After last nights announcement, it seems as though we are back where it all started. As Lockdown loomed for the first time back in March, never in a million years did I believe this is where we would be 8 months later.
To be honest this time round will barely affect me. I haven't been working, I haven't been socialising and to be honest I haven't really been doing much apart from coursework (art history), wine exams (I'm now a French Wine Scholar) and my new found obsession of running.
As restaurants convert back to takeaway only, as the galleries and museums once again close their doors, let's take a look what will help us all through the month of November.
History
With more people once again spending more time at home, I'll start off with some book suggestions. I was a bookworm before Lockdown and always have about 6 books on the go at a time, so I've got plenty to suggest! A few I've enjoyed/enjoying at the moment include A Forger's Tale by Shaun Greenhalgh (confessions of a Bolton art forger, it's incredible, just buy it), A Thousand Ships by Natalie Haynes (the Trojan war from a females perspective, and her best book yet) and also The Christian Year in Painting by John S. Dixon. I'm no way religious but this is a great book, going through the Christian calendar in works of art. It was just part of my Oxfam bookshop hall earlier this week!
Eat
It breaks my heart to see all restaurants, pubs, cafes and other hospitality venues closing their doors. Many have worked so hard the past few months and it's such a shame that they have to take another step backwards. So now it's more important than ever to get behind them, so do try and see whose doing what in your area and get supporting them! I won't be in London for the next month, so I've tried to find a few places doing UK delivery and here are the ones which have caught my eye. The Dishoom Bacon Naan Roll Kit, a frying pan pizza kit from Pizza Pilgrims, for all your cheese needs head to The Courtyard Dairy and finally check out Pezu who do meal kits from Sambal Shiok, Rice Guys and more.
Art
Despite opening its doors back in July, the National Gallery didn't even press pause on their online lectures. At the moment I'm doing their Module 2 on Stories of Art which started a few weeks back, but there's plenty more to sign up for. Some of their upcoming online events include Experiencing nature: The artist in the landscape, The life and art of Elisabeth Louise Vigée Le Brun, Orazio and Artemisia in London and loads more! And the good news is that most of them are free! More information here.
Refresh
I've banged on about West London Wine School in each of my monthly suggestions, and this time is no different. Throughout Lockdown they kept me company through various tastings and courses, and thankfully they have carried on until now - and beyond! Coming up they have a tasting of wines from Northern Rhone and a winemakers chat with accompanying wines from Sicily's Pietradolce. The online lecture/tasting is £10 then the wines are an extra £80 for a sample kit of 6 x 75ml. They also do online WSET courses for those who want to further their wine knowledge. Find out more here.
Discover
It's back to discovering what's on our doorstep as everything starts winding down. Have you discovered anywhere near you which you didn't even know existed before Lockdown? If any of you are in walking distance of the City of London, how about seeking out some of the green spaces there? One of my favourites is Seething Lane Gardens, which is on the spot where London's favourite diarist Samuel Pepys once lived.
I hope you have a great November, and do let me know what you've been up to in London in recently, as I would love to hear from you! If you've enjoyed reading any of my blog posts, why not subscribe? You'll find the form on the homepage here.
Heard in London
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