By journalist Hannah Brandler
Gleaming skyscrapers and pastel-clad interiors have been vacated in lockdown, usurped by the city’s leafy areas – the closest many of us will come to suburbia. Gardens have become a sanctuary from the virus, spaces where we can reunite with loved ones and rekindle some sense of normality. Street-facing gardens are now al-fresco dining spots,…
It seems that I’m not alone in finding supermarkets a thrilling substitution for cancelled séjours abroad. Along with an ever-growing bank of dinner photos, my WhatsApp chats are filled with accounts of recent excursions to the shops – discussions cover the atmosphere (a toss-up between calm and frantic), bargain purchases and the rarity of chatting…
Where walks were once a means to an end – a form of transport to another more exciting destination – they are now an appreciated activity in themselves, one of the few we’re allowed to enjoy. Speed-walking has therefore become a rare sight as we no longer have the desire to rush home, exhausted by…
The once-yearly celebration isn’t quite as exciting as pre-lockdown days, victim to social distancing guidelines and the perpetual unawareness of time. At first, the notion of an isolation birthday seems rather gloomy as you metamorphose from a social butterfly into a lone wolf. Yet there’s a lot to be said for this anniversary, a welcome…
The bathroom has rather lost its USP in lockdown since incessant hand washing is a norm elsewhere in the house and unkempt appearances are now in vogue. The room has instead transformed into a work of conceptual art, left in the same state as pre-lockdown days – a kindred spirit to Tracey Emin’s installations. Beauty…
Walks have become a precious activity in lockdown, the one government-authorised respite from total isolation. Fresh air has that ability to detach you from a wired brain and distract you from a newfound ever-twitching eyelid - an indication, no doubt, of excessive screen time. Being glued to your phone is a risky act in the…
What happens when a travel writer can't travel? I’ve turned to narrating adventures chez moi – home-trotting, if you will.
Spill the Beans 