Many of us are appreciating nature in a new way at the moment and not just enjoying the green we might see on our daily exercise but wanting to grow more plants in our homes and gardens. We might not be able to pop to a garden centre for supplies but there are lots of inventive and fun ideas out there to reuse what we have around the house.

On a purely practical note you can make little planters for your seeds with newspaper or loo rolls, and you can pot them on into tin cans or containers made from milk bottles (these also make great watering cans). I've found tin cans a good option as they can sit or hang, inside or out, and if you have time and would enjoy it there are lots of possibilities for decoration! I also love to find more quirky items to use as planters – shoes are a classic but old furniture, kid's toys, or any number of kitchen items can all work really well too!

If you do have a place to plant straight into the ground (and if like me you're still learning which plant is which!) you can also make yourself plant markers from all sorts including corks, wooden spoons, metal spoons, stones, and, my favourite... sticks – I made these for the allotment a couple of years ago and they're still going strong.

I don't know if you can relate to this but on my brief trips out to the shops I've found myself feeling very aware of the objects I'm touching, each one potentially transmitting a virus to or from me. It's made me appreciate being home and enjoying the freedom of engaging with my things in a simpler way. Also the greater challenge of getting hold of items has made me more grateful for what I already have. So I've decided to take time to fix and mend some of the many broken things around our house…

I often find it hard to figure out the best materials and techniques to use so I try to give myself a chunk of time, get out all I might need and work through items one after another, often building up a bit of experience and confidence as I go. We might take a moment while mending to be thankful for not just our possessions but also the ability we have to work with our hands, the skills we have and the people who taught them to us... as well as those who have repaired things for us over the years! 

You could also make this feel less like a job and more like fun by putting on some music, watching a relaxing or relevant programme (I'm not great at mending clothes but am watching 'The Great British Sewing Bee' and using the time to sew along too!) or working alongside someone else, whether in person or by video. I love a programme called 'The Repair Shop' where experts use traditional skills to repair precious objects – it's amazing to see incredible craftspeople at work but what I find most moving are people's stories of how the object came to be important to them. Perhaps we could use this time to share our stories and appreciate the history and meaning that our special things hold too.

It might seem disrespectful to talk about partying when so many are feeling sad and fearful but life is a crazy mixture and sometimes it can be good to push back against the tough times with a bit of celebration. It's important to be sensitive to where different people are at, even within a household, but hopefully one of the ideas below might be a way to come together (either in person or via video) and enjoy some special time…

Dinner Party
One of my most special family memories was when my mum and dad decided to host a dinnerparty for some 'special guests'… who turned out to be us kids! It felt so grown up for the five of us to sit dressed up around the table with napkins and candles, being served posh food by our parents. Even a simple meal can be transformed with a few little tweaks – some flowers on the table (we're mainly using dandelions and daisies!), smart outfits, some music and a change in lighting can make all the difference!

Dance Party
Whether you have the technical knowhow to put together a playlist of favourites or just pop on an upbeat CD, a dance party can kick off at any point in the day! A crazy outfit, a bubble machine, or some DIY instruments, microphones, pompoms and streamers could all add to the fun…

Picnic Party
Whether inside or out, there's can be something exciting in simply putting a rug or blanket on the floor and eating there instead of at the table! If you have little ones then they may want to invite teddies, dollies, dinosaurs, or in our daughter's case a fox, a sloth and a whale… and get any play cups, plates and food involved as well. You might eat and drink the same things as usual, or choose some treats, but why not take a moment to appreciate and toast the good things we can still enjoy.

As I've mentioned, I struggle a bit with sewing so when I've heard about people making scrubs for the NHS I've thought it's a brilliant idea but not something I could get involved with. But my mum is part of a fantastic team who have joined up so that different people can each do their part, whatever their skills. Some in the team are those who actually sew the scrubs, headbands and bags together, but others pick up and deliver materials and finished items, sew on buttons, make thank you tags, cut out patterns, and more... Being a team means that anyone can take time out when they need to, that they can meet the needs they are told about more quickly, they can take on bigger projects, and they can enjoy being connected with others and the satisfaction of making a difference together. Cherry (pictured above) heads up this team and would especially love you to get in touch if you have dressmaking skills and live near Hazlemere...

It's important to connect with a contact who is co-ordinating for your area if possible and the For the Love of Scrubs facebook group is a good place to start. You can also search for a group local to you to connect in a bit quicker, for example my mum's is Sewing for the NHS - Bedfordshire, Bucks & Milton Keynes (this news article gives a glimpse into the amazing impact they're having) and mine is Hertfordshire Scrub Hub. You will probably find that people sewing for these groups are all individuals but if you're up for putting a team together, they may well be open to your suggestion!