As everyone in the world is well aware, we are going through a pandemic crisis and it’s probably affecting everyone in some way by now. I’m grateful that I have a roof over my head and live in an isolated place where people are abiding by the rules and trying to nip this in the bud. It’s day 7 of a 15 day lockdown in France and my partner, Pete, and I have decided to stay put in Flaine until our apartment rental ends in April. The ski resort itself was closed on Saturday 14th March and new social distancing rules have been put in place by the French government. As of 24th March, new rules dictate that you can only exercise in a kilometre radius from your house and only for an hour. You must carry your passport and a valid self dated and time stamped travel certificate.

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Exercise

This is so important to me because it helps it clear your mind and get your body moving. Every other day I’m going for a run/jog for around 40 minutes and on the alternate day going for a 5km walk. This is because you can only stay within 1km radius of your home so you can’t get much distance in anyway without walking around in circles. Where we live is extremely picturesque so getting any form of fresh air is great whilst taking in the mountain views is a bonus. We’ve lucked out with the weather too so I can chuck my yoga mat on the balcony and do some stretching and a sometimes a YouTube HIIT workout. If I see anyone else walking, we actively avoid walking near them and respect their space.

Food

I’m also grateful that I work in the ski chalet business and our fridges and freezers were stocked up with food. We’ve been eating our usual vegan diet and using up ingredients that would otherwise go to waste. Get inventive with tinned food and dry store ingredients and try to use up what’s in your house before going out and buying more for no reason. Tinned legumes and dried lentils are perfect for making curries, a big pan of chilli and veggie stews which are great sources of nourishing food.

Reading

I will read anything that’s put in front of me as it helps pass time, but also take my eyes away from my phone or TV screen. It’s so tempting to scroll through social media at this time, but putting your phone away for a few hours can help alleviate any negative or anxious thoughts about world news.

Scrapbooking

I loved scrapbooking when we were travelling in our van around the Balkans, it was a great way to keep our memories logged and so nice to look back on. Of course, like anything I start, I do get behind so now have a lot of time to add new pages and photos. PixPax has been the best photo printing option for me as it delivers to France and it uses recycled paper.

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TV, Films & YouTube

I know it can be so dull if you’re used to an active lifestyle but slowing down and watching TV and films is part of this whole lockdown thing. It passes time and you can totally avoid the doom and gloom of the news by signing up to Netflix or some another subscription service. There are so many great shows on there and some of my favourites are Narcos Mexico, Friends (obv, I will watch this on repeat, forever) and Arrested Development. You can also successfully stream BBC, ITV and Channel 4 in France by using your UK phone as a hotspot. YouTube is also a great place for positive videos, watching van life videos keeps me sane and inspires me for future plans.

All we can do during this time is try to stop the spread of the virus by doing our best to stay at home and only leave when necessary. Fingers crossed for the world to heal soon so we can all go back to some kind of normality...