Tuesday 31st March 2020 – Day Eight
Good evening, hope your day was a good one? Mine has been busy, but today has been a blur and playing catching up. Thank you to everyone who has forwarded suggestions on how to get a good night’s sleep. I will forward these tips, as they might be useful to other people!
What can I share with you this evening? – SHOPPING / FOOD – From Cindy: W1 area: John Lewis Food Hall is open from 10 to 11am daily for seniors and M&S West One shopping centre closing today.
From Richard: An email from Co-op: We’re closing some stores temporarily
We’ve had to make difficult decisions including temporarily closing some of our stores. Following the government’s advice to work from home, some stores are less busy, so we’ve moved our colleagues and stock to nearby branches which have higher demand. We’ll be opening all our stores again as soon we possibly can. In the meantime, please check your local store hours regularly for updates. Here is the link:
From Cllr Sue Vincent: Please let everyone know that Theobalds Road butchers is open 5am to 4pm and has a huge selection of meat and other essentials such as eggs.
Kerrs Chemist next to St. George’s Church on Bloomsbury Way is open 10-4pm. They have masks plus hand sanitiser.
Not sure what the prices are like but some people may be able to club together to get a delivery? This is Fish home delivery With thanks to Robert at Bleeding Heart Yard for the link.
From Chris: Chocolate Chip Pancakes
Ingredients
1 cup milk
1 tbsp sugar
¼ tsp salt
1 ¼ cups flour
1 tsp baking powder
4 tbsp melted butter
6 oz chocolate chips
Instructions
In a bowl whisk together milk, eggs, sugar, and salt.
Add flour, baking powder, melted butter, chocolate chips and whisk again.
Heat a non stick frying pan and add a ladle of the pancake mix.
Wait until the top of the pancake begins to bubble, then turn it over and cook until both sides are golden and the pancake has risen to about 1cm thick.
Repeat until all batter is used up and serve!
HEALTH – From Ali: When I couldn’t sleep due to work stress I got up and read. A sleep therapist said bed for sleeping. Condition your mind. If you ain’t sleeping then get up. Make a cupa, read a book but don’t stay in bed, restless. Go back to bed when tired. Don’t beat yourself up for not sleeping. It will come when ready.
From Jean: Here are some suggestions that might help:
Essential lavender oil sprinkled or your pillow, or a few drops onto a cotton wool ball
Count backwards, starting at 100 and decreasing by 7 at a time
Taking a deep breath in and on release, give a long drawn out Eeeeeee sound
Finally, keep eyes wide open and keep saying to yourself “I must stay awake”.
They’ve all worked for me at different times. Good luck and good night tonight.
From Selina: I spray lavender oil on pillow, love the aroma and kind of relaxing. The other option is “This Works’ pillow sprays.
ARTS AND CULTURE – From Leah: Fender Is Offering Free Online Guitar Lessons During The Coronavirus Outbreak. Fender, the guitar manufacturing company, is offering three free months of their online music lessons during the coronavirus outbreak. Their online music program, Fender Play, will be free to everyone who wants to learn how to play while they’re practicing social distancing. How thoughtful! Here is the link:
From Chris: Reminder! Watch the best of British theatre for free, while you can’t go to the theatre, they’re bringing the theatre to you. Join the NT every Thursday for much-loved National Theatre Live productions, free to stream on YouTube for seven days. Here is the link:
Lastly, I would like to share a verse that Beryl forwarded to me: – Kathleen O’Meara’s poem, ‘And People Stayed Home,’ written in 1869. It is very apt for now. Don’t you think?
And people stayed home
and read books and listened
and rested and exercised
and made art and played
and learned new ways of being
and stopped
and listened deeper
someone meditated
someone prayed
someone danced
someone met their shadow
and people began to think differently
and people healed
and in the absence of people who lived in ignorant ways,
dangerous, meaningless and heartless,
even the earth began to heal
and when the danger ended
and people found each other
grieved for the dead people
and they made new choices
and dreamed of new visions
and created new ways of life
and healed the earth completely
just as they were healed themselves.
Dragon Hall’s Blog is now up and running
Have a nice evening
John