Countdown to Christmas 2020 (thread 13): the one with(out) the M&S vanishing gin!

[NoWordForFluffy]

Evening!

New thread here. I'm pretty sure this one breaks all previous records!

Hopefully there won't be any cases at school. We've managed so far without a single case .

We're apparently going to be able to mix at Christmas too but I have such a big family it'll be easier to just not see anyone.

We've dropped to 179/100,000 today which is a massive drop from where we were.

As we're in the north we'll be in tier 3, however, given the government hates us!

At least swimming can start again though.

Do we think they'll say you can visit other people but not stay over? Or just do what you like for 5 days?!

If everyone does what they like for five days then you can write off January and most of February.🤦🏻‍♀️

I know!

The problem is, if they'd said no Christmas at all, people would probably have broken the rules with visits, but wouldn't have stayed over (in the main). Allowing people to visit now means that people will break the rules by staying over as well. And surely that increases the risk? 🤷‍♀️ People will always push boundaries.

I don't know what they're going to do but I was trying to explain the possibility of having a bubble of up to four households to dh and he just didn't get it. It's a bubble not a venn diagram

Boots if I was a cynic I would say that it's designed to keep us indoors and under control in January/February while Brexit chaos runs rampant. Luckily I'm not a cynic 😇

Neros definitely find a wine merchant and a bookshop - or maybe that's what I'd spend it on.

Still no luck with the monitor - the extend thing doesn't do anything (but worked for the last monitor) 🤷‍♀️ IT are going to call me back tomorrow 🙄

The gift is for my nephew puss - he's discovered locks and keys and is enjoying using one even though it's broken. I figured if he likes it and it helps his coordination then it's a good gift.

Thank you for the link Firefly - I'm looking for something very similar but I think the 4 locks & keys would cause massive frustration (he's 3 with some developmental delays along with CP). Amazon is giving me lots of ideas following that though!

Ooh Neros I think I would maybe spend some on a fun meal out somewhere (with family you haven't seen if you're allowed) after Christmas and some on extra treats for throughout December.

I'll be interested to know what restrictions will be in place here for Christmas. My current plan is to see my family as I'm still treating Dsis and Dm as my extended bubble. I really want a chaotic, fun Christmas.
Will also see ILs but only outside as both are high risk.

31

Morning!

I've woken early. No clue why, but I'll try to get back off to sleep soon!

I've got a cold. I'm assuming a child brought it back from school seeing as I've not been anywhere to catch it! It's annoying me with the tickly nose!

I booked my Sainsbury's Christmas delivery at just gone midnight. 8-9am on 22nd. I'm collecting from 3 shops at that time so can pick up anything that's missing from it while I'm out! DH can deal with the delivery. 😂

I've not seen anyone outside of my household for a while now, other than the occasional person at the allotment. But we're allowed to see one person outside, so that's OK. I'm hoping we go into tier 2 else I won't be able to travel to see Why and my parents before Christmas. Probably won't even though our cases dropped 25% in the last week. Sigh.

Morning. Hope you got back to sleep fluffy. It's so hard getting up at the moment as it's so dark.

I'm actually seeing some clients today which will pass some time. Need to pop into the new Sainsbury's we've got to get a few bits and post my nephews birthday present.

Sadly not! Ah well. I can sleep when I'm dead.

We're still waiting for our new Sainsbury's to be built. 3 years after Homebase closed because that store was where it's allegedly being built. 🙄

Morning.

I've booked a Sainsbury's delivery for 29th and Tesco for 23rd. Then Christmas Eve I'll go and collect the turkey and ham from the butchers and the dessert from the bakery. The cheese shop is only doing delivery and are charging £6 for it 🤔.

Fluffy ds has a cold too and was up from 6 sneezing.

Oh ours was done within six months of then announcing it. It's only a local one but bigger than a Tesco express.

We're having a massive M&S built/taking over another building. We need it, the one that's there now is far too small.

Morning.
After a few nights of crap sleep I fell asleep watching the tv - I missed Nigella and Uni Challenge. DH woke me to go to bed at 9 😳
He got us up at half five so we were in Sainsburys at 7.
We were supposed to get a Sainsburys in town where the old B&Q was - they didn't bother, it's now a Home Bargains and Dunelm and opposite it is a big Tesco.
fluffy Steve Rotherham on BBC now basically begging to be put in Tier 2. Not sure where we'll be as the rates the other side of the M6 have rocketed in spite of lockdown.🤔🤔
We've both been sneezing too. Makes you wonder how you can catch a cold with all the extra measures for CV?

Nero we're half way between 2 massive "out-of-town" M&S - the one at Cheshire Oaks was the biggest they'd built, then they built a bigger one north of Stoke on Trent. 😁

Morning.
I'm jealous of those of you with M&S in easy reach. They closed our big one - now we have a tiny food only express one inside WH Smith's - it doesn't sell alcohol either so no Buck's Fizz. Next nearest is half hour away so not really worth it if I'm not going there anyway.

I'm almost completely done with my Christmas presents - 1 more to go (I'm completely stumped for MILs husband and waiting on her to give me some ideas).

Thanks to your link yesterday Firefly I bought this for dnephew, I think it'll be perfect (not quite lock and key but still...)

My dc loved the latches board crazy

We have an M&S food about 15 mins away. Medium sized then two in the city 20 miles away.

Oh, we've had all sorts of planning shenanigans with ours, hence the delay! Those of you who know where I live could Google the saga if you're really bored and stuck for stuff to do!

I think it's finally happening now. But god knows.

Boots, we deserve tier 2 in our bit. We've done as asked! If places where cases are still rising (most of London) gets tier 2 and we don't, where cases are dropping and the R rate is lower, it will really show contempt for us and our efforts / sacrifices.

Fluffy do they do it by borough or by county?

It depends. Obviously.

We've had it where it's our borough named separately (first time), then it was the Liverpool City Region which our borough is included in.

It's a bone of contention anyway, given we were historically Lancs but we're getting lumped in with Liverpool! (Our borough includes the northern parts of Liverpool.)

Were the latches stiff at all Wreck? I really don't want to give him something he isn't physically strong enough to do.

I'll be interested to know what happens here with tiers / lockdown / restrictions. Not too far away is one of the worst areas for cases in the UK (Merthyr) but here numbers are consistently dropping, although most people have broken the rules in some ways (like me I guess, with my unofficial extended bubble).

I've put a rubbish Netflix Christmas film on this morning - Holiday Rush

I think it's a bit different round here as we don't really have any big cities so our boroughs are quite big (area wise not population wise). It all sounds very confusing.

Crazy I think 1 and 2 were a little stiff but only because they needed working. It was a long time ago though that mine had one.

Crazy, WD40 it - carefully - before giving it.

WD40 is made from fish - I was told by a locksmith.
He recommended a silicone based spray for anything stiff as WD40 can actually damage a lock.

🤯🤯
Every day's a school day.😂

I will - anything I buy for him gets fully unpacked and tested first after dsis got him a plastic money box with giant plastic coins to fit in the slot - and they were a bit wide so you really had to shove them and he just couldn't do it. He was so frustrated by that so we're a bit more careful now.

I've given up on the film. It wasn't great which wouldn't normally bother me but I found it really distracting. Have stolen the idea from a different thread, downloaded the Classic fm app and am now listening to a Christmas playlist on there - much more soothing and easy to work to!