Tracks of my tiers

[tinseltitsbumfannythelot]

New thread!

Morning all.

Beautiful photos all thank you for sharing!

I’d have a Bearded Collie (or any collie x tbh) in a shot if it wasn’t for all the reasons it’s a bad idea for us grew up with working Beardies who were just beyond amazing; intelligent dafties always looking for some human company!

Went to do the usual transfer of info from last calendar to the new one & just can’t do it yet. Last year’s January was jam packed with kids activities/sports & our trips etc

Those doggy pics are so cute.
Blowinahooly what kind of pup is it, it looks massive.

I'd love a dog but DH says no - tbf hes allergic to them, inc his mates poodle - so I can dream on.

Found a picture of my childhood bearded collie, I promise it is a dog.

Aww wax!
One used to sleep like that with his head on my pillow during lambing (I can still remember his morning breath )

What a stunning dog Wax. Love all the pictures of dogs, such a variety.

Bikingbear she's a St Bernard. We are going BIG 😂 check out the paws. Massive!

I thought she looked St Bernard. She'll be huge and adorable

You'll get your 10,000 steps a day walking that no problem.
Yip massive paws, what a cute puppy

Happy New Year all! Loving the photos... I'm not particularly a dog person in real life, but the puppy photos are possibly turning me. I think the walking would be a very good thing for me, but also, you'd have to go out EVERY DAY. Even when it's pissy weather.

Here's our cat with a hangover.

We have snow again today and contemplating if I can face another trip with DS sledging. We went on Wednesday with his schoolfriend, and it was great fun. But sooooooo cold, even having prepared with many layers and hot chocolate. Also, I think I knackered my ankle somehow and it's really sore now, so not sure I can face the trek.

I'm still really upset about the school closures. Any guess as to when the 18th will be confirmed/ extended as a return date? I've had very little work over the past year (self employed) and was really hoping to use the new year to poke myself into calling past clients/ marketing to get some more, or looking to get back into employment if that's not working. I have felt myself getting more and more pulled down with not having anything to do, and feeling useless and out of control of my life. But if I'm having to manage online schooling for some indeterminate period, that's really not going to work... in March/ April when I did have work on it was absolutely horrible doing that and homeschooling and I ended up doing both really badly (possibly why I no longer have any paid work!) with really late nights/ early mornings catching up, and far too much screen time for DS. So I'm not keen to go back to that either, though I know others were in exactly the same situation, if not worse. It would just be helpful to know, really, so I can plan.

Realistically, and this is only my view, I think they'll be off the whole of January.

The home working with home schooling I know has been a nightmare.

If it's a possibility, could you ask to be furloughed?

@NotAnActualSheep sadly I'm thinking it will be after Feb half term if we're lucky. I looked at worldometer and UK second only to US for daily infections currently and Scotland is pretty much on a whim to England for numbers.

I'm trying to stay positive with vaccine thoughts and the recollection of other countries spiking and then receeding again, but sadly I can't see it being anything other than a grim couple of months at least .

Still just been out for a jog/waddle with rookiedog in the lovely wintry conditions. Perhaps a photo of him may cheer us up.

I am getting dog broody with all these dog photos.

@NotAnActualSheep oh an PS don't get a dog unless you really, really want one. DH was the driver for getting rookiepup so he's the one who has to get up at night if any shenanigans and does all the heavy lifting re vets and so forth- mind you of I'd given an inch I would have been doing it.
Rookiedog has a few walkers through borrowmydoggy who we use to supplement the dog walker, and he absolutely loves having different people take him out and it's a nice way to be involved with a dog without all the commitment and not insignificant cost.

I hope they go back 18th Jan - I'm starting to lose confidence though, and think maybe I'm better off trying to get up at 4 and bill some hours so that I don't limp into Feb with no earnings...@NotAnActualSheep what a lovely cat. It's so hard to make calls with kids in the place....

@rookiemere what a gorgeous red-golden rookie dog is - my old retriever would've loved this snow. Right, motivation found to go sledging again! I hope it doesn't melt too fast.

@WaxOnFeckOff collies are such clever dogs - I grew up with a collie/sheepdog cross and he was the best most loyal dog. Didn't need a lead he was so well behaved, his recall was perfect.

Thanks for the reality check, I think we will wait and see what delights 2021 has to offer before making any commitments.

I don’t think schools will be back until Easter, tbh.

I do think online provision will be better (I hope). I can’t educate my boy so am not even attempting it. It’s not a problem childcare wise to me as he’s 12 and my work is very part time. But he was depressed last time, just being stuck in with his old mother.

Maybe I'm doom and gloom but I don't think they'll be back on the 18th I'm praying they are back after Feb half term.

My DSis thought I was talking shite when I said that before Christmas. She was so convinced that the 18th was set as a 2 week period after New Year's illegal mixing. I focused on the "at least" and the spready London strain.

Does anyone know how the vaccine programme is progressing in Scotland? Are we doing the one dose/massive gap thing too, like Wanksock?

And anyone know about normal NHS stuff in Glasgow? If it’s still going? I’m waiting for a procedure

I’m starting to think the feb break. Not sure when the rest of you have that but it’s early here this year so I think that’s the most likely. I just feel if we were realistically going back on the 18th then not quite so much effort would be getting put into online learning and prep. I know nothing though. Will be at work on Wednesday to be told like everyone else. Like most of you I still don’t know if I have a childcare place and I’m not sure how I’m teaching online, in school and teaching/ looking after my child.

If they are off until Easter, and I don't doubt it's a serious possibility, that's them been off missed two full terms in a calendar year.

How on earth do kids / schools make that time up? Do we make permanent changes to the school system? Extra year somewhere? If so where?

I think it will be online learning for secondaries.

Don’t think an extra year will be possible.

It will massively increase the attainment gap.

I railed against school closures in the summer but an resigned to this now.

Unless they get their finger out with the vaccines.

@WouldBeGood

I don’t think schools will be back until Easter, tbh.

I do think online provision will be better (I hope). I can’t educate my boy so am not even attempting it. It’s not a problem childcare wise to me as he’s 12 and my work is very part time. But he was depressed last time, just being stuck in with his old mother.

Fucks sake, that's a horrendous prospect.

Online provision has to be better here because quite frankly it couldn't be any worse. I have a S4 in a Nat 5 year, and a S6 doing Advanced Highers. The longer school is off, the shorter the time for teachers to organise assessments, tests and exams for SQA proof.

Please don't let it be until Easter. Last spring almost broke me with three angry and isolated children in the house, DH working from home and trying to work my own job too. Since then I've started on a part-time Masters course.

This is just my pessimistic assessment as I’m finding it easier to look at it that way rather than have hope.

Easter is quite early this year, I think, first weekend in April?

God I hope not re easter. I think it would send me over the edge tbh

I do think we're at the point that the education system has to come up with something (for extra pay and with extra resources) to catch up the kids with skill lags by the end of this.

Some kids had periods of remote learning and isolating in December so lost additional weeks there.

We need some out of the box thinking on this, holiday camps for catching up.

I think extra teachers, doing remedial type stuff needs to be done during the school terms rather than holiday time for various reasons.