Anti Ds We might be locked out of last thread,..but we will never be totally locked dow 👍

[Dowser]

How did that happen?
Taking one for the team 👍

That's a great article HelenaDove, and the comments are heartening.

I'm trapped in Dementor Global Headquarters at the moment (aka Melbourne) and there was a fantastic article in the newspaper by an historian of Melbourne, about life here during the Spanish Flu pandemic. Masks were only mandatory for indoor church services, and were a controversial issue. One contemporary doctor described them as 'as useful as barbed wire for keeping out blowflies'. Pubs stayed open during the entire pandemic (max 20 patrons) because of the influence powerful publicans held over the government of the day. Now, it's the building trade here. Plus ca change, hey?? I found it strangely comforting: a great antidote to all the FB bullshit about how everyone back then wore masks, and we're now a bunch of selfish, whinging narcissists. All these uninformed exhortations to 'learn from history!' In fact, people are people, and politicians are politicians, wherever and whenever they might be.

DH and I were discussing what people from centuries earlier than that would think. They wouldn't think we're narcissists; they'd think we were wimps. And Victorian doctors would harrumph and tell us all to go to the country and get some air in our lungs. I am not sure how this would apply if you already live there but they'd say it anyway.

Yes. I don't want to sound insensitive, but it's as though vast swathes of the population have just discovered the concept of 'mortality'.

@justasking111

Looking at the world meter it matters not if you live in a dry heat, high humidity this virus loves it. When looking at Argentina which is cold just now figures are lower. So perhaps it will not like our british winter.

Aberdeen is the temperature of a standard London winter day! Just because it’s “taps aff” in Aberdeen, don’t be fooled in thinking it’s over 12 degrees. 😂

@skeptile interesting re: Spanish flu masks. I had seen some very well-dressed ladies from that era wearing them - but much in the vein of “does this match my outfit?”. Of COURSE there was controversy, we are but human.

aintdeadyet want us to form a human shield around you? Oh... 😁

Wasn't pink custard just blancmange that was freshly made and hot, as opposed to set and chilled? Chocolate blancmange is a lovely chocolate sauce served hot on a chocolate sponge. (Sorry, I'm on a diet and I'm hungry.)

Just popping up to mention mint custard, which was served with every pudding in my hall of residence for the spring term of 1990.

It must've been a thing because mint custard featured in This Is England '90 when Lol was a dinner lady.

It was ok on chocolate sponge but very wrong with everything else.

Mint custard? I’d have been in HEAVEN!

Maybe this is why we’ve all grown up to be so robust - scrapping over school custard skin in the 70s, even though the thought of thick skin makes me feel somewhat queasy now. 😂

Also an angel delight hater here.

The removal of masks in israel's schools (which happened in may) is being used by various school dementors as a reason for them to be used here as there was a school outbreak in one school that let them take them off. I'm not anti mask (although not sure kids would universally wear them properly) but it pisses me off they are using that but ignoring the fact the school in question used aircon, ignored other guidance plus israel basically opened everything up all at once so rises in cases aren't surprising.

[quote DobbyTheHouseElk]@SomewhereEast that map! Thank you. So I’m struggling to find many cases at all. This is good news. So where are all the cases coming from? I know things can change quickly. But this has to be a good thing.[/quote]
I think 900-ish cases is just what you get when you add up those low local numbers across the whole country. I actually think if someone predicted at Easter that we'd be carrying 150k tests a day in early August, but getting less than a thousand positives even with targetted community testing, we'd all have thought that was pretty amazing. Its fascinating how the goalposts have completely shifted. Even the 'hotspots' really aren't terrible.

I was talking to DH about how we think this madness will end, I think Christmas will be the tipping point. Lots of people seem to be still on board with thinking that this can last forever but people have their limit, if we all end up having a shit, lonely Christmas people will start to question their choices going forward. I really don’t think Boris saying that things will be ‘back to normal by Christmas’ was helpful as this has now set an expectation which again will be subtlety glossed over when the time comes.

I think I’m optimistic for things to be back to normal by Easter...

I think the furlough scheme ending will be a big wake up call. Easy to decide to stay indoors forever if you can work from home or are getting your furlough money.
Income evaporating will make people a lot braver. The threat of no food or losing a home will seem a lot more immediate than a virus.

On the cold and flu thread - just because you've had a negative test doesn't mean you don't have Covid. Well, there will always be a margin of error in any test but why so doom laden.

I’ve been to Israel in may. The heat was insufferable. Everything is airco, but in tel aviv the streets are built parallel to the beach, rather than perpendicular which meant it was utterly stifling as the fresh air didn’t come off the sea at all.

Fresh air is unlikely to pose a problem in rural Scotland.

It’s also got a population similar to that of Scotland - but a land mass approximately a quarter of.

@TheWoodsAreDark

I was talking to DH about how we think this madness will end, I think Christmas will be the tipping point. Lots of people seem to be still on board with thinking that this can last forever but people have their limit, if we all end up having a shit, lonely Christmas people will start to question their choices going forward. I really don’t think Boris saying that things will be ‘back to normal by Christmas’ was helpful as this has now set an expectation which again will be subtlety glossed over when the time comes.

I think I’m optimistic for things to be back to normal by Easter...

I think Boris made a huge mistake there. Christmas will be people's breaking point I think. My breaking point was in march personally.

I mean realistically how long are people willing to live like this? I've asked that a few times to various posters and it's funny but I never once got a straight answer.

@skeptile if you think about the number of loo brush and sheet/towel/loo cleaning threads and frequent use of grim you get on mumsnet it's clear that a significant part of the demographic is germophobic at the best of times. I was shocked the other day to see how many people wash brand new clothes before wearing them. I could understand a few people with skin conditions but there were loads because grim.

@TrustTheGeneGenie, Yep Christmas will be grim and as soon as that reality bites people will be back peddling to justify not following the (ridiculous) roolz anymore. The thought of Christmas shopping in boiling hot shops with coats/scarves and a mask is utterly unappealing.

I'm just feeling sad about Xmas pantos and all this being cancelled. Last year we saw the circus and went to the panto and ice skating at Hampton court and all this, seeing Santa in the grotto and all this. It was pretty magical for my 4yo, she was so happy, so I'll have to explain to her it won't happen this year and it's making me really sad already. All this stuff is Xmas for little kids and effectively cancelling this part of it is sad. I know it's a first world problem though.
Re Xmas shopping: will do all online. Used to do that anyway. Not that fussed about shops but I hope people still put lights etc up. Wouldn't be surprised if covid somehow meant we weren't allowed!

I am not a Christmas fan and we don't generally do an awful lot. It's a dark, cold time of year and all through December i'm counting the days until it's all over.

But It's definitely shit for people who depend on Christmas parties, pantomimes and the like for their salary.

I think the main issue is that almost everything Christmas related is inside, if the government put the skids on everything inside it’s going to be shit. I can imagine people are telling themselves to just get through the summer then it will all be ok even though Covid isn’t going anywhere and they will have to get on board with feeling ‘safe’ outside their homes

Mornin'
Went to see a friend last night. She's like us 😂.
Was so lovely to share parenting experiences in all this and opinions. Supposedly closer friends have been saying how it is all necessary etc. They don't have kids just the ability to work from home with no problems. One said last night though, does anybody still listen to said instructions given by the welsh government anymore? So they might be coming around to it.

I'm going to stick my neck out and say sooner than that. I think schools will go back, there'll be some case increases and local measures but we won't do anything nationally (because we can't afford to) and people will gradually realise it's ok.

Cases will continue to rise through Pillar 2 targeted testing but hospital admissions won't get out of control. And because we're all good little handwashers now even flu and noro won't be so bad this year.

Plus the economic realities will finally dawn on everyone not just us on here!

80:20 will win, it was D:AD, I suspect it's more like 50:50 at the moment and soon it will be 80:20 AD:D

There, don't you all feel better for reading my optimistic predictions

Happy Friday all - mine has improved enormously already today by Tatton Park finally deciding doggos can be off their leads again.

Trying to work out whether to have the flu vaccine as I noticed you can now book for September in our local pharmacy (will pay as not exempt unlike DH who is due to age/health).

Never bothered before but given all the 'flu' and 'covid' is going to be a problem this year trying to work out any negatives other than sore arm and paying for it?

I had flu about 5 years ago as a single parent not fun! The kids had to fend for themselves and after three days I HAD to get out of bed to drive for milk. (No supermarket delivery area).

I always get the jag now - simply because almost bloody everything is harder as a single parent.

Yeah I guess I am blasé about it because I am not on my own and even if I felt utter shit and couldn't get out of bed for a couple of weeks it wouldn't be a disaster. But yeah I guess I should book especially if I do get it I will have to listen to DH saying I told you to get the jab

John Campbell has posted something on YouTube about flu vaccine potentially exacerbating other respiratory illness.
He thinks it's unlikely but has put the video up for balance.
He's really good at looking at all the studies and it might be worth keeping an eye on his channel in case any more info comes to light.