We're all going on a summer holiday

[MinnieMountain]

Even if it means 2 weeks of quarantine
The anti -dementors are here to be reasonable and sensible about everything.

Went out for the last clap tonight and ended up in an in-depth conversation with my neighbour. Discovered she is a massive anti-dementor, like me! We've decided we are going to start a local revolution to 'just get out there'.

Good news nightsky. I forgot about the clap and had to crouch in the porch for 5 minutes hugging a bin bag ( was going out to put stuff in the wheel bin) to avoid it!

I was sat on my arse in the garden at clap time having successfully delivered a major work project and having been on Zoom all day from 8am to 7pm for two days on the trot. There was no fucking way I was getting up for anyone.

I had a string of bad news today and I'm devastated and furious about everything.

Nursery was due to reopen on Monday (1 June) and I've been literally counting down the days. Got a call to say that due to a plumbing problem (yes a FUCKING PLUMBING PROBLEM) they can't reopen on Monday after all and won't be reopening until 22 June.

Of course DH and I had already told our managers and colleagues that we'd be able to work normal (pre lockdown) hours next week, rotas had be redone and circulated, but now we have to rearrange everything again.

I've been a mess all afternoon. We've had other bad news too. And then the government announcement. I'm furious. Absolutely furious that the government clearly gives zero fucks about anyone's well being and especially our children. OPEN THE FUCKING PLAYGROUNDS.

Today I actually did take DS to a nearby playground for the first time since lockdown started. We'd gone past yesterday and I'd noticed it wasn't locked up and the tape had been removed or come off. It's always deserted. So we went. The experience was somewhat tainted by my anxiety about being challenged by someone - luckily we weren't. The playground was also an absolute state with litter everywhere. Uncut grass which is less of a big deal. Pigeon shit all over the play equipment (it is cleaned usually?!) So it all felt very neglected which is symbolic of the neglect of our children.

Even my sister who took everything very seriously at the beginning is starting to question the rules. If people can go to work and (some) children can go to school and childcare, we should be able to hug our loved ones FFS.

GeneGenie
Congrats on your new job!

Dianne
Sorry about your tough day, fingers crossed for your DH. I assume you've contacted your clients? I'd bite your hand off, I'm desperate to get a cleaner back in, house is filthy and we are struggling to find the time and energy to clean it regularly.

Was in my dds garden when she got a txt to meet a friend down at the beach.
My granddaughters face was a delight at the thought of meeting her friend too
Love thE idea of PLA
Can’t you go out all in black one night, camouflage your face and remove the tape.
( that was a joke, obviously)

I want my cleaner back
House is tidy and relatively cleaned , but it’s not bottomed..you know
It took us half the morning to change the bed .
Warning..this is what happens when you hit late 60s
We did also do a mattress turn
Still hard work though

My petty rebellion of the day has been lifting the DCs up on to some outdoor gym equipment to dangle on it. It's not a substantially worse hazard than sitting on the bench when we had our picnic.

I really wish playgrounds would open. I'm lucky that my DCs are pretty good at walking and have built up to 8 mile walks at the weekends, but children need some fun. I could suggest going to different parks but it would be to go for a walk, or go for a walk or go for a walk, and not making the most of what makes them different and more interesting.

So sorry for everyone who's struggling with so many aspects of life. This has all gone too far now.
@AnotherEmma why the hell would it take the Nursery 22 days to fix a plumbing problem? Sounds like an excuse to me. It's infuriating, as is the attitude of all the schools who are trying to make their settings so horrible as to deter people from sending their children back. I'm incredulous about all this.
And yes absolutely open the playgrounds. OPEN THE PLAYGROUNDS (just in case any government bods do skim through these threads!!) The final straw for me was the thread where someone called the police on the poor lady whose toddlers were in the (open!) sand pit at 9am with nobody around. They live in a flat. Sorry if that's been covered here - need to catch up. But seriously. What a horrible individual.
I completely agree with the PP whose dementor friend admitted she loves lockdown because her fomo has gone. I'd say that is behind the disgusting, vile behaviour of most of the dementors. Well, that's going to come back and bite them on the arse now, as everybody resumes their social lives - legally! - but have to be in their gardens in full view of these pathetic people. Suck on that dementors!!

@AnotherEmma

A plumbing problem? Good Christ that must be a huge issue if it's taking so long? What a bloody pain in the arse!!

Just seen this in the news. It doesn't really explain the class divide though?

www.bbc.co.uk/news/stories-52835571

Also, was thinking last night, why do they keep telling us the R rate is only a small part of the decision making but then throw it around like it's the only thing that matters.
"The r rate is only a very small part of the jigsaw"
"Lock yourself away and don't hug your granny! The R rate is almost 1"
Ffs.

Well, I got an email from preschool the other night confirming that they are open from Tuesday. Apparently we’ll be getting a further email on Monday confirming how it’s all going to work. I haven’t told DS yet - once we have that email I’ll make a firm decision on sending him in on Wednesday (he’s only in twice a week anyway). But as long as it doesn’t sound too Stalag-Preschool like, I think he’ll go. He’ll be so excited to be back there, I think. And it will do him so much good to be with other children and really just anyone who isn’t me and DH, just for a few hours.

We also have the wood burner man coming next week to give us a proper quote for a new stove, and ddog is off to the vet for his vaccinations as well. So another little bit of normality creeps back in.

I know not everyone is pleased with the meeting up thing, but I’m just glad that I’ll be able to see DM again. She wants to wait a couple of weeks (she has been suffering with health anxiety since we lost my grandpa last year so this whole situation has battered her a bit, as you can imagine) but then hopefully, we can find somewhere to meet halfway. Or they’ll come to us for the day and we’ll hang out in the garden. It’s a start, you know?

I can understand why people are so reluctant to get back to normal life. It's a little nerve racking because life has been so far from normal for so long. Bit nervous about sending Dd to nursery, not because I'm particularly worried about covid but more because I'm worried how she will settle back. However the longer we leave it the worse that might be. I will miss her as well. The upside is that it will be a lot easier to work and to help/spend time with ds. Losing hope other primary years will be back, think the government have tied themselves into a knot with the guidelines. If it's not normal in September though we will active the keyworker card, we only not done so, so far, as my work have given me stuff I can do from home and ds is quite independent. School still seem to be of the ilk to keep them home if possible (although have been pretty good overall)

Adding my voice to @Delta1's: OPEN THE PLAYGROUNDS!

In our borough, all the playgrounds are not just taped off, they are padlocked with chains which I think just shows the attitude the council really has toward children.

Ours are chained up too ISaySteadyOn. We also had a local councillor saying to the newspapers that a mini obstacle course chalked on to the pavement by some children was inappropriate because ‘children should be staying at home’. Dick.

Hope today is better for you @anothernamereally

Sorry meant to tag @AnotherEmma

I'm tempted to free some local playgrounds. Council have taken swings away but could use other equipment. I always take dettol wipes and a tea towel anyway for bird, fox poo, rain, mud, alcopops...

Taken the swings away?? Good Lord.

Ours are chained and padlocked too. It's so depressing.

They've locked them all up with padlocks around here - and "WARNING COVID" notices. It's horrific and cruel. It also manages to make parks in general a bit of a no-go area for families quite nicely as you've got to get your kids past a locked playground and negotiate those tantrums before you can have your enriching family walk around the park.

Yet another way of telling people with kids to lock them up and not bother society. Any "movement" to help kids get through the lockdown - like the window rainbows - has been co-opted by the corona-cult and businesses virtue signalling as well... so the kids have absolutely nothing apart from PE with Joe (and none of us are under any illusions that Joe is doing this for anything other than his own media exposure really) and Bitesize daily (which is really not very much educationally when they cover something for 2 minutes).

Taking the swings away is just so fucking unnecessary, and has made me really angry!

Can I offer lots of hugs and gin and wine and anything else to all those of you who have young children? My 3 are 24,22 and 20 so although they've all had to come home due to uni and work closing, its been relatively stress free.

My heart goes out to you all who have had to juggle working from home with home schooling as well as keeping children occupied without breaking the rules and dealing with the inevitable mental health issues resulting from lack of social interaction and routine. I think you've all done an amazing job 🥂🍷🥤🍫🍫🍫🍫

[quote Orangeblossom78]Just seen this in the news. It doesn't really explain the class divide though?

www.bbc.co.uk/news/stories-52835571[/quote]
I think 'class divide' is just (bad) wordplay because it's about schools?