ADs, Corvids and the sequacious masses

[Mascotte]

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We have some local Christmas drama here as Bath started planning for the Christmas market- not sure if it will go ahead though.

Oh for goodness sake, now local council going on about how we might have "Covid refugees' - meaning families moving from London to Bath for a better education!

And boasting on about being the best performing LA...hmm..we di have urban centres, it is not a village, as they are making it sound like

And families have moved here in recent years as London prices are so low and it is commutable. It is like these already present gripes are reinforced through this - as this has already been felt to be putting pressure on local housing etc.

www.somersetlive.co.uk/news/somerset-news/council-claims-bath-target-covid-4327465

And also London has low rates too!

My heart hurts today. I am replaying the image over and over in my head of my little sweet innocent 7 year old running through the playground to see her new classroom with a handful of classmates, all holding their arms out as instructed by the school so that they don't get too close to each other. They weren't worried about it but I could howl. Our children are being treated like this yet I could go to a pub and hug and snog all the adults there if I wanted.

This is at a relatively non dementory school as well - no hazard tape etc.

I know really it's much worse for me than them, but they are so sweet and innocent and it smacks of abuse.

There was a little boy at the playpark we went to afterwards that was probably ASD or similar, that was standing looking frightened in the corner. As soon as any child came within 15 ft of him he yelled SOCIAL DISTANCE, SOCIAL DISTANCE, and if his social distance alarm didn't go off quick enough, his sister did it for him. These kids have it hard enough, what's school going to look like for them come September??

Pink it might not help any, but I used to teach little children and they do have all sorts of rules already at school such as sitting on squares on the carpet, lining up, in fact some quite like that kind of stuff...so it may not be that different for them, because they already have stuff like this which is about being part of a group and like you say they were ok...I'm not sure as also worry too but thought that might help a little bit

PinkFondantFancy that poor child . I'm feeling so lucky that my three are young adults now and can make their own minds up about Social Distancing. The lack of employment prospects for the younger two are another worry entirely

Thought I might drop into my local library which has reopened this week.

You've got to give your details for track & trace. Fuck that! You don't have to give your details to go into Waterstones.

I have books I borrowed before lockdown but didn't manage to read. They will be deposited in the book drop-off zone in the car park then.

I've always been pro-libraries but I won't be going now. Their list of "don'ts" is so long, including no sitting on a chair unless it's attached to a computer you have pre-booked.

School have just sent a message saying they are doing wraparound next year, plus year group bubbles 🥳💃💃 so relieved. Will make life so much easier

BBC reporting no social distancing for pupils in Scottish schools

PinkFondantFancy it gets you, doesn't it? My kids are much older but I recently witnessed a tiny child in a buggy crying and trying to remove the mask strapped to her face. Her mother was telling her she had to wear it.

I wish I'd had the guts to say, "No, she doesn't have to wear it." I suspect the mother was scared about catching covid- she had a mask on too.

I paid for my shopping and went outside & cried. It isn't right.

On a more positive note I was watching a small bunch of year 6s in their Leavers hoodies, playing in the park yesterday. They were pretending to be aeroplanes. That warmed the heart.

@Orangeblossom78 I read somewhere that Bath is one of the councils most likely to be affected by lack of tourism and also retail problems - because the Council owns a lot of property? So I can imagine that they're keen to get some income from the Christmas market. @TheOrchidKiller Yup also a keen library goer, but about to hand back my existing library books and not go again until I can actually browse along the shelves, like I can in a bookshop. The final killer for me was that any books I pre-order "will be handed to you in a paper bag" Why??

@LadyOfTheImprovisedBath we’ve just had some fairly meaningless school reports through too. Especially in DD’s case as her teacher went on maternity leave when lockdown started, so the teacher who took over to do the online stuff and who wrote the report hasn’t even taught her in person this year. I appreciate the sentiment and all but I wouldn’t have minded if school had decided it was a waste of time and not bothered.

I’m feeling down today too. I’m still in pain from when I fell on Monday, especially when I have to bend down (which is all the time because my children keep leaving crap all over the floor, which is how I injured myself in the first place) and I’m fed up with the grey sky. I want to sleep all day.

@MaudesMum The final killer for me was that any books I pre-order "will be handed to you in a paper bag" Why??

Well, if you will order those sorts of books, Maude. It's to save the librarian's blushes.

Also, if my memory is correct the pictures in "We're Going On A Bear Hunt" don't show any social distancing. Sophie's mummy was very wrong to allow the tiger in for tea as he wasn't in their bubble. We cannot allow these images and ideas to influence tiny minds!

(Cover over the mirrors whilst you're at it).

@Orangeblossom78 actually that does help a lot, thank you we've talked about how we have rules for school and rules for outside of school so maybe they put it in the same bucket.

Agree re library! It's meant to be relaxing choosing a book! And naff off on the track and trace there. That's a huge NOPE from me

Oh definitely- they get a furtune from tourism and council is already lamenting the thousands most every day from it's (far too high) parking fees...it is a sore point here as local businesses find it hard to afford the shop rest and locals find the parking too high, so this will bring this out further. There is a strong feeling locally everything seems focused on tourists rather than the people who live here and people were already fed up.

A bit like venice perhaps but not as extreme!

Oh dear lots of dementing about how we had a whole month of no cases and now two this weekend!

But yes, strange how 'families from London' are seen as the main problem with covid, rather than the masses of tourists that pour in..

@TheOrchidKiller actually I was talking to DH about this yesterday. Do you reckon they'll delete all the non socially distanced TV programmes so that people don't get reminded of what life used to be like?! I suspect I've been reading too much distopian fiction!!

Their list of "don'ts" is so long, including no sitting on a chair unless it's attached to a computer you have pre-booked

Well, you know, that makes perfect sense, because everyone knows the virus won't go near you if you've pre-booked your chair. Duh, isn't it obvious?

Pink the one job the young children loved is being 'monitor' for the day, which was being front of the queue and bossing the others into lining up, shushing them into being quiet etc!

Mine has been back during the strange time (bit older but still primary) and they liked having lunch in their classrooms! Like a delivery children can surprise you.

Do you reckon they'll delete all the non socially distanced TV programmes so that people don't get reminded of what life used to be like

Last week I bought a copy of Heat (don't judge) and loads of the pictures showed people wearing masks. I just thought, actually, this is really depressing, the way you're normalising this. I haven't bought it again this week, and I imagine my brain cells are thanking me for lessening my exposure to sleb culture although TBF most people in Heat aren't slebs they're reality TV nobodies and I don't even know who they are

Got the wording of distancing on the Cubs risk assessment re-opened toned down... it's chipping away gently at the edges of the most lunacy!

[quote PinkFondantFancy]@Orangeblossom78 actually that does help a lot, thank you we've talked about how we have rules for school and rules for outside of school so maybe they put it in the same bucket.

Agree re library! It's meant to be relaxing choosing a book! And naff off on the track and trace there. That's a huge NOPE from me[/quote]
That's nuts about track and trace in the library. We're not allowed to browse here either (well last time I was there). You can only go in the front door of my local one, stairs blocked off. You put the books you are returning into a shopping trolley and they hand you the ones you are collecting in a plastic bag.

Having a slight rage here. I work in the Irish equivalent of the NHS. Memo has come out saying that if we undertake non essential travel we have to take an extra two weeks unpaid or paid leave to cover the 14 days self isolation.

Not allowed to work from home for it. I am working from home since early March. Trip to my sister looking less and less likely.

Did my grocery shopping on lunch and majority not wearing masks. No date on when they will be mandatory here.

Allflightscancelled Their list of "don'ts" is so long, including no sitting on a chair unless it's attached to a computer you have pre-booked. Well, you know, that makes perfect sense, because everyone knows the virus won't go near you if you've pre-booked your chair. Duh, isn't it obvious?

It's 'cos covid lives on the bum bit of trousers and skirts so you can catch it via a chair because it might wriggle into your trouser leg and strike! Just as it lives on bare feet- hence the sign in the shoe dept in our Debenhams : "Pop socks must be worn due to covid."

PinkFondant but they are already saying before showing a programme, "this was filmed pre-social distancing." Because we are too stupid to know the difference between now and a repeat that was first broadcast 10 years ago.

@Allflightscancelled yes, it's the normalisation of this in magazines etc that irritates me. They showed a picture of Amber Heard in the paper last week outside court, with a massive face-covering. Her choice to wear it, I guess, but it looked more like a fashion statement & very glam, and I bet there were people out there who saw that and started googling where to get a face-covering just like it.

(Not judging your choice of reading material at all. If Heat is what you need, you go for it!)

Thanks Orchid. I've just sent DD out to get me a copy of Fortean Times

@NowYouListenToMeFella
Having a slight rage here. I work in the Irish equivalent of the NHS. Memo has come out saying that if we undertake non essential travel we have to take an extra two weeks unpaid or paid leave to cover the 14 days self isolation.

If you are working from home anyway I wouldn't be telling them where I had been on holiday - none of their business, you aren't putting anyone at risk.

Having a slight rage here. I work in the Irish equivalent of the NHS. Memo has come out saying that if we undertake non essential travel we have to take an extra two weeks unpaid or paid leave to cover the 14 days self isolation

Wowzers! That's bonkers. And I say that as someone who has seen a LOT of bonkers recently

That’s interesting @NowYouListenToMeFella. I’m sure I’ve heard on here at least once that the Irish are happy and compliant mask-wearers (compared to us stupid irresponsible Brits, of course) 🤔 That’s dreadful expecting you to use leave for quarantine too.