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Fiona Shine
Fiona Shine

Fiona Shine

Joined Mar 25, 2020 Read more
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  • 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

  • Fiona ShineMy Coronavirus DiaryTraveler

    Race day!

    April 18, 2020 in Ireland ⋅ ☁️ 9 °C

    Today was time trial day on Emmets plan! I also signed up for the Miles that Mater virtual 5k which is raising funds for frontline healthcare workers in Ireland. So today was the big race day!

    I was vaguely planning on getting up early to avoid people but decided to have a lie in instead! I went out at about 12pm but luckily it was overcast and cold so it wasn't too busy.
    I ran out and back on the West pier and across to finish on the east pier. I'm really happy with my result of 21.49. I pushed quite hard but it's impossible to go full pelt on your own. On a couple of occasions I was tempted to pause my Garmin to catch a breath but I didn't give into temptation!

    I had a lovely chicken, goats cheese and beetroot salad for lunch followed by my chicken curry for dinner.

    Found a new total junk show today called Too Hot to Handle. It's like Love Island but junkier! Perfect for quarantine!

    Here's a pic of what myself, Mum, Anna and Lisa will look like when we emerge from the lockdown haha! 😂    Read more

  • Fiona ShineMy Coronavirus DiaryTraveler

    Virtual paint club!

    April 17, 2020 in Ireland ⋅ ⛅ 10 °C

    Started the day with my usual Friday morning Pete session. Weather is nice so did it outside on the grass! Followed it my a 30 min jog 'with' Lisa in preparation for our 5k time trial tomorrow.

    I'm off work today which is nice even though there isn't much to do! Ended up doing a second jog with Paul this afternoon - rude to say no when he's looking for a running partner! 😂
    I'm not feeling very rested for tomorrow's 'race'..Ah well!

    This evening I did a virtual paintclub class with Mia, Mum and Lisa. It was a butterfly painting. Was really good fun even though our paintings looked a bit dodgy at times haha! They turned out well in the end.

    I cooked a lovely Thai red curry from Dervals cookbook for dinner but didn't have time to eat it before the painting class so I just had Apple pie for dinner instead! I'll have the curry tomorrow.

    Popped to Supervalu this evening- I must have picked the worst time of the day. The queue was about 30 mins long and it started drizzling while I was standing there! Going to avoid shopping at 5-6pm in future.

    Alison had her new baby Clara a couple of weeks ago so I sent her a little hamper which arrived today. She said none of her family have met her baby yet because of coronavirus! It must be a strange time to have a baby.

    The HSE have published a map which shows the location of all the confirmed cases in Ireland. They are dotted around EVERYWHERE! Dublin is riddled. It's quite scary to see. We seem to be holding steady at around 700-800 cases and 40 deaths daily - still really high. Hopefully it starts dropping soon.

    This day 6 years ago we were in Kenya! Here's a pic of me in a Matatu on my way to visit the giraffe park!    Read more

  • Fiona ShineMy Coronavirus DiaryTraveler

    More baking, more virtual classes!

    April 16, 2020 in Ireland ⋅ ⛅ 11 °C

    Another sunny day in paradise! 😊
    Things have quietened down a bit in work which means more time for classic quarantine activities like baking and virtual fitness classes.

    Mia baked ginger bread today. We weren't able to find black treacle in the shops so it looks a bit lighter than it should but I can confirm that it tastes delicious!

    Luckily I'm doing lots of fitness classes to counteract all the food I'm eating. Today I tried an online Pilates class through work. Lisa joined it too. It was SO tough! I'll be super toned if I keep this up 😄

    We are still trying to get money back from our Japan holiday. Finally got through to Vietjet today who said they can refund us in full in 4 months time! Luckily we're not too stuck for cash!
    Also found out today that the music festival we were meant to be going to in Hamburg in June has been cancelled..So we will need to try and get our flights and accommodation costs for that refunded now too ☹

    People are saying it could be Spring next year before we can start going on holidays abroad again. Hopefully we can go to Rosslare much sooner!

    I've stopped watching the news and don't keep much of an eye on the global covid19 tracker anymore. We hit 2 million cases globally yesterday - it's just become so big at this stage with the whole world on lockdown. 2 more weeks of planned lockdown here - I wonder if we will reach our peak before then.

    Our CEO sent an email today reminding us all that wer'e not working from home, we are at home trying to work during a crisis. I think it's important to remember the difference!    Read more

  • Fiona ShineMy Coronavirus DiaryTraveler

    Stopped by the Gardai

    April 15, 2020 in Ireland ⋅ 🌙 7 °C

    Another sunny day today! Went for a run 'with' Lisa again at lunchtime. Legs feeling a bit heavy today.

    Aileen gave Mia a recipe for ginger bread. So I went out to the shop after lunch to try and find black treacle for it. Tried Supervalu deansgrange - no luck. Drove out to Aldi in Blackrock - no luck but did find 49 cent cadburys easter eggs - yummy success! Finally tried M&S - still no luck! Baking ingredients are hard to come by these days :-(

    On the way home I got stopped at a garda checkpoint. The garda was very friendly - he stood well back on the passenger side and just asked me what the purpose of my trip was & then asked where I lived. He seemed happy enough when I told him even though I was a bit beyond my neighbourhood!

    We had another family quiz tonight with Mum as the host!
    She had a round where we had to guess the baby pic - I got mixed up between Grandad and Paul!

    Then joined a catchup Paul was having with the cheeky brew crew - it was a bit random, Molloy was telling us all about what's going on in the States in a way that made it seem like he thought America is the only place on lockdown! He was filling us in on how a the shops are shut and how crazy the situatuin is over there. I guess alot of people in America only really hear about the stuff that's happening on their doorstep!

    Feeling a bit sick now after eating a whole Easter egg!    Read more

  • Fiona ShineMy Coronavirus DiaryTraveler

    A Lisa filled day!

    April 14, 2020 in Ireland ⋅ 🌙 9 °C

    Back to work today after the long weekend!
    I could have done with an extra few days to recover but I've taken Friday off this week so just 3 days to get through!

    I feel like im getting back into a good fitness routine. The legs are moving more easily while out on my runs! I started week 3 of the Emmet Dunleavy plan today - a tempo run down on the usual West pier.

    I rang Lisa for the chats during it. She chatted away while I did the tempo sections and I replied while I was on the recoveries! It's a great chance to catch up on all the chats while out running!

    It is usually busy enough around the pier if I go running straight after work. And alot of people seem very relaxed about the 2 meter social distancing rules. There were couples walking down the middle of the pier leaving no room for me to keep enough distance. I know there's a low chance of catching it from walking past someone but it means I'm left weaving all over the place trying to avoid these people!

    This evening we had another crusaders quiz. This time organised by James Cottle. At the end he asked if anyone wanted to organise it next week. Lisa thought he was asking if anyone wanted to take part next week and really enthusiastically accidentally volunteered herself!! So she's next week's quizmaster haha!

    We had our highest number of deaths today- over 40. The lockdown is planned to end on 5th May but I just can't imagine things getting back to normal that soon...maybe some more businesses will be allowed to open but I feel like we're a long way from normality...

    Spain and Italy are about 3 weeks ahead of where we are and they have relaxed some of their restrictions but only very slightly. We will probably follow a similar approach to them, but I'm guessing the next couple of weeks will get worse before it starts getting better.

    Final thought for the day - I do not have nearly enough lounge wear! Who needs jeans and skirts when you're stuck at home all day every day! I might make an online purchase of some comfy lounge pants and tops!    Read more

  • Fiona ShineMy Coronavirus DiaryTraveler

    Hot cross buns!

    April 13, 2020 in Ireland ⋅ 🌙 6 °C

    I baked hot cross buns today- my first time baking with yeast and what a great success! Chef Shane Smith on Facebook has some great easy recipes.

    I'd like to come out of this lockdown having improved my baking and cooking skills...with a few new recipes up my sleeve. Going to try and cook/bake as much as possible. Half the country must have the same idea as the baking aisles in the shops always seem to be cleared out! Luckily today Tesco was freshly stocked so I got my hands on some precious yeast 😁 and no queue to get in either!

    Went for a walk on the pier with Paul this morning. Got half way and had to turn around because I didn't bring a coat and got frozen!
    Moral of the story = Just because it's sunny doesn't mean it's warm!

    I met Garrett while I was on my way out the door to collect my violin from Mums. We went for a walk around the estate while keeping our 2 meter distance! It was nice to hang out with someone different for a change! He is finding it tough being in the apartment on his own...although he also said it definitely has its pros!

    I had planned on recording my section for our lockdown quartet today but I got side tracked binge watching Man Hunt instead! Must get to it tomorrow if work isn't too busy.

    Had another virtual Pete session at lunchtime today. I'm loving the classes. Even though the banter levels are lower than the live versions it's still nice to keep the Pete routine going & it's another chance to catch up with people outside my immediate family!

    I also learned an Oti Mabuse dance routine today for the first time! She is doing evening dance classes a few times each week - today's theme was Beyonce! Mia told me the video should never be allowed to see the light of day haha!    Read more

  • Fiona ShineMy Coronavirus DiaryTraveler

    Easter Sunday

    April 12, 2020 in Ireland ⋅ ⛅ 9 °C

    The past week has been pretty hectic. I've been super busy with quarter end at work so all my quarantine activities have taken a back seat. We got amazing weather for Good Friday & Easter Saturday. - the Gardai were out in force to make sure no one got any ideas about straying more than 2km from home to any of the hotspots! Seapoint, 40 foot and Sandycove are all shut with barriers up.

    Yesterday Paul came for a run with me. Yes I know, I was surprised too! We jogged down to the pier and back. Then had a BBQ at home. In the morning we went out to the shops to get easter eggs - first we tried Dunnes but they told us it was priority time for over 70s & the queue was an hour and a half long! So we went to Supervalu instead but they were mostly sold out of easter eggs...I got a mini buttons one for myself!

    Today was overcast and rainy - the perfect day for a long run! I ran out to Mums - a bit beyond the 2km radius but I didn't feel too guilty since I didn't come across any walkers..just a few other lonesome runners in the rain! It's not as relaxing running on a nice day when there are loads of walkers out and about & I have to keep stepping out on the road to keep my 2 meters space.

    There is a bit of a war brewing between runners and walkers. Some people don't like runners sharing the footpath with them & think they are spreading the virus by sweating and breathing heavily. I haven't had any bad experiences yet but I do feel quite conscious while out running & make an extra effort to move out of peoples way.

    Had roast beef for our easter Sunday lunch today & ate lots of choccy! Garrett dropped off a Lindt easter egg this morning which is now in my tummy. Mia just got a delivery of a liter tub of ice cream from Arctic Stone! Hopefully I won't have any later as I already feel sick haha!

    Had a little Easter egg hunt with Mia in the back garden - I'd love to be in Rosslare doing an easter egg hunt with Lisa and Anna but this is nearly as good!

    I forgot I had booked a Tesco delivery for 9am this morning...Was woken up to the tesco delivery man dropping off a single carton of milk! Nooooo! They charged me €11 for the milk and I already have 2 cartons so it will probably end up going off! Might not bother booking any more online slots for now - I prefer popping to the shops - I go at the quieter times when the queue to get in is only 5 or 10 minutes & I make sure to disinfect after!    Read more

  • Fiona ShineMy Coronavirus DiaryTraveler

    Paul's lovely haircut!

    April 11, 2020 in Ireland ⋅ ☀️ 17 °C

    Today Paul got a haircut! After the 3 week extension to the lockdown was announced last night he decided that it was now or never to try cutting his hair. Unfortunately the blade he used was a bit tighter than expected so he now has a fully shaved head! I was crying laughing at him this morning but I am gradually getting used to it! At least he doesn't have to leave the house for another few weeks haha!

    Today felt like the hottest day of the year - typical that we are getting such nice weather while on lockdown. It was nice having a very lazy day, sitting out in the sun reading my book & not feeling guilty about not doing anything since there is nothing to do!    Read more

  • Fiona ShineMy Coronavirus DiaryTraveler

    Morning Pete & an extended Lockdown

    April 10, 2020 in Ireland ⋅ ☁️ 16 °C

    I was up early for an 8am Pete session. Lisa, Lisa B and Garrett also joined for it. I only have a 12kg kettle bell at the moment because Mum has my 10kg one - so I cut some of the exercises short!

    It was a lovely sunny day today so myself and Paul walked down to the end of the east pier. Mia was still in bed when we left at about 11am! On our way back we stopped off at Supervalu. We queued for about 10 mins and when we got to the top of the queue we were told we couldn't both go in because we were from the same household. Since we didn't know what eachother wanted to buy we decided to just go home instead!

    Lounged in the hot tub for a while this afternoon- so nice to have a day off just to do nothing!

    Leo made another announcement this evening to say that the lockdown has been extended by another 3 weeks until May 5th - so we will miss the May bank holiday :-( It was due to end this weekend so it's no surprise that it has been extended. We're at about a 10-15% daily increase in cases which is well below the predicted 30% before the lockdown was implemented. We are at over 10,000 cases but they are predicting the worst is yet to come.

    I'm happy enough with another 3 weeks lockdown - more time to get in shape haha!    Read more

  • Fiona ShineMy Coronavirus DiaryTraveler

    Is Mia finally bored of YouTube?!

    April 9, 2020 in Ireland ⋅ ⛅ 12 °C

    Anna gave Mia her old keyboard and Mia has been practicing non stop since we set it up this morning. I think she is finally bored of sitting around watching YouTube! Hopefully she keeps it up!

    She has been doing LOTS of baking which is good...but it also means I'm eating lots of baked goods which is not good! I had great plans to become really fit and toned during the lockdown but now I'm just hoping to come out of it in the same state that I went into it!

    She made a delicious banana bread today - she has been following Chef Shane Smith on Facebook who is posting daily baking videos! It's great how many free online resources there are these days.

    Today I accidentally ordered my second take away in a row - I've been so busy with work that I haven't been able to think about food - I don't have time to cook, I barely have time to go downstairs to get food! For lunch today I just had a few packets of crisps from Paul's bedside drawer! When things quieten down in work I need to get back on track or they won't recognise me when I get back to the office!    Read more

  • Fiona ShineMy Coronavirus DiaryTraveler

    Anna's lockdown birthday party!

    April 8, 2020 in Ireland ⋅ ☀️ 12 °C

    Today was Anna's birthday! It also coincided with day 6 of quarter end but I snuck out at lunch and dropped over to Lisnashee with Mia to give her some presents and eat some cake. I had my excuse ready if we were stopped by the gardai on our way there - I am visiting my elderly Mum! We arrived just as Conor and Paul were finishing filling the skip - just on time for tea and cake!

    It was lovely sitting out in the patio in the sun with Mum, John, Paul, Conor, Anna , Mia and Vincent. Mum had all the chairs spread out and everything was wiped down with disinfectant, but it still felt quite normal which was nice! Unfortunately I had to rush back to work.

    This evening we had a family quiz night on Zoom. I was still working so could only half pay attention - that's my excuse for not doing very well haha! Tomorrow is the last day of quarter end - I can't wait to get back to normality....well as normal as it can be when the world is on lockdown.

    My paintclub starter pack arrived today - paints, brushes and canvases. I'm going to sign up to one of the virtual paintclubs that they're doing.

    Boris is out of intensive care today but the number of deaths in the UK seems to be spiralling - close to a thousand per day...we seem to be coping a bit better here - fingers crossed we continue to keep it under control.    Read more

  • Fiona ShineMy Coronavirus DiaryTraveler

    Crusaders quiz night

    April 7, 2020 in Ireland ⋅ ⛅ 11 °C

    Apparently it was a lovely day today - I didn't get to see it because I was working non stop. I feel a bit guilty that Mia has had to fend for herself for the past few days while I've been busy with work - I haven't had time to cook lunch or dinner for her. I know it's annoying her as she keeps giving out about me working after 6pm. At least it will get less busy in a few days & I have a long weekend to look forward to!

    We had a virtual quiz night with Crusaders this evening, organised by Susan. It was good fun and good to see all the old reliables! Apparently Mum and Lisa stayed on chatting with Susan for about an hour afterwards - she seems to be finding the lockdown tough & really missing human interaction!    Read more

  • Fiona ShineMy Coronavirus DiaryTraveler

    Virtual Pete & an attempted Oti dance!

    April 6, 2020 in Ireland ⋅ ☀️ 11 °C

    We organised a virtual Pete session for 1pm today. Just myself, Mum, Lisa, Garrett and Lisa B. Lisa only has a 1kg weight so she had to use a giant rock as her weight - it was so funny - Pete went mad when she tried to lift it over her head! The Pete sessions are great - I'm going to try and do this one plus the 8am Friday session each week - just to keep myself ticking over!

    There were issues with logging into the Diva group reporting system in work - Elaine and Peter both suggested we try to get clearance to go into the office to get access - I was worried I'd have to refuse since it's completely against the current regulations (Closing month end isn't exactly an essential task!) but luckily HR stepped in and told them that under no circumstances can they ask employees to go into the office. I was surprised that they even suggested it but at least someone stepped in.

    One of my colleagues, Austin, was coughed at and spat in the face by someone while out on his morning walk today. He has a condition which puts him in the high risk category so he was very shook up afterwards and took the day off after reporting it at the local Garda station. I have heard of a few stories like this - people coughing at shop assistants and things like that. The gardai are coming down strongly on them - I even heard of one person being jailed for a year!

    I decided I was finally going to learn an Oti Mabuse dance today! She is doing virtual dance classes on facebook and Lisa has done a few of them. I picked the Greatest Showman but realised half way through that I was learning a kids dance (She has adult and kids lessons!) so I gave up! I'll pick out an adult one and do it properly when I have more time!    Read more

  • Fiona ShineMy Coronavirus DiaryTraveler

    Venturing beyond my 2km radius...

    April 5, 2020 in Ireland ⋅ 🌧 12 °C

    It was a rainy start to the day as I headed out for my long run. The paths were empty so I decided to keep going towards Dalkey, beyond my 2km radius. I think the restrictions were put in place mostly to stop crowds of people going to Glendalough and places like that - me running on empty paths won't do any damage...hopefully no ones sees my Strava and judges me!

    Lisa went out for a run at the same time as me so that we could have the chats. It would be better if she was here in person but it still makes the time fly by having her on the phone! She seems to be getting on well down in Cork and is definitely making the best of the lockdown - doing all sorts of virtual classes!

    I spent most of this weekend making two planters. It was actually such an awful ordeal! I kept making them wrong and had to remake one of them 4 times!! I don't care what they look like - we are keeping them no matter what! It got quite cold and windy while I was making them...I ended up with cuts all over my hands & absolutely freezing to the bone!
    It felt like a big waste of a weekend but sure what else would I be doing!    Read more

  • Fiona ShineMy Coronavirus DiaryTraveler

    Friday morning workout!

    April 3, 2020 in Ireland ⋅ ⛅ 10 °C

    Had a virtual group Pete session for the first time this morning. €10 per class - worth every penny! Mum and Lisa also joined. I hauled all my weights down to the kitchen for it but he ended up just doing body weight exercises...so had to haul them all back up after!

    A few new places have opened up for online orders/delivery since the lockdown began. Today we tried out Strudel delivery - got some lovely freshly baked bread and pastries! & dropped some out to Mum and Anna also. I must try a few other places - That's Amore and Lobstar are both delivering now too so it would be a good opportunity to try them.

    Did a session on the pier today - 15 reps up and down! I've been doing all my sessions on the West pier and hill reps on York road. Its the perfect set up - a flat wide pier so I can keep my distance from people. But it does get a bit boring at times...I'm looking forward to getting back to the real track!    Read more

  • Fiona ShineMy Coronavirus DiaryTraveler

    Compost!

    April 1, 2020 in Ireland ⋅ ⛅ 8 °C

    9 bags of compost arrived from Windy Ridges today! The delivery guy said they had to shut down their online delivery system shortly after I ordered because they got completely overwhelmed with orders! I have planters being delivered this week so will soon be able to do a bit of gardening. Hopefully the weather keeps up!

    Zoe-trope from Raheny Shamrocks is doing online workouts on Instagram. I tried a 10 min glute exercise today - it was great - nice and short too! Going to try and do a few of her classes each week.

    I also did a tempo run this evening - I've started following Emmet Dunleavy's training plans which he is posting on MyRun Community - a new Facebook page which was set up in response to the lockdown - for runners to share different resources. I'm going to try and follow the plan as far as possible. Rang Lisa for the chats on my cool down jog - feel like we've lots of chats to catch up on so going to try and coordinate our runs as much as possible!

    I've been dragging Mia our for a walk around the estate every day - it's the only exercise she gets some days! We've also been playing lots of games- mostly Uno, but today we played Minions top trumps for a change!

    Mia spends lots of time chatting with her friends - Ashley, Talah and Jenny - on zoom. I don't know how they have so much to chat about! Sometimes they play roadblox together or Nintendo switch, but mostly they just chat!    Read more

  • Fiona ShineMy Coronavirus DiaryTraveler

    Essential visit to Lisnashee!

    March 31, 2020 in Ireland ⋅ ⛅ 6 °C

    I have started to do daily challenges with Mia as a way to make sure she doesn't spend all day on her laptop. They include a mix of exercise, housework and other fun stuff like baking and reading. She has actually been really good with getting on board with them!

    I've also started doing them for myself to try and keep my routine going, as a couple of days last week I fell off the wagon a bit. Today my challenge is -

    1. Push up challenge
    2. Tempo run
    3. Tackle work emails which have been building up
    4. Cook beef stew
    5. Virtual class
    6. Read 1 chapter of my book

    Yesterday I called out to Mum & Anna for a visit and to drop off a few bits and bobs that I cleared out of the house. Was good to see them as it's been a while! Ended up visiting again later in the evening as Mia had baked some bread and scones for home ec and wanted to drop some out to them! There are garda checkpoints set up around the place but luckily we weren't stopped - If we were I would have told them I was visiting my elderly Mum!

    Went for a run at 7pm yesterday evening down to the West pier. It was eerily quiet - no traffic on the roads and very few people out and about. It felt like 5am on a Sunday morning. There was a checkpoint set up on the main road stopping cars and a few gardai patrolling on foot. Thankfully both piers are just about within the 2km radius for me - I'll definitely be making the most of them for my runs & walks over the next few weeks!

    I feel like I'm finally settling in and getting used to the new normal. I'm enjoying having more time to cook and Mia is learning more meals which I would never have had time to show her before. The three of us are getting along really well which is good...we aren't sick of each other yet!

    We have alot to be thankful for - our jobs are safe and none of us or our families are sick. Lisa was telling me it looks like Griffith College Cork won't reopen in September so all those people will be out of work. I've also heard some sad stories of people losing family members and not even being able to say goodbye to them. I think we will come out of this experience completely shell shocked as a nation.

    I wonder how long it will be before things get back to normal.
    Will it be a sudden reopening of everything and big celebrations across the country or will it be more gradual?    Read more

  • Fiona ShineMy Coronavirus DiaryTraveler

    Lockdown!

    March 30, 2020 in Ireland ⋅ ⛅ 7 °C

    On Friday night Leo announced that we are now in lock down!
    This means we can only leave the house for essential reasons such as grocery shopping or caring for a relative, and also for brief exercise within a 2km radius of home.

    This has triggered lots of discussions and arguments on the Crusaders whatsapp group as to what constitutes 'Brief'! There is a handy app which lets you see your 2km radius circle. Luckily the full east and west pier are within mine, as well as the park up at sallynoggin - not as nice as cabinteely but its good to have a bit of grass to run on.

    Went out for a run on Saturday along the West pier and it was really quiet. People must be taking this lock down seriously!

    Myself and Paul spent the weekend decluttering the entire house since we had nothing better to do. We got rid of about 30 bin bags of stuff but the house still looks the same! Hmm. Next weekend I will be focusing on photos and hanging stuff on the wall.

    This lockdown is due to last for 2 weeks but I suspect it will probably be longer. We are now at 2,100 cases, but the new daily cases are fairly flat at about 200 - 250 cases. Lisa is still waiting for her results after getting tested last Monday though so there seems to be a big backlog.

    This week my goals are as follows -
    - Change out of my pyjamas every day
    - Do a virtual HIIT class
    - Do the daily push up challenge
    - Cook a beef stew in the slow cooker
    - Follow Emmet Dunleavy's online training plan
    - Read a chapter of my book every day    Read more

  • Fiona ShineMy Coronavirus DiaryTraveler

    All about the arms

    March 26, 2020 in Ireland ⋅ ⛅ 8 °C

    Indeed gave us all a budget of €450 to help us get set up with a desk and chair at home. I have set up my home office in the 'gym' room. Whenever I need a break or am looking for a reason to procrastinate I have been hopping on the bench press beside my desk...my arms are VERY tired as a result!

    Need to focus on something else to let them recover so I have decided that today will be ab day!

    It's starting to feel like groundhog day.

    Get up.
    Shower & get dressed.
    Work.
    Go for a walk or run.
    Cook dinner.
    Watch tv.
    Go to bed.
    Repeat.

    Some days I am full of energy. I go for a morning walk on the pier & try out some new meals for lunch and dinner. I do some decluttering and maybe a virtual yoga class.
    More often recently I have felt like I'm running out of steam...I'm sick of walking the pier, sick of having to empty the dishwasher 10 times a day, sick of everything 'virtual'. Leaving the house is an effort at times.

    I have run out of fruit again so will need to go to the shop. The earliest online delivery I could get was for next Monday. Mia has a chest infection so I need to collect a prescription for her from Boots today anyway - I may as well pop to Tesco while I'm out.
    I always feel nervous going to Tesco these days - if I am going to get infected anywhere it will be there. Need to get in and out as quickly as possible and make sure I don't touch my face until I get home and give them a good wash!

    Lisa posted up some sunflower seeds from Cork which I will plant today.
    Also need to order some big planters & buy some plants - with all this time at home it's the perfect time to get stuck into some gardening!

    I made a 'Thursday Challenge' for Mia to do today - she's spending waaaay too much time on her laptop so I'm hoping this will help. She has to do 10,000 steps, bake some cookies, do 10 jumping jacks and clear out a press in her play room. Hopefully she gets on board with it!

    I've had a few virtual catchups with friends and family. I'm probably seeing people more now than I did before the lockdown! When this is over I must make sure to keep this up...it's easy to get caught up in life & it's only when you are forced to slow down that you notice what is important.

    Better get back to work for now!    Read more

  • Fiona ShineMy Coronavirus DiaryTraveler

    3 weeks since I left the office...

    March 25, 2020 in Ireland ⋅ ☀️ 11 °C

    Restrictions have quickly ramped up since we got a text 3 weeks ago telling us not to come into the office. Leo made an announcement last night to say that all non essential services must shut and outdoor gatherings of more than 4 people are no longer allowed.

    Meeting up with my friends in the pub seems like a distant world right now. Only last weekend we went for a hike up the Wicklow mountains..Our last for a while by the looks of it!

    The weather is unseasonably warm and sunny but I spend most of my time indoors. Everyone has gone mad for toilet paper for some reason..I got caught up in the hype and ended up buying a massive stash!

    A few thoughts -
    (I'll probably add to these as I go along)

    Things I like about the situation:
    1. Getting to spend more time with Mia.
    2. Lots of time to declutter the house
    3. Lots of free online classes to try out
    4. More time for home cooked meals
    5. A greater appreciation for the little things in life (That first hug with Mum, Lisa and Anna when this is all over will be so good!)
    6. Virtual family & friends chats

    Things I don't like:
    1. The fear that someone I know will get badly sick
    2. Not knowing when it will all be over
    3. Having to cross the road whenever I come across someone while out running
    4. The worry every time I leave the house that I might catch the virus
    5. The monotony of working from home - week days and weekends are blending together!
    6. Mia spending too much time on her laptop and too little time outdoors.

    Things I'm grateful for -
    1. My home office - I know alot of people are crammed into small apartments trying to work at the kitchen table!
    2. My garden - At least if I can't leave the house I can still sit outside.
    3. Paul & Mia - I'm grateful that we all have a good relationship & enjoy spending time together!
    4. My yoga mat - I'm really enjoying doing lots of virtual yoga sessions.
    5. Being Irish - Our government seem to be doing a really great job managing this crisis. When I look at how the UK and America are handling it I'm grateful to be Irish.

    Things I miss -
    1. Hugs
    2. Meeting up with my friends
    3. Long, guilt free runs.
    4. Browsing the shops.
    5. Coffee breaks at work.
    6. Walking to the village for dinner.
    7. Going on holidays.
    8. Dropping in to Mum's.
    9. Planning the next gig/holiday/night out.
    10. Certainty about the near future.
    12. My morning commute - I know it sounds strange but I really miss the daily routine!
    13. Pete sessions
    14. Tuesday night training
    15. Parkrunning
    16. Normality - I can't imagine things ever being the same again.    Read more

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