Wankerbastards standing together. Moderatin' may take a hit while around us things are shit. But we stand arm in arm, heart to heart but a respectable 2 meters apart.

[Frouby]

Thread 10 for the tryers.

All welcome for support and tips and chat about controlling our relationship with alcohol.

Previous threads knocking around.

No rules except we don't do politics about the C word. And because there is so many other C word chats we ask that we limit mention of it once a day for things that are worrying, followed up by a positively Pollyanna point about something nice about the situation.

[MadameF]

Water lol just as well because I think the Ocado site is down now so no placing orders at 4am

Frouby Here in France stables are out of bounds for owners, but obviously if you are the back up carer if your friend can't look after the ponies then you would be allowed.
Allotments are out of bounds too here, but if you have hens then of course they would need to be looked after. You can take the DC outside but not sure about on dog walks. Of course it probably won't be as strict in the UK.

Here the idea is to avoid contact with more than 5 people in a day. It you go to the bakery that's your 5 people straight away!
It's funny but you don't see more than one person out at a time here. I did a double take when I saw 2 people in a car yesterday. I can't run with friends now even though I'm in the middle of the countryside.
Shopping has to be done alone. Having the certificate really makes you think twice about leaving the house for anything.

[Frouby]

Thanks madame. Am so desperately hoping I can still take ds out with me. There are paths and trails we can walk on that are pretty isolated, not the big attraction of the lake and if course I will need to go and do the hens daily if not twice daily. I usually go morning and afternoon in the week as I do the school runs.

I can cope with only being allowed at the stables if yard owner can't do them. But am hoping and praying that I can go. There is me, yard owner and her partner and 1 other livery at the yard and we can stagger times so we aren't there together. Have already told yard owner I won't see her until this is all over so that if she gets ill (shes a carer so front line) I am available because obviously her partner is likely to get it from her. So there should be at least 1 out of ua 3 to do them.

Going to B and Q this morning to grab some decorating supplies and gardening supplies. Stocking up on compost and need a few packs of seeds. Then starting some serious home education for ds.

Am tempted to ask dd to teach him some French. It's one of her favourite subjects and she wants to do it at A level so she's worried she will lose skills. I might get her to private message you Madame in french lol. If you get very bored and fancy some school girl randomly messaging you let me know! She's very lovely to be fair.

[Dionysa]

I might have to duck out for a bit while the C word is ongoing. I can't cope with it swamping everything else. The effect of it couldn't be more shit, so far as I am concerned. I have no idea when I'm going to see DP again as he will be locked down in London. The DC have no idea what's going on with their university/sixth form plans. I have absolutely no income, and no prospect of any. My mental health is already suffering because of the income problem, and if I can't go out and exercise and see my friends, it will collapse completely.

I can't cope with any of it.

[Flossie44]

Dropping by to send a mahoosive hug to Dion. This world is proper shit right now!!

[MadameF]

Dion please don't go, you aren't on lockdown yet and even here we are able to go out and exercise alone. And now you can be in contact with friends and family by other means so it isn't as bad as it was during the war! The government will do the necessary to help everyone, they won't let anyone starve and the bank will also help out. I've obtained a 6 month mortgage payment holiday and all the taxes and social payments have also been postponed.
Please stay here, we will talk about other things too. I'm quite enjoying being stuck with my DC, they are really helpful doing lots of jobs because there is nothing else for them to do.

Frouby I'd be really happy to help your DD out with her French if she wants to send a PM.

[NC4Now]

Dion please stay. I’m starting to feel really anxious about it all too. I drank last night too - a shameful amount. Feel terrible about it.
I’ve left DSs to sleep this morning. Someone who works in the same building as me has been diagnosed with CV. I can’t keep ostriching, but I’m really confused by the advice at the moment.

[Dionysa]

Thank you Flossie, Madame and NC4. I can't bear the idea of not being able to see DP. Our relationship is complicated enough without this. I could cope, just about, with the DC at home if I could have the occasional sleepover with him too.

XH just rang me to catastrophise. I had to tell him, politely, to talk about something else or to go away.

[Dionysa]

Thinking further. I need actual, physical contact with friends. I need all the nuances of real life interaction. With DP, I normally have this daily. I am already withering.

[NC4Now]

Dion Frouby and Water I’ve just sent you a DM. Apologies - please feel free to tell me to sod off 🤣

[Waterandlemonjuice]

Morning everyone. Dionysa, please don’t go, we will miss you!

I totally understand why you / we / everyone feels shit, these are unprecedented times. I’d really like to keep positive, if I can. I’m hanging onto the following:

So far, we are not ill. Dh was in an office yesterday but now WFH
We have the space to be in separate rooms and bathrooms
We have a garden, books, streaming services galore, cats
I might have wine if my delivery arrives! Please god that it does!
I have a reasonably full freezer and cupboards, I’m a good cook
We have FaceTime, phones, televisions, hundreds of books
My village has created a group of volunteers to help anyone who needs it
As has the nearest town
The National Trust has opened up its properties for free
GCSEs are cancelled, hurrah!

Dionysa, lots and lots and lots of people are in the same boat re money, the government will have to help. Banks will have to help with mortgage payments. Normal rules are suspended.

If you can’t physically see friends, can you FaceTime them or phone them? We are all scared and jittery (well I am) but I truly believe the human race is resourceful, creative and capable of survival.

I love this thread and feel we all know each other a bit so I hope everyone keeps posting. Lots of love to everyone xxx

[Dionysa]

The thing is that I'm not worried about the virus, particularly (though realise other people are, and that there can be very good reasons for this). I'm terrified about the effect of isolation on my mental health, and the lack of financial support for people in my position.

[Frouby]

Dion we are the same re money. Dh is still working but sites will close soon enough. Then for our industry we will take a real kicking afterwards. Will likely go bankrupt as I don't want to take more debt on if we won't be able to pay it off. Hoping we qualify for some of the grants (unlikely) and that dh finds work again after all this. In the meantime I am preparing to try and claim universal credit IF dh has to stop working. I am hoping that help for renters is announced soon.

But in the meantime have chucked those worries in the fuck it bucket because there is fuck all I can do about them.

Just been and picked dds prom dresz up which has perked her up a bit. Fuck knows when she will have prom if ever but at least she got a fancy frock.

Also been and panic bought paint for the house and garden. The only thing worse than lockdown would be lockdown with dh and a bored dh would be even worse so now we have plenty to do. Cleaned the Guinea pigs out, sorted the garden shed out to stash paint in and just about to go to the allotment with ds. Then some more tidying at home in the garden and a cam of lager to watch bojo and co.

And we facetimed as a family last night. Was lovely and a bit emotional but it cheered us up. It's absolutely not the same but better than a phonecall x

[MadameF]

Frouby I love your fuckbucket idea. As you say, we can do nothing. But the canal water is clear in Venice and you can see the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris without the fog of pollution masking it.
So there are upsides, at least for the planet!
Dion everything will be OK. If there is isolation it will be for a few weeks. You could alawys self isolate at a friend's house and leave the DC to fend for themselves
I think everyone will appreciate 'normal' life much more when we eventually get through the C.

[StealthPolarBear]

Can I kurt say your thread title is awesome

[NC4Now]

Frouby DS1 is panicking about the effects of isolation and finances so is applying for jobs at Aldi, Tesco, Amazon and any of the other places taking on extra staff in their warehouses. Is that something to think about?

[Frouby]

nc it possibly would be except both me and dh are on the vulnerable list so I really want to avoid any contact with anyone over the coming weeks. I have asthma, well managed but my only trigger these days are being poorly. And dh has high BP and has 2 stents fitted. We have been socially distancing ourselves since last week. That's why I pulled the kids out of school when I could see it was coming anyway and thought another week of potential infection wasnt worth it. There was a confirmed case 2 miles away and that's when I started getting a bit twitchy.

madame dd would love to bother you with a pm! Will hand her my phone later and she can dm on here and will get her to give you her email address then you can both chat away.

Am knackered. This home ed thing is exhausting especially when preparing for a lockdown. Waiting for dh to come home then panic buying some compost.

[NC4Now]

Longest how are you doing?

[Dionysa]

SBP, Frouby is the thread title genius.

Still here, just, but not AF.

Will try to be more cheerful tomorrow.

[Dionysa]

Had also wondered about you, Longest. x

[Waterandlemonjuice]

I am AF for the first time in ages, go me.

Longest, I hope you’re ok.

[Accidentalaccountant]

Hi all. Dionysa hang on in there. What do you do that can't be done from home? Maybe we can make some suggestions. Got back from Japan ok but wish I'd nicked all their loo rolls. The toilet cubicles were full of them there. Could of made a fortune here.

[Frouby]

dion hang on in there lovely. I've been a bit wobbly this morning as well organising a card and gift for ds lovely teacher who retires next week so realistically her last day today. She was crying at drop off this morning apparently god love her.

If it makes you feel any better whatsoever I checked the entitledto website last night and we will hopefully be able to claim universal credit when it comes to it and after rent paid still have about £900 pcm to live on. Obviously it's not great but would be able to feed us on that at least.

With a mortgage holiday you could manage if you cut everything down to the basics. It's shit but am bracing myself for it.

In other news am making a curry. House stinks so kids evacuated upstairs 😂😂. Am so not dry. No intention of being dry tonight. Or any other night. At least until they start panic buying the beer .

[Dionysa]

Oh Frouby, you are a love. For various (outing) reasons I don't qualify for any benefits. But I still have absolutely no income. It's completely crap.

[Waterandlemonjuice]

💐❤️ to everyone. Just checked my app and so far I’ve had 42 AF days this year. I think I’m going to write off this weekend and start afresh next week.

Bit of a stressy day, dh is very down but on the bright side dd has dyed her hair and it looks great and we took dh’s car into the garage, they know what’s wrong and will have it fixed by Monday.

Will be opening the wine at 5.30 as have arranged FaceTime with my friend so we are both going to drink and chat. Lots of love to everyone ❤️

[NC4Now]

We were just saying earlier - thank god this wasn’t 15 years ago! I’ve arranged a booze FaceTime with my friend on Saturday. Staying in is the new going out. It works for me - I’ve been trying to move to video calls with drinks and music for a while but my friends are stuck in text chat.
I’m hoping we all become a bit more sociable as a result.

Won’t be dry tonight. The sun’s shining and I’m fancying beer. I know it’s naughty, but it’s so very nice. It’s been a rough week but I want a good weekend of getting the house straight, sorting a good exercise space and figuring out how to socialise.