buckets of rain and nothing to do

For those of us living in the beautiful tropics, one thing is inevitable – it’s going to rain at some stage during the summer months and sometimes for days and days non-stop. Boredom kicks in and you find yourself watching mind numbing television or become hooked on video games. I’ve fallen victim to both.

I’ve asked around and found out what different people like to do to keep themselves occupied other than the above. Reading of course, is a favourite past-time for many people. If you are anything like my dear Mother-in-Law and I, you may have one or 15 jigsaw puzzles to get through. Adele suggested craft related- crochet, knitting, embroidery or a mini spa day at home. Elizabeth likes to keep herself occupied with cooking and Lawrie plays musical instruments to pass the time. Crosswords is a favourite of Cait’s and Fiona came up with this great idea below:

Free Form Embroidery
Start off with a blank linen in a hoop and then just stitch whatever comes into your head. No pattern. Like doodling but with needle and thread. It’s interesting what you come up with when you are freed from counting stitches and patterns.
Fiona

Why not take this time to organise those photographs stored in the trunk, or perhaps start a scrapbook about your child, your grandchild or best friend. I made scrapbooks years ago of my daughter’s birthday cards given to her over the years. It’s something that your child or even you will take pleasure in looking back at these memories. I have recently taken an interest again in miniatures (rooms). I am currently working on a mini library and a mini outdoor garden. My husband calls them “Gabi’s projects”, but during these rainy lockdowns, this is the perfect time to dust these off and continue with them.

If you have paints hidden away, pull them out, dust off a canvas and find your inner Gaugin. Perhaps, you have a candle making kit tucked away in the back of the cupboard. This is the time to get creative. I like to work on many “to-do-lists”, and this would be the perfect time to commence your 2023 ones.

Pull out your cookbooks and a pack of sticky notes. Mark the pages of all the recipes you are going to create in the new year. One of those “to-do-lists” could be a list of all friends you are going to make a concerted effort to catch up with. Clean out your pantry or your bathroom cabinet. Yes, it may sound like a chore, but you may find some wonderful gems hidden away.

For bored children, why not create a carboard house? Grab your old magazines and cut out rooms and paste them onto a large piece of cardboard (a kitchen, a lounge room – you get the idea). Then cut out figures of people to make up the families living in these homes. It’s cheap and it’s free! It’s a wonderful way for them to use their imagination and when they get tired of it, you can recycle it.

There’s a myriad of things that you could find to pass the time, other than the TV box. But if you are still not convinced, go on, pour yourself a big glass of wine, grab that popcorn and settle in for an afternoon of Netflix bingeing. But the main thing is to enjoy the very thing you wish to do.

Stay dry (on the outside at least) – wink !

With Love,

Gabi xxx