Unfortunately on lockdown Fridays no longer have the meaning they used to have– Fridays were the ultimate goal in a traditional working week for those whose Monday to Friday professional activity were based on – Fridays were the day of the week where going ‘out out’ would start in earnest, maybe spilling into the Saturday, leaving the Sunday to recuperate.

Now Fridays are like any other day for those in lockdown. In fact, every day becomes just another day rolling into another making it challenging to remember what day it actually is!

So in homage to Fridays and in ensuring that it is still a day to look forward  and to plan that epic Friday night at home, here are a few things you can do to celebrate to get that Friday feeling to return as spending a Friday night at home alone instead of out on the town can prove to be a restful and relaxing experience.

Let’s not forget in this time of lockdown you could have been incredibly productive during the past five days given the lack of garden and exterior paint and weather to boot, so make Friday night the perfect time to reward yourself with something special knowing you will wake up on Saturday morning with renewed energy, ready to take on the world.

If you are alone – have a party for one! Make a menu of all the things you would love to eat (have a backup plan just in case you cannot get all your original ingredients)  Make something you have never made before, something you have always wanted to try and never had the time, inclination or energy to do before.  Be prepared to queue up at your local or favourite supermarket with your bags of life tucked under your arm. Make the evening special, set the table, light some candles, turn on some mood music, open a bottle of something, and celebrate life! 

Turn off the TV and your phone and chill with that particular novel whose number of pages scare you and meant you were just waiting for a holiday to read it. Settle down in your loungers and indulge, savouring each page. Immerse yourself in the characters and enjoy handling a real book, turning each page. Make a bookmark from a sheet of toilet paper (one sheet does plenty), a rubber band, a photograph of a special occasion so in between chapters you can dwell on happy memories adding to your relaxed state of mind.

Pamper yourself! What a great opportunity to pretend you have booked yourself into a spa! Manicure, pedicure, facial – just these 3 activities can take all night and should not be rushed! It does not matter who you are, its good to do a bit of personal grooming which in turn makes you feel better!

Have online drinks with friends – arrange to Zoom and group chat allowing you to catch up on all the latest lockdown news.

Have a Friday night feast of box sets in particular I would highly recommend Save Me & Save Me Too – 'Now TV' are doing a free 7 day trial and this is a series that will have you glued and quickly forgetting what time it is as the hours pass and you find yourself emerged into this at times dark storyline with a great cast and a quick fix of The Specials as its theme music!

Have a Friday night dance off either alone or with your lockdown loved ones.  Have a singsong – play all your favs & belt out those ballads, swing those hips and have the time of your life!

After all people its still Friday!