Lockdown Essentials. @yourtop3 contest entry for April.

The three survival things during lockdown

The first is my lovely boy Gizmo.

We were not supposed to have a pet. Our travels around the world have meant that pets are something that we cannot always keep with us, due to embargos and such like. This then brings the heartache of having to move on and the rehoming process and the grief that it brings. But Gizmo came into our lives on the 14th September last year, the day that we were moving house. Some worried girls at my school came to tell me that there were 3 abandoned kittens in the street. I went to find them and sure enough, all 3 of them were tiny and in a bad way (they were 5 weeks old). The worst of the bunch was Gizmo. He was completely blind with an eye infection and if I had left him at that point, was undoubtedly going to be hit by a car. To cut a long story short, I took all 3 of them to a local vet, one of Jaime’s friends took the most well one, Monet, and that night Willow and Gizmo came home with me (to move house)! After a few weeks, Jaime’s other friend took Willow and just Gizmo was left. He then developed a few other medical issues to be resolved and then was due to be rehomed. The problem was, I couldn’t part with him. He brought so much laughter to us every day. He is so curious, he gets himself into so many pickles.

At Christmas all I asked for was Gizmo. Finally @cheese4ead agreed that he could stay. Being at home has given us the opportunity to all spend more time together. He is another part of the family. Not just the 3 of us, but our boy has now made us 4.

And by the way @cheese4ead is pretty fond of him!

Number 2: Terrace Furniture.

The weather was still pretty cold here in Bucharest at the start of this process, but our mild winter has meant that we are getting unusually warm days too. Luckily, we moved to this apartment in September and one of the main reasons for moving here was that it came with a lovely outdoor terrace, something our previous apartment was lacking. We never had the chance to use it properly before the winter set in.

A few weeks ago on one of those random warm days during lockdown, we had lunch on the terrace. After weeks of cold weather and being stuck in the apartment, it was a revelation. That was it, I knew what was needed for survival over the coming months. Many of you may think that Romania is a cold country, but I can assure you, that we have endless sunny days for months and months. Terrace society is alive and kicking normally in the bars and restaurants here. So, I came in, got online and ordered some terrace furniture, so that we could make use of the lovely space that we have on our terrace, again, ever mindful that we will always be moving on, so not wanting to spend a lot of money, but I am very happy with the result.

@monorosado is wanting a hammock for her birthday in a few weeks and the Easter holidays will bring with them the opportunity to plant up the pots and make the spot really nice.

Number 3: Gin and Tonic

Me and my mate, Nessy.

So what could go any better with the new furniture than my final choice - a gin and tonic! I have been sparing with them. Keeping them for the weekends as an aperitif. I love my special goldfish bowl glasses. I like my gin to have a slice of grapefruit in it and lots of ice as an accompaniment. The problem is, I have just finished one of my favourites Edinburgh Gin’s Rhubarb and Ginger. It’s ok, I have found that I can order a bottle of Whitley and Neil’s Rhubarb Gin to be delivered. It will be my Easter present to myself (@cheese4eads is hair clippers) and I will just have to make do with the normal Bulldog gin until my new bottle arrives.