Street party

[Mcvitoes]

I know it's VE day (not that I think most people in my street normally bother to acknowledge it or indrtstna it - there wasn't 2 minutes' silence at 11am and usually there isn't on Armistice day...) and I know it's 75 years specifically, with the bank holiday moved to coincide and people are fed up of lockdown.

But AIBU that I shouldn't have to hear different music being blasted from both ends of our street and general shouting and singing in every room of my home?
The weather is lovely and being in the garden or opening the windows is giving me a headache.

To top it all off, looking out on the street, they're not sticking to staying on their decorated driveways, but children and adults alike are mixing, playing and sharing food and drinks.

Maybe I should blame the government for their mixed messages getting people's hopes up that distancing won't so essential soon, but that's still the official guidance, so they seem utterly stupid.

What a great way to celebrate victory in the war by inadvertently killing more people through spreading the virus and making lockdown that bit more unbearable for those who don't want to be involved, as they have no means of getting away.

Judging by the state this lot are in I am now hoping they’ll be passed out by 8 and so hungover tomorrow I’ll have a very peaceful day.

Feel under seige Exactly. I don't want to walk past them all and their new microphone!

I understand celebrating and why, but it's ridiculous that people aren't really celebrating, just risking lives and irritating everyone else all day in the process

YABU. It's one day of music. You won't catch the virus from them. If you don't want to join in that's fine.

Our street has little hoards of rule breakers drinking and sharing food.

There were only 4 of us sticking to social distancing on our own decorated gardens and we have all gone in as unless you surrounded the hoard you didn't get spoken to or acknowledged.

There was a 2 minute silence as I had the radio on at the time and there was an announcement for it.

They're actually playing bingo now. How do you give out bingo cards without unnecessary contact?

We are on driveway. Closest person is 7meters away x

@Mumofaboyandmanbaby you clearly live in my street.

We are treated with contempt for not being outside, but if we went out we'd be ignored.

There's one elderly lady whose house can be seen from quite a few other houses and she is inundated with well wishers, even though she doesn't live alone. But an elderly man who does live alone and would love to be acknowledged is being roundly ignored as his house isn't visible from any other house. No point in being nice to lovely old dears who remember the war, if no one can see you doing it.

No street parties here (thank God) but it seems every other household has someone who fancies themselves as an 'entertainer'. Our Facebook community page had lots of posts a week or so ago from them saying they were planning to sing 'for all of us' from their front gardens.

So we now have loads of people with speakers etc outside their houses doing rival kareoke style singing in the area. And we are fully expected to be grateful and post rave about them on social media. The reality is that actually unless you are in their street the sound is distorted so even if it is your thing all you get is a lot of bass and a general noise. Times by about 10.

Not great at the best of times but when no-one can go out for the day to escape it and no doubt some of our neighbours will be ill and others NHS workers quite possibly wanting some peace and even a nap I am finding it hard to see the good side of these people.

I get very anxious mixing in big groups anyway (will avoid work dos, find weddings etc hard work) and so am hiding in the house. I’m so glad there are other people doing this too. Was reading some twitter comments about family who’d been in the war and refused to celebrate it because of the effects on them and the loss of life. One persons grandma said loads of people were sick to death of Vera Lynn 😳

Yabu about the celebrations, it’s pretty muted already given the necessary restrictions (Of course people shouldn’t be flouting them) - I do wonder what my grandpa would’ve made of it - on the whole he may have liked the appreciation as an older man but not in any way wanted to relive his time in the war.

It’s right for there to be a fuss for the few remaining people still alive, let’s hope some of them can hear it through their windows!

Our street had a well adhered to socially distanced cup of tea in the street earlier, however there ar emore kids out now and social distancing seems to be more... flexible (I am not out as had to come back in to work). Its a shame really as it was really nice when people followed the guidelines.

The row of houses behind me are having one. To make it worse, some woman thinks she can sing, and is on about her fifth karaoke song. Her voice is terrible, and some bloke keeps joining in. There are speakers and everything. Not OK!

@Pinkyyy like the last hurrah when all the pubs shut? Because that turned out brilliantly with us now having the highest death rate in Europe and all...

@dishingoutdone 100 percent! I decorated the house as requested, sat out at the time requested and the 'popular houses' came around and shared drinks and foods with all but 4 of us, the old lady who lives on her own isn't out but they gave up on her after she refused their request to go shopping for her (she has children who do it but they took great offense)

I have to start work now and am on fire in the office but can't open the windows as so loud on our street.

Its hard as I don't want to be in the hoard, I wouldn't have accepted food or drinks as we are socially distancing, but it does sting that I have done everything asked by the neighbours and am ignored.

It might be jealousy as one of my friends lives a few streets over and I wish I could be having a nice BBQ with her but we are adhering to the rules!

Ffs we've just had one and everyone adhered to all the rules. Is it sour grapes op?

The street party is still going on on my road, we've had disco music, dancing, bike races, some brass instruments and even the bagpipes. It started about 9am and has been on the go since then, not even 2 minutes silence. Now the kids are too tired, they are crying and screaming and the adults are pissed and trying to sing bluebirds over the white cliffs of Dover. I've hidden indoors or the garden all day.

betty you take the biscuit for my idea of purgatory!

Awful!

I am going to do a victory lap of the road with my didgeridoo later when the children are all in bed 😂😜

Next door have just chucked many bottles in their recycling bin for about the fifth time now.

Maybe they'll all be too shattered to carry on soon. And too hungover to pick up again tomorrow.

The didgeridoo sounds like a good response!

I'm sure lots of people ARE following guidelines, but they're not here. Swapping seats, sharing drinks and holding each other up as they dance in the road.

Yes. This is happy where we are. Elderly neighbours put out plastic table and chairs and a other couple of elderly neighbours from a few houses down have joined them. Having a good chin wag and sharing food. There will be a spike in deaths.

Well here we have a competition between Beethoven’s 9th on repeat and a live singer on speakers in the street. Very odd. Poor Beethoven is coming across as quite passive aggressive.

Yup - my road is tiny and only two houses and we are too far away from each other to be able to do anything like shouting to one another.

However, road opposite that is at a right angle to us - everybody out on the pavement on deckchairs - so nobody can actually walk up the street - and I can see a lot of drinking and not much distancing going on.

I'm caught in the crossfire of the 3 different sets of music and have no choice in it at all!

I think it was a nice idea for everybody to set up a table in their front gardens and whatever but once you include a hot sunny day and booze that's it - all reason goes out of the window - I think it is very dodgy ground and am personally surprised that it's been encouraged so widely - not many people are going to stick to the strict rules!

Well we’ve spent a nice afternoon out in the cul de sac socially distanced on garden chairs. Just some chatting, communal (but not loud) laughter and thank heaven, no singing! Good, and most importantly safe, and fairly sober time had by all.

We have had a great socially distanced street party. Everyone keeping a suitable distance apart.