Apparently my brain’s new spin on please enjoy dreaming of dancing because you can’t any more is remember pas de deux? let’s dream about that... & maybe a little bit of rep - let’s focus on parts where you’re Uncomfortably Close to other dancers - for good measure... you know, so you can wake up & be sad about No More Ballet AND Lack Human Contact. Thanks brain. Helpful. I mean, in the moment it’s almost nice to feel myself dancing again, but... owch... (I know it’s a completely ridiculous thing, but it’s currently stopping me from sleeping, so there we are 
)
Well I’ve certainly distracted myself, but on reflection, possibly not my finest plan. Now need to do migraine injection & curl up in ball of self-pity & photophobia. Fail, self, epic EPIC fail. Hope that Thursday treats you all with some common or garden decency. And ideally cake. Cake is good.
@brainstories568
Trying to make sure your baby doesn’t have to grow up without you is being an awesome mum.
@Redcherries
I’m choosing to believe that is the actual name of your dog’s food. It would be refreshingly honest, if nothing else. Not surprised he wasn’t on for the extreme diet option...
Love the sound of your experimental!garden - you’ll tell us how it grows, won’t you?
@OneNightTimeMenaceStrikesBack
Hope they can get your dosing sorted out: trying to get that organised must be stressful in & of itself.
I’ve a Tesco shop coming tomorrow too. Really sodding expensive. I normally do the occasional online shop for big/heavy stuff & then wee shops as needed. Can’t seem to get any basics range stuff atm & I can’t accept subs as I’ve food allergies so I’m ending up with an expensive weird mix of things. Good luck with your shop...
Your GP surgery should be able to resend you another copy of your shielding letter. The amount of help being offered does seem to vary rather depending on where you are though - some people on here have had nothing; I’ve had my GP surgery call me to check I’m doing ok; I’ve had an email to signpost me to local services; & my local council have called me to check on me. (I’ve also had food boxes in error, but managed to get them stopped).
@outnumberedwoman
I’d no joy arranging to get this week cancelled I’m afraid: will keep trying though...
Luckily - well, relatively speaking - I’m not well enough to work so me sleeping most of the day didn’t matter. Other than that I didn’t manage to eat & drink enough due to said being asleep. So luckily in sense I’ve not to worry about work - but for avoidance of all doubt I’d much rather be well enough to be working. (Don’t THINK the lack of mental stimulation is what’s caused my brain to literally atrophy, but...)
That’s v frustrating re: schools for your wee lad. I suppose the good thing is that starting P1 somewhere you know, at least, is better than it being somewhere totally new & strange - & he’ll be ahead of some of his peers in at least having a diagnosis so the school might be able to start from there at least. And Stormont have now remembered that they’ve a part of the UK to run & a strop over [not] using the Irish language does exactly nothing to help the people of NI so while COVID-19’s going to take a lot of focus for obvious reasons they should also be sorting out all the things that were stacking up while they were off in a sulk.
Imagine that the clergy felt they’d to dress for the occasion Zoom-call wise. Presumably not full crook & mitre for the archbishops though, pleasing as that would be... suppose they’d worry their flocks might be Shocked And Appalled if they saw them underdressed. To be fair I remain a bit scarred by my Confirmation catechist wearing jeans & sweatshirt on our weekend away. She’d still her veil on, but it was deeply disconcerting & Just Quite Wrong. Can’t have semi-stealth nuns going about the place, it upsets the natural order.
That’s hard about the checkpoints. And not being flippant, in some circles, just there being checkpoints will cause... discontent. Even with it being very different circs & different people on them. Speaking of PSNI, feel they took policing by consent to a whole new level with this business where a whole load of officers decided to “work from home” for a few weeks. Amazing.
On supermarket front, I know that sometime mid-late April there was still no list at all for supermarkets in NI to work from - my relatives who’re shielding are mostly relying on neighbours to get their messages for them & they’ve a couple of small businesses locally who’ve started delivering to them. But that’s another one where people in the border counties will be harder hit, isn’t it - if you usually do [lots of] your food shopping in the South as your closest supermarket is there (& maybe you work there so your paid in € as well) then that’s another change to make at a time where you’re needing some stability.
Oh pet - you’re not a failure at all. Am sure your DH only said what he did as you’re all worn down at the moment. You’re also not at all to blame for the issues your DC2 has: & you’re getting them the support they need as far as you’re able which is never easy. Nobody can watch a child every moment & it will always be the instant your eye is off them they manage to do something spectacular & in an extraordinarily short space of time. Do you think it would be worth looking into bodysuits for your DC2 to stop him from taking off his nappies? There are lots of varying designs but with the basic aim of stopping older children & adults who wear nappies from being able to either get their hands into the contents or to remove them themselves. They’re not all as prohibitively expensive as they used to be either & they tend to be designed with children with sensory issues in mind. I mean, obviously I hope he’s not one for acting the maggot on the nappy front, but maybe something to consider if it turns out he thinks it’s a great game? Am really sorry you’ve been so upset: a bit of a toppling-Jenga-tower of a horrible thing.
@NervousInYorkshire
Ooh, sunflowers. Nice. And hurrah for feline company - I have excellent conversations with my cats. In normal times it’s usually just me & them most of time - though my brother moved back here at Christmas his job means he leaves at 0600 & gets home 2200-2300 most nights & spends lots of weekends buried in libraries/archives or at meetings. The cats are feeling very proud they’ve finally managed to train us into staying at home & me into not leaving the house at all.
Re: sudoku compliance - be subversive, do a crossword. That’ll show them...
@kirstinm
Good. Grief. I know there have been cases of people being tricked into handing over money but I think your Council has, like so many others, got the 70+ vulnerable group & the extremely vulnerable shielding group mixed up. (And ofc lots of people in the 70+ group would be hugely offended at said letter as well, because they’d have taught people the age of those responsible for the letter about not letting randomers into the house & to ask people for ID & to basically Trust Nobody etc). Also, it’s not tremendously helpful of them to send a letter to suggest that people are basically under threat in their homes that they can’t (if adhering to guidelines) leave. Saying they’ll visit if you don’t contact them after all that Stranger Danger stuff isn’t exactly reassuring either - how on earth would people know if someone really WAS from the Council, it’s not like their ID is very sophisticated. And whole flipping point of shielding is that we’re not meant to be seeing people. Am actually really cross thinking about how many people that stupid letter will probably have really upset & worried now. Is it beyond them to make a phonecall? My crazily under-resourced Council has presumably managed to ring the several thousand people shielding in the Borough if they rang me. Jesus Mary & Joseph
Will you let us know what response you get to your complaint? I know that These Are Unprecedented Times, but if we don’t provide feedback & criticism (which I mean in fullest sense) the bodies responsible can’t actually know if what they’re doing is helpful/useful/making people want to throw things at them.
@Egghead68
Hope you managed your walk after your trip to A&E (& that latter didn’t take too long).
@ClientQ
Excellent news on the car & hope bloods go ok. On Starbucks front, you do need to consider that you’ve found you HAVE to take your car out regularly... 
@TitsalinaBumSquash
Am sorry you’re having such a rough time. I’m starting to think it feels a bit like being trapped in an endless Fifth Week. Always Fifth Week, never Mays... Am really sorry you’re having to deal with such selfish neighbours on top of the shielding stress. And indeed overconfident rodents. Which presumably nobody is dealing with at the moment Because Pandemic. Where’s the Pied Piper when you need him?
@KatyMac
Am so sorry you & your DH are stuck like this. Is his consultant not able to add him to The List given the circs? Are you able to get hold of his respiratory physio for advice on how to improve his mucus clearance - if you’ve not already been trained they should be able to send you instructions on correct methods for basically beating it out of him in combination with his usual postural drainage & The Special Cough & steam-cleaning-if-he-can-do-it [& presumably he has a flutter]. Wonder if they’d be able to arrange the loan of a vest for him? Must be insanely frustrating for you, am so sorry. Especially as sounds as if your GP isn’t very helpful/isn’t working well with hospital. 