By Alistair Robinson





1. Plants… I love looking at green stuff. Plus seeing them grow/ knowing I haven’t killed them is surprisingly rewarding
2. Trainers… if I don’t start my day with some form of exercise I definitely don’t feel as happy
3. Foam roller… because my brain still thinks I’m 21 and I will always over-do it at some point (see trainers)
4. Laptop… suddenly this is waaaaay more than a work tool, it’s the gateway to friends and family
5. Beans and grinder… because coffee
6. Tahini… I have become mildly obsessed with making hummus
7. Tools... small DIY jobs have progressed to big DIY jobs and, somewhere along the way, I realised that I’m able to do more than I originally thought (thanks YouTube). Loving the feeling of empowerment as much the slow and steady approach of working with my hands
8. Wine… or beer, I’m not fussy
9. Baking… It’s my other half who’s doing the baking, I’m just the willing recipient
10. Healthy food… Coz apparently you can’t just eat and drink whatever you want
11. Bicycle pump (actually my bike but I couldn’t fit that in)… pure escapism! Cycling London’s traffic-free streets in the early days of lockdown was joyful and surreal in equal measure. Hoping that post-Covid sees us all use cars a little less
12. Mindfulness book… lying awake with racing mind ‪at 4am sucks. This and the Headspace app are incredibly helpful. I haven’t quite made mediation a proper habit but I’m doing it more than before. And it’s all about the journey. Right?
13. Remote control/ Netflix… Because sometimes you have to switch off (or binge watch Bake Off)
14. Neighbours… Possibly the best thing to come out of all of this has been getting to know our neighbours better… seeing people in the street and actually stopping (at a safe distance) to say hello has made us love our little corner of London a bit more.