ADs picnic in the park with Twinkle the Tortoise

[ISaySteadyOn]

Thought it was my turn to start a thread.

@Mrsfrumble Well-spotted!

I'm glad that people are finally starting to see spin for what it is: spin. See also this thread over there about being manipulated by the press.

One thing I do hope might happen is that people finally realise how much the government lies and manipulates people ALL THE TIME: it's just been so much more noticeable this last year, especially as Saint Boris and his merry men are not actually that good at it, unlike Tony Blair's government which was a master of spin and manipulation.

@Mrsfrumble

Found this vital fact buried in a metro article this morning: “Eight out of ten of England’s Covid-19 hotspots have prisons located within them”.

The “Stay at Home” thread is hilarious, but also reassurance that people no longer believe that it’s “flocking to beaches” or joggers that are driving transmission. The lack of acknowledgement from the government and media that the riskiest places are prisons, care homes, factories, hospitals and overcrowded housing in economically deprived communities, and they are places that people generally don’t CHOOSE to be, means that it’s easier to keep blaming the public for the choices we can make.

I thought all of that was widely known from ages ago but I use anti lockdowners as my main source of news.

@110APiccadilly

I keep seeing that vaccine immunity is probably better (as in, more effective) than natural immunity. Now, this is not my area, but I'd never heard that for any other vaccine. Is it likely to be true? I can't see what mechanism would make it so, but I am not an expert in this area. Anyone with more knowledge than me have an opinion?

I would like to know this too... There's a thread over there that was looking quite sensible last night, where people had calmly and rationally answered some vaccine questions that may be a good place to ask.

Just seen a friend post on Facebook "if masks and social distancing don't work, tell me...what happened to the flu?"
She seems none too happy with my response
"You've spent the last year screaming 'Covid is NOT THE FUCKING FLU', so I don't understand the point you're trying to make"

@LivinLaVidaLoki

Just seen a friend post on Facebook "if masks and social distancing don't work, tell me...what happened to the flu?" She seems none too happy with my response "You've spent the last year screaming 'Covid is NOT THE FUCKING FLU', so I don't understand the point you're trying to make"

Maybe she is starting to see sense?

[quote wanderings]@Mrsfrumble Well-spotted!

I'm glad that people are finally starting to see spin for what it is: spin. See also this thread over there about being manipulated by the press.

One thing I do hope might happen is that people finally realise how much the government lies and manipulates people ALL THE TIME: it's just been so much more noticeable this last year, especially as Saint Boris and his merry men are not actually that good at it, unlike Tony Blair's government which was a master of spin and manipulation.[/quote]
Spin came on the radar in the Blair years, and I suppose we've had a generation of feeling increasingly jaded and critical about it.

It is pretty predictable now that there'll be a gloom-dump every time there's a Friday with a good weather forecast. They've been doing that one since the start. My internal monologue says "blah, blah, blah" a lot these days.

The media seems much more tightly whipped in with it, with minimal voice for deviation from the government script with supporting images of masked children distanced in schools type thing which were obviously staged last summer when few were in anyway. I'd be curious about when those images were staged. It's good to see the spin more about freedom and more natural images... I look at the governments stats and set more store with that and the trends they represent. A month ago when the cases and hospital cases began plummeting the spin to keep us behaving really didn't logically add up. Well maybe it did 2+2=5.

I'm signed up for a running race next month, same site and organisers as the one I did last October. I'm doing 10k rather than an HM. I think I could do HM, but found it quite tough last time and an easier distance might be more enjoyable. The race was well organised and I was glad I did it, but the huge amount of uncertainty at the time including that county going to tier 2 days earlier made it hard to psych up for it and enjoy the whole race atmosphere. It was also very quiet as many took the virtual option at the last minute. So yeah, 10k, will be easier and the better climate should make a better atmosphere.

Good point about the staged school photos - let’s have a look to see if there is any giveaway greenery in the background, which might hint at it being summer. (It’s the usual gaffe that shows that TV Christmas specials are often filmed in summer.)

checking in. Thinking of applying for a different job (still an NHS angle) but less hours / better money. Not really sure if i am qualified but think i might apply anyway. Nowt to lose.

Also, do we all think we will really be free come summer?

@110APiccadilly

From my memory of researching this when DD was getting various vaccines a decade ago, the immune system has several ‘layers’ to put it in layman’s terms. So the first layer is our skin and our mucous membranes. As they are the first point of contact for pathogens. When we have naturally acquired immunity the first layer responds more quickly than a vaccine because these layers have already been primed by the previous contact. Vaccine immunity will be slower as the vaccine response layer is not front line. In addition our immune response is good at recognising vaguely similar pathogens so it will think ‘this looks like a cold virus and this is how I beat a cold viruses last time so I will do the same again’ and amazingly it will remember every cold virus it has ever beaten off so you never catch the same cold twice. This is why many of us are immune to COVID because our bodies recognise a coronavirus and how to beat it off.

Obviously immunology is a lot more complicated than that and our immune system doesn’t ‘think’ but that sums it up in very basic terms. Of course the WHO infamously changed their entire belief system to ‘only vaccines can achiever herd immunity’ a couple of months back.

Having said that it seems a lot of people have been exposed to COVID and don’t know it, and these are the people having a stronger response to the vaccines. So if you have had asymptomatic COVID you will feel a bit shit after your jab.

Here for my dose of sanity. I have been invited for my vaccination - not entirely sure why as I'm not in any of the right age groups. Really not sure I want to have it until the full testing has been completed.

I am gutted about the thought of children going back fully masked up next week but pleased that they are to be back at school.

I'm just feeling very sad about everything at the moment and can't shake it off.

Crumbs. Someone on the SAH thread has come on to tell everyone off. How can anyone read that thread and not realise that it isn’t the place for telling people off?

@CruCru

Crumbs. Someone on the SAH thread has come on to tell everyone off. How can anyone read that thread and not realise that it isn’t the place for telling people off?

There's always one.

I'm intrigued at how on the religion topic someone will ask a question such as 'how do I find a church that does ...' or or 'I think a certain type of worship might help me with ..., where could I find that?' or 'which version of the Bible is easiest to read?' and someone always turns up and berates them for being so stupid and gullible as to believe in a 'fairy in the sky', etc etc. It's not as if the religion topic is easily fallen over; some people must spend hours searching and searching in order to catch such quesitons and attack those who don't share their views.

Also, do we all think we will really be free come summer?
I really, really hope so, if only from the way the government have been spinning things: so far they're still intending for the schools to return, in the face of the growing horror over there. I was a little dismayed to read today "furlough extended" beyond June, because that gives the government room to extend lockdown, but I really hope it doesn't happen. At the moment there's more pressure for things to be opened earlier, rather than later. Will Saint Boris cave to this, or will he gladly do it, so he can look like a hero?

I think that if the schools going back does not produce a rise in infection, there's no reason why the other things should not follow. If the government do also decide to make masks optional in some settings, and that does not produce a rise in infections and hospitalisations, that would mean everything else could happen and would prove that masks were merely badges of membership of the Johnson school of obedience.

@wanderings

Also, do we all think we will really be free come summer? I really, really hope so, if only from the way the government have been spinning things: so far they're still intending for the schools to return, in the face of the growing horror over there. I was a little dismayed to read today "furlough extended" beyond June, because that gives the government room to extend lockdown, but I really hope it doesn't happen. At the moment there's more pressure for things to be opened earlier, rather than later. Will Saint Boris cave to this, or will he gladly do it, so he can look like a hero?

I think that if the schools going back does not produce a rise in infection, there's no reason why the other things should not follow. If the government do also decide to make masks optional in some settings, and that does not produce a rise in infections and hospitalisations, that would mean everything else could happen and would prove that masks were merely badges of membership of the Johnson school of obedience.

oh i so hope you are right. I really hope the furlough thing is just to help businesses while they re build.

yes v true about masks! i still believe they are useless! and worse than useless on school kids. Me, a fully grown adult, cannot stop touching my face when i wear one so how thousands of teens will do a better job i dont know!

AD's - please can i have your advice?

So as you know DS is 4 and in reception. He goes to after school club in term time, but we need childcare in the hols - until now we have just taken A/L or i have worked from home because hes had to isolate anyway.

But, i realistically need to sort for easter hols.

I have a childminder lined up. Met her last year before all this kicked off. Seems lovely, Outstanding Ofsted - reccomended by many.

However, this was when i worked 5 mins away from her house. I now work more like 20 mins from her house, 30 in rush hour.

I was about to book DS in with her for easter hols. However. I have just seen that she has had a complaint made against her late last year.

The jist was that people in her house not DBS checked / Ofsted want updates on who is living there, and leaving kids with assistant too long (no details as to how long)

Would you be concerned by this? I feel like i am but my options are massively limited in reality.

School dont do a holiday club. No schools close by do one. Nursery he used to go to dont do one (though i could send him in hols until he turns 6 i think) No childminders near me at all whatsoever. Possibly childminders near my work and one day nursery near work which does out of school club.

I am swayed towards contacting the nursery but i dont know whether i am being too harsh essentially ditching her? i feel she should have been honest with me and alerted me to this and explained when i booked in with her but i suppose she has no obligation to do that.

@Curlygirl06

I'm fine so far, bugger twas hoping for a day off work! I'll report back in the morning.

Hi all, funny night last night, woke up about 8 times either too hot or too cold covers on, covers off, like being in a wind tunnel! I have a headache today and feel heavy behind my eyes, bit like a hangover feels I think but I've not drunk for years. I've taken paracetamol, not gone to work and am sat on the settee with the fire on. Early night methinks.

@TrustTheGeneGenie

AD's - please can i have your advice?

So as you know DS is 4 and in reception. He goes to after school club in term time, but we need childcare in the hols - until now we have just taken A/L or i have worked from home because hes had to isolate anyway.

But, i realistically need to sort for easter hols.

I have a childminder lined up. Met her last year before all this kicked off. Seems lovely, Outstanding Ofsted - reccomended by many.

However, this was when i worked 5 mins away from her house. I now work more like 20 mins from her house, 30 in rush hour.

I was about to book DS in with her for easter hols. However. I have just seen that she has had a complaint made against her late last year.

The jist was that people in her house not DBS checked / Ofsted want updates on who is living there, and leaving kids with assistant too long (no details as to how long)

Would you be concerned by this? I feel like i am but my options are massively limited in reality.

School dont do a holiday club. No schools close by do one. Nursery he used to go to dont do one (though i could send him in hols until he turns 6 i think) No childminders near me at all whatsoever. Possibly childminders near my work and one day nursery near work which does out of school club.

I am swayed towards contacting the nursery but i dont know whether i am being too harsh essentially ditching her? i feel she should have been honest with me and alerted me to this and explained when i booked in with her but i suppose she has no obligation to do that.

I think in the circumstances you've listed, I'd ditch the childminder. If it was just one issue I'd be more inclined to overlook, but it's the combination.

1. Now much further away, 20-30 mins not five
2. Not having the other people in the house DBS checked
3. Leaving the children in the care of someone else (bit unsure of what an assistant is in this setting).

Contact the nursery about the Easter holidays, see if it works for him & you, and maybe look into other options (other childminders?) for the summer?

I agree with sir Sam. Too many flags.

@110APiccadilly I noticed you commented on the SAH thread about getting the R number below zero. I saw that too and it made me laugh. I assume in order to do that people who have had covid have to un-have covid.

Reminded me of when I saw a comment about how the total deaths are just increasing. (well they would be, if they were falling then we would really have to worry)

thanks both.

I may well speak to nursery for now and see if they can help.

When i met with her she was married, but i know that since she has divorced him and has a new BF (im not a stalker, i added her on FB because its linked to her private childminding page) so i think DBS issue possibly him - he has a stupid fake name on FB and a fake picture so dont know any more about him - or whether they are indeed still together tbh!

the travel is an issue i wont lie - but because she seemed so perfect i was willing to do it - now... not so much!

@starfish88 I can't believe you doubt my commitment to staying at home until those who've sadly died have all been duly resurrected.

@110APiccadilly you realise the more the virus spread the more we risk it mutating into zombie virus. Although I'm not sure if this impacts on reducing the number of deaths since zombies are technically still dead.

@Curlygirl06 that's exactly how I was. Had mine on Friday so was off anyway next day but don't think I'd have felt up to going to work. Slept fine next night and ok ever since. Possibly a bit more tired than usual and arm a bit sore.

Complete change of subject but is anyone else having uniform problems. One of mine has no school trousers that fit him - his old ones are too small and his brother's hand me downs too big. He's quite small for his age and sturdy build. He's very sensitive about both things so uniform buying is stressful at the best of times. There seems to be literally nothing in stock anywhere so I have no idea what he'll wear on Monday.

[quote starfish88]@110APiccadilly you realise the more the virus spread the more we risk it mutating into zombie virus. Although I'm not sure if this impacts on reducing the number of deaths since zombies are technically still dead.[/quote]
Un-dead, thank you! Unless you want to be thought a vitalist.

Been reading Reaper Man to DD1