To think it's absolutely fine to treat this as a holiday

[LaurieFairyCake]

If you're observing all government rules

Honestly, whatever it takes to get you through this is FINE

Whether you're skipping down the street on your daily exercise, dressing up like a frog to go on your daily walk, sitting in your garden under a parasol listening to Rachmaninov, cycling in a mankini..

WHATEVER floats your boat within the rules have at it.

We all need just to get through this as no one has had to do this for 3 generations

So yes, if you can tell yourself you're on holiday - fine

Enjoy ourselves keeping healthy that is.

There were another thread moaning about the number of Easter eggs one child was allowed to have, more than 1 or 2 was deemed absolutely unacceptable.

Some people do love misery!

There are some aspects which aren’t ideal but for the most part I agree! In some ways it’s even better than a holiday as you’re not trying to cram everything into a week or so and forcing yourself to have fun. It’s an unprecented opportunity to relax in so many ways.

I’m still working but we run our own business which thankfully hasn’t really suffered (yet) and I’m just doing some admin, a few phone calls and emails etc at my own pace.

I abandoned all ideas of home schooling after about two weeks. The teenagers are logging on and doing a task here and there so not completely idle but I’m not pushing them anymore. I’ve left them to do whatever they see fit, no rules within reason and to my surprise the opposite of what I expected to happen is happening. Ok so there is a lot of screen time and playing games, but they’ve been coming out of their rooms more, chatting, coming up with ideas of things we can all do together. They are also spending time hanging out together in each other’s rooms, laughing and joking and it’s the closest they’ve been since they started high school I think, it’s so lovely! They’re also cleaning their bedrooms etc without being asked/told - My jaw dropped when I saw my 15 year old carrying the hoover into his room the other day 😂

My toddler is spending loads of time in the garden. We’ve planted loads of seeds and she’s just digging into the mud, looking for worms, watering everything in sight with her watering can. She’s watching a lot of tv but it’s at least 50% educational so I’m just letting it go. There are worse things.

I’m heavily pregnant and not having to rush around and exhaust myself all day every day is actually a godsend. I can stop and rest whenever I like, have a sit down and a cup of tea if needed, Have a lie down when I’m aching and I don’t have to keep pushing through discomfort and tiredness to get stuff done. I dont think I’ve ever experienced a time like it.

My OH is still working outside of the house but home earlier than usual most days, and when he gets in we’re all really happy to see him and he gets quite a fuss made 😂

I’m not learning anything new, I’m just cooking and baking more which I never had as much opportunity to do before, and I don’t think the house has ever been so clean and organised!

All our usual structure is out of the window, and it seems to be doing us all a lot of good.

NHS worker here. Ridiculously stressed, working stupid hours, worried about myself and my team. Plus I'm skint, because all my self-employed income has collapsed, (and as it was only 49% of my income I won't be eligible for the bail out). So, no, definitely not a holiday for me.

And I say - knock yourself out. If you can find joy in being at home, tidying the attic, weeding the garden, trying out that ridiculously elaborate gateaux recipe you'd never normally have time for then go for it. It helps me not a bit for you to sit home beating yourself to share the misery.

If you can find a way to spread that joy a little then do. If you're still earning, then donate to a food bank. If you're not, then draw a rainbow (believe me, they really do help.) Phone a neighbour, check they're okay. Whatever.

But don't feel bad for taking all the joy you can out of current circumstances.

(Just don't cycle in a mankini. There are limits.)

I think it's fine for people to do whatever necessary to get through this, as long as they are obeying social distancing rules.

Me and my little boy have been walking to our village about 1.5 miles away for our exercise and to pick up necessities from the local shop. It has been lovely to see the frogs in the pond, the spring flowers, the painted pebbles around the village etc. And, calling out hello to people at a safe distance. When we are in the chaos of 'normal' life we don't get to do that so it does feel like a bit of a holiday.

I am still working from home which presents it's challenges but we are managing.

*'There were another thread moaning about the number of Easter eggs one child was allowed to have, more than 1 or 2 was deemed absolutely unacceptable.

Some people do love misery!'*

This ^

I am actually on annual leave. I work in a care home and back to work Wednesday night.

We all need to do what we can to get by, lower our usual expectations, be kind to ourselves and each other.

My kids go to a state school. They are still in primary. The eldest received 5 emails between 8-9am from her teacher this morning. All work is sent/received via google classroom with specific times slots when she’s supposed to be online. Because both myself and my DH are both working from home and need to be ‘live’ online, so she doesn’t have computer access at those times. She has ASD and has already had a meltdown today (whilst I was on zoom for a group meeting) over school work and it’s only the first day back.

Yep, everybody should go ahead and enjoy themselves but with consideration for others. I just want to scream stop with the crappy music turned up full blast, your neighbours never want to hear your choice of grime and drill at the best of times, let alone when you can't escape it

Whatever you need to do to get through the day really.

Good for you OP - I do mean that. Seriously - make the most of it.

I enjoy not having to go to work.

However, as a university lecturer, my workload is ginormous, especially since I have had to pick up the slack from those with caring responsibilities or mental health issues fuck my own un-sexy caring responsibilities which the university has penalised me for the last fucking decade and the stress this will put on me

@Hesterandfester*
Firstly, a big thank you for the work you are doing on the Nightingale project. 12 hour shifts must be exhausting for you and I completely understand why you can feel frazzled at hearing your neighbours partying loudly.
I am lucky in that I don’t have to work as I’m retired but I am also getting somewhat frazzled by the constant noise from NDN. Every day the music starts in the garden and continues non stop until evening. They are definitely treating lockdown as a stay at home holiday. I’ve no problem with them enjoying the lockdown but it would be nice if I could enjoy some time in my garden too without the blaring music, to sit and read a book quietly would be great.
I think a conversation will need to be had soon so we can agree on a compromise. People need to be mindful of others at this difficult time, not everyone likes to hear other people’s music all day every day.

What if what gets you through it is ranting and raving that "it's not a bloody holiday!"?

@MazDazzle

Are you in England? I wouldn’t have thought your children would be getting school work whilst on holds your , especially at primary school age. They wouldn’t normally get work given on a bank holiday as they wouldn’t normally be in iyswim unless it’s work given now to hand back in for next week when school resumes

I find the days I am not working if I treat them like holidays much happier than needing to be productive

If you couldn't be bothered mamabear, you wouldn't be arguing. You've also broken talk guidelines by engaging in personal insults, so bit rich to be accusing others of nasty little bubbles.

@Ilovemypantry thank you; it’s an honour to be able to be doing something practical. I hope you get some peace in your garden soon.

I just find it to be a shame that some people cannot get their heads round intrusion on others. Imagine if the only way I could enjoy my book was by an audible recording. There is NO WAY I would think ‘well fuck everyone else, I’m going to put it on volume eleventy billion and blast it into the garden’ - I would do any one of the other variations. I’d get earphones. I’d listen to it very very quietly. I’d listen to it indoors with the window shut or I’d wait until later to listen to it. Therefore I can’t understand why others find it acceptable that their music blasted all round the street is acceptable?? I like to hear the birds and the breeze and nature. Why am I not allowed to do that but it’s okay to subject me to your crappy music and radios? Honestly it makes me boil. I’d kill to live in the middle of nowhere but I’d defy anyone to find me a ‘middle of nowhere’ house for the equivalent price of my 3 bed suburban semi that is still within commuting distance of my DHs work.

And that’s not being all hair-shirt about it either. Walking this morning I came past two girls running. They were running in wigs and moustaches; just because! DC found it very amusing. They were giving everyone a bit of lighthearted amusement, and why not? Was cheering them up doing it and cheered me up seeing it and gave me something cherry to tell my colleagues about later too. That’s the sort of stuff we need to be doing!

Thanks for this thread OP

I have been feeling a bit guilty about how happy I have been feeling recently.

Rather than tweet in a patronising, condescending and controlling way, why not say they realise the Easter break is not how a lot of people would prefer to spend their time this year, but thankyou for keeping with the spirit of social distancing and staying home as much as possible.

Same message, much less officious tone.

The sun is shining, life goes on. And it's too short to be Mary Martyr sat at home shaking your fists at everyone enjoying else themselves

Oh am sooo stitching this into a sampler 😂🤣

@hoxtonbabe no, we’re not in England.

We’re in Scotland and have been off the last fortnight. Today was the kids’ first day back at school and the first day that both my husband and I have been working from home properly. It’s just been odd bits and pieces until now, so it’s felt like we’ve been in a bit of a bubble.

I'm working from home so not much more spare time than normal. DH self employed work has dried up tho and he is definitely treating it like a holiday. I'm resolved not to nag and am letting him get on with it, things are stressful enough

We are self isolating and not even leaving the house for daily exercise. We haven't left our front gate in 3 weeks. I've been doing home distence learning with the children. Cooking, baking, gardening,camping in the garden, having late movie nights. We are doing whatever we can to get through this very difficult time. I have 6 family members DP, and Dd included who can die from the coronavirus. So yes we are treating it like a holiday the best way we can.

I completely agree. I am working longer hours than usual (nurse) but am enjoying my days off (had to reign that in a bit as I couldn't hack the hangovers!) I had a day off today and while the children were in the garden with their dad I had a nap instead of doing whatever jobs needed doing. Tomorrow we'll spend the day having fun in the garden.

In some ways it's easier for us though as we're both keyworkers we are still using school and nursery a few days a week so our days at home feel like real days off.

Yes. Not everyone is able to (myself included), but that doesn't mean that those that can shouldn't.