It’s been almost six months since the last time I ventured out of the country, and as such, I’ve been missing travel immensely. Especially the freedom of being able to drive more than five miles away from my house, which I haven’t been able to do since December.

But thankfully, that’s where the JING Virtual Tea Flight comes in.

The Tea Flight is a one-to-one (or one-to-six, depending on how many people you are taking with you) virtual masterclass, where you are able to taste a selection of absolutely delicious teas whilst your guide fills you in on all of the cultures and stories associated with them. You are sent a glass sand timer, a one-cup tea-iere, and a Classic Tea Explorer set with 10 bags of loose leaf tea to use during the session, which are ideal for brewing the perfect JING tea.

JING was founded by a lad called Ed Eisler, who started up the business after coming to realise that the connection between tea drinkers and origin had gotten completely lost. He saw that tea had such a strong connection within other cultures, and yet in the West it had been almost demoted to a kitchen cupboard commodity.

As such, he decided to start up JING, a new tea business that would bring fulfilling tea drinking experiences to people around the world. With a strong focus on high-quality, single-origin teas that are skilfully grown in unique environments by people who are incredibly passionate about what they do, it’s no wonder that their brews taste so dang good.

In this tea flight, I tried the Jade Sword organic green tea from Baotian Garden, Hunan, the Tie Guan Yin oolong (Iron Buddha) from Dazhai Garden, Fujian, and the Jasmine Silver Needle white tea from Yinpan Garden, Yunnan. The tea box came with one more bag of each of these teas, along with two bags each of a delicious loose leaf Earl Grey and Assam. They were all, of course, absolutely gorgeous.

I was taken through the flight by tea guide Will, who was super nice and taught me so much about tea. Along with telling me about the people who had lovingly handcrafted the teas we were drinking, he also showed photographs of the farmers, the terroir, and the leaves both before and after processing. He talked me through tasting, smelling, and inspecting the leaves, so that I could appreciate the flavours to their fullest and acknowledge how the leaves grew and changed during the process.

It was such a fun method of brewing the teas, with the glass sand timer ensuring that they were brewed to perfection, and the tea-iere giving me the opportunity to watch the leaves change as they unfurled – something I had never seen before! It was crazy to see just how much they all opened up in the tea-iere, the oolong especially, which filled nearly half of the glass.

Whilst we were sipping the tea, he told me about the importance of the water quality used to brew the tea, and that the hard water of cities such as London can have a detrimental effect on the flavour. Perhaps that explained why I never had a good brew at home in London – but then again, perhaps it was simply because I hadn’t yet tried JING.

I learnt how to better pronounce the name of the oolong Tieguanyin, the incredible work that goes into infusing the white tea with the jasmine, and the fact that silver needle is covered in trichomes (the tiny hairs) to protect it from bugs. Who knew!

It was such a cool experience to be able to ‘travel’ and still explore during this time. The tea flight took me to the beautiful tea gardens of Asia, sipping single-origin tea as I learnt more about the story of each one.

Cultivar – Qunti Zhong

Harvested – Spring

Oxidation level – 0%

Preparation method – 3tsp of leaves per cup, water brewed at 80°C, steeped for 3 minutes

Appearance – Medium-dark green leaves, looks almost like samphire. Becomes a golden yellow liquid when brewed.

Smell – The smell completely blew me away, it was so gorgeous! Grassy, fresh, fragrant, dewy.

Taste – Tasted exactly like early morning spring. Fresh, sweet, very nice and fragrant. Such a beautiful tea to begin with.

Aftertaste – Mellow, light, fresh.

Overall thought – During this tasting, Will showed me the exact garden that the leaves were picked from. In one of the photographs, the garden is covered in a pale white mist – which makes sense, considering the altitude of 800m. But I didn’t know that the mist actually helps to protect the tea from the harmful UV rays, rendering the sweet and succulent flavour that lacks bitterness and boldness.

He told me about the fact that the garden that this tea was grown on had actually been abandoned for many years, before being revived in 2007 by the tea master, Zhou Wei. He has been producing organic tea ever since, working with the local ethnic minority people and building a community. It’s an incredible tea, and Zhou Wei’s hard work and dedication is clear in the beautiful flavour profile.

Tea garden – Dazhai Garden, Fujian, China

Cultivar – Tie Guan Yin

Harvested – Spring/Autumn

Oxidation level – 20%

Preparation method – 2tsp of leaves per cup, water brewed at 100°C, steeped for 3 minutes

Appearance – Green-blue tightly rolled balls, open up to fill half the tea-iere after three minutes of brewing. Becomes a light green liquid.

Smell – Floral, light, fresh

Taste – Delicate and light, creamy, floral. Hands down the best oolong I have ever had.

Aftertaste – Creamy, almost nutty.

Overall thought – Hand-rolled and hand-fired, these little balls are filled with the most divine flavours.

During this tasting, Will told me about the story behind Tie Guan Yin, commonly translated as Iron Buddha. It is said that there was once a peasant farmer in China’s Anxi County who worked day in, day out, in order to produce for his family – but it was never enough. Then, one day, he stumbled upon a temple with a dishevelled iron statue of Guan Yin, the revered Bodhisattva of compassion. He cared for the shrine, cleaning it and returning it to its former glory, and eventually he was awarded with a small tea plant. He took care of it and it grew, big enough to care for him, his family, and his community.

Tea garden – Yinpan Garden, Yunnan, China

Cultivar – Yun Kang

Harvested – Spring

Oxidation level – 10%

Preparation method – 3tsp of leaves per cup, water brewed at 80°C, steeped for 3 minutes

Appearance – Long, white buds with teeny tiny hairs on them, the liquid becomes a pale yellow colour.

Smell – Divine! Fresh and light, with floral undertones.

Taste – Very delicate, the complete opposite of heavy full-bodied teas. Mellow and floral. And, of course, the sweetest jasmine!

Aftertaste – The aftertaste was actually stronger than the initial taste, with a sweetness that coats the tongue.

Overall thought – Will told me in detail about the processing methods involved in this tea, and oh man, there’s a lot that went on in these little buds! The youngest, sweetest buds are plucked whole and dried slowly during the spring season.

In summer, the tea is then carefully transported to the neighbouring Guangxi province. There, they are laid with a bed of fresh jasmine flowers for five consecutive nights, letting the scent of the sweet jasmine flowers infuse completely into the tea leaves. The flowers are then removed – all of them by hand! Considering that for every one kilo of tea, ten kilos of jasmine flowers are added, you can only imagine the incredible amount of work that has gone into every single cup!

I learnt so much about my favourite plant and the wonderful areas and stories it hails from during this tea tasting, and had a lot of fun. The JING Virtual Tea Flight was such an awesome experience, and a great way to explore – and taste – the wonders of the world whilst still at home.

Have you guys been on the JING Virtual Tea Flight yet? Or do you plan on doing so soon? Let me know in the comments below!

BUT BEFORE YOU DO – WHY NOT SHARE THE LOVE AND PIN THIS POST!

I went into it – perhaps a little naively – believing that this would be the year I embarked on my dream career, maybe buying a house or two as I went along, with my first novel ready for publication at the end of December. Well, how wrong I was!

Personally, 2020 was the messiest year I’ve ever had – and yet, it really wasn’t too bad in the grand scheme of things. My friends and family are healthy, I’ve gained a new appreciation for the art of stillness, and I’ve had time to really figure out who I want to be. Not all too bad, considering the apocalypse.

As such, I’ve decided to do a little reflection post on one of the weirdest and most confusing years of my life, thinking back on the good things that a year of isolation and barricades has granted.

Without further ado, here’s (almost) 20 things that 2020 gave me.

STARTED UP MY OWN TEA BUSINESS*

*Almost!

The first thing on this list is probably one of the biggest things, as it includes a whole business plan I wasn’t expecting to start working on until I was about thirty years old.

My girlfriend and I spent the majority of this year researching how exactly we could start up our own tea business, how we could possibly begin to tackle such a big challenge, and what sort of products we would want to put out into the world. This means that hopefully, it will come into being – at least small scale – by mid-2021.

We spent most of lockdown undertaking tea qualifications and attending online tea and business talks – along with drinking over 250 different types of tea within the span of about nine months. Hopefully, it will all come together nicely, and then we can share our delicious products with you!

GRATEFUL FOR MORE TIME TO PLAN MY DOCUMENTARIES

Not only have I been able to spend more time bouncing ideas off of my favourite explorers and documentary makers about the Walking Wales Expedition, but I have also been able to invest more time into my big doc, which we will hopefully start shooting next September.

The idea of the feature will be focused around the lives of several First Nations groups in western Canada, who are currently undergoing tremendous levels of resurgence and resistance in regards to culture, language, and politics. I will go out to British Columbia for several months, learning as much as I can and bringing their stories to UK audiences.

The documentary was postponed due to Covid, which gives me a whole year longer to create deeper, more meaningful connections with the participants, and a wider timeline to sort out the itinerary, the costs, the storyline, and all of the other million little bits that go along with organising a whole documentary.

It’s going to be great, and I’ll let you guys know more about it as the time nears.

FALLEN IN LOVE WITH SKATING

I used to be such a big fan of rollerskating when I was younger, and never went very long without indulging in the sport. Saying this though, since I was about 15 I hadn’t really skated – which was such a shame as I used to be so good at it! So this year just after lockdown, I dusted off my old boots and took them to the concrete skatepark near my house, and my passion was refuelled!

My girlfriend and I would take it in turns to use this one pair of broken boots, slowly gathering confidence and skill as the sun would rise each morning. And then my first pair of Moxi’s arrived and I was able to go harder and faster and more serious, and now I can’t go a single day without posting a new trick on my skating Instagram.

The sport has given me so much – increased fitness, a reason to get up early and get stuff done, cool skatepark friends, an outlet to release negative energy – and I couldn’t have spent the past year doing a better activity.

TIME TO FIGURE OUT WHAT I WANT TO ACHIEVE

2020 gave me a LOT of time to plan out my future goals, and visualise where I want to be in however many years time. I have pretty much sorted out the whole entire floor plan for my future house, and narrowed down the countries I would like to live in to sixteen.

I have had time to figure out exactly where I aspire to be when I turn 25 – which is undertaking my first BIG expedition (even though I still have no coherent idea as to what that could be).

My girlfriend and I painted our vision boards this spring, surrounded by pu’erh tea and good records, planning out what we want to achieve in our lives. Some of the top things that I spent time manifesting were owning a tea business (woohoo!), writing for Nat Geo, travelling to the Empty Quarter, securing a train company sponsorship, maintaining a good health, having a novel I’ve written on the funky tables you get when you enter Waterstones, and getting a Guinness World Record.

I think there are worse goals to dream about!

PICKED UP A WHOLE LOTTA NEW SKILLS

Whilst a good majority of the skills I have spent time *perfecting* are pretty pointless, some I think are pretty cool. These are as follows (you can decide for yourself whether they’re useful or pointless):

• How to play chess to an okay standard. It’s still likely that I will lose to anyone I play against, but at least I understand the rules!
• How to do a handstand (against a wall, but still, baby steps)
• How to pronounce Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch
• What all of the different zodiacs mean, and the difference between rising, moon, and sun signs
• The different stages of the moon, and how these can effect mood and behaviour
• The complete lyrics to Un Amigo Fiel, the Latino version of Aladdin’s Friend Like Me
• The great (and not-so-great) explorers and exactly what they achieved, to a pretty good detail
• What stands for good country music and bad country music (the leader of the former is Buddy Brown, of course)
• The spelling difference between desert and dessert
• How to edit videos (albeit not very well)

REALISED JUST HOW MUCH I LOVE AND VALUE FRIENDS AND FAMILY

Being able to spend quality time with the people you love can only be a blessing, and I for one was able to learn so much from the people around me and get to understand them on a level I felt we maybe hadn’t quite reached before.

My girlfriend and I celebrated a whole year together, and were still able to have a great anniversary despite all of the hurdles that were thrown at us. We had some of the cutest dates, went into scandalous little businesses together, travelled across Europe for several months, and baked some of the best food ever. It was pretty sweet.

BECAME OPEN WITH MY SEXUALITY

As it happens, I’d gone on telling people that I was bisexual since I was about 15, and yet I never really had any evidence to back it up. But then in 2019 I realised that this label wasn’t quite right despite really being the only one that fit, and then in 2020 I learnt how to use my words and vocalise who I am and what I believe in.

This was further reinforced when I lived with the most homophobic Brummie lady in existence for a week over in Lombardy, who only cemented my ideas about myself. As it happens, she was the worst person I have ever met in my entire existence – I promise to tell you all about it next month! – and that only made it all clearer to me.

WRITTEN NEARLY 30K OF MY NOVEL

I know it doesn’t sound awfully impressive when I write about 2k a day for this blog or other blog-related duties, but considering I’ve had writer’s block with that particular manuscript (and all other novel ideas) for the past couple years, I think it’s marvellous that I was finally able to get my ideas out.

Thorough planning was my unexpected knight in armour, as for the first time since conceptualising the piece, I was able to actually visualise the characters and come to grips with exactly who and what I wanted to portray in my book. My initial goal was to write 1k a day starting from the end of lockdown, which should have put me at around 200k…but we move on.

TAKEN MY HEALTH INTO MY HANDS

With almost zero parties going on, and little desire to have alcohol and food products I know I’m intolerant to, this year has meant that I have really avoided temptation and been able to look after my own health pretty well.

I have been able to truly listen to my body and understands its needs, and from that, I have come out a healthier, more physically aware person – even if the lack of a gym means that I’m not quite as beefy as I would like to be.

MANY BREAKDOWNS LED TO MANY BREAKTHROUGHS

2020 gave me a LOT of time for self-reflection, which wasn’t always positively enlightening, I’ll be honest with you. I had so many existential crises about ageing, the concept of death, the idea that I had no future, feeling lost and depressed and isolated, and my worsening anxiety (to the point where I couldn’t even introduce myself on a Zoom call due to a lack fo social interaction and an unnecessary amount of pressure put on myself).

It’s been a hard year and I’m still working through a lot of these things, but I have definitely come to learn more about myself, who I want to be, and my whole opinion on the meaning of life through it.

COOKED MORE THAN EVER BEFORE

I’m going to be honest and say that it’s partly because of my food-orientated girlfriend – but I promise that sometimes I did do more than just trail after her in the kitchen. I assisted in baking fish cakes, handmade tagliatelli, a wide array of breads, and more sweet things than I can possibly keep count of. It’s been a very well-fed year.

Alternatively, I’ve also cooked some pretty disgusting things. Green pancakes, watery rice krispies, paella with old and tasteless seafood… but it is all experience, right?

(Although I’m not sure my flatmates would have seen it that way…)

LEARNT SO MUCH ABOUT THE WORLD OF TEA

So much in fact, that I was actually able to start up my own tea course!

I like to think that I was pretty well versed in the world of tea before, dedicating so much of my time to attending tea ceremonies and tea talks and trying as many variants of the beautiful plant as possible, but this year I have really had the opportunity (and time…) to dedicate myself to learning. My studies have covered pretty much all areas surrounding the history of the camellia sinensis plant, the incredible cultures that drink from it, and what unami actually is.

Being hands-on and learning how to work the leaves and spices myself, and then forming that into many different flavour combinations of my own meant that I have gotten an insight into the world of tea that I doubt I would have gotten otherwise.

MY SPANISH GOT SLIIIIGHTLY BETTER

I’ll be honest and say that it hasn’t improved as much as it could have – but spending some time as a goat farmer in Spain meant that I was exposed to words I’d never tried wrapping my tongue around before. With extra time to study the language, I tried translating parts of several books – and whilst this isn’t an activity that I do everyday, every little counts.

Right?

GOT BACK INTO MY UKE

Whilst I didn’t record any new songs or do anything particularly jazzy, I was able to dust off my beloved ukulele and get back into the game. I re-awakened my fingers to a whole bunch of chords I was never really expertly adapt at playing before, and recorded a couple of old songs for friends and family.

Hopefully in the future I would be able to switch out the uke for a banjo, and join an old-time country band to tour across the Bible Belt.

DID MY FIRST EVER DOCUMENTARY INTERVIEW

I realised at some point during the first lockdown that I’ve pretty much planned my whole life around the idea that I want to host my own documentaries (along with other things), and yet hadn’t actually had any experience with doing so. As such, I started planning a bunch of little interviews in Wales, and had my first last month!

This first interview was with a really cool guy called Ben Gwalchmai who supports independence for Wales (and who wouldn’t?), in order to learn more about his values and mission. It went pretty well, and made me feel as though maybe I can actually host documentaries myself.

Over the next few months (COVID willing), I want to meet with a whole bunch of incredible people across Wales. There’s a psychic, a fisherman, a caver, and a handful of old Miss Wales winners, along with many more. All of that time spent binge-watching documentaries in lockdown has really come in handy!

INTERVIEWED A WHOLE BUNCH OF ROLE MODELS

One of the best things that came out of this year has to be the fact that I was able to have a bunch of conversations with some of the most influential travellers and documentary hosts out there. I was able to learn even more about how exactly to run an interview and how to stage it all – along with learning how to actually work Zoom.

I feel as though a certain type of confidence is built when you learn how to initiate a functioning conversation with the people that instil you with inspiration – and I’m kind of glad that we had to stay home for so long, as I doubt they would have had the time for me otherwise!

Some of my favourite people that I was able to talk with this year include Karl Pilkington, Vedangi Kulkarni, Liv Arnesen, Darius Arya, Ash Bhardwaj, and Mark Beaumont. I also have some pretty cool talks with people like Charlet Duboc and Chris Bonington hopefully coming about in the new year!

PUBLISHED COOL ARTICLES WITH SOME GREAT OUTLETS

I also received my highest paying commission ever, which was unexpected! I wrote so many articles for the New Welsh Review, I did a piece for Buzzfeed, and I was lucky enough to find myself published in Hidden Europe. I’ll link it when it’s out.

Along with that, I did a whole lot of smaller pieces for blogs and websites across the globe. Whilst a good handful of them only got about five views maximum, it felt good to be able to pour so much of myself into my writing and have other writers appreciate it.

I found myself on the Europe Diaries, Jessie on a Journey, Mapping Megan, Voyager for Life, and Sick Chirpse, along with so many more.

FINISHED MY DEGREE

Of course, this one kinda just happened by default – but I’m pretty chuffed with it anyway! I finished a banging dissertation and got a 1st Honours Bachelor’s Degree for it, which I’d been hoping for ever since I had started uni.

That still didn’t help me when applying for over 200 jobs during a pandemic as a post-grad though. Ouch.

READ APPROXIMATELY 42 BOOKS

I know, I know, it’s kind of pathetic considering most of this year has been spent in lockdown, but I never realised how many books I consume when travelling and flitting between places and transport.

Still, I feel as though 42 isn’t too bad a number, especially considering the fact that around half of them were freebies in exchange for my writing of detailed book reviews. I read some really cool books this year, with my favourites being:

• The Worrier’s Guide to the End of the World by Torre DeRoche
• Tazmamart by Aziz BineBine
• Hitchhiking the Silk Road by Levison Wood
• The Great Railway Bazaar by the man, the legend, Paul Theroux
• The Kon-Tiki Expedition by Thor Heyerdahl
• Tough Women Adventure Stories by Jenny Tough
• Arabian Sands by Wilfred Thesiger
• The Librarian by Salley Vickers
• Expeditions Unpacked by Ed Stafford
• Stranger to the Desert by Dorothy Ross
• The Lost City of Z by David Grann
• Secret Britain by Mary Ann Ochota
• The Last Giants again by Levison Wood

Have you guys ever read any of these ones before?

And so, that pretty much sums up 2020! I can’t say that it was an awful year as my loved ones are all safe and well and nothing drastically horrendous happened to me, but it has certainly had its up and downs.

A plus side of that is that really, it can only get better!

Let me know in the comments below how 2020 treated you!

BUT BEFORE YOU DO – WHY NOT SHARE THE LOVE AND PIN THIS POST?!

One good thing that has come out of this is that we now have SO MUCH time to focus on ourselves and the things we love. I have spent so much time learning to paint, journalling, deepening my love for tea, and studying great explorers – and that’s just the beginning. Throughout this post I talk about some of my favourite items that have made me feel a lil’ happier during this time, in the hope that they may do the same to you.

And so, without further ado, here are my top things to spoil yourself with during the quarantine.

BEAUTIFUL LAVA BRACELETS

Last year, when I was living in Canada, I came across a type of bracelet that I had rarely seen elsewhere – bracelets made of lava beads. I immediately fell in love with the concept and have wanted one ever since – which is where Molavaco comes in.

Whilst scouring Etsy for some pre-quarantine self-gifts, I came across these beautiful surfer bracelets which are made with lava stone and natural gemstones. Jared, the owner of Molavaco, then set me a set of two bracelets – and honestly, I fell in love with them immediately. One is slightly bigger and comes with a Magnesite stone in the middle, which is said to instil peace in times of meditation. The stone ‘enhances visualisation, promotes new ideas, and brings a calming effect to emotions.’ Now, during a worldwide pandemic, what could be better?

The smaller one is made entirely from Tiger Eye and Lava Stone, with the former helping to focus the mind and resolve issues unclouded by emotions. It is said that it is particularly useful for healing illnesses and dispelling fear. The lava stones, which also make up the majority of the bigger bracelet, are solidified from molten lava and are said to help with grounding yourself and offering stability. These both came in a drawstring canvas bag, which drew the whole thing together nicely.

I have worn the magnesite bracelet everyday since receiving it, and have given the tiger eye bracelet to my girlfriend because her wrist was looking particularly empty. I have re-visited the Etsy shop approximately 400 times since receiving these bracelets, and am considering ordering a bunch more for both my flatmates and myself, so that they can understand what all the fuss is about, and I can stack more bracelets on my wrist in official surfer style.

Jared says on the website that they ‘hope [these bracelets] bring a little luck and zen to your life. Inspired by my daughter, every stacked bracelet is crafted to explore new boundaries and to live your own lifestyle. From the beach to the mountains, these bracelets can be worn anywhere life brings you.’ I for one plan on taking these bracelets with me everywhere I go, once quarantine is lifted.

This is quite possibly one of my favourite shops ever, as everything is made with so much love and passion. The bracelets are absolutely beautiful and the owner of the shop is the friendliest person ever and always ready to answer any questions. I cannot recommend them enough. Some of my other favourites from their Etsy store are their Tibetan agate bracelets and the cracked orange agate bracelets – perfect for brightening up a dark quarantine day, don’t you think?

BEAUTIFUL HANDMADE PENS

These absolutely breathtaking pens are easily some of the most beautiful items I have ever received. I was sent this set of three from Corby Bender, a talented Omaha artist who works with a variety of media including acrylics, resin, inks, and wood. He is such a cool guy and was super helpful in explaining to me his processes when I wanted to know more about them.

Basically, the gorgeous orange and red pen was made with a casting resin called Alumilite. Corby mixed this with a couple different colours from mica powder, which he then poured into a mould and let cure for a few days until it had formed a very hard chunk of resin. From there, he drilled out two pieces of it to fit the inner tubes for the pen parts, and then put the pieces on his lathe to use a carbine tool to turn the blanks at a high speed. He then finished it up with a wet polishing process, which makes the pen shiny and glass-like and wonderful.

The brown pen was made in a similar way to this, with the only difference being that this is a piece of solid walnut wood. To turn this one, he used a mixture of boiled linseed oil, shellac, and denatured alcohol which he applied before turning it at a high speed. This brings out the natural beauty and grain of the wood. Once that dried, he then applied several layers of CA, a superglue-like substance that adds a shiny and durable coating to the pen so it should not crack if accidentally dropped. He finished it up with the same nine-step wet sanding pad process used in the first pen to remove as many ‘wrinkles’ caused by applying the CA as possible. By the time it was finished, it had a beautiful and smooth, shiny, and hard finish.

Finally, the middle pen! This beauty is what’s called a ‘hybrid pen’, as the blank that makes up the body was cast using both resins (like the first pen) and wood (like the third). Oil was applied to the wood to help bring out the colours of the grain and once it had soaked in, Corby again used the nine-step polishing process. CA was applied for shininess and durability. This was paired up with pen parts that allow the two-piece system to work. The cap includes the clip portion and decorative centre band while the nib is a fountain pen nib. If you untwist the front from the body, you’ll find inside a plastic cartridge that ‘snaps’ into place to hold the ink. This cartridge is replaceable and universal in size so you should be able to find replacements almost anywhere that sells pens. This pen is different from the others as it is a two-part construction. You can screw the cap onto the back, or ‘post’ it when writing and when you’re done, you can screw the cap onto the front nib area to keep the writing nib protected and avoid the ink from drying out. It’s pretty cool.

These pens came in a gorgeous little pouch which Corby had applied oils to to soften it and add a little bit of an ‘old world’ feel. It all comes together to create a gorgeous set of pens which I am completely in love with, and I cannot recommend Corby Bender Art enough.

Perfect for writing letters to people during this global pandemic, eh?

ADORABLE LITTLE BEE NECKLACE

There’s actually a funny story behind this gorgeous little bee necklace, which I completely fell in love with after glimpsing it on Etsy. It was coming up to Christmas, and I wanted nothing more than to treat my girlfriend to a bag full of things that she would truly love. And so I chose some books and some spices – and then this beautiful little necklace to really top it all off.

In the build up to Christmas, my girlfriend made a throwaway comment about how much she loved big, bulky biker jewellery, and was planning on indulging in some new heavy-set rings. I felt my heart drop, because here I had wrapped up this delicate little necklace, hoping that she may love it just as much as I did. But I decided not to say anything, and instead just waited it out until the end of the season.

I then went away to Morocco for a bit to explore some of its cities, and when I returned, I found that she had bought a bee necklace for herself – but one that was nowhere near as delicate and beautiful as this one. Begrudgingly, I handed her the presents, and when she opened the one containing this necklace, she immediately took off her old necklace and replaced it with this one. All the waiting and over-thinking had paid off – she LOVED it.

The necklace is made with sterling silver, and the charm is about 14mm wide. It’s beautifully detailed, and is produced by Emma, the friendly and helpful owner behind the Dainty Toch Etsy store. For the past five months, I have been staring at the little bee necklace around my girlfriend’s neck, and I love how much she adores it. I genuinely think that it was one of the best gifts I have given – and think that it is the perfect little present to cheer someone up during this quarantine.

Looking back at Emma’s site, I’m seeing more and more necklaces that I want to purchase for people. There’s a gorgeous little dinosaur necklace, a beautiful little dragon necklace, an intricate circle. Honestly, I could easily spend the rest of the quarantine stalking her shop and going through everything. This necklace has certainly helped to spread a little Christmas cheer around this dreary time.

GREEN HAND-BOUND NOTEBOOK

This is easily one of the most beautiful notebooks I have in my collection, and I’ve been using it religiously to scribble down notes on teas as I venture into becoming a tea connoisseur (because what other passions is a travel-sick tea lover supposed to take up?). The cover is a gorgeous green woven cloth, with an exposed spine created by the ‘link stitch’ method, and it feels so good to be able to lay a book out flat without having to crack the spine or ruin the binding. The paper is both 100% recycled and also of a very high quality, and thick enough to stop even the most impertinent of ink from bleeding through.

I received this notebook from the Hello Florrie store on Etsy – one of my favourites for wonderful hand-stitched self-gifts. Each notebook is entirely unique and made with love, and have intriguing textures that you just love to fondle in public. I really like the rustic style of the repurposed fabric and contrasted linen for the spine – and can’t help but notice that the colours all come together to form the colour wheel basis of the Welsh flag!

If you want to take up a writing passion of your own during this quarantine, then I really think that this is a brilliant choice. The notebook is gorgeous, the creator is the nicest woman EVER, and the paper is perfect for writing down your desired tea-orientated career change notes. What else could you need?

EXPLORERS’ LEATHER SATCHEL

One thing that I have always, always wanted to own is a gorgeous leather satchel, just like the ones explorers wear in old adventure movies – and I’ve finally found one. Whilst I’m not filling mine with a rusty compass and an old Aztec knife, I still feel as though it helps me play the part of ‘inundated explorer lost during the quarantine.’

I received my satchel from Urban Duck, a gorgeous Etsy store that showcases the most divine bags, all made from 100% leather. They each have their own characteristics, with small natural marks or scars from animals who brushed a little to close to a fence, and I truly admire the fact that each bag has its own story to tell.

The bag arrived with a little note on how to take care of it so that it stays as high quality for as long as possible, and the team is always at the other end of a computer to talk and discuss ideas for your perfect bag. The quality of the satchel is amazing, and it manages to fit both my Macbook and several little notebooks, with the leather being strong enough to hold all of my psuedo-explorer gear wherever I go.

I genuinely think that this is one of the most beautiful things that I have ever owned, and I shall be sure to cherish it for as long as possible. The colour is a gorgeous rich British royal green, and I have received several compliments on it on my one-walk-a-day during the Welsh lockdown. I am in awe of it, and cannot recommend it enough.

BEAUTIFUL LIL’ TIN OF TEA

Anyone that knows me (or, you know, reads the blog) knows just how much I love my tea. I have spent such a big portion of my quarantine time reading up on tea, watching documentaries on tea, and attending online courses on tea, and honestly the more I learn the more interested I become.

In order to help fuel my new tea addiction, I started looking around Etsy to see what sort of tea-related products they had to offer – and came across this super cool tin of sample tea from Marvling Bros Ltd. The collection is full of my favourite types of teas – from senchas to Darjeelings, white teas to Lapsang Souchongs – along with offering teas that I had never tried before, such as Keemun black. This box features the most well-known teas from China and India, and is perfect for tea fanatics and sommeliers alike.

Inside of the tin is a guide for brewing the tea, with methods for brewing water at different temperatures when you don’t own a thermometer. It also comes with filters, which I was inexplicably about as it meant that I could blend my first ever teas. Can you imagine me, an amateur tea sommelier, BLENDING my VERY OWN TEA? I spent the first hour after receiving it making different cups of tea for everyone in my house, and it was pretty entertaining.

There are enough of each tea to make two or three cups, infusing several times before they lose flavour. All of the tea is sourced according to the Ethical Tea Partnership regulations, and the tea filters are all unbleached – and quite honestly, there’s not a single thing that I don’t like about the box.

If you’re looking for something that keeps you entertained whilst also being delicious, then this is it. Marvling Bros Ltd also sells a bunch of other goodies such as Welsh happy birthday matchboxes and cross stitch kits, and I honestly love every last kitsch thing that they offer.

WATERDROP WATER BOTTLE AND LITTLE FLAVOUR CUBES

I’m going to be honest with you – this absolutely massive water bottle is one of my new favourite things and I have taken it out on every single one-walk-a-day during quarantine, receiving endless compliments from it. It’s a gorgeous teal colour and, whilst heavy, is a pretty stylish way to drink the age-long beverage. The 1l stainless steel bottle is very good at insulating and can keep the drinks ice-cold for up to 24 hours – perfect for lounging about in the garden during the quarantine, if you ask me.

As for the little taster Microdrinks that I received from Waterdrop – they have been perfect for both drinking water absentmindedly, effortlessly increasing my daily water intake, and also for being a delicious mixer for alcohol. Several weeks ago, it was my flatmate’s birthday – but as we were all in isolation, we had to stay in with a few drinks to celebrate. I tried the ‘relax’ cube in some water and mixed it with my chosen alcohol, and honestly, it was delicious. Not only did it taste good, but as it was filled with vitamins and fruit extracts, I felt great the next day.

I have been going through the Microdrinks very quickly, and whilst it’s still a bit of a strange concept, I’m already pretty drawn to them. These little cubes are filled with fruit and plant extracts, and you simply add them to water to make the magic come alive. I love drinking water anyway, but this helps to make it a little more fun and exciting – along with adding things like açaí, vitamin c, riboflavin and biotin to my drink. It’s a lot of fun.

CUTE LIL’ COMPASS NECKLACE

I am starting this post off with one of my favourite items in the world ever – this beautiful little compass necklace. I received this sterling silver piece from Diamond Rose Jewellery, a lovely Etsy shop which features the most stunning pieces. They sell beautiful, intricate little travel items, and I fell in love with them all deeply. When looking through the shop to see which piece I would love to treat myself with, I first had to narrow it down to 20-items-I-cannot-live-without. Then, slowly but surely, I made it down to 15. From there, I had no clue.

Eventually, I settled upon this compass necklace, and have worn it every single day since receiving it – making sure to take it off when I bathe, avoid getting perfume near it, and overall just being very careful when taking care of it because I want it to last as long as possible. It’s the perfect size and I love glimpsing it in photographs or in the mirror – it’s great for taking my mind off the quarantine, instead allowing my mind to drift somewhere new and adventurous and warm.

One of my favourite memories from my childhood was going on a road trip with my parents, where on one occasion my father bought me a little plastic compass. I was still a pretty small child and had no idea as to how it even worked, but after trying it out on the way home, relished the responsibility and the olde-world allure. That tiny talisman began to spark a travel lust that would last for decades. Now, whenever I look at this necklace, I am reminded of where I came from and where I hope to eventually be – it makes me feel very optimistic.

Diamond Rose Jewellery has many variations of this particular necklace – some of them offer little gemstones, some have the initial engravings with tiny dates on them, some come with coordinates. There are also different greeting cards that fit inside the box, so that when you open it, you are welcomed with ADVENTURE AWAITS YOU or HAPPY BIRTHDAY or a piece about your birthstone.

I was super excited to receive this piece, and loved the little starry bag and box that it came in. I’m considering purchasing two others with slight variations so that I can give them to my two friends that I’m self-isolating with, as the gift bag is truly lovely and I genuinely believe that it would really brighten their day during this time. It’s a really thoughtful way to remind someone how much you appreciate them. Plus, if you use the code AMY15 at checkout, you’ll get an extra 15% off!

BOMBAY HAND-STITCHED NOTEBOOKS

Have you ever purchased a notebook that you were absolutely in love with, only to get home and find that you have severe writers block because nothing feels worthy of dirtying up the pages? Well, that’s exactly how I felt with these two notebooks. Initially, they felt a bit too beautiful for me to mess up with my right-handed scrawl, but once I got over it, I started to fill them with ideas for new adventures, novels, documentaries, parties – and now I think that they look even better for it.

They are exactly the sort of notebook that I would expect someone like Levison Wood or Reza Pakravan to carry around on their adventurers, and I love flashing them about in public. I received two notebooks – one larger one, with a blue gem in the middle of the leather, and a smaller one, with a gorgeous metal clasp.

I received my books from Brighton Bombay, a gorgeous little Etsy shop that is run from a multi-generational family in Rajasthan, India. These notebooks are fair trade and eco-friendly, tanned using natural dyes. You can see just how much love was put into these notebooks, as they are made with such perfection and skill, and an admirable attention to detail.

The pages in the notebooks are divine, made from recycled, unbleached cotton, as this is a by-product of the garment industry in Jaipur. The paper is chemical free and thick, making it perfect for writing and sketching without the ink bleeding onto the next page. The paper has a certain alluring texture to it, making it both look and feel beautiful.

Each journal is unique and made with so much love, and I know that I shall cherish mine for as long as possible. I plan on taking mine on my expeditions across the globe, and will absolutely relish every second of writing in them. Brighton Bombay also makes a truly stunning array of other items, such as photo albums, purses, cushions, and quilts – and it is no exaggeration to say that I love every one of their products. I plan on plotting more ideas for future trips in these notebooks, sat in the sun in my very tiny garden and drinking tea, pouring my words into these books for however long quarantine is set to last – and then for however long following.

A lot of people are seeing this time as a bad thing, as penance. I think that a lot of us don’t realise just how lucky we are to have this time to really get back in touch with ourselves and the things we love. Besides, we’re in a lockdown, why not treat yourself?

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The UK is predicted to be around three weeks behind Italy in terms of severity, and only two weeks behind France – which is probably why the British government has only just announced that we should all be staying indoors.

Due to the fact that I have Crohn’s Disease, an autoimmune disease, I have had to self-isolate for the past four days as the Coronavirus has made its way to the county of Ceredigion. My immune system simply would not be able to fight against a virus like this taking root inside my body, so I have had to cut off pretty much all social interactions for now. Every single one of my social events for the next few months have been cancelled, so it’s a pretty weird time to be a third year university student. At this point, it’s unlikely we will be getting a graduation ceremony.

I am staying at my girlfriend’s house for the time being, as it is has a large sun window overlooking the ocean, less people coming in and out, and is fully stocked with all of my food. I will be laying low for the next few weeks, monitoring the situation across the country and trying to shield myself from the Coronavirus.

This self-isolation has meant that I have had a lot of time to really focus on things I’ve been putting off. I’m reading a bunch of travel books that I hadn’t found the time to read, writing articles for local magazines (since all of my NWR cultural correspondent duties have been cancelled for the meanwhile), cooking an unholy amount of pasta, watching Love is Blind (I’m disgusted, too) on Netflix, and trying to finalise publishing the first issue of a new local magazine. I’ve been doing yoga and painting-by-numbers, and spending time with the love of my life. At this point, there really is nothing left to do but breathe and stay calm.

Personally, I’m trying to focus on the positive news in the world – such as wildlife returning to cities that have been ruined by humans, little acts of kindness that people are doing for one another, and the fact that air pollution in China has dropped by 30%. The world seems to be healing, even if humans are not.

I had only decided to write this post about 40 minutes ago, as many of you were asking about how it was affecting myself and my country. There has only been a handful of cases in Wales at this moment, but that number is expected to grow for the next month or so. So far, there has only been one local fatality.

Ultimately, the answer to the earlier question is that travel bloggers are staying home with their families during the quarantine, eating food, watching movies, scribbling notes, listening and learning. I feel as though this is a truly strange time in history, and we should really be spending our time trying to do whatever good we can, in whichever ways we can.

I hope that you are all keeping safe, and are feeling well during this pandemic. I love you all endlessly.

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