ADs against the ‘’ current abnormal ‘ and ‘ antisocial distancing ‘...Gather here 👍

[Dowser]

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Hello Girls..it’s me again.

Hope your all out and about enjoying this glorious Saturday.

Welcome, @Vintagelovingmum. Wearing a mask produces anxiety cos we're not really meant to wear them so your feelings are entirely natural.

I don't know if it helps at all, but I do sort of practice runs to shops to see what they are like for those who can't muzzle up. If there is a certain proportion of non maskers, I go in. I've actually found some really nice local places that way.

Welcome vintagelovingmum you'll fit right in.

Hadn't thought about how much babies need to see their mum's face. My dd is a lot older. That's heartbreaking.

And I hadn't linked badgers with absence of hedgehogs either. So the couple of hours we spent building a hedgehog house were a bit pointless, then . Wish you'd joined us earlier

I was a student in South Africa when Diana died and we we were all utterly bemused by the reaction in England.
I say England as my then-boyfriend was Scottish and he had some friends out visiting at the time and they were all equally bemused.

I've started a thread with that article. Prepare for me to name change. I'm going out for the day so I'll miss most it, if anything happens. It's a long article and I suspect most people who disagree will just dismiss it without reading much. As I would an article that is heavily dementory

This week our surestart centre as announced it won’t be reopening ‘for the foreseeable future’, so no baby/toddler groups.
The Parish council have today announced that all events for 2020 have been cancelled. Even outdoor, extremely low risk ones.
All I can see ahead of me is spending every single day at home with an 18 month old (who is already petrified of other people after not seeing anyone for months during lockdown), with absolutely nothing to look forward to. I’ve lost all my clients (I’m freelance) as I couldn’t work when schools were closed.
For the first time today I actually feel complete and utter despair. I don’t want to be here anymore.

@MaxNormal

I'm English and was in London, we were bemused too. It was bizarre

, @Drivingdownthe101. We’re here for you and recognise how shit it is.

And I've posted it on facebook.

@Drivingdownthe101 it's shit, I know. You think you reach the bottom with this thing then they just keep hitting you with it.
Just keep venting.

@Welcometothelifeboatparty

Welcome vintagelovingmum you'll fit right in.

Hadn't thought about how much babies need to see their mum's face. My dd is a lot older. That's heartbreaking.

And I hadn't linked badgers with absence of hedgehogs either. So the couple of hours we spent building a hedgehog house were a bit pointless, then . Wish you'd joined us earlier

Look up a clip on YouTube for the “still face experiment”

I’m on my phone so can’t find it easily but we looked at it in lectures about just how much babies get from their caregivers facial expressions

A friend 's 40th birthday party was the day of Diana's funeral. Made the trip down to Sussex really quick as no traffic and we ended up trying to kill an hour in closed Tunbridge Wells. I remember my mum being shocked that the party wasn't cancelled and me being shocked that anyone would think it should be due to the death of someone none of us had even met.

@Drivingdownthe101 we are here for you.

Morning all @Vintagelovingmum welcome. @IAintentDead - we await your new Pratchett inspired name with interest! Will be interesting to see how the thread goes as I think the level of dementoring is reducing to a hard core only as the reality starts to bite. Sorry to all those feeling crappy, we're here to listen xx

@Drivingdownthe101 I'm sorry you're having a really low day, I totally recognise the feeling.

I'm a freelance too, and it must have been impossible for you to do anything with an 18 month old in the house. I struggle with my dd about, and she's 17 YEARS. She just always thinks her various burblings are much more interesting than what I'm doing, so I'm constantly expecting interruption even when she isn't actually doing it.

Forgive my asking a probably dumb question but do you KNOW your clients are now working with other people? Is it possible they've been doing not much work that you could have been asked to participate in? My freelance work has been stop-start, and I know quite a lot of firms have battened down hatches and stopped using freelances to make sure their own employees are safer. So it might be worth just hanging in and keeping in touch. In fact, even if they are using another freelancer it's worth staying in touch, because as we know, freelances are very variable

Hope you can access the SEISS scheme

The current atmosphere is very similar to the hysteria around Diana’s funeral. I was I Kensington Gardens the night before (for work, MSM covering the event 😬) and it was utterly bizarre. There was an overwhelming, heady scent coming from the hundreds of thousands of flowers - it was a warm night - and crowds of people wandering around looking almost as if they were in a trance. People genuinely sobbing for someone they’d never met .... it was actually quite scary, I remember feeling that I was on a totally different wavelength and that felt quite isolating.

At least people snapped out of it fairly quickly once they no longer had the focus of the funeral ... this nightmare is never-ending

@Drivingdownthe101, you have been so supportive of everyone here. Now let us support you.

It's really hard. And I am angry at churches and parish councils. They should be open to provide comfort and a sense of community not cowering away.

[quote Welcometothelifeboatparty]@Drivingdownthe101 I'm sorry you're having a really low day, I totally recognise the feeling.

I'm a freelance too, and it must have been impossible for you to do anything with an 18 month old in the house. I struggle with my dd about, and she's 17 YEARS. She just always thinks her various burblings are much more interesting than what I'm doing, so I'm constantly expecting interruption even when she isn't actually doing it.

Forgive my asking a probably dumb question but do you KNOW your clients are now working with other people? Is it possible they've been doing not much work that you could have been asked to participate in? My freelance work has been stop-start, and I know quite a lot of firms have battened down hatches and stopped using freelances to make sure their own employees are safer. So it might be worth just hanging in and keeping in touch. In fact, even if they are using another freelancer it's worth staying in touch, because as we know, freelances are very variable

Hope you can access the SEISS scheme [/quote]
You’re right I probably am catastrophising a bit... once I get some time to focus I hopefully will be able to get some of my work back. I just can’t see that happening for a while. And I’m in a better position than many as we don’t rely on my income, it’s just that I was finally doing something for myself after years as a SAHM and I’m scared of it slipping away. I will buck my ideas up and sort it all out, I just feel absolute despair today. Everything I do has gone, for the sake of a virus that has infected 3 people in my small town in the past month.
I feel helpless about my toddler too who used to be so sociable and now screams when he sees anyone outside of our household. And I just can’t see how it’s going to improve if there are no groups running. I don’t know anyone with children the same sort of age, all my friends have older DC.
I know it could be worse, I will snap out of it I promise!

And yes to churches and parish councils. They’ve fallen into the trap of ‘our priority is keeping you safe’. The annual fair that has been cancelled was more likely to kill us through unsafe rides or food poisoning from the rank hotdogs.

@Drivingdownthe101

This week our surestart centre as announced it won’t be reopening ‘for the foreseeable future’, so no baby/toddler groups. The Parish council have today announced that all events for 2020 have been cancelled. Even outdoor, extremely low risk ones. All I can see ahead of me is spending every single day at home with an 18 month old (who is already petrified of other people after not seeing anyone for months during lockdown), with absolutely nothing to look forward to. I’ve lost all my clients (I’m freelance) as I couldn’t work when schools were closed. For the first time today I actually feel complete and utter despair. I don’t want to be here anymore.

I don't know what to say but I am sending hugs x

We are all here for you

Oh my god I did NOT mean to post biscuits I thought they were flowers ggggrrr fuckin iPad

Haha it’s ok, I do like a jammy dodger.

@Drivingdownthe101, your feelings are valid. You don't need to snap out of anything until you are ready.

I genuinely think the harm now outweighs any good that could have been done.

And, for a laugh,

I've just gone to hospital for a follow up appointment for a lump removed from my cheek. The doctor TOUCHED THE SCAR with his hand, he can't feel it properly with gloves on. Will I die?

Who doesn't like a jammy dodger?

Anyway, no need at all to snap out of it. Take one day at a time.

I worked with someone who said her parents were abroad on holiday when Diana died. Her brothers wife is called Diana. The parents went down to breakfast and one of the waiters came over and said "Diana's dead!" Cue a heartstopping moment as they automatically though it was their Diana and someone had phoned the hotel until they worked out which Diana they were talking about.