I suspect I’m not alone in hitting a bit of a slump over the past week or so. I think it finally hit me that whatever the government does – and who trusts their advice now, if they ever did, seeing as it seems to be based purely on arse-covering and self-interest? – the likeihood is things won’t change for a while. Part of the reason I moved where I did was because, while there isn’t really anything nearby,  it was so easy to get to places on public transport – which seems less of a bonus when the idea of public transport isn’t appealing! So realistically I’m not likely to be doing much, or seeing anyone, for a while – and I admit that hit me quite hard. And many of the things I normally use to distract myself – reading, writing, TV – I’m finding it increasingly hard to settle to.

One thing I am finding useful is my rediscovered love for cross stitch. In part this is because I am so bad at it I have to concentrate – a moment’s thought elsewhere and I’ve messed up the pattern! So I’ve really enjoyed these two kits by local Etsy seller Innocent Bones (it’s nice that I get to indulge my hobbies and small businesses!) (I’d include a link but for some weird reason my Etsy keeps setting to New Zealand, so rather than mess up your settings I’ll let you find it yourself.

Obviously I am also aware there are far bigger and more important things going on in the world right now, and if you want to try cross stitch and donate to a worthy cause, CussStitching in Minnesota is selling patterns to support the protests in Minneapolis. You can find them on Etsy and on Instagram (@dirtycussstitch) – they sell a range of great patterns, including the eternal wisdom “You miss 100% of the Nazis you don’t punch”. Once I graduate to being able to do patterns without a full kit I am definitely going to do some shopping from them!

A number of other small businesses and sellers are donating profits to BLM causes so it’s worth checking your favourite sellers (particularly on Insta, as people tend to update that more regularly) to see if you can support both small businesses and good causes, though of course there are plenty of ways to donate direct to organisations doing good on-the-ground work.

I donated to the Minnesota Freedom Fund, but they have apparently now been so inundated they are asking people to donate elsewhere to ensure a broad spectrum of support – so why not spend a few minutes online and find a cause that resonates and chuck in a few quid? Even tiny donations – my own wasn’t large, since I’m not working much at the moment – can add up to real change, and God knows, that is long overdue.