Yesterday we walked 11km to the Tate Britain to see Chila Burman’s ‘remembering the brave new world’, before walking another 11km back home.

Daily motivation is something I’ve been struggling to find while staying so close to home for so many months, away from friends and colleagues, without the stimulation of new sights, sounds and smells, so I’ve set myself some goals to try to help with staying motivated – and one of them is to walk 100km this month.

Art is also one of the things I miss the most with lockdowns, so walking 4 hours round trip in the freezing cold for this opportunity was a no brainer. In fact, it was the highlight of my week and I’m feeling more energetic for it – a positive sign for my mental health, too. And you know what? If it weren’t for lockdown I never would have walked that far through Central London with the tube and busses *right there*, but that was also a great experience and I’d do it again.

‘remembering the brave new world’ was commissioned to coincide with Diwali in November 2020 and extended through 28 February 2021. Tate says: “It’s a celebration of new beginnings, the triumph of good over evil, light over darkness.” Which is what Diwali is all about, and an apt reminder for the rest of us struggling with yet another (very necessary) lockdown. 

Trafalgar Square is one of my favourite tourist spots in London because it always reminds me of my first trip to the National Gallery when the square was still covered in thousands (it may have been hundreds, but it felt like millions) of pigeons. If you’ve experienced it, you know how uniquely London that experience felt. Now the square is mostly pigeon-free, and because of the pandemic the square is also mostly people-free, too – which is strange to experience. And last night with temperatures below freezing, it was also my first time seeing the fountains frozen over.

During our walk home we passed through Chinatown which was decorated for the new year, The Year of the Ox. Normally during the lunar new year we visit Chinatown to celebrate, watch the parades, eat pork and custard buns from my favourite Chinatown bakery (not traditional, but I love them – and right now I miss them!), drink boba tea (which is originally from Taiwan, but they also celebrate the lunar new year and boba is delicious, so no judging!) and enjoy the atmosphere. This year was, understandably, very different. Hopefully we can get back to a sense of normalcy, safely, very soon.

How are you staying motivated during lockdown? What’s working for you?

Much love, Katie xo