What are you most looking forward to post-19th (positive answers only!)

[TheVampiresWife]

If you're in England, obviously.

For me it's gigs. I've missed live music so much. I've already booked three and can't wait!

Also the spontaneity that's been missing from the past year and a half. I'm hoping the covid opening hours of a lot of places near me will be scrapped - the idea of nipping to our favourite bar for a drink or grabbing a bite to eat after one of those gigs sounds like something from another time and I get a bit emotional thinking it'll happen again soon

The covid rules at my musculoskeletal clinic being done away with so I can finally get an appointment to see my consultant and get my meds sorted.

The toilet being open at the dentist!

Please don't chime in with negativity, there's plenty of other threads for that!

Not having to book slots for every goddamned thing!

Going to the theatre in full capacities! Taking DS to see lion king In sept

Spontaneity! Can we do away with having to download a fucking app to order food in a restaurant?

No masks, or at least masks by choice situation depending

Shopping without having to line up outside

No masks

Moving freely in pubs /clubs

Businesses not being able to use covid as an excuse for poor service

Spontaneous days out

I don’t think any dates have been fixed for these, but I am most looking forward to…

1. High schools going back to normal. Can’t wait for DS (Year 7) to finally get a chance to mix with children outside his form group, have science, art, music, design tech, food tech etc lessons in properly resourced classrooms. The teachers I have spoken to are excited about this too!

1. Not having that nightmare where you dream you are in Tesco and suddenly realise you’ve left your mask in the car and are naked

1. Finally having (a slimmed down UK version of) the family holiday with my parents and brother’s family that was originally planned for May 2020.

1. Booking some theatre trips now they all seem to be taking bookings again.

Local church hall toddler playgroup starting up again. Plus other kids' activities being able to happen again without limited numbers etc

Not running back to my car mumbling, ‘oh shit my mask!’ everytime I go anywhere.

I was going to say going back out to work properly but from the email I received this morning, that is looking unlikely!

Forgot to add an 🤬 face to my last thing as I am really, really angry about that!

Going to the footy match with my son

Being able to see all my family at once for a meal, not have to count how many of us when booking to go somewhere. The rule of six is the only change that impacts us really.

I’m not sure whether they will keep the masks at nursery drop off/collection, but I would so love the lose the mask at that point if possible.

I’m hoping even though cases may / will rise hospital admissions will remain relatively stable and people’s anxiety will fall as we see we can ( indeed have to ) coexist with this virus and all its inevitable mutations and life goes on .

Bellringing

Proper weekly practice nights with a drink at the pub afterwards and Sunday ringing. At the moment we have only 4 or 5 people (out of 15) at a time on a rota basis and only ring for 20 minutes on a Sunday.

Ooooo I was a teenage bellringer @JustMeAndWheatley. Happy memories!

Reading these is giving me Christmas Eve feels

Good point about anxiety, @bengalcat. I can completely understand why some people feel so anxious (been there, done that) but as things open and cases rise hopefully the vaccines will do their job and serious illness/deaths will remain low, and that will put people's minds at rest somewhat. It might be a challenge for some to resume normal life but hopefully they will, and feel much more relaxed and happy going forward.

Another thing - less division and anger as people relax back into normal life, and those divisions begin to melt away. That will be a relief!

Seeing faces/ lip reading/ clear speech when in public places
Parkrun/ proper races
Spontenaity
Taking the DCs swimming for FUN
DS2 finally getting school swimming
Returning to church with faces and hymns
Helping out at the DCs' school
Venues getting their atmosphere back and no longer looking like crime scenes
Dropping a lot of silly, pointless rules that just bulk up a risk assessment
Doing Scouting/ Guiding properly with group tasks, indoors in inclement weather, trips and camps

Not feeling like a pariah for having the audacity to get overwhelmed most times I attempt to cover my face. It's like being in a permanent PE lesson "must try harder" "everyone else can do it" "it's not difficult"

It's not going to be 100% normal yet (I have family in other countries) but it will be the biggest jump in being able to finally live rather than exist in a minefield of constantly changing restrictions and having life constantly paused and changed.

Going on holiday abroad (am in Ireland and our digital passes start from that date, we have been told).

@bengalcat

I’m hoping even though cases may / will rise hospital admissions will remain relatively stable and people’s anxiety will fall as we see we can ( indeed have to ) coexist with this virus and all its inevitable mutations and life goes on .

Yes, in the absence of specific health worries (and I can understand the concerns of people where effective vaccination can't be taken for granted), the best cure for generally being anxious is getting out into a fairly normal world. Constant signs, tape, screens and masks are not healthy for anxiety as they constantly reinforce the fear messaging.

I really struggled getting out over the winter, and I'm glad that I didn't take the easy avoidence of shopping online, and kept going. I had that flat feeling all spring, but it has gradually eased off as more external routines and stimulation have built up. It's very easy for the mind to get stuck in arbitary boundaries.

Seeing faces/ lip reading/ clear speech when in public places

My hearing has been poor for years but I didn't realise how poor, and how much I relied on lip reading/others' facial expressions, until everyone wore masks. It's silly but I've felt embarrassed constantly saying 'Sorry, I can't hear you' even as the poor person talking to me talks louder and louder! It's even worse when they're also behind screens (shops, bus drivers). So yes. Another thing to look forward to!

@BogRollBOGOF couldn't agree more! I had a tough time at the start of the first lockdown and wanted to stay in all the time, but we couldn't get delivery slots so I had no choice but to go out three times a week to the supermarket. It was really, really hard to do but I'm glad I had to - if I'd have been able to avoid it and go nowhere getting out of the pit of depression and anxiety I was in would've been even harder. I'm still not 100% but much, much closer to it, and having things to look forward to is helping so much.

Gigs!

Foreign travel too but I don't expect that to be normal as it depends on the other country too.

I need a concert and live music back in my life 🙌.

Proper holidays with my husband and kids.

@TheVampiresWife

Seeing faces/ lip reading/ clear speech when in public places

My hearing has been poor for years but I didn't realise how poor, and how much I relied on lip reading/others' facial expressions, until everyone wore masks. It's silly but I've felt embarrassed constantly saying 'Sorry, I can't hear you' even as the poor person talking to me talks louder and louder! It's even worse when they're also behind screens (shops, bus drivers). So yes. Another thing to look forward to!

I actually had my hearing tested partly because of this (it came in as round about normal).

Dancing in bars (without being told off) not having to be organised and plan everything. Spontaneity!