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Fiona Shine
Fiona Shine

Fiona Shine

Joined Mar 25, 2020 Read more
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  • Fiona ShineMy Coronavirus DiaryTraveler
    2

    Costa Del Seapoint

    May 25, 2020 in Ireland ⋅ ⛅ 16 °C

    Went for my second swim of the year today! This time at seapoint. The weather was cracking which unfortunately meant a massive crowd of people also had the same idea as me! 😬
    There are signs up everywhere saying 'swim and go' but loads of people were lounging around sunbathing and stuff!

    Good news today - zero deaths recorded for the first time since before the lockdown began 😊
    And only 50 or so new cases.
    This is all really great news and further shows that we really do have the virus under control.

    We will probably find out this weekend if the restrictions can be eased more quickly. To be honest it is becoming clear that alot of people have stopped following the current restrictions anyway so continuing with the current roadmap seems a bit pointless. Fingers crossed!

    Simon Harris keeps posting messages on Instagram like 'Rein it in' and 'hold firm'. We have been stuck at home for months, not able to see family and friends. What the hell does he want us to rein in?! It just a bit annoying! 😠

    This lovely cheerful cushion arrived today- another essential purchase! 😃    Read more

  • Fiona ShineMy Coronavirus DiaryTraveler

    Crusaders together apart!

    May 24, 2020 in Ireland ⋅ ⛅ 17 °C

    Yesterday was meant to be the Crusaders club dinner. So we all sent in a pic of us wearing our club colours and Lisa put together a collage of them all!

    Myself, Olwyn and Mum headed up to Kilbogget on Friday to do our virtual relay legs. Work had given all of us the day off as a 'Happy you day'...there are some good things to come out of this lockdown! So we did a photo shoot in our club gear after the relay!

    I was wrecked for the rest of the day so just binged on Normal People and even watched a few episodes of the Wire which I had given up on previously - Can't be too picky with tv shows these days!

    Made a last minute decision to go fancy for take away and got steak and cocktails in Hartleys - yum! 😋 Then stayed up late playing cards with Mia and Paul.

    Struggling to remember what I did yesterday! Went for a walk with Mia...think that was about it 🤔 it's good not feeling guilty for not doing stuff these days...it's not like you're missing out on anything by sitting on the couch all day!

    Today I was up early for a run. Came across a couple of 'anti runners'. These people have become fairly common recently. They like to roll their eyes in annoyance if you don't dive out in front of a car to avoid coming within 2 meters of them & take no responsibility themselves for social distancing. When I go for a run of walk I accept that I'm going to end up closer than 2 meters to some people- especially if I choose busy places down by the seafront. Other people can choose to walk around their garden if they are that anxious! 🙄 Most people are fine but there is always one on two who put me on edge while out running!

    The WHO have actually advised that the distance should be reduced to 1 meter but our government seem to love faffing around with any decisions relating to this virus so haven't updated their guidance yet.

    Cases have dropped to 57 today. 57 out of the entire country! And we still can't go further than 5km from home. Actually you couldn't make some of this stuff up - scientists in Oxford are working on a vaccine but they are now concerned that cases in the UK are falling so rapidly that they won't have enough people to test the vaccine on, so they want to slow the decrease in cases! Like what?!?

    Anyway i am getting on with life as much as I can. Went for a long run today and picked up some brunch in cinnamon on the way home which was nice for a treat. Mia decided to blow up her giant inflatable unicorn for some reason...and then didn't do anything with it! Itll probably blow away and end up in someone's tree! 🙈

    We did a virtual escape room this evening! It was good fun...some people got a little bit stressed out during it but we got it together in the end haha! 😂

    Back to the grind tomorrow. Luckily it's a US bank holiday so I should have a bit of quiet time to lash through my ever growing email inbox.    Read more

  • Fiona ShineMy Coronavirus DiaryTraveler

    Kilbogget Cru training session!

    May 19, 2020 in Ireland ⋅ ⛅ 19 °C

    Me & Mum met up with Olwyn this morning for a 'Cru' training session on the Kilbogget track! It was a really warm, humid morning and I was sweatin' by the end of it! I think Olwyn really appreciated having someone to do a session with as she hasn't done any speed work since lockdown began.

    I brought some of my bakewells for afterwards which went down a treat! 😁

    Loads of packages arrived today- yay! But still no sign of my garden couch- boo! I got a hose head so I can water my plants without crushing them with the force of the water jet! And also got some artificial plants for around the house. Me and the delivery man are like best mates now! 😀

    This poem arrived in the post from Lisa today! Must send her a reply! Mum is still sending her daily postcards to Mia. We must also send some back to her!

    This afternoon Mia and Paul played loads of call of duty while I fell asleep on the egg chair in the sun! Woke up really groggy and dehydrated 😴 & not really in the mood for this evening's Pete session!

    I asked Mum and Lisa if they would still go to La Santa in November if it meant a 2 week quarantine on their return - they both said they would! 😂 I'm not sure to be honest- like 2 whole weeks stuck in my bedroom sounds like absolute torture...I'm not sure even Ia santa is worth that!

    I'm off to play some Sims now during the last few hours of my extra long weekend! 2 day working week coming up! 💪    Read more

  • Fiona ShineMy Coronavirus DiaryTraveler

    Stage 1

    May 18, 2020 in Ireland ⋅ ☁️ 15 °C

    Today we entered stage 1 of the easing of the lockdown. Nothing really changed except diy and hardware stores reopened and we can officially meet up with people outside our household. (Which I've already done on the sly he he 😏)

    Mia started her summer exams today and in true Mia style she also started studying for them today! I spent half my day off helping her prepare for her Irish exam this afternoon! Here's a pic of her all set up ready to get started!

    This afternoon I did some baking and gardening, because I was too tired for a walk or run so there wasn't really anything else to do! My sunflowers are getting transplanted to a bigger pot tomorrow in the hope that it will help them grow bigger.

    Paul power washed our patio...and our side passage...and the front path and driveway. So now one section of the path is gleaming while the rest is grey!

    Here's a pic of woodies prepared for the big reopening today. Apparently queues were hours long this morning, in the lashing rain. People are mad! Apparently one woman who was interviewed said she just wanted to buy geraniums!! 😂

    I actually ended up going on a couple of work calls today just because I was just faffing around with nothing else to do. Lock down has really highlighted to me how bad I am at just taking the foot off the peddle...definitely something I need to work on! Like when me, Paul and Mia decide to go for a walk and I'm like 'right come on guys we really need to get going', and they're like 'its 10am. We're on lockdown and have nothing else to do all day. Why are you rushing?!' 🙈

    I did a stretching Pilates class this evening while Paul and Mia played call of duty in the room beside me! I'm there trying to be all Zen and relaxed and all I can hear in the background is machine gun rounds and bombs exploding! 😂    Read more

  • Fiona ShineMy Coronavirus DiaryTraveler

    First dip of the year

    May 17, 2020 in Ireland ⋅ ☁️ 15 °C

    Only 64 new cases today- we are well and truly flattening the curve! Unfortunately we seem to be the slowest country in the world when it comes to easing the restrictions though...I suspect maybe it's because they aren't prepared enough to do proper contact tracing or something and they're just keeping it on the down low!

    In the mean time Margaret is somehow now in France! 🤨 while all of us eejits pace up and down the West pier, she a off sunning herself in the south of France. Madness!

    I sent a vague text to olwyn yesterday asking when the swimming spots would reopen, and before I knew it I had been roped into meeting up with olwyn for an 8.30am dip at colliemore harbour followed by coffee in Dalkey! 🤣
    It was a GREAT start to the day. We jogged down and Olwyn seemed to be on first name terms with everyone we came across & then was like a minor celeb with all the swimmers! I only let out one small yelp when getting in..much to the amusement of the regulars!
    From Tuesday seapoint will be reopened..I'm going to try and get down a couple of times a week. It's good for the soul and it's good having the time to while I'm working from home.

    After coffee I continued on my long run up to Cabinteely. It was my first time in the park since lockdown. Unfortunately I misjudged how big the loop up to cabo and back through Deansgrange was and ended up running for about 2 hours in total..with a stop for a swim and coffee!

    This afternoon I learned how to draw an eye and a boot on my drawing course. A very exciting afternoon haha! Also fitted in a cheeky hot tub.

    Then I spent half the evening jogging up and down the stairs trying to beat Lisa in this week's step challenge - it's the little victories!

    I found a new feature on my Garmin which gives you predicted race times. 44.09 for 10k - what are the chances?!    Read more

  • Fiona ShineMy Coronavirus DiaryTraveler

    Happy you day!

    May 15, 2020 in Ireland ⋅ ☁️ 13 °C

    Work announced that they are giving us next Friday off as a 'happy you day', woohoo! 💃
    I also took Monday and Tuesday off so will have a nice 2 day week next week!

    Time off is funny these days since you can't do anything but nice to be able to take a break from the laptop...although I have 706 emails in my inbox so I'm going to try and tip away at them while I'm off so that I can come back to a fresh slate! 🙈 there are way more emails and meetings these days because of the lack of in person contact so everything has just become less efficient...and my email inbox has become a major casualty!

    Leo announced today that stage 1 will happen on Monday as planned but homeware stores can't open, just hardware and garden shops. I was thinking of going to ikea just for something to do...although now that I think about it it's actually beyond the 5k threshold so I couldn't have gone anyway! You know the situation is dire when Ikea starts looking like a fun family day out! 😂

    The sports awards were today and Mia won most committed player on her team - go Mia! She's been playing on both the d2 and d3 teams and sometimes had a few matches in one week between school and club, and she never missed a match so it's well deserved!

    Mia has been great recently with helping around the house etc. She hasn't been doing much schoolwork though...It's hard to properly supervise when I'm working but I pop my head in during 'class' sometimes and she has a the class screen hidden while she has roblox open on another screen & chats to her friends on her phone! Summer exams are next week and then summer hols so it's not for much longer anyway!

    Here's a pic of the queue I was standing in at Tesco this evening- sure what else would I be doing on a Friday evening! I'm always reluctant to leave the shop in case I remember something I need just after I step outside the door and have to queue for ages again! Wonder when they will stop the limits on people in shops...probably not for many months! ☹

    Did a 10 min ab workout today - they have some pre recorded workouts through work. I'm going to have great abs when we emerge from this..they might be hidden under a layer of fat but they're there I promise haha!

    Garden looking well. Here's a pic of one of my favourite plants. Love the colour - so rich 😍
    Task for the weekend = power wash the patio before my new garden couch arrives.    Read more

  • Fiona ShineMy Coronavirus DiaryTraveler

    Sports day!

    May 13, 2020 in Ireland ⋅ ☁️ 9 °C

    Mia had her school sports day today. It started with a quiz and then they had to run 2km and do some other challenges.

    I brought her up to the kilbogget track for her 2km & Mum did her 3km club time trial at the same time. Mia was determined to run a sub 10 min 2km but hasn't really been doing any exercise recently... I tried to lower her expectations but she was having none of it!

    So off we went at 5 min per km pace. Got through lap 1, she started to struggle during lap 2 & had to make an emergency pit stop! Got going again for lap 3. Another break. Lap 4. Break. Final lap, she hung on my shoulder and then gunned it down the home stretch to come through in 9.39! 😂
    She was really disappointed in herself for not being able to do it in one go...I don't know where she gets her competitive streak from! Most of her friends just did a walk/run attempt in about 15 mins!

    Speaking of cheating. We are doing these time trials and relays with crusaders and there is cheating going on left right and centre! People running the distance down a massive hill! It kinda takes some of the fun away seeing people that I should be at a similar level to absolutely leaving me in their dust! I guess they're only fooling themselves 🙄 it will be fun beating them when we're back in the real world! 😁

    Mum smashed her goal of sub 18 for the 3km today- go Mum! 🏃‍♀️    Read more

  • Fiona ShineMy Coronavirus DiaryTraveler

    Well this is crap.

    May 12, 2020 in Ireland ⋅ ⛅ 10 °C

    Honestly I am just so sick of this whole dam thing! I hate having a massive queue every time I go to the shop. I hate not having anything to look forward to. I miss holidays, gigs, rosslare, races, pubs, restaurants, the cinema, brunch. I just miss everything & I'm sick and tired of this lockdown! 😠 what I wouldn't give to just hop in the car this Friday and drive somewhere further than 5km for a cheeky holiday!

    We have flattened the curve really well. Our cases are down to about 100 per day. So fingers crossed the easing of restrictions might happen quicker than originally planned 🤞

    I started a drawing course on Udemy today. I've completed part 1 - how to draw a line! 😆

    The garden is looking good. Sunflowers are coming along nicely. It's great to have the garden to tip away at, especially when the weather is so night.

    Work sent out a work from home survey today. If people overwhelmingly want to go back to work then they will try and get us back quicker than planned. I haven't answered it yet because I don't know what I want...i mean I really want to go back but I know when I'm back I'll miss working from home and not having to commute! The grass is always greener!

    The green bins went out today. I have never seen people's bins so full! All sorts of electronics, garden furniture and kids toys!    Read more

  • Fiona ShineMy Coronavirus DiaryTraveler

    Extra long long run

    May 10, 2020 in Ireland ⋅ 🌧 9 °C

    Ran out past Dalkey for the first time in a while. It's nice being able to run that bit further with the 5km limit...need to be grateful for the little things!

    Went up to Kilbogget this afternoon to pace Anna in her mile relay. Her goal was sub 8 and she ran 7.50! Mia even joined in for a bit..She was in bits afterwards and couldn't move properly when she woke up the next day! 😂

    She does seem to have awoken her competitive desire though. She had been adamant that she wasn't taking part in the virtual sports day 2k this Wednesday but now she's discussing pace and splits and preparation for it! Don't know where she gets it from! 😆

    I REALLY miss the freedom to go on holidays. What I would give to be able to hop on a plane to London or Spain or anywhere. Every now and then I get pangs for the old life & the freedom I had. I can't think about it too much...one day at a time!    Read more

  • Fiona ShineMy Coronavirus DiaryTraveler

    Bored enough for Monopoly!

    May 9, 2020 in Ireland ⋅ ☀️ 15 °C

    It was an absolute scorcher today!
    Nearly too hot at times!

    Paul got up for a super early morning walk today so I was able to do the Parkrun quiz from bed without having to worry about waking him. It was really random! Might do it again next week...if I don't get too tempted by a lie in!

    Did a good Emmet tempo session in the morning with Lisa and spent the rest of the day in the garden - hot tubbing, bbqing and even playing monopoly! (Yes we're getting desperate 😂)

    Bought some tulips to brighten up the kitchen...since I'm spending most of my time there these days!

    It's great having the weekly Emmet plan to focus on. At least I'll have improved my running fitness if nothing else when this is over!

    Our next door neighbours had loads of visitors over this evening. And there was some sort of street party a few doors down- loads of adults sitting around and kids out playing. We're not meant to be mixing with anyone outside our household but alot of people seem to have decided not to bother following the restrictions any more! I think there's a sense that we've beaten this thing so people are relaxing. Hopefully it doesn't come back to bite us 😬

    I must say it is really annoying sitting at home doing nothing, listening to these people having the banter while I follow the rules. 😤    Read more

  • Fiona ShineMy Coronavirus DiaryTraveler

    Day off

    May 8, 2020 in Ireland ⋅ ⛅ 14 °C

    Took a day off work today. Was humming and hawing about whether to take the day off since I can't really do much with the time off!

    Was really glad I took it off in the end. Weather was great. Picked up some scones and a coffee from Donnybrook fair and dropped over to Mums with Mia for brunch.
    There was a big queue at Donnybrook fair...it is really SO annoying that you can't just pop in to a shop and buy a few scones. You have to queue for 10 mins! 😠 just one of the many really annoying features of the lockdown.

    Leftover wings for dinner today...yum! 😋    Read more

  • Fiona ShineMy Coronavirus DiaryTraveler

    Month end

    May 7, 2020 in Ireland ⋅ ⛅ 11 °C

    This week has been MAD with work. One of the most stressful month ends...made worse because we're working from home!

    Everything that could go wrong went wrong. I missed the Pete session on Tuesday and was too tired for Pete on Friday so had a lie in instead.
    By the end of the week I was set to feck my laptop out the window! Instead I ordered some late night chicken wings which helped to get me through it all! 😂

    Some other updates- mum power washed my rugs which look like new now. Thanks Mum!
    Mia has been given some cooking assignments for home ec - here's a pic of her chilli con carne which she got 100% in! And I finished another flower bed. Nearly there with the garden.    Read more

  • Fiona ShineMy Coronavirus DiaryTraveler

    Wings for Life!

    May 3, 2020 in Ireland ⋅ ⛅ 11 °C

    We had some lovely sunny weather over the bank holiday. I dragged Mia out for a walk down to the village on Saturday with a promise of an iced latte from Starbucks!

    Starbucks was closed but Costa was open so I had one happy Mia! My first takeaway coffee in many weeks.

    Mia has been practicing her hockey skills in the garden. She even roped Paul in a few times...hes a natural!

    On Sunday me and Lisa ran the Wings for Life run. It was GREAT! Such a good activity to take my mind off the lockdown. My goal was half marathon so I mapped out a 7 mile loop within my 2km radius (pity the 5km radius doesn't come in until Tuesday!) My loop went through my estate so I was able to leave water and a gel on my doorstep at the half way mark.

    Me and Lisa chatted on the phone the whole way around which was brilliant! And Mum and Anna showed up a few times to cheer me along - such an unexpected surprise! Garrett even spotted me from his balcony! I ran a wings for life PB of 23.59km....Could not walk afterwards but felt so happy 😁 Go us!

    I'm so tanned after the race..my sun cream must have sweated off! 😬

    Unfortunately it's month end so I don't get the bank holiday off to recover 😭    Read more

  • Fiona ShineMy Coronavirus DiaryTraveler

    Leo's Announcement

    May 1, 2020 in Ireland ⋅ ⛅ 10 °C

    Leo made another announcement today in relation to the plan for easing the lockdown. May as well unpack the car as I won't be going to Rosslare any time soon 😥

    Our radius is extending to 5km from Tuesday but nothing much else is changing for now. From 18th March garden centres and hardware stores are allowed to reopen. And then restrictions will gradually relax during the Summer.

    Basically it means the Summer has been cancelled!

    Need to just try and take each day as it comes & try not to think about the next few months too much.... It's getting tough 😑    Read more

  • Fiona ShineMy Coronavirus DiaryTraveler

    Virtual Miling

    April 30, 2020 in Ireland ⋅ 🌧 9 °C

    Susan organised a virtual mile race this week. I headed down to the West pier after work today to do mine. Had a nice tail wind for it but ran out of pier with 200m to go so had to turn back into the wind for the last bit! Managed it in 5.57, 2 seconds off my 5.55 prediction!

    Mia is loving the egg chair! She's spending loads of time sitting out on it reading. She's devouring books during the lockdown..can't get enough of them!    Read more

  • Fiona ShineMy Coronavirus DiaryTraveler

    I am not a Marine

    April 28, 2020 in Ireland ⋅ ⛅ 9 °C

    Weather still lovely and sunny today. I don't think we've ever had such a long stretch of good weather! Or maybe it just feels long because I'm so bored 🤔

    Did a tough tempo session at lunchtime today on the usual West pier. The regular walkers are probably starting to recognise me doing my reps up and down the pier!

    Thankfully Mia ate most of the lemon drizzle cake today so the damage has been limited. Which reminds me - I must get her out for a walk tomorrow as she hasn't left the house in 2 days 😬
    I'm trying to bribe her with pocket money based on how many steps she does per day but it's not working.

    Had a Pete session this evening. We did marine push ups which are awful. I'm definitely not marine material if this is something they have to do!

    Rumours are circulating that the lockdown will be extended for another 2 weeks with just a few more key workers being allowed to return to work. 😭😭😭😭 looks like rosslare will have to be put on the back burner for now.    Read more

  • Fiona ShineMy Coronavirus DiaryTraveler

    Jolly hockey!

    April 27, 2020 in Ireland ⋅ ⛅ 10 °C

    My Mixtiles arrived today - yay! Here's a pic of my lovely wall display. Its great having so much time to tick things off my to do list that have been on there for years! I also hung up a picture of some rhinos bums that I took while on safari! #winningatlockdown 😁

    Another amazingly sunny day today. Spent a good half an hour videoing Mia for this Instagram thing she's doing with her hockey team! Here's the finished result...well her part anyway.

    Was meant to have a rest day today but Paul was going for a run at lunch & I couldn't resist! He has now ran the most he has ever run in a month...he's heading out most days each week..nearly as bad as me! 😮

    I decided that I was going to start eating healthily today. And then Mia baked a lemon drizzle cake AND a rhubarb crumble. I just can't win! 😑😑😑

    Here's a pic of my sunflowers which are coming along nicely! I have lots of seeds on the go at the moment and lots of time to care for them. Hopefully they don't all die when I go back to work! 😬

    Who knew I have all this pent up love of cooking, gardening and exercise classes inside me! I just have never had the time to do any of them until now! 😄

    Finished the day today with a watch of the 9 o'clock news and a game of poker with Paul and Mia. Apparently it will come down to the wire as to whether they will ease any restrictions on May 5th...its not looking good..feel like they are preparing us for not great news.

    They did a survey and apparently most people want the 2km limit removed or increased. While people are least bothered about restaurants and pubs being opened! I think I'm the opposite. Sure what am I going to do with a 10km radius? Go for a 20km out and back run?

    Even when we get back to normal, it looks like it will be a new kind of normal. One where we still have to social distance and can't really hang out in groups or within 2 meters of eachother. Might be years, if ever, before we can just go back to how things were. That makes me a bit sad ☹

    Here's a pic of Jonathan Sexton with his new hair. He copied Paul haha!    Read more

  • Fiona ShineMy Coronavirus DiaryTraveler

    Sunday = Long run & hot tub day

    April 26, 2020 in Ireland ⋅ ☁️ 8 °C

    The weather finally changed today...No more sun forecast for the next while 😭

    Went for a long run this morning. Legs feeling very tired. Had some great chats with Lisa about the virus and whether they will ever find a vaccine. It sounds like we are still a long way from one.

    Passed by this little house with an Irish flag in the garden and this little sign! (See pic)

    Did a 30 min restorative yoga session on down dog when I got home and went out to the shops to pick up some food for the week ahead. I wear a mask and gloves whenever I go to the shops these days - I feel less exposed when I'm hidden behind my mask! Paul and Mia think it makes me look like a duck...safety before fashion is what I say haha!

    Finished the day with a dip in the hot tub!

    I'm fully focused on the next announcement about what will happen after the May 5th lockdown expires. Crossing my fingers for a meaningful easing of restrictions...hopefully I won't be really disappointed! 🤞
    I really would struggle to do this for another 3 weeks. Like it's better than prison i suppose...although at least prisoners get to hang out with their prisoner friends haha!

    It just gets very boring when all I can do is fitness and eating! And I'm definitely overdoing both at the moment haha!    Read more

  • Fiona ShineMy Coronavirus DiaryTraveler

    Brunch time!

    April 25, 2020 in Ireland ⋅ ☀️ 12 °C

    Dropped over to Mums for a socially distant brunch this morning. Picked up brunch in the Mellow Fig on my way over & Lisa dialled in over zoom.

    Today was the last of the sunny weather for a while so it was good to sit out at mum's and get some vitamin d. Paddy had sent over loads of jellies for Paul's birthday so offloaded some of them on Mum & Anna since me and Paul are trying to be healthy!

    Here's a pic of some unusual coloured tulips in our estate! The estate is looking great these days with all the lovely flowers!

    Did a marathon pace session with Lisa today. On the usual West pier. I know if give out about having to use the West pier all the time but it's actually ideal - soft gravel, really wide, easy to social distance.

    Had a zoom call with the 2 Lisas, John, Jt, Garrett and Orlaith this evening...along with a few glasses of prosecco! 🥂 was great to catch up with everyone- ended up chatting for over 3 hours!
    Found out JT and Rhona have both tested positive but their symptoms have been mild thankfully. Weigel also caught it from his dad but he is completely asymptomatic.

    Trump has suggested that injecting dettol might cure you..dettol have had to issue a statement to say that injecting their product is not safe! 🙄
    Boris is back in work today after recovering.
    Rumour has it that Kim Jong Un might have died from it but unconfirmed.    Read more

  • Fiona ShineMy Coronavirus DiaryTraveler

    Overdose of fitness classes!

    April 24, 2020 in Ireland ⋅ ⛅ 14 °C

    I was in a total heap when I woke up this morning.. think I might have overdone it on the fitness front! 😬 unfortunately I had prepaid for an 8am Pete class so couldn't miss it! 😭

    Today was very uneventful. Lovely and sunny again. Making the most of it as it's meant to change from Sunday.. will be alot tougher being on lockdown when the weather is bad.

    Mum    Read more

  • Fiona ShineMy Coronavirus DiaryTraveler

    Bored boxing!

    April 22, 2020 in Ireland ⋅ ⛅ 10 °C

    Tried a body weight boxing class today! Really enjoyed it. Think I might sign up to a real life boxing class when this is over.

    Bought some more buxus balls from Lidl this morning. Felt a bit guilty filling my trolley with plants and compost...not exactly essential groceries but someone's gotta buy them right?!

    Funny how exercise, baking and gardening have rocketed in popularity! Bags of compost, flour and kettlebells are like total gold dust these days. I guess when you're stuck at home there isn't much else to be doing.

    Mass gatherings have been cancelled until at least December. That means the Berlin music festival and the Killers are both cancelled 😭

    There is a trend going around in fb where people are being asked to tag their favourite running pic to flood the internet with positivity. Here's my pic!

    I'm SO BORED of this lockdown! I just want my freedom back to go for a drive or meet my friends or anything really. The uncertainty of not knowing when it will end is REALLY getting to me...even finding it hard to keep up the motivation at work with it being remote. I don't think I have ever had so many emails to get through in my inbox! 🙈

    Plan for tomorrow = more of the same.

    At least the weather is 🌞🌞🌞    Read more

  • Fiona ShineMy Coronavirus DiaryTraveler

    Injured by a fish pie!

    April 21, 2020 in Ireland ⋅ ⛅ 11 °C

    Another beautiful day today - we really have been so lucky with the weather!
    We brought the table tennis table out to the garden and myself & Mia have been getting lots of use out of it - the wind adds an extra skill/luck factor!

    Oasis went into liquidation and stopped accepting gift cards a few days ago, and I still have an unspent €100 voucher from Christmas..nooo! I sent a letter to AIB today to request a charge back so hopefully it comes through. Lots of business are struggling to survive and there are lots of news stories of big companies going out of business.
    By the time this is over I'd say loads of shops, pubs etc will have gone bust.

    I ordered disposable masks which arrived in the post today. I'll wear one on my next outing to the shops but might save some in case mask wearing becomes compulsory - Alot of countries are bringing in restrictions where you can't leave the house or go shopping without wearing a mask.

    Dropped out to mums to give her some anti bac wipes & collected my old cd player while I was there. I must give it a try to see if it still works!

    Had another Pete session this evening - loving the virtual Pete classes! Paul shouted down during it to say that he could hear me groaning from the top floor! The neighbours must have also heard me while they were having their bbqs haha!

    Lisa chaired a Crusaders table quiz this evening. She did a great job! The race report round was particularly good!

    I cooked a fish pie for lunch today, and then dropped it all down my front and burnt my leg through my jeans! :(    Read more

  • Fiona ShineMy Coronavirus DiaryTraveler

    Gardening!

    April 20, 2020 in Ireland ⋅ ☀️ 11 °C

    The weather has been unbelievably good recently and is meant to last, so today I decided to bring the table tennis table outside! Paul was happy because it frees up space for him to move the office downstairs and away from Mia's room- she doesn't like being woken up by his 9.15am conference calls!

    Windy Ridges have been closed for deliveries for the past while because they got completely overwhelmed by orders. But they opened briefly this morning and I was able to get an order in..
    And it arrived a few hours later!
    One planter fully complete 😁
    Now I have some flowers for the bees!

    Found some anti bac wipes in boots today. They are like gold dust at the moment so it was very exciting! They had a sign up saying you could only buy 1 packet but I got away with buying 2, woohoo! I'll drop one over to Mum later this week.

    Some new toys and a new house arrived for the guinea pigs today. Me and Paul have been ordering so much stuff recently, our doorbell is constantly ringing with deliveries!

    Mia sat outside for the afternoon reading her book and brought the guinea pigs outside for some fresh air. She started back at school today after the Easter holidays - she really struggled to get out of bed for pastoral care at 10am!

    Went for another run with Paul today. He's really getting into this running malarkey! That's 5 runs so far. We met Olwyn while out running. She nearly fell off her bike with excitement when she spotted me! 🤣

    Started on season 4 of love island this evening- we must be getting desperate! 😂🙈    Read more

  • Fiona ShineMy Coronavirus DiaryTraveler

    Lockdown quartet & long run Sunday

    April 19, 2020 in Ireland ⋅ ⛅ 10 °C

    Went for my long run early today so that I could get back to help Mia with her religion project on Ethics. This was for my benefit as much as hers to avoid her needing a last minute dig out at 10pm tonight!

    Had the usual chats with Lisa while out running- we're both following the same Emmet plan which is handy! Spotted this happy unicorn during it. Lots of people have teddies and signs stuck in their windows - signs about staying at home and things to brighten up people's walks/runs!

    I downloaded a new app for my Garmin which alerts you when you're within 50 meters of your 2km radius! It was interesting to see exactly where my radius reaches to- just past the 40 foot. I ran around the radius, up to the graduate ( which is slightly outside the radius) ,down to Deansgrange and home. Next week I'll explore the Blackrock side of the radius!

    Mia learned all about utilitarianism, deonotology and the philosophy of ethics today! She got quite into it - discussing things like whether it would be right to go back in time to kill baby Hitler - we might have a future philosopher on our hands!

    I finally finished my section of the lockdown quartet - recording and video. Can't wait to see the finished result when Lisa puts it together!

    In general Coronavirus news, the US is quickly becoming the new hotspot while new cases in Europe seem to be plateauing. Alot of American governors have issued stay at home orders but Trump is rallying everyone to protest against having to stay at home. People are out in the streets protesting in some States! I'm so glad I don't live in America!

    I ordered some more masks today as I think the ones I originally ordered are gonna be pure crap based on recent reviews haha! It will be good to have a small stash in case mask wearing become a mandatory.    Read more

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