Who knows where the time goes?
WE are currently living in strange and demanding times, with the majority of us having to live within the four walls of our homes – something that none of us thought would happen when imagining a life in the sun.
So, when the breakfast has been eaten, the bed made, the showers and washing up all complete and the prospect of a morning constitutional out of the window – unless you are a dog owner that is – and with all clubs and associations, restaurants and bars closed, cycling, casual car journeys and social visits to friends and neighbours forbidden, how on earth do we fill the day, not just one but many?
In these What’s On pages we pride ourselves on the fact that we provide readers a variety of interesting freetime options.
Responding to a general criticism heard on the street ‘why do we only ever hear of things after they have happened?’ – Costa Blanca News sets out to give people as wide a variety of cultural, freetime, and entertainment options as possible.
With the advent of the coronavirus pandemic many readers will be thinking these are going to be ‘What’s Not On Pages’, but here at the Costa Blanca News we are doing our best to turn a negative into a positive, and to this end are offering a number of ideas for people to entertain themselves or at the very least keep the grey matter ticking over, from the confines of their own home.
When you sit down and think about it, there is plenty we can do, it is just a case of recalibrating our minds, or as the Spanish say ‘change the chip’.
For starters, why not take a real positive from this situation? Let’s embrace the fact that there are very few cars on the road and almost no people on the street. This means that noise pollution levels are extremely low. So, by just turning the television and radio off opening the front door, we can listen to the sounds of nature, specifically the many species of birds that migrate to these parts during spring. Take the time to see which bird is making which sound, identify it, count how many there are, log it. If you cannot see the bird responsible for the song, download one of the many birdsong identifier apps now available and begin to broaden your horizons.
Now, let’s look at the obvious, but extremely rewarding, pastime of jigsaws. There cannot be too many homes without one hidden away somewhere. People talk about drugs being addictive, have you ever put the outline of a jigsaw together? If you get that far you are hooked and many hours can be spent in puzzle funk, where the next shot is finding the last piece of slightly upturned lip that completes the Mona Lisa’s face.
So far we have replaced the ‘constitutional’ with getting some fresh air from our garden or balcony, whilst absorbing the natural world around us, then followed this up with some manual and mental dexterity work with a jigsaw.
Now it is time for a wellearned break with a cup of tea, whilst watching a TED (Technology, Entertainment and Design) talk at www.ted.com
TED’s mission statement notes that it is a ‘global community, welcoming people from every discipline and culture who seek a deeper understanding of the world.
“We believe passionately in the power of ideas to change attitudes, lives and, ultimately, the world,” they note.
Daunting maybe, but these talks are short, coming in at 18 minutes or less – the time it takes for a cup of tea – but cover a wealth of subjects and ideas, so they do not require a large investment in time, although, as with the jigsaw, they are extremely addictive and could easily run into two or three cuppas.
This should lead us nicely towards lunch.
A regular cheese sandwich could easily suffice, but how about delving into the darkest depths of your cupboards and discovering what is lurking in there. Use your imagination to try to come up with something novel or special using a particular ingredient or tin. Failing that give it a Google and see what you can come up with. You never know, a gastronomic delight might just be waiting.
Following a short break to catch up with news, it could be back to the jigsaw, pick up a book or having a siesta.
This next part of the afternoon can be challenging so why not think about taking a ‘virtual’ class. For some, Spanish would be a great option, but others may want to try something different.
Despite not liking honey, I have always had a yearning to keep bees, so in instances like the one we are currently facing, time allowing, I would subscribe to an online beekeeping course.
A good starting point for different online course ideas could be something like The Idler.
Although their courses are not free, they are diverse, with offerings such as Release Your Inner Cartoonist with Harry Venning or the aptly titled How to be Idle with Tom Hodgkinson.
Some may take the view that paying for a course is a negative, but there is a positive, and that is the fact that if you have paid for it you will make the effort to finish it!
With the hours rapidly running away from us, we must not forget some exercise. This can either be undertaken solo by doing some stretches, push ups, etc – or with company via a YouTube workout video.
With this out of the way and the daylight fading it is the perfect time to reopen the front door in order to reacquaint yourself with your new-found feathered friends and wish them a good evening, before going back inside and completing a new entry in your diary or online blog.
Although times can seem difficult at the moment, the memories will be invaluable.
Before turning the light off for a well-deserved night sleep how about reflecting on the day – do you know more now than you did 24 hours ago? Are you a better person for it?
Things are not all that bad after all.
Please feel free to email bwright@cbnews.es with details of how you are spending this time.