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Scotsnet

Welcome to Scotsnet - discuss all aspects of life in Scotland, including relocating, schools and local areas.

Tiery Weary & Crackers!

999 replies

Bikingbear · 17/12/2020 00:12

As a carry on from the last thread

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randomsabreuse · 21/12/2020 13:57

7 kids in DC's class of 21 this morning. But better than no one to socialise with and meant I could shop panic buy pigs in blankets with just the terrible 2 year old contained in the trolley seat.

Think I've managed to buy most of what I need for Christmas - there were loads of BIG turkeys and even a goose but I bought a duck. I suspect there might be some cheap huge Turkeys on Christmas Eve with the late changes to travel/meeting rules - would definitely be acquiring a few for my freezer if I had a decent sized freezer!

Decided to shift the "big" festive shop forwards a couple of days and make sure my freezer is properly stocked given the border situation, and of course, the potential to need to isolate. Although quite a lot of boxes of chocolate and nice crumble mince pies slipped into my trolley by accident.

I think the 10am booze rule (which I nearly fell foul of because I'm not used to early morning shopping or Scottish licensing rules) meant the shop was quiet. Was a lot busier when I left!!

icanboogieboogiewoogie · 21/12/2020 15:05

Shops fine around here too. I was in Morrison's and Aldi, not for much, but couldn't see anything missing from the shelves. It was busy for a normal Monday morning, but about right for for the Monday morning before Christmas. Hopefully no panic buyers here. I just hope there's not a lot of wasted food with people's changed plans.

Dinnafashyersel · 21/12/2020 15:58

Find myself in agreement with Devi:

"Creation of complex rules (with # of people, households, exceptions) varying by tiers has created a perverse system where people look for loopholes. Instead, focus on why this virus is risky, what we can all do to avoid getting it & passing it on & the underlying science."

"Simply: transmits in indoor, poorly ventilated & crowded settings. Don't go into other people's homes. Keep distance, meet outside, & err on the side of caution. While older/vulnerable more at risk of dying, younger people can get seriously ill. Russian roulette with health."

If only they would stick to common sense simple messaging instead of micromanaging our private lives while failing to address the things they are responsible for (healthcare, education, food security, welfare system etc etc).

Hopeful now we are all back in lockdown I can go back to having no clue where LA boundaries are.

rookiemere · 21/12/2020 16:06

Just back from our local Edinburgh Tesco. It was very busy, but no shortage of most foods. Interestingly, whilst there were quite a few turkeys for sale, all of the corn fed chickens ( which I was thinking of getting) were gone.
I thought DS already knew we weren't going down to England, but it's like it only sunk in today. He is a bit down about it - I'm keeping my thoughts about extended online lack of learning to myself for now.

makingitupaswegoon · 21/12/2020 16:07

@Dinnafashyersel
I agree to a certain degree but think the message should be even simpler and allow people some credit for working out what risks they will accept within parameters. For me, for example, it is more risky asking my elderly dad to meet outside or in a cafe - he is more likely to get ill from this than going to his home to meet him when I see no one other than immediate family all week.

Dinnafashyersel · 21/12/2020 16:13

Agree with you makingitupaswegoon. Was giving Devi, perhaps over generously, the benefit of the doubt. Saw her comments as general advice to be adapted to specific circumstance / risk profile.

makingitupaswegoon · 21/12/2020 16:23

@Dinnafashyersel
Ah if only the Gov asked us our views! Nice to have a rationale, polite discussion rather than the carnage that is the Covid boards

NotAnActualSheep · 21/12/2020 16:25

I kind of agree there. However, I don't think people look for loopholes the more complex rules get. I think they just want to know whether the thing they want to do is "allowed" or not. Some people I assume view the "risk" as being greater if something has been actually banned rather than advised against, but things aren't banned totally, as exceptions exist. In which case they aren't looking for loopholes, but checking whether the exceptions imply that the benefit of their trip (or whatever) outweigh the risk.

Others are happy making their own decision that the risk they are taking is minimised/ acceptable or the journey is unavoidable. So they aren't looking for a loophole to go and visit a vulnerable relative, because there was no chance of them not doing it, basically, even if no exception existed.

But yes, the myriad of regulations and exceptions does lead to weird situations, like people needing to go to 2 shops in their own council area rather than one shop, closer, but in the neighbouring council area. I'm not sure if Devi would consider doing the latter a "loophole" or simply breaking the rules. But to me it seems the more logical solution and within the spirit of what she is saying.

I'm also getting more worried that people are now incapable of following the "common sense" she advocates, because we have been, as you say, micromanaged into what is "allowed" and "not allowed" and the people happy to make their own assessment run the risk of inadvertently breaking the law. (Albeit they are unlikely to actually be sanctioned for doing so).

Gibbonsgibbonsgibbons · 21/12/2020 17:46

rookiemere funnily enough we walked the Blackness-Bo’ness path today I hope you get better weather on Christmas Day - the view was almost greyed out today Confused

Happy solstice all, the light is returning Xmas Grin

anon444877 · 21/12/2020 18:07

Loophole searching is what happens when you mandate everything, make things illegal and stop stressing that we all have personal responsibility to try not to infect at risk people.

Scottishskifun · 21/12/2020 18:37

The rules are complex and ever changing. The fact that most people were unaware that the travel legislation included stating no entry to or leaving Scotland til this week demonstrates that as most people focused on what it meant for their area.

People most definitely look for loopholes but a lot of the time it's businesses doing so. They are increasingly complex and difficult to navigate. My DH does covid response every day for work and he can still spend over an hour trying to find the right information!

JamesMoriarty · 21/12/2020 18:47

I know people who don't understand that some "rules" are only for England and they seem to think they apply here. I think it can be confusing, especially if you don't normally follow the news and politics. Your instinct would be to listen to the PM.

blowinahoolie · 21/12/2020 19:04

Braving Aldi tomorrow morning, hopefully it won't be too manic😬

icanboogieboogiewoogie · 21/12/2020 19:05

People do look for loopholes though. Before this happened, I had been saying to DH that we could take a day trip up Edinburgh on the 23rd. Meet no-one but go for a non alcoholic lunch in a different city. That would definitely have been exploring a loophole, and would have caused risk (albeit imo pretty small!) to ourselves and our fellow travellers, so we'd never have done it anyway, but it's the way your mind starts to work.

blowinahoolie · 21/12/2020 19:05

Glad to hear others have found shopping no different to normal.

tinseltitsbumfannythelot · 21/12/2020 19:08

I went to Waitrose tonight, way too long a queue so went to Aldi instead. Will brave m and s tomorrow.

icanboogieboogiewoogie · 21/12/2020 19:17

DH said there was a huge queue outside M&S when he was there.

JamesMoriarty · 21/12/2020 19:30

I'm going to attempt Morrison's tomorrow.

NotAnActualSheep · 21/12/2020 19:42

@icanboogieboogiewoogie

People do look for loopholes though. Before this happened, I had been saying to DH that we could take a day trip up Edinburgh on the 23rd. Meet no-one but go for a non alcoholic lunch in a different city. That would definitely have been exploring a loophole, and would have caused risk (albeit imo pretty small!) to ourselves and our fellow travellers, so we'd never have done it anyway, but it's the way your mind starts to work.
I see your point! It's not a loophole really, though. You wanted to do something, so you looked into the regulations/ guidance to see if it was allowed. You concluded it was. But then you thought, "oh hang on, actually that's a silly thing to do and we don't feel right doing it now" - which is kind of what Devi was proposing! Had you done it it would have been legal (I think...though there was something weird in the guidance about people not being part of a bubble not being allowed to travel outside their council area, possibly?! Or maybe that was changed. I admit I lost track) just like meeting 2 households inside on Christmas day is legal - but neither are being sold as a sensible thing to do. So the SG is hoping that people look at the bigger picture, while limiting what we can do by this myriad of regulations which we have to navigate. Which kind of makes it difficult to look at the bigger picture, ironically.
rookiemere · 21/12/2020 19:47

So slightly worrying update from my neighbour who runs a quite possibly life saving outdoor exercise class, people from our street are getting fined for travelling outside Edinburgh border to shop at Straiton. But now I'm confused because the Scot gov guidelines I read the other day said you were allowed to go just outside your boundary if it was a shorter journey than going somewhere else - or something like that.

How thoughtful of Nicola to plunge us all into Tier 4 to avoid any future confusion- or indeed shopping.

StatisticallyChallenged · 21/12/2020 20:02

@rookiemere I thought there was something like that too. It's just silly otherwise - you'd be allowed to go for IKEA I think as there's not one inside the Edinburgh boundary, but presume if the "shorter journey" exemption no longer applies then someone who lives in Burdiehouse is meant to drive to Chesser/the Jewel to get to Asda instead of one 5 minutes away?

rookiemere · 21/12/2020 20:06

@StatisticallyChallenged had a look for the paragraph but it seems to have disappeared Hmm.

weebarra · 21/12/2020 20:09

I'm just back from the new M&S at Straiton (I live in Midlothian). Luckily I'd booked a slot but the queue for people who hadn't was huge.
I also got to use the new scan as you shop which made it all relatively painless.

StatisticallyChallenged · 21/12/2020 20:15

[quote rookiemere]@StatisticallyChallenged had a look for the paragraph but it seems to have disappeared Hmm.[/quote]
Funny how often that happens.

Shorternights · 21/12/2020 20:23

Straiton is near me rookiemere (although I’m in Edinburgh) and I’ve been shopping there becasue it’s close and I thought it was within the rules Hmm. I thought the police said they weren’t going to be stopping people? What happened to that? And do they just randomly pull cars over as they enter the car park? So many questions, so much confusion Confused