Hey again!

I have been trying to stay as positive as possible throughout this pandemic, as I am sure a lot of you are also doing ;)

Here are a few positive things I have noticed since we have been on lockdown:

1. I am spending more time outside- as far as the weather is concerned, the lockdown couldn't have started at a better time of the year. The sun has been out which has meant, I have been able to spend so much ore time soaking up those rays! I am fortunate enough to live in a house with a large garden so I have been sunbathing (while I do my courses on my laptop), which has worked wonders for my mind!

2. I am trying new things-  I am a creature of habit, and it's sometimes difficult to break the boundaries of routine... but Covid sort of gave us a hand with that, and as a result of that I am sinking my teeth into trying new things, and I am actually sticking to them too!

3. Our home is much more tidy- So, as I have more time on my hands our home is so much more cleaner than it was before. It's not the day to day cleaning that gets to me, its the deep cleaning... the really shitty jobs that I just put to one side. Well! Now they are being done on the regular! i really hope that once I go back to work I keep it up too.

What positive things can you think of that you have noticed since the lockdown started?

80% pay for a minimum of 3 weeks, completely work free?!? Sign me up!

This was the attitude I had on day 1 of furlough.

... For those of you who don't know, furlough is basically when you don't work for a period of time, but you are paid 80% of your wages which is subsidised by the government, in order for you to *hopefully* still have a job to go back to once the lockdown is over.

Now, I am a busy bee... I don't spend much time just doing nothing. In fact, I find doing nothing really difficult. This coupled with the fact that WE ARE ALL ON LOCKDOWN (yes Susan... that includes you! STAY OFF THE BEACH!) lead me to find myself teetering on the edge of an anxiety induced meltdown less than a week into this blessed furlough, until I made sure that each day I did the following things... Try them, if you are struggling a little at the moment, I guarantee you will feel a lot better for it!

1. Make a daily 'to do' list: One of the first things I do when I wake up is write a list of tasks I would like to accomplish that day. I enjoy having some sort of routine and this has really helped to keep me in check with some of the other things I have done below. It doesn't need to be long, nor does it need to have everything you intend to do that day on it (unless you need to be reminded to brush your teeth?!). It just needs to have some core items that you would like to achieve that day written on it.


2. Exercise every day: This is sooooo important! You don't even need to leave your house to do this (yes even if you live in a flat), you don't need to be fit (you're not training for a marathon), you don't need to push yourself too hard (look after yourself!) there are tonnes of great exercise videos on YouTube you can try, from a workout to some gentle yoga. Or if you are like me, I alternate between walking, hula hooping and riding Archie the pony (in the field, very carefully)!


3. Learn something new: There are tonnes of options here, the number of emails I have been receiving with "free course on...this" and "free membership to... that". I am currently doing a Linkedin Learning course in Photoshop, I am also using Duolingo (free app) to learn Italian (there are tonnes of other languages you can learn on this app, I highly rate it!) and I have just signed up to 3 month free access to a digital marketing course (Digital Marketing Institute). See, told you I like to keep busy! But the bottom line here is, there are many businesses sharing their learning services with us for free in this current situation, use it to your advantage! Just don't forget to cancel your subscription so that at the end of the free trial, you don't get caught out with a cheeky charge!


4. Do something creative every day: I am using my spare time to do things I swear I would do if I had more time. For example, I have been posting more videos on YouTube, and getting more gutsy with the content too! I have picked up writing my bloggy again (it took some time but I am back again!), I have even learned how to use Pinterest and I am putting together mood boards for when we move into our new home. But, you don't have to be this extravagant. Order some nice colouring pencils off Amazon, and get yourself an adult colouring in book, or start your own blog... I find being creative a huge release of energy, so it not only helps me to sleep at night but I feel a great sense of achievement after I have done something to get the juices flowing again.


5. Finally. Spend some time outside (in the sun): I don't know where you live... but I am in Southern England. From September - March, it felt like it had rained everyday. Thankfully, when the lockdown came into place... the sun showed its pretty face again and all but a couple of drizzly days, it has been BEAUTIFUL outside! So, when I can, I grab my blanket and chill on the grass for a little while. Its a great time to practice my Italian or listen to an audiobook while soaking up some rays and good old vitamin D. (If the sun is out, remember to wear sunscreen kids!!)

Hello blogletts!

Happy Valentines day, I hope you are all well?

I am switching things up again today, as I thought my experience with this was worth writing about...

I'd seen a YouTube video back in October of the Ladylike girls at Buzzfeed (Big fan!) doing  DNA tests to find out their heritage. I thought it was a pretty cool idea especially with my heritage. From my mothers side I am Italian/Trinidadian and from my fathers side I am English/Scottish.

So I asked my family for one for Christmas...Roll forward a few weeks and on Christmas day I open up my first present and its the DNA test! Yay! (Thanks fam!)

As soon as I got home, I opened up the box so I could get my sample ready and send it off, unfortunately there is a downside to this test, it takes between 6-8 weeks to process and I am the worlds most inpatient person so I needed to get a wiggle on.




Inside the box I got:

- A prepaid box to send my samples in with
- A sample tube
- A collection bag
- Instructions on how to use the kit


So... I bet you all want to know, how it works? All you have to do is spit in the sample tube, pop it in the post and wait.

Fast forward 6-8 weeks and my results came in... Now, given my heritage, I was a little confused with these results and I was tempted to buy another brand to see how they compared, however I believe this test isn't based on your direct relatives but much much further in the past.

Here are my results:


As you can see, I am even more of a Heinz 57 than I originally thought. Although I am unsure of the results I may buy another brand of test in the future. Have any of you done a DNA test like this? Have you got the results you were expecting?

I have some very exciting news for you...

(Drumroll please)

Kyrie in Kalamityland has a shiny new website!

Annnnnnd...

There will be a few more changes happening on my blog. I am going to be writing about a lot more than just food (don't worry, you can still get your GF fix with me!).

From now on I will be including a lot more of what I get up to in my spare time.

So much has changed since I last wrote to you all and I feel that this way we can get to know each other a little better and I will be able to write a lot more too!

I’m really looking forward to involving you wonderful lot in more of my life and I really hope you enjoy some of the new things I am going to be including in my blog!