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

@JaneJeffer

the toddler years are tough I absolutely loved them Dylan Moran said toddlers are like small drunk people

Good description!

They can be fun too. It's a bit of a rollercoaster.

@LadyEloise

The newly appointed head of the Department of Health is to get an €80,000 increase on his not insubstantial salary. FFS they won't give the student nurses what they are owed !!! It's disgusting. I'm contacting my local "in government" TDs to object. Hope some of you Craicnetters will too.

You're right. It is disgusting. How can it be justified?

Teenagers are like big toddlers, sometimes actually drunk! I love other people's toddlers.
There is no way a senior civil servant should be paid at that level.
I did a weekly shop on Friday, so why do I need to do another one tomorrow?

@BiddyPop My Brownies are the same, all giddy to meet up again. We are only a small group, but just on the border of needing to split in to two groups (which I can't do, as not enough leaders)!

I think once they get to three they are much easier to manage as they can say what they want and dont need to shout... one more year to go!

Eggandonion a weeks shopping never lasts a week

We have to make a decision on windows for the new build - aluclad or upvc. Aluclad is 1.5 times the price of the upvc so would be a real stretch to afford it. But dont want to get upvc and then regret it later. So many companies to choose from aswell.

[quote rivierliedje]@BiddyPop My Brownies are the same, all giddy to meet up again. We are only a small group, but just on the border of needing to split in to two groups (which I can't do, as not enough leaders)![/quote]
Can you split in two and get parent volunteers to give you enough adults? We did that last year.

The new Secretary General of the Department of Health has been appointed by the Government.
He has temporarily waived the €81,000 salary increase he was to get.
At least that's something.
He had been Secretary General of the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform.
I won't forget when FF, FG and the Greens call to my door looking for votes.
And after the election 1 or 2 of these parties will spend time and money trying to find out why they lost votes.
Same old same old.
They never learn.

When the economy improves he will move to the higher pay scale. I suppose just before he retires to get a nice pension.

Hope everyone enjoyed the sunshine today

It was a lovely day.
I made some plain buns and while they were still warm topped them with a giant chocolate button, the new orange ones. This is the best cooking I have done recently! Plus I have half a bag of giant buttons to eat

It was gorgeous weather yesterday and looks settled for a few days (fingers crossed!).

Mm...I like the sound of those plain buns, egg.

Apparently it was very cold in Youghal, but lovely. It seems nice today.

Its nice here today, I can hear the neighbours kids out playing.

When are shops allowed to re-open for click and collect?

I was wondering that too @Thesagacontinues - I'm surprised at the lack of leaks at this stage, usually we've read all the finer points by now and the 'announcement' is just confirmation. Whoever looks after the leakages from Leinster House must be on annual leave

My boss is itching to get everyone back in the office and reckons after the bank holiday "it should be fine". I'm not so sure. Mostly, I must admit, on a personal level as I quite like working from home a few days a week and see no reason why this should change!! But also because the government line has been 'if you can continue to work from home then do so' all along and doesn't seem to have changed. We've made it very clear to staff that we're following Government guidance on this so it will look a bit off if we suddenly tell them to come back in 2 weeks time if the Government haven't advised it As I said, I have a vested interest so am mostly likely being unreasonable...

I like the sound of those buns @eggandonion! I got a stand mixer at the start of the last lockdown and buns now feature regularly on our menu! I usually just dip them in jam and then sprinkles (or dessicated coconut) but I will make it my business to look out for giant orange chocolate buttons now

Yes those buns sound delicious @eggandonion as do the leftover buttons
It's concerning re that missing girl from Louth.. I hope she is found safe and well. Her poor family.

Whoever looks after the leakages from Leinster House must be on annual leave

My elder daughter tried to move in with her boyfriends family when she was sixteen, after a row with her brother. That was bad enough, a 14 year old with an 18 year old on a road trip is terrifying for her family, and his too.
I am a messy icer of buns, so I'm delighted with this new development in decoration. I watch bake off in shock and awe.

I miss being able to locally pick up things from shops without having to order online 2 weeks before hand. Our local sports shop is a small shop but would have whatever you need.

I've been WFH aswell. I havent been back to the office since early march last year. They did bring back about 10% of staff twice last year before they had to WFH again, but we havent heard anything about the first few even returning yet. They already allowed a mix of home and office working before covid, but wont let us stretch to wfh 5 days a week permanently.

Dunnes have been doing click and collect all along. I did it and when I went to collect there were people in the shop looking at clothes.
This is a Dunnes with no grocery section.

Daughter one has been working in a clinical setting all year. Daughter two has been asked what she would like to do, she's here for now but is based in Dublin. Son reckons they are doing phased part time office in October, having been really strict on not working from home until last year.
Husband desperately wants to go to work, he misses his lunch in the canteen and coffee breaks.
I might be back in work next month, I'm non essential retail. I liked click and collect, Christmas was slightly scary.

Very unfair that Dunnes continued to do click and collect when smaller retailers could not.

I think for my own mental health I need to get back to the office a couple of days a week. Today feels like it has been the longest day ever. I think I'm going to go to Lidl after work and look at the special buys just to do something different. I usually stay home and do do online shopping but today I'm sick of being in these 4 walls.

I went to lidl, they didn't have ironing board covers.
I bought chocolate and pain au chocolat. I'm turning into chocolate.

The Journal headlines are like horror films today

Jane