What I’ve Been Loving – Lockdown Favourites

Here in the Netherlands, we entered a lockdown back in December which it seems we’ll be in for at least another month. In the spirit of focussing on the positive, today I thought I’d share some things that have helped make the past few months a bit more pleasant for me. Here’s a roundup of my lockdown favourites!

Alternative title: Harry Potter is life

The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel

Amazon Prime came to the Netherlands fairly recently, and since it’s currently the only streaming service over here that carries the Harry Potter movies, we decided to sign up back in December. I was very pleasantly surprised by everything they have in their library! Netflix always takes years to get new movie releases to NL, but Amazon had some much more recent ones I was excited to watch. We’ve slowly been making our way through all the shows and movies we’d like to see.

One show I was very excited to watch was The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, and it definitely did not disappoint. In case you’re unfamiliar with the show; it’s a comedy show set in the late 1950s, about a Jewish housewife in New York who decides to pursue a career in stand-up comedy.

I went through all three seasons in a couple of weeks. I don’t usually watch comedy shows, but I absolutely loved it. Especially now, it was such a relief to watch something lighthearted and low on drama. I’ve heard they’re currently shooting the next season and can’t wait for it to come out. Also, those costumes… Chef’s kiss.

Samsung Galaxy Watch 3

My Christmas present from Robbert this year was a smartwatch- something I’d been on the fence about buying for a while. I wasn’t sure whether getting a smartwatch would help me get rid of my phone addiction, or only make it worse. After having used it for a few weeks I can now happily say it has actually helped bring down my screen time a lot. The fact that my watch is able to receive phone calls makes me willing to leave my phone in another room, knowing I won’t miss any emergency calls. I used to always want to have it near in case of an emergency, but now I actually feel comfortable having it out of sight and reach for longer periods of time.

I have been leaving my phone in the living room when I go to sleep, which has cut my screen time both before bed and right after I wake up. The watch has an alarm function which I actually much prefer over my phone’s alarm, which is what I would use before. I like waking up much earlier than Robbert does and this watch wakes me up with just a few gentle buzzes at the wrist, no sound. It’s a very pleasant way to be woken up and allows my partner to stay asleep.

A benefit I wasn’t expecting beforehand: the activity tracker and podometer help me stay active by sending me regular reminders to keep moving. I have been going on daily walks around the neighbourhood to meet my daily step target, which has proven to be crucial for my mental health during Covid. It seems a bit silly that little numbers on a watch would motivate me so much but hey, if it works, it works!

I love how the watch does just enough to be very functional, but doesn’t offer too many options so I can’t waste time on it. There’s nothing “fun” I can do on the watch that could be a distraction, unlike my smartphone, of course. It’s been a huge help.

Harry Potter Hogwarts Mystery

Back in March 2020, when this whole thing started, I installed a mobile game on my phone for the first time in ages and instantly became hooked. Now, almost a year later, I’m still playing and greatly enjoying it. Harry Potter Hogwarts Mystery is a point and click game where you get to be a student at Hogwarts and experience school life. There’s a main story line where you look for your missing brother, but there’s so much more going on. There are lots of little side quests and seasonal events (I got to spend Christmas at the Burrow!), you follow classes, can keep magical creatures and have a Quidditch career… And the whole thing is free. There are optional in-app-purchases, but you can easily go through the whole game without making any. I’m a fourth year now, and school Quidditch champion, haha! Silly as it may seem, this game just brings me a lot of joy.

My New Sewing Machine

Another Christmas present here! My parents gifted me a beautiful Brother Innov-is sewing machine, which has made my life so much easier. This is a computerized sewing machine that has more functions than I can comprehend. It does all your basic stitches, as well as decorative embroidery and lettering. Don’t get me wrong, I still adore my vintage Lucznik machine, but this one can do everything the old one can’t. No longer having to sew buttonholes by hand and actually being able to sew different stitches has made sewing much quicker and easier, and more enjoyable.

Lego Harry Potter Games

Yes, more Harry Potter. Sorry not sorry, haha! I, like many others, find comfort in familiar things from childhood (I’ve been listening to so much 2000s pop music), and the Wizarding World is a nice and accessible one to revert to as it’s still popular and expanding. Anyways, Robbert and I have been playing through all of the Lego Harry Potter games on the Nintendo Switch and it has been so much fun. The Lego humour is spot on for me (have I ever told you how Lego Batman had me crying with laughter in the cinema within the first five minutes?) and these games are the perfect video game for me. There’s no time pressure or stress, lots of exploring to do, the gameplay is very cute and innocent. All the fun with no stress, and the cut scenes are absolutely hilarious.

Roll20

We’re not really allowed to see people over here at the moment, 1 visitor per day is the maximum allowed number. My friends and I have, however, been able to keep our weekly Dungeons & Dragons sessions going online through roll20.net. Playing online isn’t nearly as fun as playing in real life, but it’s much better than not playing at all and roll20 is pretty amazing. It has beautiful map-making options and a well functioning voice and video chat, as well as digital character sheets and even dice. It’s been a great way to stay in touch and continue meeting with friends throughout the pandemic, and I’m very happy to have it as a resource.

In times like these it’s extra important to enjoy the small things in life and be grateful for everything we have, and these things have certainly helped me with that. If you’re looking for ways to spend your time while in lockdown, I’d love to redirect you to this post where I outline lots of different things you can do for your mind, body, home and community.

Hang in there, loves!