Study in the time of COVID-19 (2019/20 intake): lockdown restrictions, relaxation of rules and repeat... And will the Grinch government cancel Christmas?

[NewModelArmyMayhem18]

Carrying on from our previous thread.

I believe these threads have probably been running since the summer/autumn of when our DC were about to start/in Year 13 (so 2018)?

DS has three Asian students arriving in January the four he had in September three have gone. So one left. None of them would dry their pans, tea towels are dirty. They refused to take rubbish out, again dirty. He said when he gets back if the kitchen is a fetid mess he's going straight to reception to raise cain. As a second year he's done appeasing folk

icanbe Dd in group 6 at the moment so we are thinking all of year 12 she won’t be vaccinated. She’s been near at least 4 positive year 12 pupils so far (but sits more then 2m away from them in the seating plan). She’s been missing lessons in the one (not kidding) they are told to dance together without masks. She refused. This is going to be a major problem as the teacher will still not understand that she can’t do physical group work. The one she was supposed to dance with was covid positive and ended up with pneumonia. You could not make it up. Apologies I should put this on the school thread really but I guess no one on here knows me in real life here! If any A Level teachers on here know how to get out of doing close group work please pm me!

Uni Dd back to writing essays. They really have cranked up the quantity!

@Zandathepanda not good is it. The Oxford vaccine may speed things up a little. But at this rate it'll be a long time.

I reckon we will only be seeing the light at the end of the tunnel this time next year.

I think the Oxford vaccine is expected to be approved in the next couple of days (source Dr John Campbell on YouTube), and things will really start to change. There are more settings ready to administer vaccinations than currently have stock so it is bound to speed up. My DH will get his before me but probably not until early summer.

I also think that secondary school pupils and teachers should get vaccine ahead of their current age related positions, as they are the ones spreading it. The very vulnerable should come first, but after that the super spreaders. That would surely reduce the amount of virus in circulation. I got my covid test result this morning, negative, 4 days after the test, and that was due to contact with DS's gf who got infected at school. My normal day to day risk is very low.

I am really glad Dd2 is 16 now so is in line for any vaccination!

Sorry for a tiny digression, but did anyone just watch the brilliant programme ‘Britain’s favourite novel”? I just thought it was brilliant that’s all.

Ooo no. Which side?

Found it! Channel 5. Hopefully it’s on again so I can record then fast forward the ads!

Motherland and Upstart Crow have been my favourites this year.

I joined it over half way through so they were on Novel 18 or so. I just thoroughly enjoyed listening to the authors all giving their two pence worth on each book, some they mentioned briefly of course. unfortunately, I didn’t have pen and paper ready to note the titles down and find them to read but noted ‘Atonement’. It was such a happy feel good programme that I wondered wether anyone else was watching.

@Zandathepanda That’s another I must’ve missed.

I did shiny Lovely to watch! I am watching the first 45 mins on catch up now as I missed that. the cats better watch out if Tess isn't in there somewhere!

shiMy : whoops!

I’ve been mistakenly called ‘shiny’ on MN more times than I count count. It’s makes me chuckle actually . Piggy can you please let me know whether ‘Great Expectations’ made it in there as I missed the first half. I’ll be quite astonished if it didn’t.

They seemed to limit each author to one book so that was not the Dickens selected. Bit harsh, I guess but I prefer David Copperfield.

@Shimy I did! Was pleased to see I have read quite a few. Especially as I haven’t read anything in ages

Ooh I like the sound of that. I enjoyed the Sara Cox ‘Between the Covers’ series that was on this autumn on BBC2.

Piggy David Copperfield was dh’s Favourite. I can’t for the life of me remember what it was about. He must’ve been a poor boy in true Dickens fashion.

bigtilly I was mentally ticking off the ones I have read and quite embarrassed at how many I hadn’t. I made a renewed pledge to read more in the new yr and less Mning .

@Benjispruce2 I seem to have a vague memory of seeing that recently. Was it good?

There were 6 episodes I believe but on a Friday, early evening so I recorded them. Some were better than others depending on the celeb guests but a nice easygoing watch and Sara Cox always makes me chuckle.

Thanks for the tip about the programme @Shimy. I have been terrible with reading this past year (and I was always such an avid reader). Need to do better in 2021.

I saw a book club programme on TV not so long ago, with Andi Oliver. I enjoyed it. It might have been on a Sky channel.

Bleak House remains my favourite Dickens. Not read Atonement - started it but someone did a spoiler and I could never bring myself to finish it.

When I was a teen I read many of the classics because we had them already on our bookshelves. Have tended to read much more contemporary fiction in recent years.

I find it's technology generally that gets in the way of reading for me. Not just MNetting too much (although that doesn't help!).

I have to admit, I’ve become lazy with reading in the last decade or so. I was a voracious reader as a child through to early 30s. Then the kids came along, and there was no peace & quiete to read, by the time things were getting back to normal, technology had taken over and I started spending more and more time reading shite off the internet. This meant not investing in new books like I used to, so in the last year I haven’t bought a single book and have a tidy pile (gifts from friends) that I’ve been meaning to read for a while.

‘Atonement’, I’m ashamed to say, I watched on Netflix last night, instead of reading the book . I joined a local book club a while back where I was the youngest member with a clear at least 20yrs gap between me and the others (70+). It wasn’t much fun and the choice of books was rather dire. I’ve currently got ‘who moved my cheese’ (not a novel per se ) I’ve had it in a box full of old books and never read it and DH keeps going on about it, so I going to try and finish it before the new year.

@Shimy I used to read all the time too. Pre children. I've read some of the older children's books to my boys over the years like hunger games, Harry Potter, I am number 4 set etc. but actually reading to myself I'm ashamed to say I haven't done much of since I was expecting ds1 20 years ago.

@MrKlaw, our LA is providing testing for school returnees, teachers etc at least - it gives the following instrucrions:

How do I book a test if I do not have symptoms?

Go to the government website www.gov.uk/get-coronavirus-test where you will be asked a series of questions:

Choose NO to essential worker

Choose NO to having symptoms, and

Choose NO to being part of a trial or pilot

Then select "My local council or health protection team has asked me (or someone I live with) to get a test, even though I do not have symptoms.”

You can book your whole family through one form by choosing 'add family members'.

Selecting these options will allow you to book to access a COVID-19 test.

Might be worth looking at what your own LA website says (or asking friends with secondary age DC - if you haven't
/ their school hasn't said anything yet re going back) whether their school(s) have issued any advice?

That’s interesting @MarchingFrogs as I thought the job had said teachers would not be given priority.