Tiers on my pillow

[Cismyfatarse]

As requested.

Happy to help with home es queries about English up to AH level.

checking in

Still no snow here. Do you think we will definitely get another 'beast from the east'?

It sounds totally justifiable to get your car serviced. I wonder how many of these fines being handed out by police would stand up in court - very few I think.
Dog was unwell the other day - thankfully now perked up think he was holding out for a turkey only diet - and I wondered if we were allowed to go to Loanhead vets as outside Edinburgh city boundaries.

I'm pretty sure both car and pet maintenance are permissible for travel.

I haven't posted very often but would be happy to help with any primary homeschooling. Most of my ideas and experience are with P5-7 but would also be able to ask colleagues for ideas for younger pupils.

No snow here at all, just absolutely freezing.

Thanks for the new thread and I’ll no doubt be availing myself of the advice offered by the English teachers. I’m really hoping we get some communication early this week about whether the Prelims will be going ahead as per timetable (apart from the one Higher Prelim that was scheduled for W/C Jan 11th). It would be good to know if they’re going to push them all back by a few weeks. And of course will they even be back in school on the 18th - million dollar question! If it’s pushed back my DS could be concentrating on finishing off his portfolio essay and doing a good job without the immediate pressure of Prelims.

At least we had our decision about the extended holiday before the end of last term. I feel for teachers and parents in England - what a shit show that is. Andrew Marr Show should be interesting (though can’t be arsed to watch!)

Morning all, thanks for the new thread @Cismyfatarse

Only today and tomorrow off then back to work for the forces of doom.

Hope everyone has a nice Sunday

What we reckon on gyms opening?

scottish cabinet meeting tomorrow. wonder what they will change next. extending school closures?

DD (12) is getting upset because she doesn't want to be stuck in and she's bored. But what to do? I'm getting a bit worried about her mental health again. She struggled a bit last year.

So nice that people are offering to help

I think car and pets are essential travel

I feel like my youngest.

Bored and fractious 🤦‍♀️

I think they'll restrict us more. It's hard to see how, but I'm sure she's more restrictions in mind

I was thinking about the masks outside idea. Firstly, I think it'll put people off being outside: I certainly won't be walking to the same extent, which will limit people's exercise. Plus, how enforceable will it actually be? For large parts of my normal walk I don't see anyone so certainly won't be wearing a mask at these times.

Morning all.

Sorry for the ear worm. If it helps, I have it too and keep hearing, "Caused by yooo oooo ooo".

More restrictions tomorrow. Caused by her er er er er er eeer.

I can't see them adding masks outside - there's no practical benefit.

But I can see them cutting meeting people outdoors, and groups of teens being able to meet. Both of those would be horrible for us, but make sense for reducing transmission opportunities.

@WouldBeGood can't see gyms opening for a while, and to be fair from how the posh gym I joined for a short while operated, I can see how they would increase transmission as there seemed to be loads of people in the pool and cafe areas.

Unfortunately the numbers are horrendous at the minute primarily due to the extra spready nature of the new virus, rather than anything people are actually doing.

Interestingly I met a friend yesterday I hadn't seen for a while. In the summer she was full on following all the rules and making me wipe down the toilet after I'd been inside. But now she's much more relaxed and is convinced the DCs are going back to school on 18th January, whereas I'm a lot more concerned than I used to be because of the super high numbers and the implications for schooling and any semblance of normal life in 2021.

I'm sure some psychologist could do a whizzy study about the changing reactions to the coronavirus pandemic over time.

Thanks for the new thread cis! Is there a never ending supply of tier puns, I wonder? I'm sure we'll go through lots before this is all over!

And thanks for the offers of homeschooling ideas. Part of the trouble is not knowing what the school will provide, and so what we need to top up with. I confess I'm very relaxed with "homework". The school doesn't give any other than "reading for fun" which DS is fine with albeit often through the means of onscreen instructions in video games and reading about games on the internet but we don't do any specific tutoring other than getting him to work out how many sweets we are all allowed from the packet and so on. I go through phases of thinking he'll be fine and he's bright and doing well, and then phases of utter guilt that I'm failing him massively. So overall, it'll probably work out OK! I think I just panic at the huge number of things he could be doing, and don't know which will work best, or whether I'll miss out huge chunks of knowledge by doing it in a particular way. Also, he gets frustrated at me suggesting he does things in a certain way, but also gets frustrated and disheartened when he gets things wrong the first time... Joys...

The BBC is saying the cabinet is meeting tomorrow to discuss the restrictions, and parliament will be recalled for an announcement which is ominous. I think it inevitable that schools wont go back on the 18th and my feeling is we'll go more back to March lockdown with limits on meeting one person outside (if that) and further restricting businesses that can operate (I think places of worship and sport will cop it, for example). I don't think masks outside will be mandated, though, other than where they are currently (outdoor rail platforms, for example). I honestly think that'd be a step too far, and would be too invasive for minimal benefit.

I am not sure what’s coming next to be honest. Possibly a further delay in opening schools. Beyond what happened in March last year, what else can be restricted that will make significant differences?

@rookiemere

I can't see them adding masks outside - there's no practical benefit.

But I can see them cutting meeting people outdoors, and groups of teens being able to meet. Both of those would be horrible for us, but make sense for reducing transmission opportunities.

@WouldBeGood can't see gyms opening for a while, and to be fair from how the posh gym I joined for a short while operated, I can see how they would increase transmission as there seemed to be loads of people in the pool and cafe areas.

Unfortunately the numbers are horrendous at the minute primarily due to the extra spready nature of the new virus, rather than anything people are actually doing.

Interestingly I met a friend yesterday I hadn't seen for a while. In the summer she was full on following all the rules and making me wipe down the toilet after I'd been inside. But now she's much more relaxed and is convinced the DCs are going back to school on 18th January, whereas I'm a lot more concerned than I used to be because of the super high numbers and the implications for schooling and any semblance of normal life in 2021.

I'm sure some psychologist could do a whizzy study about the changing reactions to the coronavirus pandemic over time.

I agree with this. Especially about people who were very anxious and careful in March have relaxed a bit. I think this was inevitable, give the time we have been living like this. We can't cope being under a constant high level of stress for such a long time! I don't think this is really what is causing the increased numbers - that just seems to be the nature of the current dominant variant - but it probably isn't helping if people are forgetting distancing, are happier to use public transport, are being less observant about handwashing and so on, just when these things could be more useful.

@Cismyfatarse

Morning all.

Sorry for the ear worm. If it helps, I have it too and keep hearing, "Caused by yooo oooo ooo".

More restrictions tomorrow. Caused by her er er er er er eeer.

😂😂😂

I guess it's unrealistic to hope that any further restrictions will be countered by a rethink on the stay at home order for early years (and possibly primary) children? There have now been a few studies showing that this variant has a similar age profile as the previous main variant with no difference in disease severity or death. Turns out the inital data sparking a worry that this was spreading more widely in children than other groups was collected during the English lockdown when schools were open but little else, and data since have shown spread from children is the same as before.

With Englnd sticking to its guns on primaries opening (and nurseries not being shut at all from what I can gather), and various bodies warning of the effects of extended time off school on children, NS now faces the prospect of England looking out for children's interests more than Scotland which must be uncomfortable for her.

Yes, I was wondering if children admitted to hospital for other things were being given tests and testing positive, hence more children with covid in hospital, but not more children in hospital because of covid?

@Y0uCann0tBeSer10us sadly Ms Sturgeons modus operandi is caution so I sincerely doubt that primary schools will be open soon, whereas I'm pretty sure they will be shut in England if they even open.

Sorry as I'm sounding like a right Cassandra at the minute, but the level of new infections all over UK is scarily high. I can't see anything other than a full lockdown coming over the next few weeks unless new variant goes as quickly as it came.

@Y0uCann0tBeSer10us

I guess it's unrealistic to hope that any further restrictions will be countered by a rethink on the stay at home order for early years (and possibly primary) children? There have now been a few studies showing that this variant has a similar age profile as the previous main variant with no difference in disease severity or death. Turns out the inital data sparking a worry that this was spreading more widely in children than other groups was collected during the English lockdown when schools were open but little else, and data since have shown spread from children is the same as before.

With Englnd sticking to its guns on primaries opening (and nurseries not being shut at all from what I can gather), and various bodies warning of the effects of extended time off school on children, NS now faces the prospect of England looking out for children's interests more than Scotland which must be uncomfortable for her.

That's a really good point. I hadn't seen that, but I did wonder if the fact that children had sooooo many more contacts than everyone else, yet infection rates were on a par with older groups (albeit higher than they had been, like the rest of the population) had been considered. I know it is a hard thing to weight, but the general feeling across the country now seems to be that the spread of Covid is more important to prevent than the harm to children from loss of education/ socialisation/ safe spaces for those from chaotic households/ opportunity in exams/ extra curricular activities even when it's not clear that keeping schools and other children's activities open has actually significantly increased any spread (certainly the localised lockdown with schools opened did seem to reduce case numbers in the community, albeit (very) temporarily).

Mind you, BJ is now talking about increasing English restrictions too, so he may be about to cave to pressure to close all schools too. So NS may be saved her embarrassment.

This is a good article

www.rcpch.ac.uk/news-events/news/rcpch-responds-media-reports-increased-admissions-children-young-people-covid-19?fbclid=IwAR0To78ci_Ra9CXHCAV3pM91MO31zfcpmMlcfxi9-ozdtwPu9n9xE54dPc4

In response to the reports that children were filling wards with COVID infections

Yes boris is going to be forced to let primaries close in badly affected areas, so a partial back track. I'd love to see Sturgeon decide to open primaries and early years but it's as likely a lottery win.

unless new variant goes as quickly as it came.

Yeah, something I don't understand... Apparently this new spready variant has been around (in Kent, admittedly) since September, yet we've only seen hugely increased numbers since mid December (?) and various lockdowns had been successful in decreasing numbers in sept/ nov/ early Dec despite the variant being in the UK then. Yet the original variant was in the UK from February(maybe a bit earlier?) and by March was pretty ubiquitous, sufficient to cause the original lockdown. How come the September variant has taken so long to spread across the country compared to the earlier one? OK, the Feb/march variety may have been "seeded" in various places separately by people coming back from Italy and so on, but Kent is hardly a hermetically sealed county with no travel anywhere else... And yes, I do understand exponential growth. But still, it seems to have stayed contained in SE England (or at least, not noticeably affected numbers elsewhere) for a surprisingly long time and I don't know why. I'm not doubting it is more transmissible/ contagious... just wondering if anyone can explain its relatively slow dispersion given it is so super spready?

Morning /afternoon everyone. Gearing up to get DS3 back into a routine ready for online Higher study.
I cant help with teaching advice as i have only taught art at HE level, but I have accumulated quite a few spare study guides etc. I could post if required.
I've embarked on a weird spring clean /occupational therapy jag: found lots of Lego instruction booklets in a cupboard and am now sorting through many Trofast boxes of random bits while DS2 reassembles the models, then Ebay here we come! Should keep us distracted for a week or two.