Hello again, I hope you’re continuing to keep safe and well. It was a strange Bank Holiday weekend for me. It started with the loss of my uncle, although fortunately he didn’t have the virus, and my mother and I are hoping to go to the funeral to support my aunt if the rules allow. And then of course we’ve had the Dominic Cummings scandal, which I’m not going to rant about, suffice to say there’s been a major misjudgement of the public mood by him and the government, they’ve lost a lot of trust and goodwill.
But apart from that, my week’s been fine and I’ve been quite productive, and I’ve also found many more pleasant distractions as always. So I’ll get straight on with this week’s post and video about what I’ve been enjoying over the past week. As ever, there’s nothing sponsored or gifted here, these are all my own opinions. So I hope you find it interesting!
Hello again! I hope you’re continuing to keep safe and well – and also staying alert, as is the new watchword here in England.
As I see it, the current small changes to our lockdown, as part of the government’s long term recovery plan, are basically urging people to use their common sense, as the virus is still circulating. We must continue to stay at home and work from home if at all possible, avoid other people’s homes, wash our hands and disinfect surfaces often, and stay 2 metres away from everyone. But provided those rules are adhered to, we have a bit more freedom – people in selected industries can go back to work, we can use outdoor spaces like parks more freely, we can walk or cycle or drive further to exercise, and face coverings are advised if social distancing isn’t possible (to protect others in case you’re asymptomatic).
So I hope people will continue to be careful and sensible, as we’re nowhere near out of the woods yet. And obviously for disabled people things are more complicated – it’s impossible to socially distance if you can’t see, for example, so you have to rely on others around you to stay away. Lucy Edwards has chatted with a couple of her fellow blind activists in a recent video about the new rules, if you want to hear their reactions to the new rules.
As for me though, my mother and I are still doing fine, touch wood. Last week I went out for the first time in over 5 weeks, as a couple of essential items were missing from our online shopping delivery. So I was very pleased to find that there were hardly any people and very few cars about, and that I was able to use the priority hour for disabled people at the supermarket, which was fully stocked and had social distancing measures very well enforced. So my risk of exposure was hopefully minimal.
But otherwise I’m still staying at home for the safety of my mother as well as myself, and I’ve continued to keep myself entertained in various ways. So let’s crack on with this week’s post and video to update you on my latest discoveries. As usual nothing is sponsored and all opinions are my own. So I hope you enjoy!
Well, April flew by didn’t it? It seemed to for me anyway. Everyone’s perception of time is rather weird at the moment, but it can be explained by science at least. Of course, for those going through a particularly rough time at the moment, time will be dragging much more slowly, so we must be mindful of that too. So, as always, I hope you’re all keeping safe and well, and getting any support you need, and you have my sympathies if things have been particularly difficult for any reason.
My mother and I are continuing to do fine, and it’s now been just over a month since I last left the house. I could go out for a bit of a walk if I wanted, but I feel happier staying at home to protect my mother. Given that she’s elderly and blind, and that we as a country have been going through the peak of the virus in recent weeks, I don’t want her to end up on her own in hospital where I can’t visit her, nor would I want to get myself into the much less likely (but not impossible) position where I’m in hospital and she’s left at home on her own. So it’s worth the sacrifice to keep her safe. If I put on a little bit of weight, or my hair ends up like Brian May’s, so be it, it’s worth it.
And I’m still passing the time in various ways. Work is continuing to keep me busy, as is blogging, and I’ve continued to find plenty of entertainment to enjoy as well. So here’s my latest post and video recap of what I’ve got into or discovered this past week. As always, there has been no sponsorship or gifting here, and all opinions are my own. So I hope you enjoy!
We’re now into the second month of lockdown, with many of us still adjusting to this temporary ‘new normal’. It still feels surreal, and puts everything in perspective, that a microscopic virus can temporarily shut down the entire planet in a matter of weeks. It’s a stark reminder of how powerful nature can be.
But we will get through it, and we are making good progress, very gradually. We just need to be very careful, and ensure that we continue to stick to the rules. The lockdown measures are working without a doubt, and now is not the time to be complacent and too hasty about lifting them. It’s a marathon, not a sprint. So I hope you’re continuing to keep safe and well. And again we must give the usual heartfelt thanks to all our NHS heroes, care staff and critical workers.
And now here’s my latest weekly recap, with a video as usual, of what’s been keeping me occupied recently. I haven’t been paid or gifted for anything mentioned here, and all opinions are my own as usual. So I hope you enjoy!
Hello again! As always, I hope you’re staying safe and well, and are getting any support that you need right now. Remember to check out my Lockdown Resources for lots of information and ways to stay occupied, which I’m constantly updating. And huge thanks as always to all the NHS staff and other key workers who continue to go above and beyond to keep us healthy and the country functioning.
I don’t know about you, but to me it feels like time is moving more quickly again, after the month of March felt like a year. Maybe it’s because I was already used to homeworking and spending a lot of time at home, and because I’m finding plenty of ways to stay busy and entertained. But in any case, here’s my latest post and video update on the things that have caught my attention in the last 7 days. None of this is sponsored or gifted, and all opinions are my own. So I hope you enjoy!
Happy Audio Description Awareness Day! You won’t have heard of this before, because this is the first time it’s taken place. It’s been set up by Juan Alcazar from JC5 Productions, along with Chelsea Nguyen and Stephanae McCoy from Captivating Magazine, and audio description narrator Roy Samuelson. You can find out more in Juan’s video, where he explains the purpose of the day, and how you can raise awareness by demonstrating audio description to someone you know who isn’t familiar with it.
To mark the occasion, I’ve posted some unseen footage that I recorded a couple of years ago, which was never originally intended for my channel. It’s taken from a video interview I recorded for the producers of How To Be Human, a brilliant short sci-fi film. I was one of many people they were consulting during development of the audio described version, as they tried out various different approaches. And I’m very pleased with how the final film came out. I recommend watching with headphones to make the most of the impressive soundscape. Plus it’s just a great example of how immersive and engaging audio description can be when it’s integrated well.
Apart from giving my feedback on the film, my interview included various generic questions relating to audio description in general, and it’s my answers to those questions that you can hear in my video. I talk about why audio description is important to me and many other people, the impact when it’s not provided, and what I hope the future of audio description will be. So I hope you find it interesting.
And if you want to find out more, check out these other links as well:
Well, what a year this has turned out to be, huh? Perhaps we should just rename it 2019B or 2019.5 and start 2020 again next January. It’s like we’ve had a faulty software update in the calendar that needs serious debugging and virus-checking before it’s rolled out again.
Obviously I’m not dismissing the tragic side of things by saying that. My heart goes out to everybody who has lost loved ones or been severely affected in some other way, and I sincerely hope you all stay safe and well as best you can. Please follow the guidelines on hygiene, distancing, isolation, etc, because it really will save many lives. It will take a few weeks at least before we start seeing the impact of such measures, but they will help, and we will get through this. Huge thanks to all our incredible health and care staff, as well as the many other people providing essential products and services.
Beyond this introduction, I have no desire or intent to write posts about the situation, as it’s not nice and there’s enough about it online already. However, I have created a Lockdown Resources page, where you’ll find many links for information, advice and support, plus many ways to stay connected and entertained at home, which I hope you find useful.
Clearly this is going to change what I’m able to do and post about for a while. So in this post and video I want to wrap up my recent museum and theatre visits, as well as disability related updates and TV favourites, for both February and March. That way, I can move forward with a clean slate as I settle into a temporary new routine.
All of which means there’s a fair amount to cover here, making it a good distraction from everything that’s going on. I haven’t been sponsored or gifted by anyone to mention them, and all opinions are my own. So I hope you enjoy!
Hannah; northern, live music fan, crazy cat lady, disability campaigner, maximising life with health conditions, blogging my adventures and banging on about anything that matters to me.
