North East thread 5: The one where we move to Chat!

[Someaddedsugar]

Here's thread 5 everyone! I'll post a link over on thread 4 too.

Well, Ds2 wouldn't let me anywhere near him with the test swab, so we're stuck with him!

Pleased your DD has an appt @myrtleWilson. My team at work have all been trying to get booked but struggling to get past the queuing bit!

I can always collect/drop off for you @PickAChew - no doubt I'll be at the Arnison Centre a lot over Christmas! Having said that there's scarlet fever and chicken pox doing the rounds at nursery which is threatening to ruin my Christmas plans - typical after the last two years! Or if that doesn't get us DP is on his work do this weekend and will catch something 😂.

Does anyone know anywhere that has lateral flow tests available? The website won't let me order any and Sainsburys didn't have any first thing today.

Good luck finding lateral flow test. I did read were there was some, but I can’t remember. Sorry.
On radio it said just keep trying online because too many people were trying but there is no shortage.
Hope you DS doesn’t catch chicken pox. If mine were little now, I would have pay and have them vaccinated.
Good luck everyone with getting vaccinated.
Can’t believe Christmas Day is next Saturday and it will all be over. 😂.
I’m just waiting for last minute deliveries. And to buy chocolate/sweets for their stockings.

I'd offer you some 9f ours if we weren't needing them, every day, at the moment, @Someaddedsugar

Ds2's isolation not going well. He was practically hammering the door down, this morning, while dh was in a meeting so I took him out for the shortest, boringest most people-less walk possible. It wore him out and he's in bed, now. Hopefully he won't be so frantic about wanting to do his favourite walk, again.

The Boots in Sacriston has lateral flow tests if anyone needs them. You have to get a code from the gov website and then they give you two boxes. These ones are much better than the ones I'd ordered previously from the website as everything is bagged up ready for you to use.

Hope you're ok @PickAChew - that sounds tough for you all.

@AlviarinAesSedai I didn't realise it was next Saturday! I don't know why but that sounds so near yet so far away 😂.

I have looked at the chicken pox vaccine and I'm considering it once this bug is out of the way. I've spotted you can get it at the Arnison Centre and if it's one less thing to worry about then it's worth it in my eyes!

The Santa bus is next week. I’m going to check it out again, shame I have no small children 😂 . Probably at Chester le Street. Seen quite a few drivers are wearing Christmas jumpers.

Thanks for the heads up @AlviarinAesSedai - will have to keep an eye out. I passed a bus with the poles etc covered in tinsel today. Definitely made me smile.

Has anyone booked a vaccine in the under 30s age group and been offered the Arnison Centre as an option? My team at work can only seem to get Boots in Durham Centre as an option in mid-Jan!

No, but Boots in market place had sign saying doing walk ins.
Was going to try and see if I could book for DD the youngest but I was 7000 in queue so gave up. ☹️.
They can’t say Durham and surrounding area aren’t getting vaccinated. The vaccinated rates in my local area are amazing, even though the area is ex pit village.

Where do you find the vaccinated rates? Would be interested to see my village too!

www.durhaminsight.info/covid-19/ Hopefully the show’s website @Someaddedsugar

They seem to have took out the village area vaccinations rates out. But Co Durham as a whole is very good.

coronavirus.data.gov.uk/details/interactive-map/vaccinations
That one too. Might help you input your postcode

The Co Durham one is really interesting - I've bookmarked it to keep an eye! It almost feels settling re cases etc. Such a strange time when you're 'pleased' that our cases are below the national average.

It does make a change for our cases to be lower than elsewhere. Omicron hasn't really caught up with us, yer, though. I imagine it will look very different, next week.

Ds1 is being jabbed at Arnison next Wednesday. Booked him in at the weekend, though, before it opened up.

Ds2's perkier, this evening, after I hid some paracetamol in his pudding. Probably won't go to bed until 2am!

Hope DS 1 vaccine goes okay. Glad that DS2 is feeling better, but not the staying up until 2am!
Just seen on Facebook that Arriva are doing a Santa bus. 🎅 🚌.

Thankfully, he flaked out around 11.

Tye arriva santa bus bhas all the lights on it. Ds1 sent me a picture, the other day.

Actually, no, it's a boring one. It's a Brighton and Hove one that had all the sparkles. www.thenorthernecho.co.uk/news/19788852.arrivas-santa-bus-will-visit-12-county-durham-areas/

How's your DS doing @PickAChew? Hope he's ok (and you and the rest of your family are too).

I'm disappointed the Santa bus isn't stopping in our village this year, although having said that I'm sure we missed it last year as it was very late and DS was getting irritable with waiting!

Let's hope the figures in our area stay relatively ok for the next few weeks at least, especially while people are more likely to be mixing with other people. I wonder if Durham will be busy tomorrow with it being the last day at work for a lot of people. Thankfully our Christmas do was cancelled (I'm not antisocial, I'm just not a fan of a work do!) so I didn't have that to think about this year!

He is a lot more himself and not coughing as much, @Someaddedsugar

He was desperate to go out, today, but I stood my ground as it's been so cold and that would set him off straight away. It was also quite busy outside when he was pestering with some schools obviously knocking off early so distancing would have been impossible.

And he's pretty excitable now with a belly full of the Bell's fish and chips we promised him. He's beginning to suss out telling the time so we've been clock watching a lot, this afternoon, since he started nagging at about 3pm!

Love a chippy tea, glad your DS enjoyed it. Was at Sainsburys the other day and you could smell Bells, it was making me hungry 🤤.
Isn’t today the busy Friday night in Newcastle, it’s got a special name.
Going to see Spider-Man tomorrow, so excited.

Black Eye Friday? That might be next week. Might not be so bad, this year, with Christmas eve bring that that Friday.

Yes, that’s the name! Because of the fighting!
Must be today can’t be next Friday, Won’t most pubs etc close earlier for Christmas Eve. Gosh feel for the poor staff.
I’m not a pub goer, never have been. Went once, was bored going from pub to pub, no seats. I’m so boring and have always been anti social.

I haven't been to a pub as a pub for over 18 years (thanks, Ds1) and not for a meal for just over 4 years, when we went to the one in dalton Park just after signing the contracts for this house. Neither of us drank, then.

Last time we went for a meal anywhere was probably George's, not long before it closed. Not bothered since the pandemic because it's too much of an arse ache.

Whey aye www.chroniclelive.co.uk/news/north-east-news/black-eye-friday-covid-newcastle-22502712