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

[Bubbinsmakesthree]

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?

Working, no holidays, and frontline NHS (admittedly very part time) so not wanting to risk anyone catching it.

Our exciting summer trips included taking snacks with us when we went on local walks. No friends, no play dates, no pubs/restaurants/eating out, occasional quiet playground trips, but really very little socialising outside of a distanced walk. We did do a few garden visits to parents but that was the extent of it. Didn’t even take up the key worker opportunity at school.

@Yourcatisnotsorry

We’ve been in tier 2 aside from national lockdowns and we’ve not had any play dates or visited anyone’s home. We did go swimming, soft play, days out, UK holidays as a family. Not with other people which is the crucial thing for social development in small kids.

See there is no way I’d have taken the DC to soft play, only went to outdoor playgrounds a few times when we could visit at quieter times. But I did let them play outside with a few friends from their school bubble. Strictly speaking the latter wasn’t permitted but parks and soft play were fine 🤷🏻‍♀️

We’ve not done any of that. We’ve not seen and stayed with friends who we normally would have. I’ve not seen family much who live a distance away so we normally stay over but we’ve avoided that, we did have a small social distanced BBQ but I’ve not hugged family in a year. No birthday parties etc.

Saying this we are all lucky enough to not have known anyone directly with covid. Maybe because we actually stick to rules and limited traveling and social activities etc even when lockdown was lifted.

We didn't go on holiday because I thought we might be locked down again.

You cant see how “my child hasn’t played with anyone else in a year” but 'Other than children not social distancing with each other I don’t we broke any rules' are at odds?

What if one of your kids was asymptomatic and passed it on?

Central Leicester has been totally forgotten and locked down since March

I had two weekends away - one staying with a friend, and one with relatives - both lovely. I met up with people for a grand total of two pub meals (one outdoors, one indoors), also quite a few meet-ups in friends gardens, several drinks outside pubs, and one Sunday lunch in someone's house. Everything I did was legal (with one possible exception) and I also remained respectful of friends who were more cautious than me throughout - hence a couple of picnics in fields where we all sat a long way apart and didn't share as much as a crisp.

I'm not entirely sure about the link between Eat Out to Help Out in the summer and rising virus rates in the autumn - if that was the case wouldn't it have been the same everywhere? My particular bit of the south west remained in Tier 2 until Boxing Day, and we were certainly eating out like everyone else in the summer.

@WingingWonder

Central Leicester has been totally forgotten and locked down since March

@redgirl1

We had some nice times in the summer, spent a prolonged period in France with family but it definitely was not normal. We drove instead of flying, managed not to have a wee for 8 hours to avoid using services. Didn’t go out as we normally would , went to the beach at 6pm to avoid crowds on a few occasions. Got to have a few days away with a small group of friends. Kids played with other kids in their bubble outside in July and September etc. All within the rules where we live. It wasn’t normal but I feel very very lucky. The poor people living in the north haven’t been and to do anything, they must have been going out their minds, I think perhaps they were overly harsh there, but it’s hard to know how many more seriously ill there would have been with less restrictions.

I live in the north. We went to beaches, our caravan for 4/5 days a week from July 4 Had a family birthday picnic for 7 of us in a country park Went shopping Went for meals out Went to cinema. Met with family and friends Wasn’t always normal but we did our best to keep the economy ticking over

Long covid from March right through 2020.

Just to get some representation !
Wfh, tried to look after kids. Summer was lying down, more lying down, and trying still to work. Didn’t do anything for 7 months.

Quite a change from 2019.
Getting better and really happy.

@Isaidnomorecrisps Same...! Glad to hear you’re feeling better, I’m still not 100%. When did you start to feel better? Any remaining symptoms? I was March too.

@frozendaisy

We supported what we could when we could, we want cinemas, for example, to still be there when we reopen.

I expected all the "we stayed at home all summer" want the cinema to be there on reopening as well but it's was for other people to support them whilst they "stayed safe".

Whatever eh! At least our 9 yr old got a trip to the cinema on his actual birthday, the kiosk staff let him "take a free bag of birthday sweets" which made his day! It was as risk free as it could be and it wasn't another groundhog day.

Exactly us too.. I’m not a drinker but I made sure I had a drink in our cinemas new bar

@goldielockdown2

Nothing because we were in the middle of a pandemic. I cancelled our Uk holiday because I don't think it would've been fair on the locals having a load of people flock and spread the virus. Also it would've been subject to social distancing anyway and that's not an enjoyable way for us to relax.

They might have actually welcomed your spending money in their bars, cafes, restaurants and attractions.

Did you think of that?

@alienspiderbee

I'm not sure why the op thinks the majority of people who have done very little have done it only through choice and not circumstance though? There are so many reasons that people had summer's that were very limited - vulnerable family members, job & money issues, limited childcare, living in an area with strict restrictions, no annual leave etc. that I would assume that most people who feel they have been under lockdown for a year fall into this category and didnt just sit at home for the fun of it.

I don't know anyone being martyrs, a lot of the people I know are in Leicester, try telling them that lockdown hasn't been nearly a year.

What’s been done to Leicester has been criminal. You have my every sympathy.

We took one trip to see my parents who live 200 miles away. Still weren’t allowed to stay overnight so we did a day trip. We planned another but Sturgeon put the area they live in back in to lockdown, then took them out but put us in.

The work from home if you can guidance hasn’t ever changed, offices were never fully open.

I chose not to go out to restaurants or shopping malls because frankly it was a bloody stupid idea as we have come to find out now.

So, yeah, I’ve pretty much been doing the same for a year.

@BackforGood

were we unusual in that we let children socialise a bit within their school bubbles?

Yes. Of course you were. It is this thinking of "well, it doesn't matter if were ignore the bits of the rules we don't like" that has a lot to do with the ongoing problems, and over 100 000 deaths. Not just a number, every one of them a person.

Oh, and schools weren't open until September here, except for certain groups.

And as you’re quoting statistics, the majority were over 82 years and a third were the mismanaged care home deaths.

Covid for 98 per cent of the population was low or minimal risk .
People forget that.
I’d have been over the moon if my dad had died of covid at 82 instead of a heart attack at 70
And my mum also at 82 of covid instead of her life dragging on until 88 with dementia and all the indignity and lack of quality that entailed

@Oblomov21

I'm confused. In which part of the country was cinema and museums ok? Surely sitting in a cinema for an hour and a half, watching a film, with no/minimal ventilation is the most perfect covid breeding ground?

York We went 4 times and were absolutely fine

They might have actually welcomed your spending money in their bars, cafes, restaurants and attractions.

We spent money using their takeaway services, and renewed our annual passes for the places we go regularly. You don’t have to go there to support them.

@Oblomov21

'Stay at home'. Sounds like OP never did. She just continued on her merry way, with her normal days out, picnics, beaches.

All these posters going on holiday.
Northern France?

Good job you all 'stayed at home'.

But it was allowed Caravan sites opened on July 4 so made excellent use of ours till mid October when we flew to Tenerife

@MintyMabel

They might have actually welcomed your spending money in their bars, cafes, restaurants and attractions.

We spent money using their takeaway services, and renewed our annual passes for the places we go regularly. You don’t have to go there to support them.

Okay But more fun going in person. It was allowed

And my mum also at 82 of covid instead of her life dragging on until 88 with dementia and all the indignity and lack of quality that entailed

My grandma died at 98, with all her mental capacity intact. I’d have hated to lose her at 82.

I actually want to know how youve managed all that guilt free OP???

Iv been nowhere, seen noone!

Followed rules and guidelines
My whole family the same

But more fun going in person.
Wouldn’t have been for us. The restrictions would have made it more difficult.

It was allowed
Doesn’t make it a good idea, as we have come to discover.

If everyone had a quiet summer we would be in a better position now!

Anybody who says they had a summer like that, i dont envy them, i blame them!!!!

And i dont care what any responses to that are!!!!

@Mulletonyourhead
Hello! Actually was terrible till late oct - breath, fog, knackered. Had kind of plateaued. Then I got some hot flushes and went on HRT - I swear in two days I felt my lungs get better, like a scab healing. Started taking full breaths. It was bonkers. Have tried to post on the FB / other sites but it gets lost.
There are clinical trials apparently in a few countries on hormone therapy and covid. Anyway I went from maybe 60% to 85-90% within a couple of weeks.