Anti Dementors Picnic on the Beach

[Mascotte]

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do think

School dementors have moved back to ‘anyone who wants their child to go back to school is a paid government shill’. Imagine being that stupid and paranoid.

highmarkingsnowmobile South Africa has turned into a Puritan wet dream. They're certainly keeping up the ethos of the Calvinist Nats they replaced twenty-six years ago.
My brother brews ginger wine and his neighbour makes mampoer (peach brandy). Everyone is smoking more than ever. God knows what's in them, and all tax revenue lost to the government.
On a more serious note, people are already starving. Millions of them.

If I'm a paid government shrill they've forgotten to pay me. Typical

School dementors must with not work or not realise that not all jobs are like teacher jobs is secure, and with shouty union's. The long and short of it for me is that if nursery opens and work then want me to go back and I say oh no sorry it's not safe then they will sack me. That's it. No shouty union's. No striking. No newspapers getting on side for me!

I’ve woken up today really really low. Another crap night with the toddler, another 5am start, another day of DH working upstairs 8-7 while I attempt to homeschool the kids, look after the toddler who will whinge all day as he’s exhausted, make multiple meals, multiple drinks, multiple snacks and attempt to fit some work in of my own.
It’s all just so fucking tedious.

Oh God, there is another vomitous "poem" doing the rounds about a child getting all teary about a "first day back to school" in which they can't hug their friends blah blah. Written by somebody who knows as little about children as they do about poetry, evidently.

Apparently that lake dying went on before lockdown as well, I can't remember why though

I've seen that poem. Why torture yourself I don't get it!

Well, last week I made the decision to send DS to school twice a week (starting this week). DH and I shuffle homeschool around our work as we are both wfh. However DH has to now go in 2 to 3 days a week, so I'm left trying to juggle it all when hes not here and its exhausting.
So I had to apply for DS place (the school made it very clear at the start of lockdown that if you can wfh your children should be home) I had to jump through so many hoops and then was made to feel like a murderer for asking but he was accepted.
I'm a school governor and spent this weekend reading the guidance which now states "Many parents working in these sectors may be able to look after their child at home, but attendance is strongly encouraged" for my sector.
I felt enraged that this has not been passed on. At all, other updates have but not this.
This weekend I just sat and cried. DS hasnt had any real contact with another child in almost two months.
Trying to home ed him around work is just massively stressful and I feel like I'm failing him and failing at work. Due to trying to home ed him around work he has no real structure, he is normally very chilled out but this last week he has changed. He is moody and prone to getting upset. This is not him, and now to see that he actually had a right to go back before now....
I know physically he could be at home, but emotionally he is suffering and it pains me to see.
So for his sake I have now emailed the school and asked if he can go mon to Friday from next week.
I was asked if I am still working from home so I replied that question is irrelevant as the govt guidelines say you should be encouraging his attendance. So he is now at school mon to fri next week.
I've probably now single handedly caused the second wave haven't I?

"Most businesses in Italy, including bars and hairdressers, will be opening their doors for the first time in more than two months on Monday

People living outside of Madrid and Barcelona in Spain will be free to meet in groups of 10"

These countries seem to be moving pretty fast out of lockdown. Hope not to be dementing but just hoping they will be OK. Kind of glad we have a bit of a 'step by step' approach here perhaps.

If anyone is a paid government shrill can they PM me and tell me how to get the gig. Might as well get paid for something I already agree with. Plus the extra cash will come in useful to cover any unpaid leave I might need to take to cover childcare if schools/nurseries don't open. If it pays enough, hey I might not even need to worry about keeping my job as I'm forgotten about at home.

Police in Cape Town going after those dangerous criminal surfers.

It's a none too subtle "don't send them back because it'll be tooooooo upsetting for them". Well, first of all, what's actually going to be upsetting for them is the kather their parent has apparently worked themselves into with floods of tears and knots in the stomach, and secondly clearly they're badly in need of a dose of normality and not staying at home with doom-mongers who are training them up to think they're absurdly fragile. Aaargh.

Woman and her family down on the Dorset coast. On being interviewed she said they'd driven 1.5 hours to get there and was very aggrieved that the beach was busy - 'it's just like Tescos'!

That woman on the new showed SO little self-awareness. It's OK for her to be there, but everyone else is the problem? Stupid cow.

Apparently Saint Nicola of Dementors is going to make announcements this week about what we're allowed to do here in Scotland. I think the most radical thing she'll announce is that the tip can re-open. I can hardly bear the excitement.

Anyway. I am planning to go to two shops today. Might buy non-essentials when I am there. Like wine and chocolate.

Well, my little niece and nephew went back to school, (3 and 5) in Holland last week and it seems to be fine!

In fact as they get met outside the school it works out better apparently...they are getting on OK and seem much better. They have the new stuff there also, an international school. At 3 and 5!

Children can cope with changes. Sometimes, they even seem to like little rules and routines...

@PinkSparklyPussyCat hope your puss is just fine.
Two of my furry assholes are 17, and every time one of them is stiffer than usual I panic that he's not going to wake up.
He's currently glowering at me cos I'm cuddling his sister. Old cats rock.

I am so tempted to comment on that poem "This should be nominated for the Bulwer-Lytton prize!" and see if anybody catches me on.

That's just really got up my fucking nose this morning. I can't stand manipulative pass-agg guilt tripping.

Oh, please do, HauntedGoatFart (love the username, by the way).

Stand by for another rant about why I'm so cross with Nicola....

I really struggle in the autumn with the ever increasing darkness. Struggle to the extent of being diagnosed with depression over it two years ago. I get through it with light boxes, high dose Vitamin D and the knowledge that the light nights are around the corner. After the winter solstice around 21st December I turn a corner as things start getting lighter again and I'm not living in a world where it's dark by 3.30pm.

This should be the very best time of year. Long, light evenings where it's not dark until after 9pm and you can get out and do things, charge up your Vit D and make the most of it. But I can't because of the fucking lockdown. I can't do the things I like to do like take a drive up to Loch Lomond with DH and sit eating an ice cream at Luss. Or go to Largs and look for sea glass on the beach. Or take DD out to a cafe for cake and coffee. The thought of missing out on ALL of the good stuff about summer and then straight into another Glasgow winter is just too horrendous to think about.

I was just watching the news, they asked the question “should the schools go back?” and DD shouted “Yes! I’m bored!” Okay she’s y7 so not little, but she wouldn’t give a single crap about not being able to hug friends or only having fifteen in her class (actually she’d rather like that), she just wants to go back.

All this faux concern about how disturbing children would find it, well if you think your child would be better off at home crack on and keep them there. Let those of us who’d like their children to go back send them back.

Sockyarn I've not mentioned the tips to DH yet, As he may be overcome by emotion.

Once that happens along with B&Q being reopened and us discovering that we can sit and drink in the beer garden of our local pub with our own drinks., I fear that he will lose the enthusiasm to fight the dementors.

Exactly. And everyone seems to have missed that primary school kids or at least the younger ones won't be expected to social distance. Our nursery aren't. I don't see why you'd even attempt it and its not really looking like children are "superspreaders" at all because if they were every school taking keyworker kids would have been struck down now surely?

There's a good news story int eh times today about NS mentioning the drug rate, education problems etc previous to this and how it is easy for her to say keep staying at home when the treasury is paying for it etc and Rishi Sunak had to make the financial decisions etc. Quite enjoyed that one (I'm originally Scottish but living in the south now)

It's my other niece's birthday up there this week, have sent parcel with Amazon, brother asked if we can zoom call them but hoping my two don't go on about freedoms they don't have yet. Must brief them in advance!

excuse typos, must be caffeine!

here www.thetimes.co.uk/article/3615f62a-9869-11ea-945c-98ec4f4d8558

Nicola Sturgeon is pulling the wool over our eyes
The first minister’s grandstanding on Covid-19 masks the SNP’s dismal record on health and education in government