Welcome back to the ramblings of a madman! No seriously thanks for taking the time to read my first blog and then taking the time to read the second part here! Times are strange in the world still. New Zealand is still in stage 4 lockdown which means you can basically do nothing. A lot of other countries are following the same advice and it seems to be working. The rate at which this virus is being spread (in NZ anyway) is definitely slowing. Anyway you catch me in my second week of lockdown and things are pretty much the same. I’m writing this at the end of the week before posting this and I can feel the madness creeping in. So that’s something to look forward to next week! Join me now as I get on with daily life, draw pictures, exercise, talk to friends and more importantly watch Marvel movies.

Day 8 – Penne Pasta with a vegetable tomato sauce (are you surprised?)

The washed walnuts

Rest day. Get up. Shower. Call Ulrike. Call Mum, Dad and Lauren. Worked out how to do group calls. Time for work. Mum seems a lot better. Just bored. All the drying bins are full. So I test the moisture levels. Empty 2 bins by hand in to storage bins. And prepare for the next round of cleaning. Lunch time. I bike to the shop to get some groceries. It’s weird seeing people. Everyone acts like they are scared of each other. I complete my board. Paint. Read in the sun. Go for a walk. I’m finding it hard to fill the time. Dinner. Leftovers. I watch Rick and Morty. Time for a film after finishing week 1 of this blog. Thor the dark Thor. Bed

Film – Thor: The Dark World. The 3rd best Thor. It’s alright but I wouldn’t say you have to watch it.
Music – Bon Iver – Skinny love
Podcast – Do Go On Ep 136 Che Guevara and 129 The Silent Gibbons Twins

Day 9 – Pumpkin Soup, Cheese and nibbles

I wake up. It’s dark. Push ups. Sit ups. Burpees. I write a list of friends I want to call. I run. 6km. I realise it’s been 2 years since I left my ex. A huge part of my life ended 2 years ago. I’m not sure how I feel. My foot still hurts a little so I don’t push myself. Maybe I should go back to running every other day. Breakfast. Tea. I call mum and dad. They seem good. If I run every other day I will have more time to call friends in Europe. People seem to like this blog. That makes me feel better. I was meant to see Frank Turner last night. And I was going to photograph the gig. He’s doing a livestream today. Maybe I can watch it later with Kiana and pretend like we were there. I need to start work. I think I’m getting a stye on my right eye. Need more sleep. I go to work. I update my diary. Though there’s not much to report. I call Kiana. We draw/paint together, listen to Frank Turner and talk. It’s nice. Back to work quickly to prepare for tomorrow. Back to my goals for today. Sitting in the sun reading is my new favourite hobby. I don’t want my book to end. StuffNZ Travel feature one of my photos on instagram. I start watching the Winter Soldier. Dinner with my Aunt, Uncle and Cousin. Finish watching Winter Soldier. Bed.

Film – Captain America: The Winter Soldier. Probably my favourite MCU film. It’s just incredible. It contains one of my favourite fight scenes. The one in the elevator, you know the one I mean.
Music – Frank Turner – I knew Purfrock Before He Got Famous
Podcast – Do Go On Ep 128 The Death of Carl McCunn and 127 Escape from Colditz Castle

Day 10 – Veg Stir fry with satay sauce (yum)

My eye feels better today. It’s dark. Outside, not my eye. I message some friends back in the UK. I get up. Exercise. Shower. Make tea. Call Mum and Dad. Call Lauren. Make more tea. Have breakfast. Brush my teeth. Off to work with the walnuts. Listen to Do Go On again. I might try audiobooks. Lunch. I draw a picture which actually makes me chuckle aloud. More tea. Guitar lesson. There are fantails outside. One of my favourite NZ birds. I test the moisture levels of the walnuts. They aren’t ready yet. I read. Cook dinner. Watch more Rick and Morty. Wash up. More tea. Watch Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 1. Eat chocolate. I think I drank a lot of tea today. I’m so tired. More tea. Time for bed.

Film – Guardians of the Galaxy Volume 1. I am Groot. I AM Groot. I aaam Groot. I am Groot
Music – Frank Turner – Four Simple Words
Podcast – Do Go On Ep 232 The Eccentricities of Howard Hughes and Do Go D&D Character Creations

Day 11 – Veg Stir fry again (still yummy)

I sleep well. My eye feels better today. Thijs is waiting for me. We go for a run together. 15km. My feet hurt. I can’t keep up. Shower. Breakfast. Call Mum. She seems much better. Off to the Walnuts. I feel faint. A combination of the run, sun and lack of water. I stop for lunch. Sit in the sun with my family. I’m finding it hard to concentrate. Guitar lesson. Damn that F chord. Need tea and water. Start work on today’s drawing. It doesn’t turn out exactly right but I like it. People seem to like it. Sitting in the sun reading I almost forget the world. I start watching Avengers. Pause to make dinner. Watch Avengers whilst eating. Saga calls. I haven’t spoken to her in ages. It’s nice to chat. Back to the Avengers. I call Paige and we watch an episode of You on Netflix simultaneously. Time for bed. I feel exhausted.

Film – Avengers: Age of Ultron. Better than I remember. Some good jokes and fun action sequences. One in particular goes on far too long though.
Music – Billie Marten – Out of the black
Podcast – Do Go On Ep 124 Isaac Newton and Ep 123 The Gun Powder Plot

Day 12 – Pasta with Mushrooms and Sun dried tomato Pesto

I laugh out loud to a stupid Facebook video. Is this how it starts? Get up. Exercise. Call Mum, Dad and Lauren. Have a good chat. Call Lauren D in the US. Catch up. Off to work. Fill a bin of walnuts. Listening to Do Go On definitely helps pass the time. Lunch. A salad wrap, two rice crackers and two plums. Call Ollie and catch up. I miss hanging out with him. Trying to get ideas for my next picture. More exercise. I draw and paint a VW combi for an old work colleague. The more I look at it the more I like it. I practice guitar. I finish my book. Dark Matter by Blake Crouch. I didn’t want it to end. I highly recommend this book. A good mix of Sci-fi and thriller. I need to find a new book. Carice and Peter call me and Carice fills me in with what she has been up to. She’s been scootering, drawing, looking after her baby sister and racing ping pong balls. I miss hanging out with her, Jess and Peter. What should I have for dinner? Pasta or rice. I think I will have tea while I decide. I might need to order more tea. I have pasta for dinner and watch Ant-man

Film – Ant-man. Some awesome moments in this film. Overall it’s pretty entertaining but I wonder what it would have been like in Edgar Wright had been able to finish his vision for it.
Music – The Darkness – Friday Night
Podcast – Do Go On Ep 120 The Hindenburg Disaster and 10 Cremation, Burial or Other

Day 13 – Leftover pasta. More pasta.

I get up. Exercise routine. Run. My body is exhausted. I need to add more protein to my diet. I’m getting more annoyed with little things. My speaker isn’t working properly, neither are my headphones. I need to make a new list. Add fixing them to my list. I shower. Have breakfast. Call mum and dad. I realise I haven’t washed my hair in a while. Off to work. It’s sunny. Lunch time. I boil some eggs to add to my salad wrap. Hopefully that will help with my energy. I’m low on groceries. I cycle to the shop. How did I just spend $140! Why do I always spend so much money on food? Back home. Time for tea and a guitar lesson. I paint a picture but I’m not happy with it. I’m not in the best mood. StuffNZ features one of my photos on their website. I’m struggling today. Might be loneliness I think. I make a new friend. I find a hedgehog in the garden. Captain America: Civil War helps. Another great film in the Marvel slate. Dinner. Leftovers. I spend so much time eating pasta. I call Jess. Haven’t spoken to her in over a year. It’s nice, just like old times. Back to the film. Time for bed

Film – Captain America: Civil War. Another great Captain America film. Spider-man is introduced to the MCU which still gives me goosebumps
Music – The Smashing Pumpkins – Tonight, Tonight
Podcast – The Weekly Planet Ep 329 New Marvel Dates & Harry Potter 5 & 6 and Do Go On Ep 9 The Sydney Olympics Opening Ceremony

Day 14 – Coconut and Lime Salmon with stir fry veg served with rice. (I know, fancy)

I lay in bed longer than I should. Push ups. Sit ups. Burpees. I wash my bed sheets. Shower. Hang the bed sheets. Phone mum and dad. Watch Peter McKinnon on YouTube whilst eating breakfast. Brush teeth. Time for work. It’s nice and sunny. Lunchtime. I think the boiled eggs are helping my energy levels. I decide to have another go at my painting idea from yesterday. It turns out better, much better. I show Paige. She likes it. Time for guitar. Strumming patterns are way too hard. I’m getting the hang of chords though. Back to helping Nelson with the walnuts. Just enough time to sit and read in the sun. I wish they had comfy places to sit in this garden. Then it would be perfect. I’m reading another book by the Dark Matter author. Fingers crossed its good. Back inside and I start thinking about dinner. First it’s time to pick a classic album to listen to. We are Scientists – With Love and Squalor takes my fancy. Such a good debut album. Did I mention I’m doing this. Well I am. Somedays. When I remember. Salmon for dinner I think. Treat yo self. I make my bed before dinner. Dinner is so good. I bought some salmon. That was a great idea even if it was expensive. I listen to Arctic Monkeys AM album. I love music. Doctor Strange is the Marvel film tonight. I finish this blog. Then bed

Film – Doctor Strange. This is what I imagine taking LCD would be like. Some really trippy stuff in this film.
Music – Arctic Monkeys – Mad Sounds
Podcast – Do Go On Ep 8 Santa Claus (An origin story) and Ep 7 Apollo 11: Moon Landing