15 Hobbies you can take up in isolation
Reading: Pick up those books you have always wanted to read but never had time.
Exercise: Even though gyms are closed, Australians are still allowed to be outdoors.
Baking: Who doesn't love fresh-baked bread or cakes?
Writing: Jot your daily thoughts in an app on your phone.
Gardening: There's nothing more satisfying than growing something from nothing.
Coding: Any type of hobby that lets you build something is a hobby worth having
Play an instrument: YouTube tutorials can help you learn how to play.
Pickling and canning: Buy whatever produce is on sale and learn how to preserve it.
Learn a new language: Although we cannot currently travel to another country, why not bring a little more culture to your life.
Meditation: Life is hectic at the moment. Take a timeout by practicing mindful stillness through meditation.
Restoring furniture: If you love working with your hands, restoration could be up your alley.
Learning magic: Learn sleight of hand or card tricks with YouTube tutorials.
Water colour painting: Get a palette of decent water colours at the craft store and let your imagination wander.
Podcasting: Build your own fan base by hosting a podcast on any topic you know about.
Yoga: Yoga is a great way to stretch, strengthen your muscles and forget about your problems.
Take advantage of virtual tours/experiences from home
National Gallery of Victoria virtual tour: https://www.ngv.vic.gov.au/virtual-tours/
Australian National Portrait Gallery tours: https://www.portrait.gov.au/calendar/virtual-tour
Royal Agricultural Society Museum: https://www.rasv.com.au/virtual-museum/
Melbourne Zoo: https://www.zoo.org.au/animals-at-home/
State Library of Victoria: ebooks: https://www.slv.vic.gov.au/search-discover/free-journals-databases-and-ebooks/ebookshelf
ACMI Virtual Cinematheque: https://www.acmi.net.au/events/melbourne-cinematheque/
Vue de Monde master classes: https://www.vuetoyou.com.au/
Melbourne Museum: https://museumsvictoria.com.au/melbournemuseum/at-home/
Isolation recipe websites
https://qz.com/1818155/three-recipes-to-help-with-coronavirus-self-isolation/
https://www.sbs.com.au/food/article/2020/03/20/world-cooking-get-through-coronavirus-isolation
https://www.coles.com.au/inspireandcreate/quickandeasy
How to make bread at home
https://www.taste.com.au/baking/articles/how-to-make-bread/3823cvla
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VrUdtzXquWk
https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/videos/techniques/how-make-bread
https://anitalianinmykitchen.com/no-yeast-bread/
1 Coronation Street, UK, since 1960
2 General Hospital, USA, since 1963
3 Days of Our Lives, USA, since 1965
4 Emmerdale, UK, since 1972
5 The Young and the Restless, USA, since 1973
6 Neighbours, Australia, since 1985
7 Dynasty, USA, since 1981
8 Home and Away, Australia, since 1988
9 A Country Practice, Australia, since 1981
10 Prisoner, Australia, since 1979
Here are 20 podcasts to help you get through the COVID-19 pandemic.
1. ABC Radio: Conversations
2. The Joe Rogan Experience
3. TED Talks Daily
4. Stuff You Should Know
5. Casefile True Crime
6. The Teacher’s Pet
7. Hamish & Andy
8. Kate, Tim, & Marty
9. Hack (triple j)
10. The Daily (The New York Times)
11. Australian True Crime
12. My Favourite Murder
13. Global News Podcast
14. Oprah’s Super Soul Conversations
15. My Dad Wrote a Porno
16. This American Life
17. All In the Mind (ABC)
18. The Gary Vee Audio Experience
19. Freakonomics Radio
20. Serial
Inspiring COVID-19 playlists
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/28g6ZTZUWRm6IeSckAkh9o?-=
https://theindustryobserver.thebrag.com/apple-music-launches-isolation-friendly-playlists/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CHdubrcvml8
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jpVzQ0VspeA
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/37i9dQZF1DX91wPVdp6ygD
1. Complete a puzzle: The more pieces the better. Or try a Rubik's Cube or a crossword.
2. Start a journal or blog. Maybe it could be about a specific interest like chess or food.
3. If it doesn’t bother the neighbours, get out that old instrument and practice.
4. Write poetry. Maybe a haiku for Mother's Day.
6. Watch all the really long movies you’ve avoided until now.
7. Download an app and teach yourself a foreign language.
8. Write letters to family and friends.
9. Watch the films that won Oscars for best picture.
10. Put on a soap opera, mute the sound and create your own dialogue.
Do use the hand sanitiser when arriving and leaving
Do practise social distancing in stores
Do wipe down and rinse your groceries at home
Don’t use glove or wipes on the trolley
Don’t chat to others in the checkout queue
Don’t bring kids into the supermarket
Don’t use home delivery unless you are at risk
Great plague reading
The Plague, by Albert Camus
Camus reminds us that even in the most difficult situations there is respite with yourself.
Year of Wonders, by Geraldine Brooks
The story of a young maidservant trying to survive the black death in a tiny English village in 1666.
The Decameron, by Boccaccio
Seven women and three men, retreat to a villa outside Florence to avoid the black plague pandemic. There, isolated for two weeks, they pass the time by telling each other stories.
Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Brontë
Jane Eyre survives an epidemic at a girls’ boarding school. Seeing greed and incompetence at work shapes her character.
My Side of the Mountain, by Jean Craighead George
Classic children’s book from 1959 tells the story of a boy who runs away from home and learns how to live alone in the wilderness.
The Doomsday Book, by Connie Willis
A time-traveling history research group at Oxford University is sent on an expedition to the Middle-Ages and ends up in the middle of the Black Death.
The Great Believers, by Rebecca Makkai
A novel about the long consequences of trauma and loss, set among a group of gay friends in Chicago during the AIDS epidemic.
Ten fun things to do in isolation
1. Complete a puzzle: The more pieces the better. Or try a Rubik's Cube or a crossword.
2. Start a journal or blog. Maybe it could be about a specific interest like chess or food.
3. If it doesn’t bother the neighbours, get out that old instrument and practice.
4. Write poetry. Maybe a haiku for Mother's Day.
6. Watch all the really long movies you’ve avoided until now.
7. Download an app and teach yourself a foreign language.
8. Write letters to family and friends.
9. Watch the films that won Oscars for best picture.
10. Put on a soap opera, mute the sound and create your own dialogue.
COVID-19 and kids
Many parents are looking for advice about how to best support their children to cope with the coronavirus pandemic. With the situation rapidly changing, frequent news of people becoming unwell, and many children unable to continue with their normal activities, it is a very unsettling time for families. The Royal Children’s Hospital has some great advice for parents:
1. Talk about coronavirus with your children
2. Be open and honest, but age-appropriate
3. Stay positive and hopeful
4. Limit information children get through the media
5. Focus on the things children can control
6. Stick to routines where possible
7. Show your children that you are calm
8. Look out for signs of anxiety or stress in your children
9. Look after yourself too
See more here: https://www.rch.org.au/kidsinfo/fact_sheets/Supporting_children_and_young_people_to_cope_with_the_coronavirus_COVID-19_pandemic/
Best podcasts to pass the time
Here are 20 podcasts to help you get through the COVID-19 pandemic.
1. ABC Radio: Conversations
2. The Joe Rogan Experience
3. TED Talks Daily
4. Stuff You Should Know
5. Casefile True Crime
6. The Teacher’s Pet
7. Hamish & Andy
8. Kate, Tim, & Marty
9. Hack (triple j)
10. The Daily (The New York Times)
11. Australian True Crime
12. My Favourite Murder
13. Global News Podcast
14. Oprah’s Super Soul Conversations
15. My Dad Wrote a Porno
16. This American Life
17. All In the Mind (ABC)
18. The Gary Vee Audio Experience
19. Freakonomics Radio
20. Serial
Gallipoli
1981, starring Mel Gibson. Peter Weir’s movie provides a faithful portrayal of the lead-up to the battle on April 25.
Water Diviner
2014, starring Russell Crowe. Joshua Connor's three sons are presumed dead in the Battle of Gallipoli. After his wife commits suicide, Connor goes to Turkey to find the bodies of his three sons to bury them with their mother.
The Light Horsemen
1987, starring Jon Blake and Peter Phelps. The story of the famous World War I light horse regiment at the Battle of Beersheeba in 1917.
Beneath Hill 60
2010, starring Brendan Cowell. The film tells the story of the 1st Australian Tunnelling Company’s efforts in mining underneath Hill 60 in the Ypres Salient on the Western Front.
The Bridge on the River Kwai
1857, starring William Holden and Ale Guinness. The film depicts the slave labour condition allied prisoners of war endured building the infamous Burma Railway in WWII.