ADs won't tut when you're stuck in a rut, we're all too busy pouring Amaretto in our porridge

[BogRollBOGOF]

Welcome into another thread of alternative reality as we try to nagivate through the Coronacoaster of life.

We may be up, down, spinning around (generally in confusion at the next random edict drawn up on the back of a fag packet) but never sucking the joy out of life.

I agree about being sent on random health checks over minor symptoms and when it comes back ok they can think you are neurotic as well and not follow up important stuff later. When actually needed. I'm very careful about not bothering the docs over stuff now about random stuff unless really needed

Susie Dent
·
Nov 2
Word of the day is 'podsnappery' (19th century, from Dickens): 'insular complacency and blinkered self-satisfaction'.

The word to describe many of the Ds on the rest of MN

We are in the inner spiral of the McDonalds drive-thru.

The retail parks seems mostly open. Some furniture shops shut, but 2/3s seem to be ploughing on.

@Dowser my GP said many years ago that if he could send all his elderly patients to Spain every winter on prescription he would save the nhs a fortune.

@bakingcupcakes

I dealt with a customer the other week who has problems with his reading glasses steaming up. He was elderly and I said something like at least when he's reading at home they're OK. Apparently at home is the worst thing because he wears his mask in his flat too. All the time. Even though he lives alone and hasn't let anyone inside since March. I was slightly dumbfounded.

This is really sad . Poor old man . I think a lot of elderly people struggling to understand . Either stuck in their houses terrified or are being told off because they are going out to buy a paper every day .

@Reedwarbler will the staff not sit with your FIL and set up the video chat for him ? Don't they spend any time in the room with him ? That's awful .

@Reedwarbler So sorry to hear about your FIL. It’s absolutely inhumane the way our elderly are treated. I think the word dog is also applicable to the word person in the phrase “there are worse things than can happen to a dog than be put to sleep” I hope that doesn’t offend anyone.
I’ve been on a positive murder rampage this morning. Sainsbury’s, Aldi, B&M and The Range. Some of my trip involved the motorway where I took great delight in flicking the v sign at the “essential journeys only” message on the signposts.

[quote Iheartmysmart]@Reedwarbler So sorry to hear about your FIL. It’s absolutely inhumane the way our elderly are treated. I think the word dog is also applicable to the word person in the phrase “there are worse things than can happen to a dog than be put to sleep” I hope that doesn’t offend anyone.
I’ve been on a positive murder rampage this morning. Sainsbury’s, Aldi, B&M and The Range. Some of my trip involved the motorway where I took great delight in flicking the v sign at the “essential journeys only” message on the signposts.[/quote]
Very few people want to spend their final years in a care home but the number of people with relatives there who thing that person's death would be tragic is unreal.

I really really hope one of the good things that come out of this situation will be legal euthanasia, or at least assisted suicide. It is crazy that we treat our elderly worse than our pets. We let them be stripped of their dignity and minds without any recourse to mercy. It is so cruel.
Whilst many elderly fear dying I think far less fear being dead - it is the act of getting from one to the other that is scary and we deny them (us) any control over this.

@Reedwarbler

Just seen on a local fb group that my local Tesco has closed off the upstairs (clothes books and stationary) Batshit So if you need a winter coat you cant get one.

Why have Tesco done that? Our ASDA has a layout like that & everything was open when I went in 2 days ago.
With more people WFH, & children potentially at home due to self-isolation you'd think that stationary items were important purchases.

I can take or leave the supermarket books. I did buy one from there in last lockdown that was ok, but was put off by the large amount of "misery literature" & books about serial killers in there.

[flowers]@Reedwarbler

💐 @Reedwarbler it is awful what is going on with care homes, I have a small business offering pet therapy services to care homes in normal times. I follow several of them on Facebook and can see most of the residents are just not happy, these are good homes which are doing their best but there is no substitute for family visits. I can see in the expression of residents in the background of the pictures that they are sad when nobody is telling them to smile like the ones in the foreground.

I do hope something can be arranged for your FIL to see family.

I have been shopping today, local high street busy( already lots of empty shop) and while I was getting my car key fob battery changed, I heard two women complaining to each other, that the government were taking away their small pleasures for example tea/coffee out with friend and hairdressers and shopping. And they looked in their 70’s so probably should have been trapped at home.
I was buying non essential buffet tea today. We are going to have a party buffet tea, just to cheer us up. Bought my DH the biggest peach melba I have ever seen. Now watching a Christmas film.

@Evenstar
I'm assuming you can't take pets into care homes at the moment? I bet residents are missing the joy that therapy animals bring.

I've been to care homes with resident cats, dogs & hens, & they were the best.

I've seen the excitement in care homes when outside entertainment comes in (& in this job usually spend December carefully timing care home appointments around their Christmas entertainers, because no one wants to see me when that's on)! I'm not saying it would be easy to manage that sort of thing right now, but the value of activities such as pet therapy or a singer is so high.

@NannyGythaOgg

Susie Dent · Nov 2 Word of the day is 'podsnappery' (19th century, from Dickens): 'insular complacency and blinkered self-satisfaction'.

The word to describe many of the Ds on the rest of MN

And indeed the government and SAGE.

@TheOrchidKiller I have had a tentative inquiry to leave the pets with a member of staff at one home, and I am hoping that will be possible with some homes.

It needs a member of staff who is confident to handle them, but I am hoping that will be possible as I do know what a huge difference activities make especially to residents with dementia. The animals ask nothing from them and they are free to just be, without the pressure or anxiety of trying to remember.

I am going to send Christmas cards and a flyer to my regulars offering drop offs and see how it goes. Basically since March all the homes have locked their doors, I think one or two are allowing one family member once a week and it has to be the same one every week.

I hope things work out, @Evenstar.

In other news, Biden has won.

DH was out doing some gardening this afternoon and someone flew one of those planes over with a message flying behind.

It read "lockdowns don't work GB declaration"

@Recycledblonde we are absolutely rammed with critically ill covid patients and very busy, just had an admission actually. Not had proper breaks just 20 mins here and there today. In fact just had my tea now because I know I won’t get a break before 8 probably.

I've just seen a post on another thread where someone posted about the BBC article upthread and stated that "That said young children and babies also need access to a functional health service for non covid reasons and if the NHS collapsed that would obviously cause harm to that group"

Is it just my fierce protectiveness of this group or does that essentially read as, what happened to those kids is awful but we need to protect the NHS. Seriously??!!
Maybe the next slogan should be "stay home, beat or neglect your kids, protect the NHS"?

Re Tesco & them closing off the clothing/books sections :

Local paper reports it's been done in some Tescos where those sections are on a separate floor to the main food part of the store. This, they say, is in accordance with govt guidelines to close off floors that don't sell any food, but to keep floors open that sell a mix of food & non-food items.

If this is the case then my ASDA has the clothes & baby products on the same floor, so they would be able to keep that floor open because the formula milk & baby food is up there.

Still don't get the logic of closing down floors though. If you're in the store to do a weekly shop you're in there anyway, & grabbing a jumper to add to the trolley isn't going to stop the spread.

Also, if they've been told to close because it's not fair on the non-essential shops, then does that not mean that it will always be a bit unfair on the non-essential shops, because you might just pick up a jumper & some bath towels during the weekly shop as an impulse buy, rather than go to the high street. In which case, supermarkets shouldn't be able to sell anything other than food at any time.

My head hurts with all of this.

I'm finding it heartening to read about the small public acts of resistance , which were woefully lacking the first time round: the Manchester students tearing down the barriers, the Welsh chap tearing down the plastic sheeting, the message in the sky "lockdowns don't work", those protesting in London despite it being made illegal, the MN response to the "The Range" thread. May there be more. Even some of the papers are speaking out against lockdown.

These things add up. The first time, the public were docile, over-compliant, terrified, brainwashed, lapping up every word of drivel from Saint Boris and his merry men, and thinking only about "the virus", and "people are dying". Now, the tide is turning. People are thinking about their futures, their jobs, their children, realising that they've been well and truly conned by the government about the severity of the virus, and questioning the government. Even the government doesn't seem to be bothering to persuade people to turn on each other.

We must keep up the good work, and make sure that as the end of November approaches, the pressure on Saint Boris to reduce restrictions on 2nd December is MONUMENTAL; from the public, from business, from MPs. The government and the NHS are our servants, not the other way round: Saint Boris must remember that.

[quote Katharinablum]@Recycledblonde we are absolutely rammed with critically ill covid patients and very busy, just had an admission actually. Not had proper breaks just 20 mins here and there today. In fact just had my tea now because I know I won’t get a break before 8 probably.[/quote]
my mother has a procedure at hospital and she is saying that even if allowed, she thinks I should not go with her because we are getting the impression the nosocomial factor is very high.

I hope you get a break asap!

Here the council have not only let the Botanical gardens stay open but also the coffee and cake stand inside, a small rebellion but still