off the shore yesterday and they looked so adorable that a small group of us stopped to watch.
Take care Sheila.

hostess of the humble bungalow said...

We have a well stocked pantry of canned and dry goods. The fruit and veggies are the items I need to replenish...some shops are only allowing a few people in at a time for safety and social distancing. I wonder if our small outdoor markets will be allowed to operate with this health crisis. Maybe we all should be planting a veggie patch?
Take care Rosie!

hostess of the humble bungalow said...

A lot of outdoor trades are working here too. I may call the window washer and see if I can schedule him to do our exterior windows as they are really dirty after the winter storms.
Oh I would love to have some cotton fabric as I was given some beeswax and I want to make those beeswax covers that replace the use of cling film.
Enjoy your quilting!

hostess of the humble bungalow said...

I don’t understand the hoarding habit at all!
It’s rather distressing to see empty shelves...I tried to buy a bag of flour as I was planning to bake some homemade bread and all I could find were the small bags. I will see if I can find a bigger bag because I find kneading they dough very soothing and fresh baked bread is something that we rarely make here at home.
Sharing is really important especially during a crisis situation.
Kindness is never out of style.

hostess of the humble bungalow said...

Writing is a creative hobby and I love taking pictures. It’s almost like scrapbooking but using the blog format!
I have made an effort to add a little extra sparkle to my home days...red lipstick and fragrance with my denim and pearls.
Stay safe and enjoy your days and weeks ahead.

Jen Lawrence said...

The flowers are lovely. We've been quiet. The kids are faring well. My daughter met a friend by the lake to paint (they biked there and kept 6 feet apart.) My son is enjoying sleeping in. I'm trying to make things as normal as possible for them. Thank heavens it's nice enough to take walks with the dog! Stay healthy!

hostess of the humble bungalow said...

The streets here are quiet too...occasionally a car will drive by but for the most part there are only neighbours out for their walks and a few working in their gardens...I plan to wash my car sometime today. Take care Jen and stay well.

Margie from Toronto said...

Thank you for those lovely photos - it is cold, grey and very rainy and windy today in Toronto. This town is almost totally shut down now. I was last in the office on Tuesday morning, we did a teleconference meeting this morning and I'm about to check out if there's a way that I can update our website from home. We didn't have much of a chance to organize things before we had to head home so I'm now trying to pick up some of the pieces.

I hadn't realized how much I was used to getting out almost every day of the week - I've only been home since Tuesday and already I'm feeling a bit stir crazy. I am going to go out very early tomorrow morning - my local No Frills is supposed to open an hour early for seniors but I've heard that its a bit hit or miss. If its not open then I'll just enjoy the walk - its supposed to be sunny but around freezing so I think I will dig out my parka and really enjoy getting some exercise. I live in a small apt. with no balcony so I'm looking forward to some fresh air.

I always restock my pantry at the start of the winter but this year I didn't let it run down (listened to those reports from overseas) so I didn't have to make any panic runs to the stores - just bought a couple of extra things with each week's normal shop. There are a couple of baking things that I would like (haven't been doing any as I've been trying to lose weight) but its not something I will fuss about if its busy or these things are out of stock. People in my building are looking out for a few quite elderly folks who live here so that gives me something to do. I am reading - just started a quirky book from Julian Barnes this afternoon and I'm thinking of signing up for another online course - and there is always Netflix! :-)

Saw something the other day that put things into perspective: "Our grandparents were asked to go to war - we're being asked to sit on the couch - I think we can do it"!!!

Take care everyone.

Michelle said...

Thank you for the lovely flowers! Nothing popping up yet but crocuses here on the North Coast.

I'm still working but wish I could stay home! Meanwhile on the weekend I will do some reading, and perhaps pick up my unfinished knitting project. The yarn was purchased from the Button and Needlework shop downtown Vic. love that little shop!

It looks like a nice pile of reading you have. Our library closed so I may have to spend a bit of money in the local bookstore, or order on line.

Stay healthy!

Lorrie said...

We were away for a few days, and have been home for two. I've been so busy talking to my parents, my children, and others on the phone that I've hardly had time to think about how to keep occupied in the future. I planted a few garden seeds and will be doing more as the weeks go by. These are strange days, to be sure, and finding a rhythm is important. Stay safe, Leslie.

DeeJay said...

We are in New Zealand, and just went into stage 3 today, stage 4 in 48 hours' time. Am relishing just stepping back, taking time, relaxing and getting things done slowly around the home. Unfortunately I cannot see my "grandies" as my husband is still working (in a supermarket). Things I think will improve dramatically after time. We need to step back, assess and see what happens.