I've been in lockdown for about 3 weeks now. I'm coping with it well, aside from a few sad and lonely moments when I really miss a hug and real life interaction with friends and family. I've lived and worked solo running ShimmyShim for 3 years now. It felt like such a luxury to work alone, after the frenetic vibe of an open plan office in central London. And no more commuting! So I'm used to it and I still revel in it. But being alone 24/7 is extreme and it's a challenge.
I'm in my 50s and I find it so much easier to focus, concentrate and overcome difficulty than I did 10 or 20 years ago. So glad of this strength right now! Life is a bizarre obstacle course for everyone now. I can imagine everyday life like a video game, with green virus enemies zooming in from all directions, soap and water as weapons of choice and toilet rolls and bags of pasta as bonus credits.
Walking into Sainsbury's on Friday 20 March to find the shelves stripped bare, as if by locusts was a shock. At the time I did feel curious and a part of me enjoyed the bizarre novelty of the experience. But the next day I felt upset and out-of-sorts. I was so reassured when the supermarkets pulled things together and organised a one-in-one-out policy with restrictions on how much you could buy. The following week I went shopping again and felt so lucky to enjoy the incredible luxury of overflowing shelves piled with delicious food. We live like royalty.
Jokes and memes about toilet roll stock piling (and plenty of British quality moaning) has helped people to vent and lighten their mood in the face of weird, serious and frightening times. So I felt inspired to jump on the whacky races loo roll band wagon as it careered past and make some miniature toilet rolls!
I really had a lot of fun making these. I just love working with my hands. Less computer screen more craft!
I love ASMR (it's eccentric but very calming - check it out) and I discovered this satirical 'Explaining Toilet Paper' video from SouthernASMR Sounds who I follow on YouTube. Very funny. Her introduction: You're new to earth, so I need to explain some of the items that humans use..."
Apart from watching ASMR and making mini loo rolls, going for a walk and seeing real human faces shifts my mood when I start feeling low. So I use up my outdoor exercise allowance religiously and I recommend you do too!
Coming Up Next
How to make miniature toilet rolls - with download instruction sheet and a tutorial video.