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Original poster

People saying ‘we’ve had a year of this’ - what did you do last summer?

596 replies

Bubbinsmakesthree · 02/02/2021 22:09

I keep seeing people saying things like “my child hasn’t played with anyone else in a year” or “I’ve not seen any friends in a year”. I know some people have been shielding or live in areas that have had tougher restrictions for longer...but if not, what were you doing last summer?

I think I’ve been fairly cautious but we still managed holidays/trips away in the UK, lots of (socially distanced) meet ups with friends and family and my children saw lots of their friends. We’ve been to museums, meals out, swimming etc. Other than children not social distancing with each other I don’t we broke any rules. It certainly wasn’t a normal summer but in comparison with the current (really miserable) lockdown things were pretty decent.

Lots of people I know were regularly in bars, making cinema trips, foreign holidays and taking the children soft play (i drew the line well before it got to soft play myself!)

Are people forgetting what actually happened or did some people remain in voluntary lockdown all year?

OP posts:
inquietant · 03/02/2021 16:19

[quote squishedblueberry]@Pinkmarsh not everyone has a caravan Hmm[/quote]
Yes I thought the same!

ferretface · 03/02/2021 16:22

We went to France last summer but it wasn't a normal trip at all, we had to go during school holidays which we usually avoid, and all the campsites (we took our van) were incredibly busy. So we had a trip but it was not normal, it was just making the best of a bad situation.

It also wasn't legal to meet up and holiday with our usual group of friends who get a cottage together as there are 8 of us, and all our plans for festivals, running races etc got cancelled.

Definitely does feel like coming up to a year of this as many of the things I value and enjoy have not been possible for all of that time.

Pinkmarsh · 03/02/2021 16:40

@squishedblueberry - you don’t have to have a caravan to go out for the day to the beach or to the park, have a bbq with friends. There was plenty to do last summer. Unless sheilding there was no reason to stay home and isolate yourself or your children from others last summer.

SueEllenMishke · 03/02/2021 16:41

[quote Pinkmarsh]@squishedblueberry - you don’t have to have a caravan to go out for the day to the beach or to the park, have a bbq with friends. There was plenty to do last summer. Unless sheilding there was no reason to stay home and isolate yourself or your children from others last summer.[/quote]
There was of you lived in Oldham or parts of greater Manchester......

freckles20 · 03/02/2021 16:44

[quote Pinkmarsh]@squishedblueberry - you don’t have to have a caravan to go out for the day to the beach or to the park, have a bbq with friends. There was plenty to do last summer. Unless sheilding there was no reason to stay home and isolate yourself or your children from others last summer.[/quote]
Oh really. That's odd. Have I imagined the continual lockdown here in Leicester. Sigh, do people not give a shit about this?!

SueEllenMishke · 03/02/2021 16:48

Sigh, do people not give a shit about this?!

Apparently not ...

marshmallowfluffy · 03/02/2021 17:00

It depends where you live. We've been very lucky compared to some

We were Tier 2 until December so it wasn't so bad- kids could see friends outside and out of school. We live in the suburbs so teens can find a quiet field to sit and have a chat in or have a kick around. They also got to sit in Costa or McDonalds if they did Test and Trace which was fine with them.

Family also in T2 until December so could day trip or stay overnight. If they lived over the border in Scotland or Wales then that would have complicated things as it's not known if you'd be stopped or fined as they were usually more strict.

JanuaryJonez · 03/02/2021 17:01

Well we had an amazing holiday in Spain in August! It all seems like a strange dream now.

We all had to quarantine on our return but it didn't affect work.

Delatron · 03/02/2021 17:39

Managed to get away to a Spanish island last year. July. Cases were low and it felt very safe. To be honest safer over there. Private villa.

Looking at this year, I’m glad I did.

MotherWol · 03/02/2021 17:41

you don’t have to have a caravan to go out for the day to the beach or to the park, have a bbq with friends

I must have imagined all of those newspaper headlines shaming people for going to the beach this summer, calling day trippers to Brighton covidiots. Long lens photographers in the park implying people weren’t social distancing.

Honestly, people were condemned for trying to do normal, safe outdoor things and now they’re being told off for not doing them?

pollylocketpickedapocket · 03/02/2021 17:47

@Hellscape

Here in the North West we had about 3 weeks of being able to mix in households...then back to restrictions again.
I’m in the north west, I went to farms, beaches, theme parks, restaurants, swimming, holiday to London and Greece.

My grandfather did in hospital of Covid in April , he also had an extremely serious heart condition.

I e not had it, none of my close contacts have and I don’t know a solitary soul who follows the rules as stringently as people on Mumsnet claim to.

My daughter has also been in nursery/school since June, no cases there either.

bombaychef · 03/02/2021 18:20

I don't know where in the North West you are but that's a far cry from the areas round me. 30% of people I know have had it. Schools had to close as so many bubbles were out. Teachers I know have long COVID and not back at work. And we are no where near the worst area.

PlanDeRaccordement · 03/02/2021 18:24

What I did? Stayed home, worked, cancelled holiday plans, fought with airlines and travel companies for refunds. Baked in the hot sun on my patio.

Useruseruserusee · 03/02/2021 18:27

We stayed at home, part of the joy of having a child who was then on the shielding list. He has since been taken off but his surgeon believes the balance of risk from attending nursery is too high currently. Even when balanced against the lack of social interaction. We follow this medical advice because it comes from someone who has treated him from birth and who is a specialist in his rare health condition.

As he is three and the vaccine is not licensed for his age group, our best hope for a more normal life is very reduced community rates.

Yewrobin · 03/02/2021 18:29

Op we’ve not had any visitors in our home since last March . We have however let our children see their friends when we weren’t in lockdown , outside and keeping to the rule of 6 more or less - once there was an extra child ! My eldest has a friendship group of 3 so we’ve let him see both his friends outside last year when they were still in school ( not in the current lockdown)

We’ve eaten out as a family 4 times since March , never with others . We’ve managed 2 English self catering holidays and visited museums zoos and NT gardens whenever we’ve been allowed and we’ve walked and walked and walked!

To be honest I think we’ve made the best of it ... I’m genuinely sorry for those that have never been out of restrictions

SpnBaby1967 · 03/02/2021 18:29

Worked my arse off as people were still desperate to dob their neighbours in to us for every little infraction they felt said neighbours had committed instead of minding their own business.

Managed a couple of meals out, that was about it.

Glitterblue · 03/02/2021 19:00

Cancelled 2 holidays (July and October)
Managed one hair cut
Went to my best friend's tiny wedding just days before we were back into a local lockdown, complete with social distancing and no evening reception
Managed to see my 92 year old grandmother once
No days out

mumwalk · 03/02/2021 19:00

We worked through the summer, took separate leave to cover childcare, and haven't gone anywhere that isn't within walking distance since March. Appreciate that most of the people I know went on holiday but we don't have transport, didn't fancy trying to SD with kids on a train (or know how we would have got home if we ended up with symptoms) so didn't. The kids did get to play with friends, but otherwise it's been pretty much the same for us since the start.

ZippedyDooDa · 03/02/2021 19:20

You've not been cautious at all, doing all those things.

Fireflylane · 03/02/2021 19:22

This is why we are now in lockdown February 2021 Angry. Since March last year I've not seen any close friends who live away, nobody has been in our house apart from oldest DD boyfriend. No meals out, no trips to the pub, didn't feel safe. No holidays or weekends away. We are in this mess because people met up with every tom duck and Harry during the summer and probably Christmas it makes me do mad Angry

bombaychef · 03/02/2021 19:22

I think people also forget that a huge number of us were (both) working flat out all lockdown and summer and not on furlough in the lovely weather. Our kids were self entertaining bored senseless at home. They never got back to school until Sept and then bubbles were going out left right and centre. No swimming as never reopened. Outdoors sports were on for a while, but not other stuff. Music lessons, brownies, Cubs, drama all still on zoom - hideous
We made the most of it but no one had stepped foot in our house and garden since March, which the kids miss most. Kids on our estate didn't openly play out as lots of older neighbours etc

Original poster
Bubbinsmakesthree · 03/02/2021 19:47

@Fireflylane

This is why we are now in lockdown February 2021 Angry. Since March last year I've not seen any close friends who live away, nobody has been in our house apart from oldest DD boyfriend. No meals out, no trips to the pub, didn't feel safe. No holidays or weekends away. We are in this mess because people met up with every tom duck and Harry during the summer and probably Christmas it makes me do mad Angry
People weren’t catching covid in droves because of picnics and camping trips and days at the beach over summer. If that had been true, case numbers would have been rocketing across the country in June, July and August rather than remaining low. Things only started rocketing again in September when schools went back.

Believe me I take this thing seriously - I had covid back in March and I still need to sleep 10 hours a day and can’t do more activity than gentle walking. Since November I haven’t set foot in a shop, won’t visit our local park as it’s too busy and have taken my son out of nursery because the situation locally has been extremely bad since the new variant took hold. But in summer it was very different here and I behaved according to the risk.

OP posts:
ragged · 03/02/2021 19:48

I can't believe we're supposed to be happy & grateful now if we got to go to a museum. ffs

DBML · 03/02/2021 20:02

IF they open up holidays this summer and I can’t get to Florida...which right now is about the only thing I want to do, I WILL be going somewhere on a plane...anywhere as long as it’s hot and sunny. I will not be giving up my vacation this year.

IceCreamAndCandyfloss · 03/02/2021 20:05

@ragged

I can't believe we're supposed to be happy & grateful now if we got to go to a museum. ffs
Considering how many have lost their lives, lost loved ones or jobs or are struggling will long covid, many indeed would be happy with a trip out instead.