The Anti Dementors, danger-buffooning their way through life!

[Drivingdownthe101]

New thread!

@heroku

Exactly Domina - I can't understand why people can't see this coming.

I was chatting to a lecturer friend the other day who said "well some students who are very anxious and introverted are much preferring remote learning from home". So it's a good idea for someone who is anxious and introverted to spend months alone indoors? How are they going to cope going back to uni? How are they going to get a job? All this isolation will make people like that ten times worse.

Bloody good point. The worst thing in the world for someone who struggles with daily activities due to anxiety is to have months off from doing it. Which is another reason why I find the Dementors' demands that nothing open or resume until they personally feel it's "safe" frustrating. We all know that when you don't do something for months and months, it feels safer and safer and safer...

Good luck and congratulations to all kids off to school today. 2 week countdown for me... And that week is also the week I start my new learning programme, so it's a big week chez GoatFart!

So it's a good idea for someone who is anxious and introverted to spend months alone indoors?

Why I was hoping there would be some kind of transition for Y6 - even if now it's just have that year in by themselves a day at secondary. DD2 is very quiet and can get very anxious.

DD2 lost a lot and been very stoic - trip aboard she'd worked a year to get a place one, second only away trip, all the Y6 end of primary stuff not seeing any of here friends for two months and having little contact and not seeing some again as they will go to different secondary and have moved to another part of city.

The changes at secondary mean it it would have been more diffciult transition than older two had anyway. She has two older siblings there so is is in better position than many - still it will be hard on her getting back to school.

Good luck for all returning to school today!

The same - I'm sure they'll settle down once there and enjoy the day.

Good luck eager students today. Wish Junior Mole equal good luck, as I'm sending the email asking to send him back later this morning fingers crossed

Some splendid dementoring on a local media site this morning about how the South West has the highest R number in the country and (I quote) "all I see is dead people on the beaches". I was desperate to ask if this was some kind of WW2 flashback or whether the poster wa in fact Bruce Willis but thought I had better get a life instead...

Some splendid dementoring on a local media site this morning about how the South West has the highest R number in the country and (I quote) "all I see is dead people on the beaches"

Bloody hell. I think this person needs some mental health help.

@SplendidGoatFart yeah, if I was seeing beaches full of zombie sun-worshippers I'd definitely think it was worth a punt seeking treatment.
28 Days Later - the end is extremely fucking nigh!

Oo she sees dead people?! Cue Bruce Willis.

Beach zombies

Good luck to children and school staff going back today. My sil is anxiously sending her son in. Hope he enjoys seeing his friends.

@Delta1

Oo she sees dead people?! Cue Bruce Willis.

Needs to go to Barnard Castle for one of them there eye tests!

Both kids dropped off at school - DD2's keyworker/vulnerable bubble is in her normal classroom with her normal teacher. Have to laugh though - one of the lead "my kid isn't going to be a guinea pig" dementors obviously had another child struggling with lockdown and closures... and has just rocked up at school! Double standards much?!

DD1 has strutted in - because she's allowed to take her scooter to belt around the school playground (insta- social distancing!)

@Weedsnseeds1

Jourdain I don't have children. Can I take a cat to the supermarket if I make him wear a mask and roll condoms over his paws?

Awesome image. I am still giggling, and would LOVE to see the pictures

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Saw this jolly cartoon on FB today. That's another friend snoozed for 30 days...

Good luck for today, all school returners! I’m waiting on an email from preschool, specifying what the arrangements are going to be (they are reopening tomorrow). If I’m happy that the day won’t be too Spartan for DS, I’ll tell him later that he can go back. Fingers crossed for a sensible plan from them...!

People just love it don't they? I actually pity them. What kind of a life must that be. Eagerly awaiting bad things happening and people dying. Happy when they do because you've proved your point. It's actually revolting.

They say it's us who are heartless and selfish and whatever else. Well I don't enjoy other people dying and they very much do. Tells me all I need to know about people like that.

Actual footage of zombies on SW beach yesterday.

I cried watching them go in today - first sign of any normality (if you ignore the spray painted lines and arrows everywhere) for months. Actually, first sign of children for months to be honest - we popped to Tesco this morning before school (DH had bought non-essential mugs and one was cracked so wanted to swap it) and normally people would have been in with toddlers on the way to nursery, kids before school etc. Not a sight of a child anywhere - first time that had struck me.

I've found my people! Pleased to "meet" you all.

I was just reading about Waterstone's. Apparently when they reopen, if a customer touches a book and doesn't buy, that book is going to be put aside for 24 hours just in case. Really?

@Spudlet I got the preschool arrangements for my younger ones last week. They go back next week. It's not too awful. Kids in bubbles, but not required to be 2m apart. Some toys have been removed, but not all. Kids can get closer than 2m to their keyworker, with only the adults staying 2m apart. So they will be comforted if they're upset. Hopefully it'll be ok. Mine are twins though, so will at least have each other. Hope your arrangements are ok.

Wish I could hop straight back on the tube after I've dropped them off and go to work! Sadly can't do that yet, stuck wh for the foreseeable.

Just had an email from school - DD2 goes in two days as a keyworker child as that's what I need to work. She's been moved from the keyworker bubble to the Y1 bubble as they have had so few Y1's coming back. I'm really happy as that is actually her normal class (15 intake so mixed classes), so it will be amazing for her to be back with her usual group. DS remains in the keyworker bubble.

@Weedsnseeds1 OMG look at the throngs/crowds/other hyerbolic word for a few people on that beach! Don't they know there's a PANDEMIC? (capital letters to make it more serious)

I hope all the children who are back at school today have a lovely, normal-ish day. Ds2 has to wait til September, by which time I'm hoping that everything is more or less back to normal.

Hope all those kids going back have a brilliant day. On a two week countdown for DD, she should be back on the 15th.

Yeah in a way the school delaying opening to the kids (I'm still furious how that was handled) has played into the positive for mine in that they can have the time in the smaller quieter school before the head goes into slightly bonkers management mode getting the designated year group back.

Could tell DD2 was anxious though just from her body language - but I know she'll be happy being one of the big ones to cluck around the younger kids and "help" - and she adores her class teacher so much so having her in the bubble is more than I'd ever expected (to be fair I adore her class teacher as she's amazing - but so's the other teacher in the year group as well)

We have to copy out this poem today for school and thought it was rather apt!

www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/46473/if---

"If you can keep your head when all about you

Are losing theirs and blaming it on you,

If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,
But make allowance for their doubting too..."

The worst thing in the world for someone who struggles with daily activities due to anxiety is to have months off from doing it.

Yes and no ... dd struggled through school up until the end of GCSEs - she’s very introverted and anxious and school made that worse. She was self-harming and suicidal and was eventually diagnosed with ASD. She’s been doing online school for sixth form and is so much happier. I don’t think she’ll be able to cope with university which is sad in many ways as she’s extremely bright and more than academically able. She was very interested in the prospect of university being online as it’s one way she might be able to get a degree in the future. I’m hoping that maybe one of the good things to come out of all this (if there are any good things...) is that education won’t be so much a one size fits all approach.

Hope all the kids back in school today have a great day.

Have seen lots of positive stuff about decreasing numbers of cases, the virus being "weakened" in some studies, lots of people getting back out and about and doing their thing.

Not so positive stuff that apparently Nicola Sturgeon's approval ratings have never been higher.

Drop off done. It was the most joyful thing I have seen for the last ten weeks. All her little friends and she adores her teacher, she was skipping down the gravel path. Seeing children together!
They were opening up the playground and best of all I realised it was still a bit chilly so ran back to the spot where I had dropped her off and handed a jumper over.. dd didn't see me straight away but the TA reached out and took it and put it on DD and no bollocks about SD in this interaction...

That’s completely lovely, Robin.