ADs don't want the greater good, give us our crusty jugglers!

[ISaySteadyOn]

Here you go all, thought it might be my turn again.

Oh cocopops I don't think making jokes is allowed anymore in this brave new world

You are so right cocoons! I will be stealing that line for sure.

Some very dementory threads on MN the last few days - what is going on? Because of the Spain thing? I need to avoid them all for my sanity. I keep getting sucked in to King of the Dementors' threads which is probably exactly what he wants!

By cocoons clearly I mean cocopops!

“Bams” 😂

On the subject of care homes - did the staff REALLY need a government directive and training?

Could not ONE member of staff say “I don’t much like the look of Betty in room 12 and with this Chinese flu thing going on, I think we’d better keep an eye on her a few days and limit staff”.

Nup. Easier to blame government than take ownership of a problem and deal with it rationally.

I've been quiet - I'm not coping at all particularly, fit to throttle DH now with him constantly being here and either tuned out of parenting the kids pretending to be on calls or watching netflix while he works... or wittering on whenever I'm trying to do any revision for the fucking exam of terror I have looming. And I'm really starting to worry that they won't get to go back to school in September - in which case I am ringing the school in tears, telling them my mental health has collapsed and they need to take the kids into keyworker provision as vulnerable.

I see there's still no word on letting Leicester out yet. People I know there are just too worn down to even object anymore.

I laughed out loud at bams you just don’t hear that anymore. Sadly.

I was thinking of taking DS to the Hidden Gardens (Glasgow) tomorrow as it’s a nice day and we’ve been going since he was tiny. But now you have to book a slot on Eventbrite, arrive no more than 5 mins before or after your allotted time and you should only come if you can walk, cycle or drive. The bus is our only option and public transport plus toddler can make being bang on time a bit unlikely. I get why they have to do it and I still love the place but I miss our wee routine last summer, just turning up any time, getting a wee lunch and running about somewhere both he and I enjoyed (rare!).

Hi! Ill catch up on the thread in a bit, been a crazy day!
Our local rag is now running a photo thing asking for pics of you and your kids in funny or funky masks.

I just wanna scream!

@cocopops

Oh dear. I fear I may have upset some dementors on the “when are we back to school thread. I was asked if I was on glue after I (clearly) joked that there was more chance of getting pregnant from a park bench” than catching COVID in a Scottish school.

I am feeling somewhat bruised. ☹️

You have to either have a thick skin or not care what people, who don't matter to you, think to ever post over there. It is a hall of distorted mirrors, chamber of fear.

My method - which I mostly only use when sticking up for someone who is being hammered is to post and disappear. I know that it won't be appreciated by the regular posters and I don't give a monkeys but I prefer not to read it.

Everyone is entitled to their own point of view and I appreciate some are frightened but the viciousness of how they pile on anyone who doesn't agree is unreal.

Done the grockle thing today with DIL and grandkids. Llandudno Pier. It was heaving, the whole length of the pier and back not a single mask, nor were people doing the two metre thing. We had to do a bit of dodging and diving. We then walked up to the pub above the tram station big beer garden there for lunch did the QPR thing sat down asked for drinks and menus. OH not doing food they said. So we said can we get chippy from across the road and eat it here. Nope. We had our drinks schlepped back to the car, noticing so many places with outside tables still closed which is a bit baffling.

What now we thought, so back to Conwy where we knew the marina pub was serving meals has been for a fortnight. After a lovely late lunch at which no masks were to be seen we went crabbing, six crabs later we gave up and came home.

They're fucking vicious if you're not still staying indoors in a mask quarantining their shopping over there.

Funnily me telling someone who was against the schools opening if they were on glue was the mark of an absolutely vile person - double standards ahoy.

I've just got the most grudging repayment from school for the lost childcare I'd paid for for wrap around clubs and cancelled school residential - they made us feel guilty as shit if we wanted the money back but it was well over £100.

@DominaShantotto

I've been quiet - I'm not coping at all particularly, fit to throttle DH now with him constantly being here and either tuned out of parenting the kids pretending to be on calls or watching netflix while he works... or wittering on whenever I'm trying to do any revision for the fucking exam of terror I have looming. And I'm really starting to worry that they won't get to go back to school in September - in which case I am ringing the school in tears, telling them my mental health has collapsed and they need to take the kids into keyworker provision as vulnerable.

I'm so sorry you're struggling @DominaShantotto I know it is just words on a screen and so won't do much but just know I'm mentally kneecapping your dh for you xx

@InsaneInTheViralMembrane

On the subject of care homes - did the staff REALLY need a government directive and training?

Could not ONE member of staff say “I don’t much like the look of Betty in room 12 and with this Chinese flu thing going on, I think we’d better keep an eye on her a few days and limit staff”.

Nup. Easier to blame government than take ownership of a problem and deal with it rationally.

I used to do management training with care home managers. Some of them were brilliant, others competent so long as everything was running smoothly, but there were a good proportion that I wouldn't trust as a carer never mind as the manager. There were also some who had the potential to be good but the home was owned by 'men in suits' who didn't give a toss about the residents, they were in it for the money and the homes were poorly staffed, with poorly trained individuals and the poor manager didn't stand a chance.

A large proportion of managers have also come up through from being carers themselves and many had poor education levels, even when they were good at what they did some were very blinkered about external things.

You shouldn't have to pay for trips not taking place, well done getting it back. Luckily the year 6s here do their trip on the Autumn for some reason so had already been. before all this.

YY to the pile on on the schools threads. I try and have a thick skin but not easy...why they can't just have a discussion without insulting people I don't know. Maybe they are from 'toxic twitter'

I cant take any more of this working at home bullshit. I've had to have 3 crisis meetings today while putting up with banging and drilling and dog barking from next door. I've got 3 reports I need to get written up before I finish for holidays and seriously considering logging on tonight to do them so I can concentrate as I know tomorrow is much the same.

I'm exhausted.

I don't feel like I'm working at home any more I feel like I'm living at work.

@Juststopswimming

You are so right cocoons! I will be stealing that line for sure.

Some very dementory threads on MN the last few days - what is going on? Because of the Spain thing? I need to avoid them all for my sanity. I keep getting sucked in to King of the Dementors' threads which is probably exactly what he wants!

Me too!! I cant help it!! He winds me up too much. Now his number one fan has rocked up with her pom poms to cheer him on.

InsaneInTheViralMembrane
On the subject of care homes - did the staff REALLY need a government directive and training?

Some care homes have got infection control nailed (I have an elderly relative living in one of these & it sounds like they have handled covid very sensibly & not restricted the residents too much). Others don't get to grips with it, & I think there are many reasons for this, poor hygeine is just one of them.

Could not ONE member of staff say “I don’t much like the look of Betty in room 12 and with this Chinese flu thing going on, I think we’d better keep an eye on her a few days and limit staff”.

Again, in some of the homes I visit the staff are spot-on. They know their residents & they have good relationships with the local GP practices & they get advice early on if someone is a bit off colour.

And then there are the others, & they end up getting referred to Safeguarding.

Training is difficult. They ask for some, you arrange it, you turn up as agreed & barely anyone can make it because they're short-staffed & a couple of the residents need 1:1 care that afternoon, so they can't spare the staff. Or you get reasonable attendance but the turn-over of staff is rapid so before you know it you have to start again.

If they paid them better, let them work shorter shifts that are family friendly, had some national care standards & competencies that were rigorous enough but not overwhelming & did not rule out anyone who might be an excellent carer but maybe wasn't very academic, caring might be a more attractive job.

[quote MaudesMum]@justasking111 Actually Legionnaire's Disease is a sensible one to check for in water systems that haven't been used for a while. The bacteria do tend to grow in stagnant water, and then would be transmitted through loos flushing/taps running. Not that I'm an expert ..[/quote]
I used to work for a water treatment company I am much more scared of legionnaires than I am of Corona.

@LivinLaVidaLoki

I cant take any more of this working at home bullshit. I've had to have 3 crisis meetings today while putting up with banging and drilling and dog barking from next door. I've got 3 reports I need to get written up before I finish for holidays and seriously considering logging on tonight to do them so I can concentrate as I know tomorrow is much the same.

I'm exhausted.

I don't feel like I'm working at home any more I feel like I'm living at work.

I couldn't do a WFH job for that reason, and there ended up being far too much to catch up on out of hours, at home when I was teaching as a routine.

It's good if there is a more flexible WFH culture allowing people to balance work and life better, but not just employers using this as an excuse to dump on employees and cut costs long term.
Plus there's a lot of reliance on old social networks, but little opportunity to develop new ones.

I hope the holiday goes smoothly after all the palaver of getting it chased up!

@TheOrchidKiller

InsaneInTheViralMembrane On the subject of care homes - did the staff REALLY need a government directive and training?

Some care homes have got infection control nailed (I have an elderly relative living in one of these & it sounds like they have handled covid very sensibly & not restricted the residents too much). Others don't get to grips with it, & I think there are many reasons for this, poor hygeine is just one of them.

Could not ONE member of staff say “I don’t much like the look of Betty in room 12 and with this Chinese flu thing going on, I think we’d better keep an eye on her a few days and limit staff”.

Again, in some of the homes I visit the staff are spot-on. They know their residents & they have good relationships with the local GP practices & they get advice early on if someone is a bit off colour.

And then there are the others, & they end up getting referred to Safeguarding.

Training is difficult. They ask for some, you arrange it, you turn up as agreed & barely anyone can make it because they're short-staffed & a couple of the residents need 1:1 care that afternoon, so they can't spare the staff. Or you get reasonable attendance but the turn-over of staff is rapid so before you know it you have to start again.

If they paid them better, let them work shorter shifts that are family friendly, had some national care standards & competencies that were rigorous enough but not overwhelming & did not rule out anyone who might be an excellent carer but maybe wasn't very academic, caring might be a more attractive job.

@TheOrchidKiller Training is difficult. They ask for some, you arrange it, you turn up as agreed & barely anyone can make it because they're short-staffed & a couple of the residents need 1:1 care that afternoon, so they can't spare the staff. Or you get reasonable attendance but the turn-over of staff is rapid so before you know it you have to start again.

Yep - even the managers. I'd turn up and one would regularly be working as a carer because she was so short staffed.
Another one - She was the manager and despite all staff not being allowed to even wear nail varnish on their natural nails always had perfect, long, decorated talons - she couldn't understand why her staff didn't seem to respect her. But she was always far to busy to have done the agreed work.

At least some of the particularly dementory threads come with a trigger warning now.

That poster is particularly dementory! (the trigger one)

Feeling quite trapped here, in flat in centre, has always been escape to go to town ever since the babies in particular but now the masks and people are too much, sound silly but feeling increasingly stuck.

Feel like moving away...

does anyone else feel more trapped now than before? Confused and stressed by the booking, the advance planning, the hassle and stress of it all, the other people's fear and anger...

@Orangeblossom78

That poster is particularly dementory! (the trigger one)

Feeling quite trapped here, in flat in centre, has always been escape to go to town ever since the babies in particular but now the masks and people are too much, sound silly but feeling increasingly stuck.

Feel like moving away...

does anyone else feel more trapped now than before? Confused and stressed by the booking, the advance planning, the hassle and stress of it all, the other people's fear and anger...

I live somewhere with a decent amount of space but still feel trapped... I feel like this whole thing has made me want to relocate to somewhere cheap where we can get the maximum possible space for our budget.

@LivinLaVidaLoki

I cant take any more of this working at home bullshit. I've had to have 3 crisis meetings today while putting up with banging and drilling and dog barking from next door. I've got 3 reports I need to get written up before I finish for holidays and seriously considering logging on tonight to do them so I can concentrate as I know tomorrow is much the same.

I'm exhausted.

I don't feel like I'm working at home any more I feel like I'm living at work.

Same here. DH helpfully informed me that today was day 100 of us sharing the dining room to work. No bloody wonder I’m loosing it - 100 days of battling with shitty IT, endless interruptions and wittering on about total shit. Thank fuck I finish tomorrow for 2 weeks and thank fuck he has finished today so I’m working on my own tomorrow Why the hell doesn’t the broadband reach our room?