21 Unmissable Reads, The Best of the Blogosphere (March 2020 Bumper Edition)

Not Dressed As Lamb's The Best of the Blogosphere, post-COVID 19 lockdown special, March 2020

In my lockdown special of the Best of the Blogosphere this month I have animal cuddles, Mad Men outfit critiques, the new Instagram aesthetics and a WHOLE lot more to keep you occupied during quarantine!

[Reading time: 3 minutes – not including time spent down internet rabbit holes…]

(In case you’ve not seen these posts before my Unmissable Reads are a monthly round-up of things I’ve seen, watched and liked in the blogosphere that I’m sure you’ll love too.)

Oh. My. Word. The world’s not exactly the same anymore, is it?

I compile these monthly posts over the course of each month, collecting articles, blog posts and videos that I enjoyed that I think you would too. NEVER in my wildest dreams did I think that the post may be needed more than ever because a) a large number of people worldwide are self-isolating and/or are on lockdown, b) a huge percentage of the workforce WORLDWIDE is now working from home, and c) so many reads and watches are needed from a practical, let’s-save-lives point of view as well as a (much needed) feel-good point of view.

So I’ve kept all the links I found long before coronavirus really took a hold of our lives, and I’ve also added in a few that are now hugely relevant. So quite a large number of links this month, but I’m thinking you’re probably desperate for some great reads, amirite…?

Do have a read of these great links – you never know who or what you might discover 🙂

What links did you like – and have you found any fabulous new blogs to follow? Comment below…!

(Photo credits: Top left | Top middle |Top right | Middle left | Middle | Middle right | Bottom left | Bottom middle | Bottom right)

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Somehow I deleted this incredible blog post as I was drafting this post, but don’t miss it: Anne resides in Hong Kong and wrote about having lived with COVID-19 for two months (so far). All about how to deal with everything, what feelings are perfectly normal and ways to cope with quarantine for that long.

Do you want to see a loving turkey that gives cuddles? Of course you do (no need for social distancing from animals).

Working from home? Work from home anyway (like me)? How about joining in with #dressupfriday…? I’m going to continue when life goes back to ‘normal’!

If you need a culture fix whilst self-isolating, you can visit these museums all over the world from the comfort of your own home with a virtual tour.

“Whatever you do, do NOT go to The Winchester. Wait for this all to blow over!” Fans of this cult movie will love Simon Pegg and Nick Frost’s updated version of Shaun of the Dead.

This newborn baby girl gave a death stare to doctors moments after her birth and her photographer father Rodrigo Kunstmann captured it perfectly.

If you “f***ing love outer space, all those planets and stars and shit” (see the t-shirt for that reference), you’ll love this video that shows how the size of asteroids in our solar system compare to New York City. Amazing graphics.

Artist Raku Inoue creates these stunning animal portraits with things found in nature.

Hairdresser Ursula Goff creates these stunning hair dye effects with inspiration found in nature. (See what I did there!)

Life after menopause: Ashley’s shared her experiences and some brilliant tips for how to cope with life as menopause starts.

Annabel has talked about sustainable fashion and all the ways we can help.

Bit of fun: this quiz will determine your age by the celebrities you love and hate. My result was surprisingly close.

Another quiz (that was also creepily accurate for me): this psychology test from 1935 gets you to choose the scariest of eight portraits to reveal your hidden personality traits. Mind blown.

Debs just turned 39 and wrote why she has a problem accepting her age – maybe you could send some positive vibes her way with a comment about how ageing isn’t bad at all…? I started my blog on my 39th birthday and that turned out alright!

Forever the inspiration, Lisa is returning to work in finance at the age of 50 after 12 years away. Her reasons for doing so, hopes for the future and talk about a new direction for her blog are (as always) a great read. (After six days she started WFH… the irony!)

As a good thing to come out of coronavirus, I’m loving the idea of fashion influencers having to rethink their curated aesthetics because they can’t leave their houses – let’s hope it changes for good.

Laura has listed 7 great ways to be an eco-friendly dog owner.

This video has a fashion historian fact-checking the historical accuracy of the women’s costumes in Made Men. I drooled.

It sucks if you or your loved ones have a birthday in March or April, but here are 30 funny pictures of people having birthday parties in quarantine (lots of ideas for me for Keith’s 50th next month)!

These hilarious parenting tips (“dad hacks”) should amuse parents and non-parents alike, especially during lockdown. The kids’ game at 1:32 is INGENIUS.

I’ve just discovered the Good On You app which gives you fashion brands’ ratings for sustainability, ethics, environmental policies, etc. See how Primark and H&M really DO rate… time to ditch them altogether when the world is back to normal perhaps?

In case you missed it because COVID-19 came so quickly after, here’s the #BeALadyTheySaid video. Incredible, powerful and thought-provoking all at once:

And a few Not Dressed As Lamb posts you perhaps missed first time around:

I’m Rethinking Everything: Blog, Work, Life, Self Care – You Name It, I’m Rethinking It,
The Mindset You Need to Lose Weight in Your 40s (or During/Post Menopause) and
Looking For Over 40 Bloggers That Have Modelled For Brands: An Upcoming Feature

 

Stay home, stay safe XOXO

Catherine signature

8 Comments

  1. 31 March 2020 / 11:07 am

    I always fall into your unmissable reads rabbit hole! Hours later I come out all refreshed and feeling good! Thanks for sharing so much positivity. There are so many creative people out there…the tie dye hair, the animal portraits, oh my!

    Shelbee

    • Catherine
      Author
      7 April 2020 / 1:23 pm

      Thanks Shelbee – so many feel-good stories are out there, I think we need them!

  2. 29 March 2020 / 11:48 pm

    Glad you are keeping on going, Catherine. It’s nice to have something to look forward to when we can’t leave the abode.

    • Catherine
      Author
      30 March 2020 / 3:30 pm

      Glad you’re enjoying the posts Ratnamurti – thank you! Stay safe x

  3. 29 March 2020 / 3:56 pm

    I never miss this Catherine, so many great bloggers to catch up on! Of course, I’d already read Lisa’s back to work post. What a writer our friend is hey?
    And that baby! I’m so curious to imagine this child’s personality as it grows up.
    Stay well my love xxx

    • Catherine
      Author
      29 March 2020 / 5:44 pm

      Thanks MT – so glad you love these posts! 😉
      Agree 100% about Lisa’s writing, and that baby… not one to mess with, lol!!

  4. 29 March 2020 / 3:02 pm

    I always enjoy your ‘Unmissable Reads’ as I often learn something new. Keep them coming. We can’t talk and read about COVID 19 all the time.

    • Catherine
      Author
      29 March 2020 / 5:46 pm

      Oh that’s great to hear, thank you Lorna! I thought a mixture of COVID and non-COVID was important, hence me leaving in all the links I’d already found during the last four weeks…!

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