Favourite Finds

Here in South Africa, the country has been in Lockdown since 27 March due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Personally, our little family have been self-isolating for at least a week before that.  What I have realised is that I am much more of an introvert than I thought I was.  Of course, I miss hanging out with my friends and family.  But, I am in the very fortunate position to be ‘stuck’ at home while being full-time employed, with a roof over my head, uncapped WiFi and the loving company of my Husband and puggies. I am truly privileged.  I find it stressful to go outside to even do basic grocery shopping.  I much rather stay at home and stay safe.  The bigger picture needs to be very strongly in focus here.

So I thought that I will share some things that I’ve been keeping myself busy/distracted with. This may be a new regular feature – these are a few of my Favourite Finds!

What I watched:

Virtual Travel is the way to go nowadays!  I’ve always been a fan of the Travel Gigolo vlogs.  The videos are short and sweet, giving you the exact info you need to know to start planning your next #localtravel destination. Sharing their (mostly camping) adventures all across our beautiful country (and beyond). Like their slogan states: “Go Everywhere, See Everything”. This week I watched this episode, the travel review of the Camdeboo National Park just outside Graaff-Reinet.  We’ve visited the Valley of Desolation before, but we didn’t spend that much time in the Park itself.  This gives me enough reason to go back!  Subscribe and watch a couple of episodes, and add to your ‘post-lockdown travel list’  Keep up the good work guys!

What I listened to:

Spotify changed my life, let me just get that out of the way.  I’ve always been a little obsessed with True Crime.  Yes, call me odd, but looking at the huge amount of true crime-related podcasts (especially the ones with female hosts), I know I am not the only one. There is a lot of theories doing the rounds as to why especially females are so fascinated by True Crime – I may delve into it some more at a later opportunity. I recently discovered True Crime South Africa on Spotify and binged immediately.  Being a true-crime fanatic, this podcast, hosted by Nicole Engelbrecht, immediately grabbed my attention.  The reason?  Nicole has got a way of presenting the cases with well-researched details (not just reading from Wikipedia as some other podcasters do), being serious, knowledgeable and respectful about the topic.  Some people may find this kind of podcasts morbid, but I do appreciate the escape it offers at this stage! Be warned, it is by no stretch of the imagination easy listening.  This week I listened to her episode about The Griekwastad Murders again, because I saw that the trailer to the movie was released on IMDB. And while you’re at it, remember to subscribe as well!

Podcast: Episode 6: The Griekwastad Murders episode of True Crime South Africa

 

What I made/ate:

During these interesting times, you just need to spend a couple of minutes on social media to see that baking is one way of how people find comfort and solace.  Although I was a pre-Corona fan of banana bread, I decided to rather find consolation in a batch of freshly baked banana and peanut butter muffins.  One of the main reasons – portion-control!  The muffins freeze well (although I must admit, these didn’t make it to the freezer though!).  I chose this easy recipe:  https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/banana-muffins.  I added a big tablespoon of peanut butter and a little more baking powder.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

What I read:

With all that is happening, my attention span and energy levels aren’t optimum.  Thus I struggle to concentrate and ‘read’ properly.  This is supposed to be the ideal opportunity to catch up on some reading.  But alas, that isn’t happening for me!  What I have read recently, is this article titled

You’re Not Lazy — Self-Isolation is Utterly Exhausting https://medium.com/the-partnered-pen/youre-not-lazy-self-isolation-is-utterly-exhausting-df4695377db2

This calmed my soul a bit. Hopefully, it will add some insight to you as well!  Whatever you do, don’t be so hard on yourself.

 

What is on my Shopping List:

Due to the nationwide lockdown, the options of what we can buy and what we have access to has been limited quite a bit.  We can purchase essential items like food, medication, etc. But the sale of (luxury) goods like alcohol has been banned.  There has been a lot of debate about this, as you can imagine, and the rabbit hole that discussion will result in is quite huge. So I may be saving that for next time. What boozy item is high on my list once the ban on alcohol sales have been lifted?  Definitely a bottle of Disaronno. This amaretto has got a bittersweet almond taste. Disaronno is quite versatile and can be served in shots, on the rock, or in a cocktail.  My Boozy Bestie, Whisky of the Week, made me a cocktail a while ago, and since then I’ve been fascinated by this brand.  They are known for their limited-edition collaborations with Italian Fashion Brands (as you can see below) – every funky indeed.

You’re welcome to hit me up with any suggestions on what to watch, listen to, read, taste, try!  Let me know what is keeping you busy/sane/happy.

Stay safe peeps, chat soon!