To be sad we've done nothing.

[Needtosleep4days]

I can hear everyone outside having fun. Everyone's in their front gardens laughing and talking. I've got a headache and feel sick. So I'm in bed. I've had to shut the window to drown out the noise.

All my friends have had afternoon tea, BBQs and fun today. I figured we are locked down and it's just another day.

Now I feel bad ive not done anything. My kids are only 2 and 5 so war is too much for them to understand anyway. But I feel I've missed the point of today judging by everyone else.

I have shared a picture of my wonderful Grandad on Facebook who fort in berma. Very proud to be his Grandchild.

I can't believe I didn't realise how big today was going to be.

Sorry
I meant 1forall74

Nope because I found it a little contrived that we are on lockdown and being encouraged to have a socially distanced street party?! It’s like oh let them think they have a party so when boris confirms
Another 3 week lockdown and minimal changes in the meantime we will have kept them happy. If I’m having a party then I’m going to have a party family so will wait.

YANBU OP, I'm on my period and had a rotten headache, plus I've been sleeping terribly recently due to restless legs, so I did nothing either except say a couple of prayers. My street is really quiet.

I admit I'm beating myself up a lot cos of all the comments on here aimed at people not celebrating, suggesting we're ungrateful and stuff. I feel like I HAVE to do something even though I'm not well, you know?

I haven't done anything either. DC's school work this week was all about VE day. We had already watched Churchill's speech, and I felt we had covered enough

Dick

We haven't done anything today either, we listened to the neighbours all having a street party for 9 hours and that was about it

OOps- I did not mean to do that!

Fought

My neighbours have been having a party all day and are still out there now whooping and yelling. They had loud disco music playing earlier, not one old time song. The music has started up again. No social distancing. Just an excuse for a party.

I have been indoors, quietly remembering in my own way. I shut the curtains. Disgusted with them actually.

I know how you feel OP. I’ve had a terrible migraine the last two days and when I came down this morning and dh was here I asked him why he hadn’t gone to the office and he said “it’s VE Day!” - I’d completely forgotten. Then we went for a walk and everyone had put bunting up so when we returned we hurriedly strung a bit of leftover bunting over the hedge!

Just watching a documentary of old videos of VE Day on tv and the local news showing all the celebrations makes me feel a bit guilty that I haven’t got the dc’s to do something more or go and put a poppy (or a poopy!) on the local war memorial but I figure il say a little prayer of remembrance tonight before bed.

Nothing going on in our street at all not even a flag. I watched the tribute to captain Tom on bbc but other than that I've just got on with my day. Try not to be too upset op.

I haven't done anything nor have I heard anyone else doing anything different. I think you'll find there are more of us than them. I didn't even know about the two minute silence until I looked at news reports online at lunch time and saw Charles and Camilla looking sombre (I'm quiet anyway being confined to home and it is generally quiet around here). Don't worry about it, none of us meant any disrespect it's just that our lives go on in a different way at the moment.

There's plenty on the telly for anyone who interested though I'm about to watch 'Merlin'.

Maybe there will be more celebrations in August if people are venturing out. If Coronavirus is well under control by then, even if not exactly 'licked', there will be more to celebrate.

I’ve done absolutely nothing. Husband was at work for 7 this morning and won’t be back til probably gone 10 this evening, so it’s just me and the dog. The dog who is going mental because the girl-dog next door is on heat and he rather fancies her.
On the other hand, my DM, two DSis, DB and DBIL (all in lockdown together) have dressed up and had a full on garden party. I think, were I not very aware that lockdown with them would be HELL, I’d feel quite sad. As it is, I’m doubly sad, one because a garden party looks fun and two because my family are generally a bit crap 😂

You could always celebrate VJ day instead.

We didn’t do anything and I’m not aware of anyone else who did. It was nice to have the day off school and work though.

Completely agree with MarielVonArkleStinks too. A lot of the VE Day and similar celebrations have a nasty nationalist flavour these days. Which is quite ironic given that it was a victory against those who espoused an extreme right wing, nationalist ideology. Really this should be day to celebrate the EU and 75 years of peace in Europe.

There’s not much you can do. Maybe stick up a few flags and have a nice meal. It’s not possible or advisable to have a party.

We just went for a bike ride. I would have liked to mark VE Day but we didn’t 1) because DH is a rabid leftie and feels anything to do with commemorating war events is manipulation by the government and 2) because of lockdown. I made a point of mentioning my grandfather to DS2. He was in the French resistance, got captured by the gestapo and tortured, and survived the whole thing until his camp in Paris was liberated by Canadian troops. Be proud of your DGF OP. It was my privilege to care for WW2 veterans when I worked in a palliative care team in the 90s.

Chig I think we must live on the same road

I was all for the big celebration. On the planning team for the village etc.

I really just couldn't be bothered. My street isnt the friendliest in the village so it would just be DD and me. And I'm a bit fed up of her company.

Ok..
There’s some bunting up here and that’s it.
We had a bike ride and then spent the afternoon in the garden . It was like any other sunny day .

Dog walk and garden naffing. NothinG in street. To be fair if there wasn’t lockdown I don’t think I’d have done anything. Just a day off!

We didn't do anything. I really wouldn't feel bad. It's just a way to keep busy tbh. It's ve day every year. Great the nazis were defeated, but find all the British flags a bit much.

Also just made me sad about brexit because the whole idea is supposed to be about solidarity with Europe!

Isn’t it awful bettybattenburg. They are getting louder here.

I honestly think some people have gone a bit further with their VE Day celebrations purely because its lockdown - it’s a reason to get outside, go as close as possible to breaking social distancing rules by seeing people but maintaining distance by partying on their own lawn, and decorating houses and baking is a nice thing to do.

I don’t think there would have been any where near as many front garden celebrations if we were allowed out - people would have done their own celebrations with family and friends in the privacy of their own homes, or people would be out at the beach/National Trust/parks etc because it’s bank holiday.

Plus the bbqs always come out en mass on a sunny Bank Holiday - it’s practically the law!

Don’t worry OP you really weren’t alone - my street only had a couple of people out front - I had to take two trips out today - once was for my own exercise then I got asked to get some shopping for my neighbour (poor thing has broken her leg!) and there were not many out. Lots clearly in back gardens. Lots of children’s heads bopping up and down (trampoline central round here!)

Be proud of your grandad - and don’t be sad.

We’ve got another bank holiday coming up - have you got friends nearby? You could always do some cakes and things then and make more of a deal of it - I’m planning to!