Guilt Free Railing 10

[WouldBeGood]

Is the end nigh?

With their MPs salaries maybe they can afford to holiday in Scotland. £1000 a week for a house up North and £12.50 for a steak pie in the local pub puts it out of our reach.

I know. Scottish holidays are very ££££ . Had a get together on the Cowal Peninsula recently. Friends described the village hotel as their local that served basic fish and chip type meals. Prices were similar to London.

Christmas Day JL was telling people to meet outside. Get like him and have champagne in the garden.

Our AirBnB was very reasonable last week compared to some places I found. Found some lovely wee cafes too.

But some places were just ridiculous. Saying you could do 2 nights then saying no. Or the prices were ridiculous.

I want to rail about everything and anything.
Utterly fed up of covid ruining everything

-friend running off to get married (I should have been at the actual wedding)
-struggling to find another job. (I have one but need another to make full time)
-friendships changing
-time off current job again due to them isolating (I still get paid but I want to be at work)

• celebratory bbq cancelled due to more isolating

-no glimmer of hope about masks or track and trace stopping -no motivation or energy to do anything cos what is the point

Sorry for the pity party. I just needed to get it off my chest

I hear ya @runningpink. Fed up of trying to make the best of it etc. I'd not mind if there was an actual pandemic now and we were trying to stop bodies piling up in the streets, but even the most fervent supporter must see what a crock of absolute shite this is!

I've had a lovely relaxed summer, worn a mask the odd time but generally either been outside or eating or drinking () so managed to forget covid for large periods of time. And soon I'm going back to a bloody school where it's going to be bloody covid-covid-covid again.

I've hit fuck it point and waiting for the list tomorrow then booking a holiday to Greece as long as it doesn't go red!

Although we are flying out of England as the tests are cheaper as well as the holiday!

Yes, runningpink - rail away. That all sounds shite! And I'm with you about the prospect of masks and t and t into the infinite future... It is really depressing.

to you and haud with the prospect of more educational covid crap.

Greece sounds lovely right now. (actual envy!)

Good for you @Scottishskifun, Greece sounds fantastic. I hope you have a lovely time.

Agreed @runningpink, and that all sounds rubbish 💐

I too am sick of trying to make the best of it all. I’ve preemptively cancelled everything I’ve had planned and am just going to stay at home. No point going out, or away, with the need for booking/masks/tests.

It’s all just so depressing

@WouldBeGood go to England, had a great time. Definitely feels miserable going back to masking our young children. Didn’t appear to be the same need to register each place you drew breath in either.

I’m a bit worried about all the prebooking needed. I’m booked for London in September with dcs but think I’ll cancel that too: no fun if we’ve got to be places at certain times.

I was also due to go to a gig in England with dd but need to show proof of double vaccination at least 14 days before or LFT- dd will be three days off, doesn’t want to risk positive test as she’ll then miss work. The venue says they’d prefer masks. It all just sounds really stressful and unpleasant rather than a relaxing trip

@WouldBeGood we are in England at the moment and it's way more relaxed!
We have only pre-booked one thing which get busy anyway and needed booking way before in ancient times!

Everything else we have just turned up to from cafes to swimming (which was normal swimming none of this tank shite).
It's been bliss just to decide that morning where to go with DS!
London stuff gets busy and had time slots for a lot of things way before.

It’s galleries and things we do @Scottishskifun: normally just wander along.

I’m glad you’re having a nice time though! 🙂

Urgh... I hope places don't keep the prebooking thing. Or if they do, it's just for those annoyingly organised parents who plan their time with spreadsheets people who want to be guaranteed that they won't have to queue if they turn up at a particular time. Prebooking makes me stressed. Even booked concerts/ train and plane travel and stuff that you've always had to book and turn up for at a particular time, I just worry we'll miss it so have to plan the day with military precision and build in "late" time. It's odd... I used to be able to cope with it, but have got so anxious about it for the past few years. I think it's the menopause

I like having the flexibility to (shock horror) change my mind, or get distracted at something else and be a bit later or earlier than planned. Or even allow for buses/ trains being a bit late, so not having to get the one before the one we need to make our booked slot, and then hang around outside for aaaages getting bored and cold.

Exactly, @ResilienceWanker

@WouldBeGood don't cancel London just yet, it really sounds like you need a break.

Hopefully you'll find England a bit of a change of scene from here and museums etc will be a lot quieter out of school holidays so you might be able to wander into some places. Or if not loads to do outside with no masks or worry.

All this has definitely put me off holidaying in Scotland, although DH has booked to climb up some mountains so I'm trailing along as a non climbing spouse.

Hopefully this is the final push- infections are down again and hospitalisations and deaths are low.

All DS really wants to do for his birthday is to go to a particular Chinese buffet restaurant and I'm guessing that's still not going to be open or normal? I'll need to look into that but I think the requirements for table service only meant it wasn't the same as normal. I was going to gift him the trip and hotel and dinner but now thinking there might be no point.

@ResilienceWanker I used to be Mrs Organised Prebooker, but now I've not got the appetite for it at all. Thankfully I did for Whitby which meant DS and his pal did some great activities and we had a fantastic week.

The thought of flying somewhere feels quite daunting now, whereas prior to this we'd happily fly somewhere for the weekend. Meant to be going to Jersey first weekend in October just DH and I and trying not to chicken out. There is a free PCR test on arrival but I might get us to pay for one before going so no unpleasant surprises.

I really want a break but want it to be actually nice, and relaxing, not nerve racking and weird.

our break away felt very normal, the bit that feels weird is the return to the rules in Scotland.
It's really grating with me, all the signs for distancing, restricted opening times, children wearing masks.......
our local library said they hoped to extend their opening times by the end of the year .

Same @tiredoftiers . I actually preferred putting on a mask in shops as knew I'd have to do it when I got back, but it was the flexibility that was nice so I needed to buy some bottles of water at a small shop but had forgotten my mask so said I'd go to the hatch. No problem said the man ushering me in.

Our local library still isn't open. It's pathetic. I work for a local authority and the amount of people sitting at home on full pay for the last 18 months is disgraceful.

Ours is at least open, it's crazy that there are still closed libraries.

We've got a lot of inferior solutions going on though behind the headlines - libraries open, but bookings and restrictions mean the community aspect of it is absolutely closed. Swimming pools open but effectively still choked for most people due to lack of ticket space. Museums - open but not the same etc etc.

Schools, open but not the same...it's been the same all along, lack of measure-ability of the impact (positive or negative) of these restrictions.