{"id":95951,"date":"2020-04-28T15:16:16","date_gmt":"2020-04-28T14:16:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/stories.qvcuk.com\/?p=95951"},"modified":"2020-04-28T15:16:16","modified_gmt":"2020-04-28T14:16:16","slug":"routine-what-routine","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/stories.qvcuk.com\/presenters\/miceal-murphy\/miceal-murphy\/routine-what-routine\/","title":{"rendered":"Routine, what routine?"},"content":{"rendered":"
How is everyone doing? Navigating the times we live in with deft precision or, like me, hopelessly adrift with no routine or sense of order? Honestly I\u2019ve tried, but it doesn\u2019t seem to be working. Things keep cropping up to throw me off my plans. My back was a big contributor to that. It\u2019s much better by the way, but I am still sitting here typing this with a back support on so it’s not totally there yet.<\/p>\n
The recovery from my back left me flat on my back in bed, or, on the sofa. So any semblance of structure or routine went out the window. Not really being able to go out either had made it tricky to get a regular routine going with exercise or shopping etc. Honestly, the less I go out the more inclined I am to think I would rather stay at home anyway.<\/p>\n
I made a start this week to try and get things back on track. I have gone out for two walks in the last week and did some supermarket shopping too. The walks have been lovely. I discovered a whole area of what I can only describe as countryside, about a 5 – 10 minute walk from my house. I have lived in my current home for about 3.5 years and honestly never knew this area of woods and fields existed!<\/p>\n
I had gotten a bit paranoid about going to my local park or walking along the tow path along the river because both of them were always so busy each time I went and people didn\u2019t seem to be observing social distancing so I stopped going. One day on my way to the park, just by chance, I walked down a road I had never walked down, partly out of curiosity and partly because it seemed like such a quiet road and there was this whole beautiful open green space revealed to me. So sometimes it pays to take a different road some days. I\u2019m loving it. There is a bluebell wood and a pasture field with horses in it, as well as a large open field full of wildlife. It is great. When you are walking near the periphery, there are roads running alongside it – we are in London after all – so you can\u2019t quite feel like you\u2019re in the countryside. When you get away from the edges, however, you could imagine you’re in the middle of the countryside. I\u2019m so grateful to have found it. It can still get a little busy at times so I am careful, but I am also incredibly happy to have found it. It only took 3.5 years! I can\u2019t quite believe that! You can see some video footage of the bluebell wood over on my Instagram page @miceal_murphy<\/p>\n
The beard of laziness continues to grow, but the more it does, the more I dislike it. The novelty is wearing off. I fear its days are numbered, despite the fact so many of you have said on social media that you like it. Still think I look scruffy with it. I guess if the hairdressers etc were still open and I could get it professionally trimmed and groomed I might feel differently about it. Watch this space.<\/p>\n\n
For those of you interested in men\u2019s grooming, we have some great pieces from some of our biggest brands available online. If someone you know is growing a beard during the lockdown, there is a beard grooming kit available from Debonair<\/a> online at a clearance price. Or maybe try the Elemis Smooth Result Shave and Beard Oil<\/a>.<\/p>\n My plan to instill some kind of routine continued at the weekend when I got stuck into getting the balcony under control. It\u2019s been so sadly neglected for the last two years (I\u2019ve had a lot going on!). My plants had died and it was all a really sorry sight. I got rid of the dead plants and cleaned up the containers. To get me started, I got a couple of dozen geraniums from my local supermarket and planted those up.<\/p>\n\n Now I\u2019m going to be ordering all sorts from QVC and if I\u2019m honest, I\u2019m impatient to get going now that I\u2019ve started. I have to say, spending a couple of hours on the balcony mooching about and listening to the radio whilst I did it was very therapeutic.<\/p>\n Richard Jackson<\/a> has some gorgeous plants he is bringing to us now on Q, including his Scented Cottage Garden young plants<\/a>, which includes gorgeous lavender and dianthus. All with gorgeous scent, and you know how much I love fragrance!<\/p>\n I\u2019m tempted by the Plants2Gardens<\/a> Garden Ready Plants Collection<\/a> and that\u2019s available in two different colour combination options. I\u2019m thinking I\u2019ll got for the Pink\/Purple option.<\/p>\n Geraniums, though, are going to be key for my sun-exposed south facing balcony. Both de Jager<\/a> and Hayloft Plants<\/a> have got geraniums available with us right now so don\u2019t miss out. The Hayloft geraniums are the Antiks tall geraniums<\/a> and will grow really tall and really strong with loads of gorgeous colour and they’re drought tolerant. The de Jager ones are the zonal mixed young plants<\/a>. So full of colour, compact and low maintenance, they flower and flower all summer long for you.<\/p>\n