Times are tough right now. As well as the ongoing societal problem of systematic and systemic racism against black people across the world, the Coronavirus pandemic continues. With many of us still abiding by lockdown restrictions, travelling has been severely disrupted.  You may have had a holiday planned that’s been cancelled or postponed. You might have planned to take a quick trip away to escape the hustle and bustle of life. You probably planned a staycation to get away from your hometown for a short while. Regardless of your travel plans, it’s annoying to have to put things on hold. 

It’s hot. There I said it. It really crept up on us. We were given rain and storms before a heatwave no one saw coming. I’m the first to burn too. I’ll step outside and within 10 minutes, I’m a rosy hue. This list is as much for me as it is you and I’m excited about it, let me tell you. 

You've binge-watched Normal People, developed a mild case of repetitive strain injury from swiping left on boys who are 'just looking for a quarantine buddy ;)' and Love Island 2020 (much like my own love life) is cancelled.   If you're a hopeless romantic like myself and need your fix of summer lovin' in the absence of skin-tight white jeans peacocking around a firepit (I mock, but I've never missed an episode), then pick up a love story.   

Life is still a little on the crazy side right now… I mean, if you’d have asked me back in January what I thought I’d achieve this year, you can bet your bottom dollar I wouldn’t have said building a loungewear collection and not leaving my house for months, other than to go food shopping and walk the dog. No socialising… no holidays… not going into work…  Life has literally been flipped upside down for a lot of people and now more than ever, it’s important to look after our mental health and wellbeing. Spending most of your time alone, or with the same few people in your household can also be hard, especially if you’re a natural social butterfly.