LUKE MARSDEN: A lockdown of no new skills but productive DIY

I thought about my answer, but it was, regrettably, a firm “no.”

I would have loved to have said that I’m now a Jamie Oliver in the kitchen or a Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen in the living room but alas I’m not and I need to be honest with myself over the lack of skills I’ve learned.

At the height of the first lockdown, I did spend some time in my garden.

I am fortunate enough to have a decent sized one but budding gardeners will know the problem with more size is more management.

I was proud that I managed to trim my own hedges and tend to my (endless) weeds but I’m no Alan Titchmarsh and, as I write this, I’m looking out over my garden and the neighbour’s cat is walking through the weeds like he’s Shere Khan!

I did go through the banana bread-making madness that everyone with access to a camera, an oven, some black bananas and an Instagram account, seemed to go through but I got bored (as did my family) of eating it.

I haven’t seen much in the way of the return of baking during this (hopefully final) lockdown.

I haven’t been totally unproductive though. I’ve renovated my spare bedroom into an office and as previously stated in this column, I’ve even managed to do a decent job of the painting but I know people that have learned languages over the last 18 months.

That said I’ve got back into reading which I suppose is a skill in itself.

The moral of this tale, if we ever get 12 months trapped in our homes again (let’s hope we don’t) I’m going to sell my house and buy one with AstroTurf!

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