…to be continued. When I can get my head around what’s happened/is happening and find some words other than…

WHAT THE F*CK?

It took me a while to find the brain space, words and time to finish this post once lockdown hit so it’s a bit short and sweet on the text front but I’ve tried to fill it with lots of lovely pictures to help remind me of the good times throughout the early COVID-19 struggles.

I hope you enjoy this months round up with all the puppy and foodie spam!

home

Well, we ended up spending more time here than we imagined this month but we did enjoy a day trip to wander around the Chilterns and a lovely catch up with one of my besties and my godsons before everything shut down.

I even managed a couple of cheeky driving lessons in Buddy too!

Rei also went on her very first train trip at the beginning of the month - she was incredibly brave and LOVED seeing so many new people!

I think I managed just the one paddle on the river before all the waterways were locked down too - it felt good to escape and float down the river alone again! Rei even showed an interest in joining me… soon puppy, soon!

Riverside running and dog walks with Rei definitely helped keep us sane and made me appreciate my allocated outdoor time even more!

My usual FitCamp sessions moved online so I’ve been working out in the garden, which is taking some getting used to but it’s great to be able to continue the workouts and it helps my brain SO MUCH!

The kitties still haven’t decided whether they like our newest Sunshine Towers resident so have relocated to upstairs. They are still full of purrs and cuddles though!

work

The wedding fair I was booked in to do this month was cancelled, which in some ways I was relieved about as I had my usual nerves but I was equally as gutted about missing it. I’d been looking forward setting up Buddy again and getting to paint some lovely faces.

However, on a bit of a last minute whim, I decided I would still set Buddy up in the garden and offer 10 minute portraits for the day from the van anyway. Like a virtual craft fair I guess, so people could purchase a portrait slot online, email their photos over and then I’d just sit in Buddy all day and paint…

It went down an absolute storm and I actually ended up painting over 3 days because I had so many lovely orders. It blew me away and seeing as it went so well, I am excited to say I’ll be setting up more over the coming months! WATCH THIS SPACE!

This month also marked 5 years of full time Sunshine and although I didn’t feel like celebrating amidst the uncertainty of a pandemic, I definitely took a moment to share my achievement on socials and appreciate just how far I’ve come!

On the product front, I was very grateful to still be receiving your orders (the Spring sale was great so thank you!) and I had a lovely new wholesale order from Leicester Gallery, who I used to stock work with many moons ago so it was a delight to be asked to send more Sunshine again!

food

Apart from a few lovely snacks out and about earlier in the month, March has seen a few more takeaways as local indies have adapted to offer home delivery and even kits. It looks to be a very exciting time for food in Cambridge!

Here are some of my faves, pre and post lockdown:

feels

There’s a lot of lovely stuff right there to reflect on but it took me longer than normal to sit and write about it as I spent the latter part of March/early April not knowing how to feel! Work seemed to carry on as normal (thankfully), Rei was a whirlwind of a distraction and although it took a bit of getting used to and house shuffling, having Will working from home also meant it felt quite normal, which we are so grateful for as I am aware not everyone adapted or even continued to work when this all hit the fan.

So although everything has and is changing, a lot of things feel the same which has left my brain in a muddle and also brought with it an overwhelming sense of guilt.

The idea of not knowing when I might get to see my family again, hang out with friends or go on another adventure in Buddy is also a sad and uncomfortable set of feelings to deal with but I’m very grateful for technology allowing us all to keep in touch virtually - even if that in itself can be overwhelming to keep up with sometimes!

Rei has been both a blessing and a massive pain in the ass. Her endless energy and our limitations on being able to take her out and about has proved to be a nightmare at times but I think we’ve found a balance and have been enjoying some online training with the Absolute Dogs ‘Sexier than a Squirrel’ challenge. It’s been great to see her grow, learn and develop more of her mischievous wolf-like character but my god will I be glad when the teething is over!

Anywho, even though I’m struggling to comprehend how I feel during these weird times, I’m determined not to let anxiety and worries take over. So as naive as it may seem, I’ll just be focussing on / sharing the positives online and continue to be thankful for what I have and eternally grateful to those who help keep us going. THANK YOU key workers and NHS staff!!!

With that I’m going to end on a little list of positives as writing this round up has helped me remember what I am thankful for:

lockdown positives

• Still being able to catch up with family & friends online

• Kitty cuddles and 2 new lunch time pals at home (The Beard and Rei)

• Pop up portraits in Buddy being a success!

• Daily walks with Rei and seeing her make new doggy friends

• Being about to continue workouts at home

• The support people are showing local businesses and each other

• How everyone is adapting to this ‘new normal’ (hate that phrase) is inspiring!

• Home delivery and take away options for us just keep getting better! YAY!

I hope you’ve been keeping track of the happies (big or small) in your lives too. Feel free to let me know what’s on your list!

Stay safe, take care and wash your damn hands!