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.

Had a picnic this evening. Looks like the Forestry Commission Trust is to operate a picnic table
Domina if it was Sidcot, it's a Premier Inn now.
Can't belive anyone could mistake bluebells for wild garlic. Lily of the Valley looks similar but doesn't smell of garlic.
I do remember Anthony Worrell(Thompson wittering on about foraging and saying henbane is fantastic in a salad. I wouldn't know, I've never tried it as it's deadly poisonous. The only other celebrity henbane enthusiast I can recall was Dr. Crippen!!

Dowser, regarding your Hampshire/Dorset figures, if you go to NHS Statistics, scroll down and click on 'total announced deaths' for the relevant date (that day's seem to be duplicated, but I don't think there's a difference) and that produces a spreadsheet. Along the bottom are various tabs including 'by region'. I don't know if Hampshire is SE or SW, but neither show more than 7 in a day recently. Even if there are a few outstanding it doesn't amount to 300 or 400 in the whole region, never mind one county.

Sorry to reply so long after you posted, DH keeps needing to be helped with stuff!

cardigans I proper hit the wall the other night. I was glad to have this place to come. FILS latest emergency turned out to be something easily treatable that he had been trying to ignore as he was scared, we've re-arranged our meet up with DS2 after they were (non-covid) poorly and self employed DH has a good booking for June so the world is starting to look more normal.
On the face of it I'm well equipped to cope with this. I'm happy with my own company, as a family we don't like to be in each other's pockets, my DC are adult, I can work from home easily and we can live on just my salary, we have space and a good sized garden and live in a nice rural area with plenty of different walks. If I'm struggling sociable lone parents on a low income in a flat in an area with few facilities must be going completely round the bend.

I did notice today when out and about, eating ice cream that the other people who had escaped also were happy and smiling. Simple pleasures, mean so much now.

The ones in the chemist queue were glaring a bit though when we had to ask them to move so that we could go up the path through the church

the world is starting to look more normal

That's great to hear, @countrygirl99. I'm certain that things will be almost back to normal a lot sooner than the doom mongers would like us to think.

I've been there umpteen times with elderly relative health issues and it's bloody stressful at the best of times, let alone during a zoonotic pandemic!

Hope things continue to look up for you. Onwards & upwards!

@ilovecardigans I’m currently drunk I a hot tub and am awww at the potential romance. The prevalence is so low at the moment lockdown love stories are keeping me going, I was married young and miss that first kiss feeling (sorry Dh. You’re lovely and keep my wine glass full!) ps. I think cardigans have a super power of making you invisible when you’re stretching the lockdown rules! I was much more noticeable in my teens and twenties. As I approach middle age I’m practically see through and loving it!

Go you @Waleshasgonecompletelycrazy! I would love to be drunk in a hot tub, but alas I have no hot tub and I still have a bastard headache from the (too much) wine I drank last night, so I'm boringly sober.

I've been invisible (cardigans notwithstanding) since about 2005 when I stopped dying my hair. I have the full on mallen streak thing going on and I fully believe it gives me super powers.

I was trying to explain to Dh about the freedom that comes with being free from men’s gaze but I’m not sure he can ever really get it! I feel for dd that she’ll have to go through it, but maybe with the me too campaign things will improve?

Unfortunately Wales my friend's recent dalliance with Tinder would suggest otherwise

the freedom that comes with being free from men’s gaze

Oh good God, yes! That and being groped and being subjected to lewd comments. The 80s and 90s were not a good time to be a young woman in my then profession (we were in the minority). I really hope things have changed massively.

Well you lushes I am listening to take that the meerkat concert now. Feel good music.

@RubberDinghyRapids - that’s true. The dating online game reveals a whole load of crap. You can see I’m an optimistic drunk!

@ilovecardigans - definitely moving onto music now!

Ugh @RubberDinghyRapids. Your poor friend.

Well you lushes

Oi, cheeky bugger! Only tea has passed my lips tonight. Tomorrow may be another story though... 😏

Luckily the lewd (and badly written) comments aren't scary or hurtful to us. Merely fodder to be screenshotted and laughed at. But they will be intimidating to other women. Which raises my hackles somewhat.

And now, it's time to Frontline the dog. Ah, my life of glamour...

@RubberDinghyRapids - this is me on the right:

Hello Rebels! DCs and I spent 6 hours in the park today, most of them up a tree (DCs, not me!) and it was glorious. DCs played with lots of other children, and I’ve noticed a subtle test all the parents are doing; making a half-hearted attempt at telling your children to stay away from the others while eyeing up the other parents, and if they seem relaxed then giving in and letting them play unheeded. At one point there were about 10 children hanging out of the same tree, all pretending to be different animals. It was the first night since lockdown began that they went to bed with no fuss and were both fast asleep before 9. Hooray!

I just saw a chart showing R rates for different regions and it seems that despite most of us apparently abandoning the rules weeks ago, London seems to have one of the lowest now. I wonder why?

Great stuff @Mrsfrumble!

I really want to climb a tree now though...

Checking in to say hi and breathe in dementor-free air

Lovely and sunny in Glasgow, which is a massive win! I had to go to the pharmacy but promised to be back as fast as possible as DH had lots happening with work. I took a sneaky detour into Lidl and got so excited when I saw a Lightning McQueen space hopper because it combined two of my wee DS’s favourite things. But the queue was huge and I had to leave, feeling very grumpy. I mentioned it to my mum in our group chat and at 5pm she bloody turned up at our back fence waving said Lightning McQueen space hopper that she’d made my dad blow up I was ridiculously happy.

Hope everyone has had a good day.

Your mum rocks @AgentCooper!

Ah lovely mum. I have been buying little things for grand kids and leaving them on the doorstep with a note from Moana and Maui. They really believe the little gifts are from them. It is the thoughtful things that make a difference just now I think.

Thank you amicissimma
I mean nearly 800 in two days
That’s a pandemic
😱

I'm not in the U.K. now, my home is in Wales, I've just sent an email to the AM for my county, I was polite, no swearing but blunt and to the point.
As I'm in Portugal I'm in no position to start another Anti Dementor thread, please could someone else start one. It's the one place of sanity for many. on this site.
Begging here