First Post
Post 07.11.2020
By Charlotte
This blog is something I have wanted to do for many years
now. I have always wanted to share my weekly thoughts as a kind of makeshift article,
professional yet natural. There is something soothing to writing, an indistinct
combination of melancholy and joy. To explore my own judgements and convey them
with simplicity is an aspiration of mine, deep-rooted in my dependence on
approval...
It is the beginning of November. We are drawing to the
end of a somewhat painful year. For most of us, we have been engulfed by a
viral pandemic, that decisively entered our communities and laid rage upon the population
and economy. To try to explain the implications of this virus would be an
insult, for I could not without missing the severity of the disease. Mental
health has suffered. Physical wellbeing has been damaged. Education has been
lost. Young lives have been imprisoned. Elderly lives have been lost. Many have
been lost. The sense of loss from this year will stay with many of us for decades
to come. Perhaps, on a more depressing note and lending towards the articular melancholy
of this piece, some of us will never truly recover. The impact too great. The experience
too scaring. For others, whilst we still listen to the familiar sirens at
lockdown’s start line, it is still too premature to contemplate or digest
exactly what this pandemic has done to our today and future. Whilst we try to navigate
this harsh reality, I am hopeful that science will prevail. That a vaccine will
arrive at each of our doorsteps. I dreamt once, clearly with naivety, the vaccine arrived in a gift-like cardboard box, mud-stained and bruised, with a yellow label
hanging from it. This label swayed in the wind outside my front door. As you
turned the label over, I could see the writing was delicate. The words brief,
yet each letter carefully scripted. The label read “The End.” Maybe, from that moment
in time, we will be able to begin the healing process. Nurse our wounds. The
symbolic nature of that final chapter is what we all eagerly await. Yet, for
now, the ironically democratic sirens still sound for our isolation. We all entered the waiting room
last March, not quite sure what was wrong. We all attended our appointment. Now we wait for the results. We must wait for our medical
professionals and scientists to formulate the solution. Until then, the only
place is the waiting room. Until our names are called, one by one, to receive our
vaccine in the doctor’s office, we must wait. Just remember, however cringe-worthy
this next comment may be, that we are all in the waiting room together. It is
one room. But the virus still lingers in this one room. So, we must sit apart. We must use space to
our advantage. We must just sit and wait until you hear your name being called.
Finally, you will be able to stand up, breathe in the newly sterilised air and step forward to receive your
future.
I, myself, try and conserve this scenario in my mind. It
helps me gain an understanding of the current climate in a simple yet effective
way. In the meantime, I keep busy. What do you enjoy doing? I have learnt that beneath
the glare of 2020, you can use this year to re-set. Ask yourself, how can I
change myself for the better. Time is something many of us have been gifted with this year. Perhaps, even though the arts have suffered, creativity is something
we could all turn to. Being a member of the younger generation, normally I am submerged in the demands of academics, and so over the years I have allowed my creative side to be ignored. That is why I am writing again. That is why I am cooking.
That is why I am learning to play the guitar. I do not want to waste this time.
Even though, normality has deserted us, we can still reconnect to our past selves.
I would encourage anyone who reads this piece to follow a routine for the rest
of this year. Set yourself three or so goals. What do you enjoy doing? Cooking,
dancing, walking, or drawing? Learn a language. Upskill yourself. Wake up each morning and write yourself a checklist of what you want to do. Yesterday, for example, I had
four items on my list. The first being a morning dog walk; the second being a
baking session; the third being a Spanish lesson; the fourth being a run.
Simple yet effective steps, that meant by the time I got to dinner, I sat into front
of the TV relieved that I had not entertained the boredom that lockdown invites. I
encourage you to do the same. Make yourself busy. Enjoy your week and learn something
new.
To inspire you, I
made a Banoffee, Chocolate Raisin and Lotus Biscuit Pie. Deliciously creamy and
tasteful. My recipe was simple. Ingredients cost me £4.50. Preparation took me 20 mins.
Banoffee, Chocolate Raisin and Lotus Biscuit Pie
1) 1) Crush
a packet of digestive biscuits
2) 2) Add
one block of baking butter to the biscuits and fold together to form a ‘dough
like’ consistency.
3) 3) Add this
to the base of a tin.
4) 4) Leave
to chill in fridge for approximately 25 mins
5) 5) After,
spread 1 tin of caramel onto the base. Make sure evenly spread.
6) 6) Add a
layer of chocolate raisins on of the caramel. (You can add whatever chocolate
you like to this layer. For example, some may want also to add chocolate orange
slices or Maltesers)
7) 7) Add a
layer of banana on top.
8) 8) Sprinkle
banana with A LOT of grated chocolate and place some chocolate chips or chunks between
the banana slices.
9) 9)Add a layer
of whipped cream.
10) 10) Sprinkle
with lotus biscuit to create the perfect pie.
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