Unlocking Ireland - thread uimhir a seacht!

[LifeInAHamsterWheel]

A shiny new thread for us all to talk pure shite whilst we wait for lockdown to end

I bought the European (I think) size duvets in Ikea by mistake, so I can't get covers very handy, but I agree that HomeStore and More are great for sheets, pillow cases etc.

I just have to go to Ikea when we need new duvet covers. Oh well.... 😉

I done a wardrobe clean up, all winter clothes packed away, clearly far to early it is freezing.

I'm going to miss Debenhams for summer clothes shopping.
There's TK Max, I suppose, if I'm in the humour for it. It requires the patience of all the saints to go around the rails.

Debenhams was my shop for weddings and graduations. Not that I have any to go to just now.
I can't remember when I last wore anything involving tights.

Does anyone remember A-wear? I still miss their clothing store.
Debenhams will be missed too. It looks like next will be taking in more failed individual store clothing brands.
I don't like next I'm not sure why.

I don't like Next either, and I can't even really explain why! Never had a Debenhams near so haven't ever bought much from it but I have been really impressed with Dunnes Stores clothing over the last few years! I think I mentioned already how completely crap I think their website is, they are really missing a trick with that side of things, but the clothes they have in store are lovely. It could also be that, at late-40s, I've hit that stage in life where I've lost all sense of style god I hope not!!

I desperately need to do a clear out of all our wardrobes. And it's not like I haven't got the time to do it. I just really don't have any motivation at the moment. I feel like this lockdown has sucked the life out of me!

I need to gut the grass, I needed to cut the grass last week too. I just don't have any energy beyond very basic housework.

I totally get what you mean hamster. I really need to do some clearing out but it's very hard to motivate myself.

What I like about Next - you can order online and bring back to the shop (when it's open). The stuff they have in the shops is terrible but the search function and filter is quite good online. Except they bring up stuff that's out of stock, which is annoying!

I’m really conflicted about the teachers - I’ll lose a lot of respect for them if they strike. I don’t think that’s right at all.

But I’m hugely frustrated at the utter incompetence of not being able to organise ourselves to vaccinate frontline workers - be they gardaí, teachers or shop workers. Just because it’s easier to do it by age is not good enough.

We need schools running for the sake of the economy. And my understanding at the moment is that adults are more likely to transmit the virus to children than vice versa.

Honestly I feel utterly disenfranchised these days. I’m so fed up with the incompetence, cronyism and arrogance but the protestors don’t represent my views either. I honestly don’t think I could vote in good conscience for any of the numpties at all.

I used to work in A Wear. I still have a lovely lined coat that I have been slimming into since 2005! I might get into it this year.

My go to shops for "a nice top" have gone - Monsoon and Debenhams
I like H&M and Zara too, though neither of them go up to my size in all their stuff, which is annoying when you see something and it only goes to a "large" that is not large enough. Some nice bits from New Look and Carraig Donn. I can't be dealing with TK Max unless it is in to buy a specific item e.g. I got a fab winter coat there last year, but didn't look near any of the other rails!

Next are good for work suits and trousers, not that I need them at the moment. I like some Next jeans too.

Marks and Spencer for casual t-shirts/long sleeve tops, jeans and jeggings, and more work trousers

I also need to clear out my wardrobe. There is a LOT of stuff I keep "just in case" but when it boils down to it, 95% of the time I then turn my nose up at wearing said items and end up buying a new gúna.

@thelegohooverer they are being incredibly slow. Our Government are just useless. The whole Government needs an overhaul.

The current Government that we have, consists mainly of two parties that came about after the Irish Civil war 100 years ago. We don't have a great range of choices, when we are choosing our Government.

I remember talking to an American man who worked in politics and he asked me which party out of Fine gael and Fianna Fail were to the left and which party was to the right. And I said, I think bothe of them are in the same positio, the parties just arose after the Irish Civil war, because one was for full Irish independence, and one was for the partition of Ireland. And he was saying how unusual that is. That most countries have left (more liberal) and right (more traditional) political parties to choose from.

I just looked online now to check, and it says " Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil, could both be categorised as centre-right parties which don’t have much difference in terms of their policies".

We have a very old fashioned, male dominated Government. The whole running of this country needs to change.

@thelegohooverer. ".....I'm so fed up with the incompetence, cronyism and arrogance

Oops Posted too soon
I absolutely agree thelegohooverer

Dunnes stores have really upped their game the clothing and fabric are high standard.
I have two suit jackets from A wear still in great condition.

I have been very vocal in Ireland about getting more women into Politics. I used to work in Adult Education, with young adults, and I used to get our local female TD, to come in and talk to the young women about how to get into politics.

She used to tell us such interesting stories. She said that the men often talked to her like she was an idiot in the Dail, she said there was a bar in the Dail, but that there wasnt a creche. That the male TDs spent a huge amount of time in the Dail bar. That was five years ago, so maybe they have a creche there now.

I also wrote an article with her, encouraging women to get into Politics, for our county newspaper.

I will be so happy when we get more women into Government.

@Emeraldshamrock

Dunnes stores have really upped their game the clothing and fabric are high standard. I have two suit jackets from A wear still in great condition.

The biggest adjustment I had to make mentally when I moved back was that Dunnes was now an aspirational lifestyle store. No more ‘Ben’s Boutique’!

It's Michel Guiné now Cliffs! Dunnes is strange, it goes from Penney's prices to Brown Thomas prices.

A-Wear was the best shop.

AWear stuff really holds up, I think. I miss it a lot. And Jane Norman, I practically lived in that shop.

I desperately need to do a shoe shop but I HATE not being able to try on the shoes!

My daughter has a black linen jacket I bought in dunnes in 1996, for £16. Our local Dunnes is small, I like a big Dunnes.
My dd2 has various items from Oasis, they did some arty ranges.

I think it will be an absolute disgrace if teachers strike. Vaccination priority should be on the basis of what is most efficient and what will reduce hospitalisations and deaths the most. The idea that teachers would strike in order to queue actually sickens me. I have teachers in the family who did get vaccinated early (not in Ireland) but because they were vulnerable - it would be the same in Ireland. The idea that the teachers would strike so that a healthy 20 something teacher would get vaccinated before a 55 year old at much greater risk (and risk slowing down the vaccination programme to boot) is horrific. There was a thread here demonstrating that security guards, bus drivers, chefs and taxi drivers were some of the professions most at risk of dying. Teachers should be before those? There’s also a proven link between poverty and disadvantage and catching coronavirus. Are we saying teachers should get vaccinated before a disadvantaged 55 year old - after all they’re so naice, middle class and morally worthy? Perhaps we should start allocating all medical care on the basis of who we think most morally deserving! Or maybe we just allocate it on the basis of medical need, no?

I passed a big Dunnes yesterday. You'd never know there was a pandemic ( from the outside) the car park was full.

I have a dress in my wardrobe from A wear that’s 20 years old. I’d love to say that’s because it’s so hard wearing but actually it’s only worn about two days per year when it’s hot enough!

Re teachers and vaccines ...

Am I the only one that thinks this story is being used to flood the media to cover from the fact that the gov have fecked it up ....again.

AFAIK the teachers union were asked if they were happy with the change in schedule and they said no - which you would expect and now it's the only thing in the media and no one is follow what happened with the Beacon or the Coombe.
To me, it seems this is being used to cover the media so the general public gets angry at the teachers rather than question - why it's taking so long - especially outside Dublin and what's happening in the cases of blatant vaccine nepotism.

Personally I think teachers and guards should be vaccinated as a priority. Whether they vaccinate by age or job/risk - I'm way down the list anyway.

@sillysmiles

Re teachers and vaccines ...

Am I the only one that thinks this story is being used to flood the media to cover from the fact that the gov have fecked it up ....again.

AFAIK the teachers union were asked if they were happy with the change in schedule and they said no - which you would expect and now it's the only thing in the media and no one is follow what happened with the Beacon or the Coombe.
To me, it seems this is being used to cover the media so the general public gets angry at the teachers rather than question - why it's taking so long - especially outside Dublin and what's happening in the cases of blatant vaccine nepotism.

Personally I think teachers and guards should be vaccinated as a priority. Whether they vaccinate by age or job/risk - I'm way down the list anyway.

Absolutely. It's like those two muppets who went to Dubai and then broke out of quarantine - should they have done it? Of course not. But they're a gift to the Govt PR team really as they tick so many boxes for the wannabe outraged - Tallaght, plastic surgery, lone parents etc etc.

No different with the teachers, it's a handy story to put out there. It's always very clear to me who understands the reality of the profession and the working conditions and who is just spouting off when this kind of thing crops up. An idiot filter, as it were.

The whole Government needs an overhaul.
It's only a year since the election.

I really miss A Wear too. Still have a few "pieces"