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Original poster

ADs drinking al fresco at The Sleeping Swans

994 replies

BogRollBOGOF · 09/04/2021 17:17

ADs, grab your thermals, long johns and winter woolies, we're finally off to drown our sorrows at the Sleeping Swan!

OP posts:
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18
justasking111 · 07/05/2021 21:48

Forget Malta they did not put it on the green list after all.

Original poster
BogRollBOGOF · 07/05/2021 23:58

Our current plan is to book the ferry to Ireland and some accommodation and see how it goes. It's now 18m since we saw most of DH's family.

We had a pleasant week in a caravan on the south coast last year. We booked just before things really opened up so got a good price as public confidence was lower then. I'm not enthused about a UK holiday this year. We're normally happy to do the UK and tend to camp, but it just feels like the world and his dog are going to do our usual and it's just more expense and hassle than usual. If it wasn't for the bloody face rags, I'd love to fly somewhere warm, not have to cook for the first time in God knows when (or at least more salubrious than eating McDonalds/ KFC in the car) and have a complete change of scenery. I can't be doing with navigating through an airport and covering the face of a sensory child though.

I'm so tired of complications, faff, pre-booking and not really knowing what things will be like.

OP posts:
LivinLaVidaLoki · 08/05/2021 07:49

After a long discussion last night we have moved our holiday to early July. Only a few weeks after we are supposed to be going so not too bad.
The stress of work/homeschooling straight after a break would just negate most of the relaxing we had while there and the test to release 5 day tests are another at least 65 quid each.
Ds absolutely loves "holiday daddy" it's as much their time as it is mine so going without him seems unfair at this point if we can push it back just a few weeks but will have a rethink if we are still amber listed at that point (though we are going 2 reviews in and by which point Greece will have most of its adult population vaccinated).

Thank you all for your kind words yesterday it genuinely meant a lot to me. I honestly don't know where I'd have been now if I'd not found you last year.

Course the change means DS out of school but they do fuck all in July anyway and tbh I'm past caring this year.

LivinLaVidaLoki · 08/05/2021 07:52

What really made me cross last night when asked why the list is so small that Harries woman banged on about infection and vaccination rates in Europe and how easily the virus can take hold and spread "as we have seen in India".
Yes, because India and Western Europe are even remotely comparable.

110APiccadilly · 08/05/2021 08:56

The stuff about India is driving me up the wall. My dad has spent some considerable time in India, including with a friend in a rural part of India who runs an orphanage, and does some connected work in the community. India had a lockdown, and people starved. My dad's friend was having to decide who in the community to give food out to, knowing they didn't have enough to keep everyone in need alive. And there's people saying that they should have another lockdown!

amicissimma · 08/05/2021 10:26

Another problem with lockdowns in India is that people go to the cities to find work. When their jobs disappear due to lockdown they have no choice but to return home to survive, some bringing the virus with them. So lockdowns have the effect of spreading the virus more widely.

ISaySteadyOn · 08/05/2021 12:30

Not to mention the pollution in the cities which means many people's lungs are already weakened. It's not comparing like for like at all.

justasking111 · 08/05/2021 13:19

@110APiccadilly

The stuff about India is driving me up the wall. My dad has spent some considerable time in India, including with a friend in a rural part of India who runs an orphanage, and does some connected work in the community. India had a lockdown, and people starved. My dad's friend was having to decide who in the community to give food out to, knowing they didn't have enough to keep everyone in need alive. And there's people saying that they should have another lockdown!
That is down to the indian government not giving a flying ...... about its people. Planes are flying in with ventilators, meds. etc. they have not a clue how to distribute those to the people who need it. The whole infrastructure is a mess.
justasking111 · 08/05/2021 13:20

@ISaySteadyOn

Not to mention the pollution in the cities which means many people's lungs are already weakened. It's not comparing like for like at all.
Well Chinese cities pollution is fierce my brother lived in Bejing, you wore a mask when you left the apartment ten years ago it was so bad.
RainbowCrayons · 08/05/2021 14:36

I'm glad you got sorted @LivinLaVidaLoki

I'm in a red list country that's red 'indefinitely'. It really annoyed me watching the briefing though, all that bluster about countries needing to catch up to the UKs 'enviable position'. Here we are on 112 doses per 100 people. It's so frustrating. And no dispensation for the vaccines that were meant to get us out of this mess so I now feel conned.

Original poster
BogRollBOGOF · 08/05/2021 14:53

I've seen the Taj Mahal... just about through the smoggy sunrise. Grin
The cities are undeniably heavily polluted, less so the countryside (for air pollution anyway).
We found Indian healthcare good when we needed it, but it's certainly not a NHS/ universal healthcare situation. We travelled through small towns where everything is still very manual, collecting firewood, washing in rivers. Not a lifestyle compatible with lockdown. Life is hard and often cruel, and that's why the vibrant (and often ancient) religious culture and rituals are so important.
We swerved major cities like Delhi and Mumbai.
The south of the country seemed less polarised and local government tends to be a bit more socialist.
It is quite state led politically, so it's like comparing US states.
Great country though. It was a shock to my system after China, Mongolia and Tibet (although Nepal was a good warm up), but I love the deeply rooted culture, the aspiration and drive there. Had lots of great chats with locals.

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LivinLaVidaLoki · 08/05/2021 16:11

@RainbowCrayons

all that bluster about countries needing to catch up to the UKs 'enviable position

The general feeling in Greece right now is "so, when you were the sick man of Europe with uncontrolled covid last year you wanted to come here and wander free, do as you please. Now you tell us that we are not good enough for you to visit? To support"

There is a lot of anger right now. Apparently they were assured that Greek Islands would be treated separately as they were last year. Guess the rest of the world is just catching on that Tories lie. Who knew 🤷‍♀️

RainbowCrayons · 08/05/2021 16:29

I'm not surprised. I wonder if the people here in the land of mumsnet hate are catching up too. Certainly the Brits are but it seems to be annoying the nationals as well. Good.

I do wonder if thry gave a crap green list to start with so the public get angry and they 'listen to us' at the next review and then it's our fault not theirs if anything goes wrong. And we can be 'oh so grateful' when they give us more destinations on the 28th?

LivinLaVidaLoki · 08/05/2021 16:38

Apparently the next review is the 7th June. They're counting the three weeks from when travel is open. So a review every 3 weeks actually means almost 5 for the first one.

RainbowCrayons · 08/05/2021 17:31

Well that's annoying, still it gives us a bit of time for more places to get the vaccinations up and for deaths to fall in the UK so the public really reduce their fear. After the 17th May relaxing hopefully people will start feeling a bit more normal again and be craving more.

MercyBooth · 09/05/2021 02:21

What a shitshow. And not allowed to compare ourselves to Sweden but okay to compare ourselves to India.

LivinLaVidaLoki · 09/05/2021 07:33

You can only compare yourselves to countries with people dying in the street @MercyBooth
Thems the rules Grin

Original poster
BogRollBOGOF · 09/05/2021 07:55

@LivinLaVidaLoki

You can only compare yourselves to countries with people dying in the street *@MercyBooth* Thems the rules Grin
A shameful lack of Swedish street-death Grin
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Taswama · 09/05/2021 15:41

Well you can't compare cycling rates in Holland to cycling rates in the UK because it's flat there. Never mind that there are plenty of parts of the UK that are also pretty flat.
People only like comparisons that fit their narrative.
Hope everyone has had a good Sunday. We have postcards to send to Boris, just need to get the kids to sign them.

Original poster
BogRollBOGOF · 09/05/2021 16:34

We've booked a campsite for a few days over half term. Looking forwards to a complete change of scenery. Grin

OP posts:
MercyBooth · 09/05/2021 18:19

I want this book

www.lauradodsworth.com/a-state-of-fear

ISaySteadyOn · 09/05/2021 18:36

Me too!

TabbyStar · 09/05/2021 19:01

Oh yes, I followed her on Twitter.

Worldgonecrazy · 09/05/2021 20:40

Whilst pondering the election results I remembered that when people are scared their political leanings do move to the right. Probably why we saw the slight increase in turnout.

Unless it was the previously left wing desperately signalling to the Labour Party to remember how to be a political opposition.

MercyBooth · 09/05/2021 20:59

I voted Lib Dem. And ive voted Labour every time previously apart from once when i voted Green. Im in my late 40s