STAYING POSITIVE
Staying cheerful during lockdown
Crikey, what a difference a week makes. Many of us are in shock and doubtless all are adjusting to the new “normal”.
I am sure we are all doing a lot of taking stock. If not already, then at least over the next few months, we will be reminded of what really is important. How vulnerable we are. How we rely on each other. How connected we are. The importance of large and small acts of kindness.
Tough times ahead are certain, but they will inspire many beautiful acts - have done so already - and if we so choose, the world can come out of this a better place.
Speaking for Sarah, Eileen, Evie and the team, we were all rather overwhelmed by your wonderful, kind and generous replies to my last newsletter. It's amazing how even a few words in reply can raise the spirits and we are truly grateful for your kind thoughts and support.
Still Open for Business
We are still open for business (although obviously cannot receive visitors) and will be able to dispatch orders every week but our express/courier services are certainly no longer "next day". We will get orders out to you as soon as we can and will email you upon dispatch, which is likely to be twice per week as we now down to one person at work who will be doing the dispatch. Unfortunately we will not be answering the phones and are still trying to get clarity on the governments furloughing rules. In the meantime we can do customer service best by email.
Stay At Home Discount Code
We have a new Stay At Home offer to help perk us all up for the next few weeks. Not sure how long it will last as we are struggling to get deliveries from the mills but please enjoy it while it lasts. The discount is 12% off everything that is not already discounted and the code is StayAtHome. It works on the honesty box principle – please only use it if you are staying at home!
Down at the farm we remain optimistic as indeed should we all. I am reminded of something I read recently on another website espousing wonderful wool products: -
“The quality I look for most is optimism: especially optimism in the face of reverses and apparent defeat. Optimism is true moral courage.” Sir Ernest Shackleton
A couple of thoughts I've had to help pass the time and things that might be helpful...
Podcasts to get binge on...
Quite an eclectic mix, and hopefully something here for most people.
Making Sense with Sam Harris.
My all-time favourite "serious" podcast is a series of fascinating interviews by the intellectually rigorous philosopher, neuroscientist, best-selling author and long-time meditator Sam Harris, in which he has intriguing and provocative conversations with scions of their profession or industry and others who have lived through extraordinarily difficult experiences. Unafraid to break taboos, these are inspiring and challenging in many ways. Sam also has a fantastic meditation app Waking Up, certainly the best I have used and which is well worth a try. No time like the present!
Song Exploder is a podcast in which musicians take apart their songs, and piece by piece, tell the story of how they were made. Each episode is produced and edited by host and creator Hrishikesh Hirway in Los Angeles. Using the isolated, individual tracks from a recording, Hrishikesh asks artists to delve into the specific decisions that went into creating their work.
One of the Beeb’s most popular and running for more than 10 years now, each weekly episode takes a look at a specific issue from a scientific perspective. That doesn’t mean it’s filled with dry facts, with comedian Robin Ince and Physicist Brian Cox co-hosting alongside a plethora of expert and celebrity guests.
For a little light (comic) relief and definitely far funnier that it is pornographic. What would you do if you learned your dad wrote a pornographic novel? Mine certainly wouldn’t have written one, but this was the question Jamie Morton asked himself back in 2015. His answer? Read it out loud with two friends and broadcast it for the world to hear. Each episode follows Jamie reading his friends a chapter of his father’s (not exactly) erotic novella Belinda Blinked, leading to genuine but unintentional laugh-out-loud moments as they critique and analyse his not so handiwork. So successful, it’s now into its fifth series with over 100 million downloads and a run of live shows as well. For the broadminded who enjoy a laugh. Sarah and I listened to this whilst on a long road trip, sometimes coming close to an accident, due to the of tears of laughter obscuring the road!
If you’re a fan of David Attenborough’s Planet Earth (and who couldn't be?) the BBC Earth Podcast will be right up your alley. Presented by Emily Knight, each weekly episode dives into a unique story that combines nature, science, and the human experience. The show successfully elicits that same feeling of awe using just an audio medium, making it one of the best BBC podcasts out there.
And a few more
https://www.bustle.com/p/9-podcasts-for-positivity-that-will-brighten-up-your-day-80391
Useful Stuff
How To Open And Clean Delivery Packages During The Coronavirus Pandemic
Even for those of us fortunate enough to be safe and healthy, part of what makes the coronavirus pandemic daunting is how so many of our daily routines have been completely uprooted. Many things we previously took for granted, we now realise we have to pay extra close attention to, and one of these is receiving deliveries.
Keep safe.