How to spend the weekend at home when you were meant to be travelling

Step 1: Reel in shock. Mourn the change of plans. Have a long shower, wallow in trakkies, order in take out. Paesano pizza is a firm favourite for cheering us up. 

Step 2: Cancel the plans. Get refunds where possible, notify your Airbnb hosts, have lovely conversations with people who are willing to help. Feel exhausted and headachey.

Step 3: Turn mundane things into fun things. Pick things you want to cook or bake (Portugeuse custard tarts, banana and date bread), things you want to do or finish (books, board games, watch some movies in honour of Halloween), and make meals special - put on your fancy frocks, remind yourself how to tie a tie, and dish out the take away onto plates.

Step 4: Mark it off as another chapter of 2020: The Year That Covid Took.