Lockdown Entertainment, as Brought to You By Ellie

Beginning my posts with, 'Hello, been a while, hasn't it?' is getting a bit tired now. But, in a very much expected turn of events, my final semester as a third-year university student has been anything but quiet. And, towards the latter part of the term - as with pretty much everything across globe - things turned a little...abnormal. I'm now back from uni, still carrying on with my final major project, trying to pretend as much as possible that everything's absolutely 100% regular. I think in this crazy time we call lockdown, it's important to remind ourselves that there is no pressure to be productive - there's a global pandemic going on for crying out loud, the circumstances aren't exactly ideal for your best work. So, in the moments between assignment stress, tea breaks and naps, I've found some little undiscovered gems, and reignited some old hobbies, to keep myself entertained and to provide little distractions for myself. And while all this has been going down, I've really wanted to get back to blogging - and what better post to come back with? Let me spill the beans...

Lockdown has well and truly turned my brother and me into Paul and Prue. Each weekend, we've found a new recipe to butcher, but somehow, things mostly seem to turn out okay. My favourite bake so far has to be these mini egg cookies we rustled up yesterday - absolutely perfect with a cup of tea over the Easter weekend. The recipe was really simple - linked here - with the best part being the very edible left over ingredients and cookie dough. We've also tackled some delish fudgy brownies, and some chocolately flapjacks - which I think Paul Hollywood could only describe as, "a tad overbaked." Despite the occassional flop, I do find baking quite therapeutic, and it's been really fun to spend time in the kitchen with my brother, who doesn't know his whisk from his wooden spoon. It's also nice to have something to look forward to snacking on while working from home, and really lovely to be in a clean kitchen again, after some long months in student housing. 

Aside from baking, I haven't really been 'doing' much apart from uni work. But, in my down time and the evenings, a good Netflix show, podcast or album has been much appreciated. There's no real point telling you about my favourite Netflix shows of the moment, as they're probably yours too. Of course, Tiger King is up there - I binged it all in one afternoon and haven't stopped thinking about it. It's the most mad, unexpected, crazy documentary series I've ever watched - and I've seen a lot of them. I also manged to get round to finishing Sex Education, and I'm actually very angry at myself for not jumping on that bandwagon sooner. It's such a funny but poignant show, with some amazing, relatable characters and touching storylines. Next on my list are Community, the newest seasons of Brooklyn 99 and The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, and The Trials of Gabriel Hernandez. The Celebrity Stand Up to Cancer Bake Off has also been providing much entertainment on my Tuesday evenings, and my friday nights are frankly incomplete without another new episode of Friday Night Dinner. Aside from the telly, I've been watching a lot more YouTube recently - specifically Lucy Wood, and her new house/Disneyland Paris vlogs, which made me cry a lot.

I've also got into the whole podcast business quite recently, too. My time soaking up the Sicilian sun last year was mostly spent trying to stifle a giggle over Ed Gamble and James Acaster's podcast Off  Menu. It's third season is upon us, and just as funny as ever, as celebrities join the two comedians to discuss their dream menus. Anyone who loves food and comedy as much as I do is going to find a new favourite podcast in this one. In completely the opposite direction, I'm also obsessed with the true crime podcast My Favorite Murder. Yes, it has given me nightmares, and yes, I've put a sanction on how many I listen to in a row. But there's no denying what an incredible podcast it is. Somehow Georgia and Karen manage to bring a sparkle of comedy to a really dark subject matter, while still remaining completely respectful and tasteful. It can be quite hard to listen to at times, but I'm always gripped by how interesting and shocking the podcast is, hosted by two amazing and strong female presenters. Absolutely addicted. 

My podcast listening has taken over a lot of my music listening recently, but that hasn't stopped me finding some new amazing albums and artists that I just have to share with you. Firstly, I can't believe how lucky I was to go and see Half Moon Run at the Roundhouse at the end of March - I reckon it'll be the last gig I attend for a while. I haven't been to a more intimate gig like that in a long time, with my one previous being the nostalgia fest that was the Jonas Brothers at Wembley. But this gig completely revitalised my love for small gigs, and Half Moon Run themselves. Ever since the concert, I've been listening to them non-stop, especially their most recent album A Blemish in the Great Light, which includes great tracks like Razorblade, Then Again, and Favourite Boy. Some of their older songs are definitely worth your attention too, like She Wants to Know, Turn Your Love and Full Circle - bascially, their whole backcatalogue is amazing if you love slightly-heavier folk pop. 

For a quick, chilled listen, Celeste's Compilation 1.1 EP is simply gorgeous. It's beautiful, dainty jazz with flecks of RnB inflicted by features like Gotts Street Park and Jeshi - the ideal accompaniment to any working-from-home session. And if more lively pop tickles your fancy, definitely check out her single Stop This Flame, which will be added to any feel-good playlist I've ever made and ever will make.  And I couldn't make this post without talking about twenty one pilots' new 'quaratine pop' single Level of Concern. The song goes down a road less travelled for the duo with its disco influences, but still doesn't seem too out of place from their alt-pop repetoire, and shouldn't disappoint any hardcore fans. It's definintely the musical ray of sunshine we all need right now. 

Even though I said earlier that my podcast listening has overtaken my music listening recently, this definitely isn't the case when I've been working out. I know, I'm shocked it's happening too. When I'm at uni, I hardly ever do anything in the way of exercise, but at home I have the treadmill and a bit more space to do some YouTube workouts. I highly recommend PopSugar Fitness, MadFit and Chloe Ting for some circuits that will make you feel like spaghetti after doing them. Also in the YouTube realm, I've loved taking part in the live Virtual Pub Quiz every Thursday night with my family, as well as making little quizzes for my friends, which we do over a FaceTime chat every Tuesday - we've found this is such a fun way to have a call without the usual 'what've you been up to?', 'oh, same as yesterday' routine. 

We are living in such an unusual time right now, it's impossible to really stick to any kind of normalcy when the outside world is so difficult to comprehend. I hope you're all staying safe, staying healthy and staying inside - and that some of these things bringing me little bursts of joy also do the same for you.