Are you surviving the pandemic?

Greetings to you from Lockdown London! We are well into the global pandemic caused by the outbreak of COVID-19, which has completely shut down the world, caused a horrific amount of death, and derailed everyone's daily life until further notice. I hope you are all coping, staying safe and healthy, and finding new and entertaining ways to take care of yourselves and each other.

The tourism industry is severely altered from events such as this, and we are all keen to get back to some kind of normal. They say that keeping a routine will help us as we are all inside, and some of the world is opening back up again. Unfortunately, tours are not yet back to full swing, so I am still trying to keep busy as best as possible. While my blog has always been here, it is not something I regularly come to, even in quarantine, so you can imagine how much I have done on the "to do list" before getting to this! LOL.

During quarantine, I have tried to keep myself entertained... here are some of the things I have been doing:

1. TikTok -- Yes, I too have jumped on the bandwagon and have been exploring the wonderful world of 1 minute silly videos. It is fun. Today I launched a new series of videos called Random Tourist Questions. I am taking all of the questions that real people have asked while on tour and sharing with you and the world that question. I have had an account for a while, but only started posting during the pandemic. You can also see some of my lovely kitchen creations! (my name on tiktok is @americanldn just like all other social media channels)

2. YouTube -- I started posting 1-2 minute videos during the first week of the lockdown. They are fun, but the more I do them, the longer they take to prep. I am a bit of a perfectionist, and I want them to turn out "just right". They are on my channel but under the title of Pajama Tour Guide... because I am wearing my pajamas. And yes.... I am aware that some other forms of this word are considered "more correct" PYJAMA, PIJAMA, PJ's.... but hey, I put the A in pajama! 

3. Rollerblading -- they were just sitting there. After going from an average of 15,000 steps a day due to all of the walking I do on tours... to ZERO.... I knew I needed to move my butt! I have been cycling, too, but the rollerblading is said to be like going for a run with less impact on the knees. I am hliariously like a little baby fawn trying to learn how to use her legs for the first time. Yesterday, I fell and it was still fun.... so I'll keep going. I am SO FORTUNATE to have a nice flat path near my home to skate on.

4. Cooking -- and this might be the cause of my husband's weight gain? Who knows! I love to cook. All of our favourite restaurants in London are shutdown due to the coronavirus, and we are too far for the delivery of most of them. Luckily, I am armed with years of cooking experience, Pinterest, and some good grocery stores. I have been practicing social distancing, even when other people are not.

5. Sewing -- I made a new blue coat to wear for my singing nanny tour, a dress to wear on my magical London tour, and a few other things. Yes, I have also sewn a few masks. Some of them have clear panels from an old clear umbrella that I have been trying to do, but let's be hones, they fog up rather quickly. I am about to start sewing a new dress and use the rest of the old umbrella to make some kind of a face shield to attach to one of my Panama hats. 

I hope you are keeping save and planning a trip to London. I am keeping my nose to the news on a daily basis and will keep you posted on any information that will allow for travel. Stay safe! Wash your hands! Practice Social Distancing!