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Original poster

ADs teach twisted lyrics to their pet tortoise

996 replies

BogRollBOGOF · 11/03/2021 22:33

Crawling back to normality slightly slower than a tortoise taking the scenic route...

Previous thread: www.mumsnet.com/Talk/_chat/4173705-ADs-picnic-in-the-park-with-Twinkle-the-Tortoise

OP posts:
Thread gallery
18
MrsEWeatherwax · 01/04/2021 12:39

Had vaccine this morning, nauseous and bit of headache, so relieved first dose done.
DP’s are getting their second dose tomorrow. God I hope this is the end, can’t wait to give my DF a kiss on his cheek and hug my DM.
Did make me laugh to be asked if pregnant.

TabbyStar · 01/04/2021 13:36

Did make me laugh to be asked if pregnant

That reminds me of going to the Centreparcs spa with DD when she was 15 and they asked us whether we were pregnant, and she turned to me and said, "Mum, I've got something to tell you". She gets her sense of humour from me....

ISaySteadyOn · 01/04/2021 16:44

Could you all remind me that having an intersection of disabilities that mean I physically cannot wear a mask and need a lanyard should not be humiliating? I had to pick up cat food today and, honestly, I could feel the hostility in waves even though I was wearing my lanyard, paid in advance and tried to keep a distance from everyone even waiting until there was only one other person in there.

ISaySteadyOn · 01/04/2021 16:46

I hate having to advertise my disabilities all the time. I don't want people to know about them.

AcornAutumn · 01/04/2021 16:52

@ISaySteadyOn

Could you all remind me that having an intersection of disabilities that mean I physically cannot wear a mask and need a lanyard should not be humiliating? I had to pick up cat food today and, honestly, I could feel the hostility in waves even though I was wearing my lanyard, paid in advance and tried to keep a distance from everyone even waiting until there was only one other person in there.
I completely understand that feeling

Reality for me is I've had asthma attacks trying to wear masks, get genuinely distressed to the point of needing to run out of a shop.

I hate the lanyard too, especially on the Tube. I do have an old spinal injury to contend with and I feel the lanyard is saying "mug me".

Stuffin · 01/04/2021 16:59

Went to the tip today and looked around and I think apart from the staff and myself only one other person wasn't wearing a mask.

Now I don't care if people want to mask up outside but I do worry about mask creep.

Original poster
BogRollBOGOF · 01/04/2021 17:13

I dropped in at the supermarkets earlier than usual with DS2 this week. 7pm. A lot busier than I've been used to since last summer. There was a queue for the checkout and two open in Aldi! And people on the tills in Morrisons!

I like taking a DC to chatter to and it makes it so much more normal and stops me fearing bumping into the likes of some of those that frequent other parts of this site.

DH has said that the venue for the vaccine is well spaced and pleasantly quiet and reckons I've got good odds of trying a covering there. If weird stuff happens, I'll just pull it off to breathe, I won't be the first. I'm sure it'll be a more forgiving environment than a supermarket.

I can manage at the osteopath because it's quiet and calm... plus the lack of clothing Grin Seriously, it wasn't the warmest in there today but I was far warmer than I normally would be in just my bra and pants. Trying to move around in a public place I get a hot flush and the breathing goes and it can all happen within a couple of minutes. The more active I am, the more rapid it is. In the osteopath, it is close contact so, yes there is a greater point in effectively wearing a handkerchief on my face than there is somewhere where there is distancing and fleeting proximity. The whole cost/ benefit is different and skews more favourably.

I'm pretty sure it's a sensory reaction. I had issues in pregnancy too as I was more sensitive than usual, and more prone to faintness.

OP posts:
ISaySteadyOn · 01/04/2021 17:13

Thanks, Acorn. Just knowing I am not alone helps.

As to mask creep, it depends where you are. My borough isn't too bad, but the neighbouring one is BD central.

Original poster
BogRollBOGOF · 01/04/2021 17:23

@Stuffin

Went to the tip today and looked around and I think apart from the staff and myself only one other person wasn't wearing a mask.

Now I don't care if people want to mask up outside but I do worry about mask creep.

Outside does seem to vary with the weather. It's genuinely chilly today and even worse after two warm t-shirt days!

Tues/ Wed, there were a few people airing their faces on the playground, at one point yesterday when it was just the long-stay for siblings there were more bare faces than masks! Today was much more compliant.

Because I just didn't wear one, people are more willing to sneak them off around me than when around others. Maybe I'm.a positive influence after all Grin

I just have not seen a shred of evidence to suggest that masks on a windswept playground will make any practical difference. If I get ill, it has by far the highest chance of being through one of my children in the classroom all day, not from chatting 2m away outside with someone else, and having walked there briskly and lots of people passing around putting up a high risk of sensory overload. By the time the DCs are back after Easter, my chances of getting ill will be significantly reduced by the vaccine anyway!

OP posts:
Stuffin · 01/04/2021 18:03

I did wonder if I had missed signs saying I needed to wear a mask at the tip which I would do as I abide by the law even though I think masks don't do much and certainly make no difference outside at the tip when you don't get close to anyone. But it just seemed to be a personal thing as I checked for any missing signs and no staff wore one. The problem is that I think if the government got a whiff that mask wearing outside was acceptable they would start mandating it Sad

Recycledblonde · 01/04/2021 18:10

We went to the tip last week and there are signs but none of the staff and very few customers were wearing them so we didn’t. It was raining so they would have been pointless anyway.

Taswama · 01/04/2021 18:52

Road.cc (cycling website) posted a news item this morning about masks now being compulsory for cycling. Utter uproar.
Then we checked the date Grin

justasking111 · 01/04/2021 19:09

As to who wears a mask between wearing glasses and a mask I can hardly bloody see anything, never notice other folk.

MercyBooth · 01/04/2021 19:26

DB has been furloughed again Company has links/ investment with Liberty Steel

TabbyStar · 01/04/2021 20:31

We saw cyclists yesterday wearing masks 🙄.

Sorry to hear about your DH Mercy, hope it's only temporary.

MercyBooth · 01/04/2021 20:36

Thanks @TabbyStar Flowers Its my brother.

TabbyStar · 01/04/2021 21:18

Oh sorry, lack of reading skills! Sorry about your DB.

Original poster
BogRollBOGOF · 01/04/2021 21:19

Guess who got fast tracked through the vaccine centre...
One of the marshalls realised my body language was all awkward and asked if I wanted fast tracking. It did help. It was noisier than expected and a bit of a labyrinth to navigate. I hadn't reached that stage but it was looking very likely to brew.

Apparently I was jumped in a couple ahead of my friend. I must have been tunnel visioned because I didn't notice. We had a chat in the car park after.

OP posts:
AcornAutumn · 01/04/2021 22:41

Re mask creep

I understand London Zoo are reopening outdoor areas but visitors have to wear masks.

ISaySteadyOn · 02/04/2021 06:22

Outdoors? Last time it was just in the inside places.

BamboozledandBefuddled · 02/04/2021 07:17

@ISaySteadyOn

Outdoors? Last time it was just in the inside places.
Generally only inside e.g. toilets. The only outside areas they have to be worn in is around any of the primates. I'd be more likely to wear a mask to protect gorillas than to protect humans.
ShoeJunkie · 02/04/2021 08:54

Had my second jab yesterday so waiting to see if I have any side effects (was fine last time).
DCs finished school at lunchtime so met a friend at the beach with her DC. Was so lovely to see them all playing together although it took a while for them to get into their groove. Ended up getting fish and chips for dinner and eating them on the beach. No flocking observed.

Original poster
BogRollBOGOF · 02/04/2021 09:19

@ShoeJunkie

Had my second jab yesterday so waiting to see if I have any side effects (was fine last time). DCs finished school at lunchtime so met a friend at the beach with her DC. Was so lovely to see them all playing together although it took a while for them to get into their groove. Ended up getting fish and chips for dinner and eating them on the beach. No flocking observed.
That sounds lovely. I generally love where I live but it's too far from the sea. This has bothered me far more in the past year than normally. Presumably because life is normally busy and this year it's just been filled with local countryside. Mountains feed my soul too.

Outdoor spaces like zoos can fuck off with masks. We took out a membership at the nearest zoo when they opened at the end of June last year. We had such a brilliant, normal day out, the zoo needed funds and the DCs solomny vowed that they would happily go back several times, and we went 4 times up to Oct half term. Masks were brought in for indoor spaces but they were pretty easy to avoid as it was a small proportion of the place. Some animal houses were quite small and visible so it was fine to let the DCs in on their own for a couple of minutes.
But everyone outside, fuck that. I just don't cope with navigating around unreadable faces and it turns into reading ankles. I hate it and every ounce of pleasure is sucked out like a Dementor's kiss.

I've never been an "anxious" person. I've felt normal healthy anxiety about usual stuff like exams or job interviews, but it's never really inhibited day to day life. If I walked into a normal 2019 busy venue, I'd be my old self, it's all about the changes in behaviour.

On a related theme...
www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-56605598 this is great news. Not "crackpots" or "conspiracists" or even just "back bench rebels" it's cross-party and contains well regarded politicians including leaders/ former leaders from each party.
I never thought I'd hear IDS and J Corbyn working together in a month of Sundays, but then I realised that we've had a year of Sundays.

OP posts:
Pleasenomoreglitter · 02/04/2021 10:02

@ShoeJunkie which vaccine was it? I'm due my second AZ in a couple of weeks and really hoping I don't get side effects this time as it's my dd's birthday a couple of days after. The first one I had side effects for about 48 hours.

ShoeJunkie · 02/04/2021 10:26

@Pleasenomoreglitter I had the Pfizer. Feeling ok today apart from a slightly sore arm.