With love, in the time of corona - issue 3

April 2020

WITH LOVE, IN THE TIME OF CORONA

What frightening times we are all going through. As many have said before; "in adversity, so much good also comes."

I think we have all been bowled over by the acts of kindness shown by so many, how communities have come together and the fact that we are all appreciating the little things in life more.

I wanted to give you an April update including where Aspiga is, and a few ideas to keep you going while we are all in lockdown/self-isolation.

It is business as usual for us, although this is a very difficult time as it couldn’t have come at the worst time of the year with such high stock levels. There has been a lot in the press about large companies cancelling big orders, we are trying to work with all of our suppliers to ensure we are all get through this period, and paying our Kenyan artisans in advance to ensure their staff are ok.

I also wanted to remind people we are not just a beachwear/holiday brand. We have lots of wonderful casual (sustainable) and stylish shirts (perfect for a Zoom catch up or business calls) and day wear and linen which are perfect for the spring and summer.

We want to say a big thank you to all NHS workers: our heroes, including all those working on the front line; the cleaners and support staff that are ensuring hospitals can carry on.

We will also be sending out digital brochures every few weeks, so you can put your feet up, grab a cuppa and enjoy.

Keeping Safe and Healthy

We are all doing our bit and staying indoors, but are we also looking after our health? At the moment I am kick starting my day with an Aloe Vera Shot (by Pukka) or Symprove (for good gut bacterial health) and then for breakfast I have some blueberries, seeds and yoghurt followed by the following vitamins: Vitamin C, Zinc and B Complex (and in the evening I take Magnesium and Vitamin D).

Then mid-morning I have a ginger shot (see recipe below) or beetroot, celery and ginger. Along with all of this I am loving experimenting with more veggie meals. I am no nutritionist, but I definitely feel stronger and more able to cope through this stressful period.

Ginger Shot Recipe:
Ingredients
300g (10 1/2 oz.) of ginger
1 sliced lemon
3-4 lemons
1 tbsp of honey
1 small tea bag

Juice the 3-4 lemons and set aside. Peel and slice the ginger into small pieces. Boil the ginger and sliced lemon in 1.5 litres (6 1/3 cups) of water for 30-45 minutes with the lid on. Turn off the heat and add the tea bag, the honey, and lemon juice. Leave to rest for 30 minutes before straining it to remove the sliced ginger and lemons. Pour yourself a small glass and store in the fridge, the concoction should be good for a week!

Exercise: I am loving all the free online yoga, pilates, meditation and exercise classes going on (although I haven’t managed to do as many as I would like!) with my favourite being @nathalie.clough on Instagram.

Please do follow us: On Instagram and Facebook, @aspigalondon, where we will continue to share things we love including good reads and recipes which come from our Aspiga Loves Blog on our website.

Virtual activities: Did you know so many wonderful tourist attractions, theatres and museums are doing virtual tours. Click here to see a link of attractions around the world to visit from the comforts of our home while we self-isolate.

Help for vulnerable people in isolation on how to use their iPhone and iPad's: For those of you who have loved ones who aren't brilliant on their iPhones or iPads 'GET CONNECTED' is a brilliant FREE service, that friends of ours have just set up. It empowers people who’ve lived happily for years without technology. They provide a short, 40-minute video, broken into 5 digestible chapters. This helps them learn how to use Facetime, place online orders and access the latest health information. It also teaches them how to access entertainment such as gardening tutorials, exercise classes, reading, scrabble and bridge.

They suggest you send it to someone and then you, a child or grandchild, becomes their “tech buddie” who then will call them, on a land line to go through one of the short videos helping them out to ensure they understand it all.

To view the whole video in one go please click the link:

https://boldnewworld.co.uk/get-connected/.

Enjoy today’s lovely weather. Stay close to home, stay safe and stay in touch (by sharing some of your ideas that are helping you get through self-isolation) and thank you for your continued support, it means a lot to me.

Love Lucy