Bonny lasses assemble for the North East support thread 2!

[PennyDreadfuI]

Shiny new thread for all your north east needs.

Hello 👋

I have had an eye on this thread for a while, but as I am Teesside based hadn't joined yet. However, I suspect we will be joining local lockdown pretty shortly as numbers are looking bad.

Just wandered if anyone knows in lockdown zones are baby group type things running? I know it sounds trivial, but had my second baby at the end of lockdown. I had really bad PND with my first baby. So far this time has been better, but I have felt myself teetering a few times and feeling pretty isolated some days which doesn't help. Started a couple of music/sensory groups a few weeks ago and it's really helped, but I'm worried they aren't going to run for long. Apparently they don't count for the 6 people thing because they are a business not educational. But didn't know if they might be prohibited in a local lockdown.

I guess if we go back into a proper lockdown it's irrelevant anyway, but I'd so like to continue for a few weeks longer. I really don't want to end up in the state I was first time round, and I think my PND peaked around 4-5 months post natal, which I'm nearly at.

People are just fed up with how complicated the rules are becoming. During actual lockdown it was simple - stay at home, don't see anyone who doesn't live in your house. Now it's all don't see anyone outside your household except in a beer garden, work and school are okay but avoid the bus, go shopping but don't go to your nan's for a cuppa, you can't go on holiday together but you can sit on a plane with a hundred other people, and if you live in one of these areas then you have different rules so ignore all of the above, or maybe only ignore some of it, and this bit is legal but that bit is advisory.

People are tired and fed up.

I don't go to pubs or restaurants now, I walk everywhere so I don't go on buses, and I get the majority of my shopping delivered. I go to school and back, the only other places I go are the shops when its essential/urgent and I can't get delivery, and on my weekly driving lesson. I understabd why there's a rule saying I can't mix households but in my own set of circumstances where I've limited my potential transmission points, I can't see why I can't meet up with my parents once a week. Obviously the laws doesn't work on individual circumstances but this is why people are getting so chewed off with it all and why compliance is so low.

curious

Group classes are still running where I am.

Unless there is a major breakthrough with the vaccine in the next few weeks, I think we will end up back in full lockdown as its the only way they'll manage to increase compliance to the levels needed to contain the spread.

I agree bear

The government will never do a lockdown like the march one again. They will no want to pay out for furlough so no businesss will be ordered to close en masse. Is there much more that could be bought in in the NE without a full lockdown? Schools potentially and support bubbles gone.

I think they'll do circuit breaks where they'll shut down for two weeks.

@CuriousClownFish hartbeeps sensory classes are running in my area (County Durham). I’ve just signed up for the next term too, they’re hopeful it’ll continue as classed as educational!

Thanks @Brieminewine. Hartbeeps is one that I do to, so hopefully it'll continue!

From what I can see on north Tyneside councils website you are not to mix with other households either indoors in homes or any public venue or outdoors including all public venues and gardens. That seems fairly clear? I can't see anywhere that you are allowed to mix with others in your garden? Maybe I've misunderstood.

But according the chronicle you can meet in a pub garden

The actual letter of the law does not extend to not being allowed to go for a walk, or to a public park, with others. Not advised I don’t think, but not against the law.

Hi all. Checking in and agreeing with the mess and confusion around the rules / law. Total fucking mess!
@PickAChew sorry to hear about issues with dc this sounds tough. There's just so little you can do to help or make it better which is why it's so frustrating. Sending good wishes.

In terms of places to go I'd recommend vindolanda, Woodhorn Museum, Arbeia and segedunum I work in the cultural / heritage sector so may work or have worked in some of those places (or not!) . All have lots of outdoor space and very good measure inside.

I have also heard some friends who were totally compliant up until now saying they’re refusing to follow the strict guidelines. Their reasoning is that they have not been mixing in pubs, or indoors or in crowds outdoors and they are not giving up their family because some people can’t give up a pint.

Myself I have worked from home since lockdown and will be for the foreseeable. I have shopping delivered and if I didn’t go for walks I wouldn’t get outdoors. I have mixed with minimum family members outdoors, only my siblings, my children and grandchildren.

DH works on site, he has an office and has to socially distance at work, he has only met up with one brother alone. We have never been in a group of more than 6 at one time. So it does feel harsh to say we have to stop these small pleasures, particular with the dark nights coming.

As for the NHS track and trace, my friend was in Rowlands Gill surgery, she scanned her app and has still not had a message on her phone even though the surgery has had an outbreak and is closed. So I’m not confident that downloading the app will help.

Hope everyone is finding things to keep them optimistic. I put the slow cooker on this morning as I’ve been hankering after mince and dumplings ever since @IggyAce mentioned them. Had to finish them off in the oven as I like mine hard and crunchy on top.

Got the fleece throws out for the sofa and looking for book recommendations as I’m finding it hard to enjoy anything except bake off on TV. Oh and repair shop I love it.

I've been reading what DH calls "smutty vampire books" so I'm not sure I can help with the reading recommendations! They're not that smutty, he just happened to be reading over my shoulder during a smutty page.

@BessieSurtees my grandma goes there. This was the one which was closed I mentioned on Monday as I was due to take her. That's interesting that your friend didn't get a notification even though there was an out break.

I know what you and friends are feeling about not giving up family. Similarly I'm doing very little in the same way you are. I've had on and off issues with my ment health. My sister has 2 small children, she was actually just in hospital with the 10 month old today due to fever. Just feels unsustainable to not see family again.

Looks like Teesside is joining you in not meeting up socially if there is no money making opportunity. Boro and Hartlepool are both advocating for it, so cant see the rest is far behind. The news feeds are full of "Just meet your Mum in the pub" which is fine if you dont live 250 miles apart . Could really do without that coming in before the end of next weekend so I get to see my parents (and ideally not before the end of half term so we can see the inlaws as well, but we always knew that was stretching it).

Yes @Plussizejumpsuit I think you’ve hit the nail on the head how sustainable is it after we have complying so long, and had the benefit of the lovely weather. Our wellbeing is more complicated than only avoiding Covid.

As for the app you would think it would work in an NHS surgery, if not a pub. Hope your grandma is seen soon.

BessieSurtees, at the start of lockdown I discovered the Inspector Montalbano series on the BBC (it's the first sub titled series I have watched), loved it so much that I bought a 20 book set from Amazon (author is Andrea Camilleri, translated, of course). Highly recommend.

Hi northern pals, I spotted this online earlier and thought I'd share for anyone looking for something christmassy to look forward to.

www.chroniclelive.co.uk/special-features/brand-new-after-dark-illuminated-18985935?fbclid=IwAR23H6moQ7cGqeaH3CLkMGMkAOwiGrtfsigURfr01cZPZRMEJZakkdg7WnM

@Bearfrills smutty vampires you say...? Do tell I've read so much this year, I usually read about 2 books a week anyway but I've had so much time on my hands I've read read even more. Does anyone else here use Netgalley? It's fantastic, you choose books you'd like to read and they're sent to your Kindle for free (proper ones too, I'm currently reading the new Ken Follett and Kate Summerscale ones). All you have to do in return is write a short review on Goodreads and Amazon or your blog if you have one. I've been on it for years and read hundreds of books. Most of them this year, it feels like. I also play guitar but for some reason during lockdown proper I couldn't concentrate on that - I think I needed the escapism of books. I bought a new Fender Mustang at the start of lockdown to inspire me to practice more but, nope!

Hope we're all well. And fully versed in How Not To Break The Law after midnight tonight. If you are, you're a wiser woman than I

Oh, slightly weird question but did anyone see four planes flying really high and perfectly parallel to each other heading north at about 5.10pm today? It was very weird. Nothing on Flightradar and they were very, very high up, completely silent and in perfect formation (all you could see were the vapour trails). DD is convinced they were something weird and not planes at all 😂

Yes! The neighbour pointed it out to me!

@NeurotrashWarrior oooh! It's not just me, it was a bit odd wasn't it?

Ok non covid question. Is Middlesbrough in the North East or is it in North Yorkshire? Just a question my partner asked me. As they were discussing it on a football poscast he listens to. There were sting opinions both ways apperently.

I'm interested in what other North East people think....