Guilt free railing

[WouldBeGood]

The place to vent, moan, rail, cheer: whatever you’re feeling about Covid, and the rules, and life and the universe.

I’ve started this as I’m feeling scared and fed up with increasing restrictions despite vaccines. I feel that what should be a more positive time is instead bringing more and more doom.

I want the simple pleasures of life back, as well as all the big stuff.

Seems fair @NotAnActualSheep.

I don’t want any illness either, but not enough to want to stay indoors forever.

I’ve dried off now though the house smells of wet dog. Time to try the crossword to improve my mind.

I used to have health anxiety @ssd. When this stated I had to be really careful not to let it spiral again. It’s a terrible feeling, being anxious.

I’m niw panic stricken and anxious about never being able to enjoy life, and that DP’s condition will degenerate so our hopes of masking the most of life will be ruined.

@ssd what vaccine category are you in, is it likely to be soon for you?

Agree ssd. That must be a horrible position to be in. I didn't mean to undermine that by my post (I type so slowly and got distracted by DS rabbitting on about his PS game I hadn't seen yours ).

Has anyone heard about the postal vote scandal?

www.scotsman.com/news/politics/scottish-conservatives-say-postal-vote-website-redirecting-snp-duping-voters-3132881

Okay I have to ask - I don't really know what railing means in this context

Is it a special mumsnet word?

(I thought I was reasonably well read...)

I can't really muster the outrage given what the conservative candidates get up to in the London mayor elections. They play dirty but cry wolf if someone else does. But maybe it's just my general hate of the conservatives.

[quote WaxOnFeckOff]Has anyone heard about the postal vote scandal?

www.scotsman.com/news/politics/scottish-conservatives-say-postal-vote-website-redirecting-snp-duping-voters-3132881[/quote]
Saw that @WaxOnFeckOff. Par for the course...
Poor DH tried to be romantic and ordered afternoon tea from a local place and it was rubbish, he was gutted. Can't wait to be actually allowed out.

About reopening I am hopeful we can see the English side of the family this summer. We were supposed to have a joint Christmas. Then Easter. But now aiming for summer.

I am nervous about the new variants and the efficacy of the vaccines. AZ does badly for the SA variant and that is what most people will be getting. I think realistically we will have to live with some form of restrictions for the foreseeable or 'enjoy' more lockdowns. It sucks!

@Waverless

Okay I have to ask - I don't really know what railing means in this context

Is it a special mumsnet word?

(I thought I was reasonably well read...)

I always took it to mean the sort of impotent anger you have when you just want to shout about stuff you can't do anything about - not mumsnet language I don't think :o

Yes @WaxOnFeckOff it’s just all so so sleazy. Trying to manipulate postal votes is pretty low.

I thought AZ was still good at blocking serious cases, just less effective with mild ones? Which is still a big help as it reduces the health service strain

Thanks everyone, but I'm really not wanting sympathy, I'm pissed off with myself for being so bloody daft and anxious all the time. I think I'm category 9 for the vaccine so a while yet.

@Waverless it’s a place to moan and rail against restrictions or life or the weather or whatever. Or to share good news. A place to share your feelings on life and the current situation with no judgment or attempts to chivvy you into happiness 😃

@ssd I found looking at the actual statistics not through a media filter helped massively.

I'm just not convinced that we accept another restricted summer = we avoid a winter lockdown, we can't control mutations and if virus is so prone to mutations, we're looking at multiple years of restrictions aren't we?

@StatisticallyChallenged I was joking to dh that we never get out for valentines and at least this year everyone was the same. We did nice Italian food from an Edinburgh business...not that small although definitely local.

It's not like we travelled a lot last year...and yes, the political parties need better online rules about misleading people, if you're modelling yourself after scammers it's not a good look.

@MaxNormal

Is that in the cinema? I think I heard they are using cinemas for some juries?

They are indeed using cinemas for juries. It's actually provided some much-needed employment for out-of-work event techs!

That's an added bonus for those workers. Thanks for this info, I didn't know that

Just saw about the jury duty. He should ask but plan as though they will refuse an exemption. I'm near Dunfermline and can drive if it helps in any way although hard to maintain any form of social distancing. You can walk to the leisure oark from Queen Margaret train station (bit of a trek but doable) or from Halbeath Park and Ride bus station.

Possible he might turn up for the first morning and then he's not actually selected. I don't know how it works now but back in the day they used to get 100 or so people to turn up on the Monday morning and select their juries, maybe 2 or 3 juries of 15. Everyone else would be sent home and told to phone each night.

I was on a jury as a student when I was 19. It was a stabbing case. I found it fascinating but I was a law student at the time!

@ssd if you're on twitter you could follow Covid Fact Check UK (@fact_covid) which focusses more on the actual numbers and stats and generally has quite a positive slant. It always cheers me up a bit.

Thanks @StopTouchingYourFairyGarden, that's very kind. He can drive and he is insured on my car but he's not really driven very much recently (funnily enough) and isn't really experienced (although he is 20!). he really never leaves the house so it would be a big thing for him (very clever but otherwise young for his age). He's emailed the Uni to ask for something that confirms it would be detrimental to his studies and I think in times when we aren't allowed to travel outwith our local area, it's a bit much to expect someone to travel 1-2 hours for this. It's meant to be Falkirk sheriff court and we aren't in Falkirk, never mind Fife! Train isn't an option as there doesn't seem to be a way of getting there on time, so it's bus via Cumbernauld or drive.

Even if he doesn't get exempted, it does say that they pull 15 names out the hat (and a couple spares) so he can call on the Sunday to see whether he is to come on the Monday, and then I think there is still a chance he could get selected over the few days after that.

I was called 3 times in my early twenties but never had to show up - that was in Edinburgh, i was quite disappointed. My nephew was on a case that lasted about 18 months and has been exempted for life now - he missed out on promotions at work and all sorts. My sister had to serve on a child abuse trial just after my mum died - she really wasn't ready to be doing something like that and regrets not trying to get off it via a Drs note or something.

DH did a trial about 15 years ago, i'd be happy enough to be called up.

I love More or Less on Radio 4. They go behind the statistics spouted on the news and by politicians, and show that they are almost always wrong. Very few people actually understand maths sufficiently to produce reliable statistics.

Ah fair enough Wax. Hopefully he's either exempted or if he has to go it's not too stressful.

How are people selected to be on jury duty? From electoral register? I wonder if you have to be British or just resident. I remember reading about someone who spent several months on duty and that they were not allowed to read news online. It sounds very strange

Yes its the electoral register. You're not allowed to read the news about the case and have to be super careful on social media etc. You can be charged with contempt of court.

The jury I was on was absolutely wild. It made me lose a bit of faith in the whole system which wasn't ideal at the very start of my career when I was very green and enthusiastic. I became a civil court lawyer instead...