ADs deflower male cucumbers for the Greater Good. All phallic aubergines welcome .

[BogRollBOGOF]

Because bitter male cucumbers don't bring joy, but phallic aubergines can raise an irreverent smile.

AD chat continues about life, the universe and everything. We know the answer is 42 but what is the question?
6x7?
How many roads must a man walk down?
How many unsadly reincarnations have PHE put into the database?

@countrygirl99, you may have been deleted on that thread, but it certainly isn't all going the OP's way.

I hope you've not been banned from the site. I suppose it was an ad hom remark, but it did make me smile. I don't think I was alone.

@SodomyNonSapiens oh yes, all those nasty Brits throwing up on the prom at ayia napa. Giles and I went to a darling taverna up in the hills - we go every year and they look forward to seeing us again - darling little couple - where the wine was flowing. But I must’ve had a touch of food poisoning because I threw up half the night.

@Welcometothelifeboatparty my mum’s “celebration of life” was days before lockdown. Half the guests got stranded there due to far-flung visitors and Flybe going under.

There are definitely cycles of optomism where there's a little stage of optomism on the horizon (for me it's back to school in a few weeks and feeling some sense of being in sync with being on summer holidays at the moment) then swings of despondency from dementor cycles (I'm ignoring most of the school stuff, we've heard it all before), set backs, lack of progress or just hormones.

My blinkers are on for the next few weeks and back to school. I genuinely feel optomistic that from Easter, life will be pretty normal on a societal level. October to March is a mental fog that I'm trying not to look at. Hearing that sports spectators may resume from October heartens me. Not that I've been to a football match since 1996, but that it is a step towards larger scale gatherings and for me, hopefully running races which apart from the start and finish naturally space out anyway.

Christmas is an interesting one. We coped with a minimal Easter, but that was at the start when the risks were higher and more obscure, we were seeing peak deaths without knowing that was the worst point. It's a lower key celebration, and a better time of year of improving weather and light. It's begining to dawn that a lot of the usual pre-Christmas build-up is being cancelled, and while I can cope with a quiet Christmas Day and spreading family visits which is fairly normal to us, it is the events, carol services, nativities, visiting Santa etc that builds up the whole season that will be sorely missed. I can't see the majority of the population quietly complying with sitting at home through all of December and into New Year. There's no accounting for the most hardened dementors, but already, people are feeling that they have made enough social sacrifice and speaking up about the human need for natural interactions and gasp hugs

I'm quite surprised no one is talking about Christmas yet. I'm not much bothered about it and never really do anything special, but I realise that's unusual...

Makes me wonder what %of people they surveyed actually have kids in school.

I wondered that but it aslo depends on the on-line school experince - our was pretty much shit - long term home schooling we'd have to pay out for one of the existing internet schools out there and have one us us working from home long term as all day every day by themselves still feel their a bit young for.

DH said this morning I'm bit mad/keen thinking about hallowean and bonfire night already. We've missed end of Yr 6 for DD2 and Easter and our summer holdiay traditions and activities - and I like having seasonal traditions to do with the kids. The big local and localish firework display have been canceled so it's what can we do with our pets and pets next door.

I admire @BogRollBOGOF's optimism. I was optimistic at the start but I'm finding it hard now.

I like your thinking though.

It feels like April again this morning. At the start I was thinking every day is a day nearer to the end of lockdown & a day closer to normality. Just not feeling it now.

The year is flying by but not in a good way, & it's scary how much time we've lost.

@Ghostlyglow there have been a couple of threads but many posters direct them to the christmas area as many object to christmas being talked about and planned in summer.

I don't think our will be hugly different - we usually have IL down at end of term and I think that may be unlikely as DD1 will almost certainly have Jan GCSE which she can't afford to be caught by track and trace - but whether I'd be listened to don't know.

It feels like April again this morning. At the start I was thinking every day is a day nearer to the end of lockdown & a day closer to normality. Just not feeling it now.

Yup, same. Now it just feels like this shit will drag on forever. It makes me so angry. What happened to flattening the fucking curve??

I think getting schools and colleges back will be the big next thing - even with the large restrictions it would be the biggest return to normal for us.

I do think it will drag on into next year- which with DD1 is a huge worry - she was Y10 this academic year and Y11 coming up. She really wants to be done with this school now anyway and get on to college.

@SirSamuelVimesBlackboardMonito

It feels like April again this morning. At the start I was thinking every day is a day nearer to the end of lockdown & a day closer to normality. Just not feeling it now.

Yup, same. Now it just feels like this shit will drag on forever. It makes me so angry. What happened to flattening the fucking curve??

Yeah this sums it up for me too. I had a couple of months of optimism but alas that has now gone and I feel hopeless and miserable.

Yes, it feels like we've stopped moving forward
I think quite a lot of people have settled into life as it is now. All the talk of the "new normal" and "that's just how it is now". I want to give them a good shake (if I was allowed to, of course )

@TheOrchidKiller

I admire *@BogRollBOGOF*'s optimism. I was optimistic at the start but I'm finding it hard now.

I like your thinking though.

It feels like April again this morning. At the start I was thinking every day is a day nearer to the end of lockdown & a day closer to normality. Just not feeling it now.

The year is flying by but not in a good way, & it's scary how much time we've lost.

I think a lot of people will want to leave this shit in 2020 and not drag it on to 2021.

Globally rates elevate in the winter or recede in late spring.

NZ and Aus were exposed early in their summer and found it easy to repress. They are now finding increases in cases from a minimal base as they are in the equivilent of our February when spread was becoming widespread across Europe and well connected places like New York.

South America was exposed later into their autumn/ winter and have found repression harder.

Europe and the USA had a massive drop through April/ May. Summer is more complex as get the temperatures too hign and people retreat indoors to higher risk, enclosed air cin environments.

Aside from the complexities of local social geographies, whatever happens over our winter, it will settle in the Spring and after a year, people and business will be ready for normal finction. That desire is growing gradually anyway.

Wait for PMT to quel my optimism in about 6 days

It definitely helps if there is something you care about on the horizon.

@Ghostlyglow

I'm quite surprised no one is talking about Christmas yet. I'm not much bothered about it and never really do anything special, but I realise that's unusual...

We've already decided to have Christmas at home. Tbh im not overly fussed either though we do usually see family but I've decided id rather plan to be at home than be told last minute that is not allowed.

@Ghostlyglow we’re in London, not quite Islington (the other end of our street is ). The booking thing is not too bad, honestly. We’ve done the zoo, Tate Modern and Osterly Park so far, all booked the night before or on the day. We’re not usually planners and prefer a bit of spontaneity, but I’m enjoying things not being so crowded and not having to queue so much. Having a set arrival time is also helping to get the children out of the house in good time. Usually they’re dithering over lost shoes, whining about teeth cleaning or starting a complex Lego construction project right before we’re about to leave.

I think really that I can't bear the thought of a whole year passing without seeing DPs. Life now is very much like life was for my immediate family until about 12 months ago, & I feel that sense of being trapped & helpless again.

Anyway, I'm not going to cry because I've done my make up. And the woman over the road is having a wash in her bathroom. It's frosted glass but I can still see more than I want to. Two things to make my eyes water.

Regarding Christmas, it doesn’t make too much difference to us in terms of the actual day. IL’s are in Spain and have only come over once for Christmas in the 11 years DH and I have been together. My mum always comes to us, that won’t change. We go to my dads on Boxing Day and we’d still do that whatever the ‘roolz’ are then.
I hate the idea of no carol concerts/nativity etc though. Not too bothered about things like Santa visits, I always find them more stressful than fun! The kids school usually does a brilliant ‘Christmas family night’ and I doubt that will happen, which is a shame.
I guess it’ll be lots of Christmas films and singing carols at home!

Thanks @Mrsfrumble we're just going to wing it, I think. Maybe just message pub/restaurant s on the day to see if they can fit us in.

We'd already done last school carrol concert and play - though secondary did used to do reward trips to cinerma for the different years - and that won't be happening.

I suspect these trip and end of year trips may never come back ad there was already push back from the new governors and I wonder if the various trips abroad they did for years will ever came back either.

@Mrsfrumble, on the overground, were there any non maskers? If so, what did the police do? This is a major anxiety of mine, being stopped by police. Irrational, I know, but I can't help it.

Mine are only going into year 2 and year 1... year 2 is the last year they do a nativity so DD1 will be sad to miss it, she had big dreams of being a narrator . To be fair though I’ll probably be more disappointed than them.
Mine will hate the bans on assemblies/singing though! Although DD2’s reception report referenced the fact that she has an impressive, word perfect repertoire of Disney songs so not sure anyone will keep her quiet .

I think i am swinging between being numb to it all now and raging at all the sanctimonious virtue signalling from the D's. They seem to be getting more hysterical as it becomes more obvious that we need to get back to normal and accept there is a new 'bug' on the block which does what a multitude of other bugs do. No more no less. We can't hide forever it's ridiculous and they see thier ability to try and control others slipping away. Screw em I don't give a damm anymore.

((Hugs)) to every one struggling and in pain. It's hard enough some days without added extras. My self administered temp filling fell apart and have a shredded tongue! Gave put more in but it's needing more as as soon.as it gets wet in your mouth it gets slippery and difficult to put in place. I had an appoint cancelled beginning of June for a check up and when i called and said I had a broken tooth and lost a filling they said they would put me in the list for dentist to prioritise...Still waiting 😠 how on earth are they ever going to catch up?

Late to bed but caught up on my lack of sleep today and 3 days of complete mania at work so need to get motivated. Only housework on the agenda today and I need to be motivated to do that 🤣🤣

Weather not great but nowhere to go anyway.

KBO

Maybe were were lucky then both primaries mine went to did christmas plays of some form till Y6.

Though many years due to age gaps we often had two or three differenet ones to get to which did get awkward.

I think Christmas term end and end of year will be much quieter going forward - first primaries end of year was just manic so much thrown in it was exhausting for everyone - even second primary schoolcould get busy then they start secondary and it all stops.

@ISaySteadyOn there was one woman who wasn’t wearing a mask, but she took one out of her bag and put it on when the PO spoke to her. This all happened while the train was on the platform before setting off, and lots of people got on after the police had gone, some not wearing masks.

Just checked and there 2 covid -19 cases per 100,000 people in my area which is less than wales as a whole which has 3 per 100,000.

There's been no covid deaths for well over a month in my area and other deaths are below well below the 5 year average death rate this month.

Yet people stil don't want schools open and people getting back to workplaces as it's not "safe".