quarantine life – Tango's Baking

It feel almost so surreal that many months have passed since the beginning of the pandemic. As lockdown begins to ease all over the country, I finally picked up the courage to go travelling again after months of staying firmly indoor. As much as I am excited to be out of London again, I am also telling myself to be extra cautious along the journey. Anyway, it was still exciting to be out on an adventure again! ❤️

After a 3 and a half hours train journey (face mask on throughout 😷), I arrived at Exeter just around lunchtime. My hotel is very conveniently just right opposite the train station, so I was able to drop my luggage off in the room and then headed out to the city centre.

I chose to have my lunch at Eat the Bird Exeter after seeing it being recommended online. (Plus, I was oddly craving for a fried chicken burger! 😂) I like the idea of ticking off the orders on the menu (reminds me of how we always used to do that in Chinese dim sum places haha.) It was nice to see how many restaurants are taking very nice approaches in dealing with the Covid-19 situation (such as staff wearing masks/visors and asking customers to leaving names and phone numbers to allow contact trace in the event of an outbreak), which really assures me and made me feel at ease about being outside. The food certainly didn’t disappoint! 😋 I ordered their Double Dip fried chicken burger which was drenched in a rich gravy – absolutely love the crispness of the chicken! ❤️ But, for me, the highlight was that delicious mac and cheese (especially when drizzled with that spicy hot buffalo sauce! Yum! 😍🤤)

After a very filling lunch, it was time for me to explore the city. 🏃‍♂️ But the first bump hit quick when I discovered the iconic Underground Passages (the place I was most looking forward to visiting) was indefinitely closed due to the pandemic. 😢

Nevertheless, my exploration of the city continued… 😅

Exeter Cathedral – the place is only opened to service today so will be back here again tomorrow

Perfect dessert after my lunch 💛 – until a seagull flew straight into it when I was about halfway through… 💔💔

There are a lot of ruins dotted around the city – it’s so fascinating

Northernhay Gardens – FYI the seagull sitting at the top is not part of the memorial 😂

After a brief nap back in the hotel, I visited the beautiful Exeter Quayside in the evening to finish the day. ❤️

Walking into the sunset 🌅 with another ice cream in hand

As Peter Pan once asked, ‘Would you like an adventure now, or shall we have our tea first?’☕️ I certainly like to explore new places, but obviously with the coronavirus pandemic, things have to be put on hold. With the extension of the lockdown announced (which I very much approve of), I do wonder how long it will take for the days to go back to ‘normal’ again? As much as I want to go back outside, I do find it surprising and also upsetting that a handful of people are still ignoring the social distancing guidelines and going out regardless.😕 I appreciate that many are struggling with their mental health at the moment. For me, keeping myself busy with things I enjoy and taking time to relax is the best way to stay sane in these difficult times.

I remember, when I was a child, I used to be able to play games and reenact many ‘little adventures’ with the toys that I had – could literally do that for hours until I was all tired out! 😂 So sometimes I wonder what has changed for me as an adult? Have I become more of a realist, more materialistic, or just simply lacking in imagination? I guess it is true what people say– when you are younger, happiness was such a simple thing. I always say as a person grows, you learn. However, maybe this is something adult me can learn from my childhood self. Life can certainly be very simple but happy at the same time.❤️

Since last week, I have been taking part in the Lockdown Bake Club event on Instagram, which is overseen by Bake Off star Briony Williams. (I really encourage for you all to go and check it out there!☺️ Jt was just so much fun! And to see my painting cake unexpectedly ended up winning was a happy surprise. Not that I am showing off haha…!😂) This week’s theme was biscuit building. To be honest, anything such construction-based is really out of my comfort zone. However, feeling a bit inspired by my ‘little adventure’ thoughts, I thought I will give it a go. (I was also running kind of low on ingredients, so I decided to take a more monochromatic approach.) The biscuits I used were shortbreads and decorated with buttercream, icing and colours.

Given biscuit building is not my strength, I was quite pleased about how it turned out. 😂 If you are interested, go and check out #lockdownbakeclub on Instagram! There are so many beautiful bakes there that are blowing my mind! ❤️❤️

Tag: quarantine life

Day 1 in Exeter: A New Outlook After Lockdown

Would You Like an Adventure Now? 🐶