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

Guilt Free Railing 17

991 replies

WouldBeGood · 01/01/2022 10:05

Happy New Thread, Railers!

OP posts:
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BlameItOnTheBlackStar · 13/01/2022 10:36

Hahaha maybe Grin I don't remember!

I stayed off MN for the first few months because the relentless negativity was bad for my state of mind, so when I came back I was always looking for wee positive oases of calm or optimism.

I'm sure it was annoying for those who weren't feeling it.

WouldBeGood · 13/01/2022 10:37

I was on my own with DS. All my activities gone, no school, no work. No purpose.

Supposed to be starting my new life after divorce.

DP wouldn’t see me cos the Roolz for six weeks as his Covid mad adult son had returned home as he didn’t want to be alone for lockdown (!) and forbade it.

I was already thinking the rules were stupid, snd flouting where I could, but the world was spiralling into madness around me. I went mad too!

OP posts:
BlameItOnTheBlackStar · 13/01/2022 10:39

Lord, we all did, in our own ways.

I remember seeing my Mum for the first time in, what, two, three months and her just staring at me going 'can you believe we're living through a pandemic?!'

It's still bonkers that this ever happened.

WouldBeGood · 13/01/2022 10:53

It really is bonkers. I’m sorry if I was a cow.

It’s still quite upsetting to think about- probably why I’m so scared of a return.

Anyway, I’m going to kick myself into positivity and go for a wholesome dog walk between wirk 😃

OP posts:
WhatWouldTheDoctorDo · 13/01/2022 11:06

During the first lockdown I remember that each morning when I woke up it took a couple of minutes to remember what was happening. A bit like when you are grieving and you 'forget' for the first few minutes of the day. And then being hit by a wave of sadness.

We were pretty fortunate in terms of space, technology, self-sufficient children, but it was soul destroying. I was swamped at work because of the crisis while DH was miserable at being furloughed (despite having plenty of work and being able to work from home).

There were some upsides for us - the glorious weather helped and it was good to take a break from the commute. Life was a little laid back for a while and once we could see people, no-one had plans so it was so much easier to make spontaneous arrangements. We had walks and picnics with friends we'd normally only see for boozy dinners or drinks.

But two years on I'm just so tired of it. Rules that don't make sense and a sense of fear that is unjustified. I miss the office banter and being able to make plans and look forward to things. Teen DS is missing much of what he was looking forward to in high school. I am very very fortunate in that we didn't lose anyone nor was anyone seriously I'll though.

rookiemere · 13/01/2022 11:09

@Scottishskifun thank you for posting about France - and remembering that I was indeed planning on going!. A 24 hr PCR will be pretty challenging but I'm going to pour through the rules - hopefully a Lateral Flow might suffice by time we go.

BlameItOnTheBlackStar · 13/01/2022 11:10

Meh we've all had our moments I'm sure @WouldBeGood

We're only human and this is our place to anonymously let out some of the stress.

So agree with that feeling of grief washing over you when you wake up and realise this is reality. Remember that all too well.

eternallyexhausted · 13/01/2022 11:20

@rookiemere I don't often post here but just to say a lateral flow (within 24 hours) is already fine for entry to France. It has to be purchased rather than an NHS one, and be certified as suitable for travel purposes, but hopefully that helps a bit!

rookiemere · 13/01/2022 11:23

Thanks @eternallyexhausted that's very encouraging Smile.

Definitely all feels a bit more positive than the start of 2021. I'm off the St Johns Wort anyway. Just hoping DS can limp through his prelims without getting the dreaded notification or positive lateral flow.

2022HereWeCome · 13/01/2022 11:55

@Scottishskifun I am still very angry about the whole people who could get furloughed thing as I wasn't allowed to (public sector) yet was expected to work as usual with a 6 year old in the house requiring help with home learning. So many people I know had a fantastic time going for walks / being active while getting paid! (And in many cases still doing a bit of extra paid work). Then when we had the second home learning stint Jan -March 2020 so many people managed to be classed as essential workers so got their kids into school. It's really best I don't think about it ...

GoldenOmber · 13/01/2022 11:59

[quote BlameItOnTheBlackStar]@Lockdownbear the absolute blank eyes my daughter had during that time will never leave me.

Oh I'm getting upset just typing that. She looked like she wouldn't care if she didn't wake up tomorrow. It was terrifying.

Now she is full full full of joy, and it makes my heart so happy to see her like this. I hope we never have to go back.[/quote]
Mine used to lie down on the carpet for hours. She went through an angry phase and then a tearful phase then after that she’d just wrap herself in a blanket and put a pillow down and lie on the floor. Didn’t want TV on or games or to talk or anything. She was 6 then.

MaxNormal · 13/01/2022 12:02

@shouldistop I might need to try that. Seems a terrible waste of their time but I'm out of other ideas.

The stress for us during first lockdown was the total vanishing of most income. I actually remember feeling worse about things opening up a bit in summer thinking but we won't have any money to do anything.
We were lucky in other ways though - the weather was good and we've got space and a garden, and no kids to home school.

I feel absolutely awful for people who couldn't be with ill or dying loved ones, couldnt' have a proper funeral, couldn't see parents in care homes etc whilst No 10 partied.

I don't have a lot of sympathy for people who just deprived themselves of seeing their friends and relatives because "those were the rules".

2022HereWeCome · 13/01/2022 12:09

@MaxNormal you could of course just book an appointment, phone the helpline to cancel it because you have Covid, then discover that the appointment hasn't been deleted from your electronic records and is indicating that you attended ...

ResilienceWanker · 13/01/2022 12:09

Oh God... I'd forgotten about parent club Envy Wine

I find it really difficult thinking back to the "full" lockdowns. It was just weird, and stressful and a bit scary. DS rediscovered a PS game last week that he played a lot in homeschooling breaks, and the background music just sent me so deeply back "there" I had to leave the room!

Obviously some people liked the whole thing, some hated the whole thing and some (probably the majority) found bits they liked and bits they hated... As things have gone a bit more normal some have reverted back to 2019 as far as possible, and some are trying to keep a bit of the things they found useful, or are still a bit anxious so have built certain "safety features" into what they do. We're all different after all, and there's nothing necessarily wrong with that as long as there's compromise and empathy and whatever.

I think I was a bit worried that things would change soooo much that it would start to appear normal, and would never get back the way things were in 2019. Probably still feel a bit like that tbh.. like we're being forced to keep bits of a somewhat niche lifestyle, that some people have always chosen for themselves, and others have realised they quite like the freedom to pick and choose from - but as a result, take away the "good" bits of life for others without a proper "consultation" Wink. Yes, having the ability to wfh where possible is great (and I've wfh since 2016 since going self employed!) but the idea of never having an office environment with all your co-workers in at the same time for meetings or whatever still seems suboptimal to me... though that seems to be the way things are going, and that makes me a bit sad. Like there is no choice to do something better (or at least better for some) because some people don't want to, and now have the "but public health..." excuse which seems to trump all.

And perma-masks can gtf for one.

BlameItOnTheBlackStar · 13/01/2022 12:10

@GoldenOmber that had made me so sad. Their mental health took such a beating.

Lockdownbear · 13/01/2022 12:16

I do remember reading after the first lockdown Oxford Uni did a survey or something that calculated that 7 year olds were worse affect by lockdown.

I can certainly say my then 3yo was OK in the first lockdown, my then 9yo struggle.

But there are so many things the wee one has missed out on or just didn't know. Trains, pictures took him to pics on Saturday I've never seen someone so excited by the trailersGrin

BlameItOnTheBlackStar · 13/01/2022 12:23

DD is 11 and was just saying the other day how we never do anything unlike her friends who go on loads of holidays etc.

I was like...well there has been a pandemic you know! And I was furloughed then made redundant. So it's not really been easy to find money for holidays that will probably be cancelled anyway.

Still made me feel like shit.

IsurviveonCoffeeandWinein2021 · 13/01/2022 12:29

Why do I watch FMQs. I just rage and shout at the tele with nobody but my dogs to hear me.

BlameItOnTheBlackStar · 13/01/2022 12:38

Dunno, but PMQs was especially watchable yesterday Grin

IsurviveonCoffeeandWinein2021 · 13/01/2022 12:41

Well yes @BlameItOnTheBlackStar I spent a fair amount of time shouting yesterday. The MP who was banging on about washing machines was great fun.

Lockdownbear · 13/01/2022 13:04

Wtf washing machines got to do with it?

I never watch any of it.

I read a headline that the scheinne zone (spelling EU travel areaBlush) are looking to treat covid like the flu. Yee haa
France going to open up on Friday fingers crossed 🤞

BlameItOnTheBlackStar · 13/01/2022 13:06

Oh I must have missed Washing Machine Dude!

ResilienceWanker · 13/01/2022 13:13

Grin Maybe he was making a point about white washing, or dirty laundry or something.

Y0uCann0tBeSer10us · 13/01/2022 13:29

Having a rail today about the state of health provision in Lanarkshire, which frankly isn't doing my health anxiety any good and is pretty triggering. We are now supposed to not only stay away from hospitals except in dire emergencies, but now GPs are only treating emergency cases for the next 4 weeks. There is literally no provision (bar private practices) for routine but not life threatening conditions that a pharmacist can't help with. Sturgeon was just asked about this at FMQs and apparently says its about limiting COVID spread (surprise, surprise - wonder what she'll do when she can't use this excuse any more?). Worryingly she also says it's a "short-term measure and all services will get back to normal as soon as possible." Shit. We all know what 'short term' means in NS speak, and I have an awful feeling 'as soon as possible' means 'when COVID is under control', which will be never. We'll be dealing with this next spring.

IsurviveonCoffeeandWinein2021 · 13/01/2022 13:29

It was something to do with supporting the bill about some sort of filter in washing machines. It really was as batshit as it sounds 😂 can't even remember the guys name.

I have never bothered my arse with politics but over the last 2 years I've became really interested in it. I'm a bit of a geek so enjoy learning about the inner workings. Scares the shite out of me right enough. I always believed the system worked safe to say that is not my view anymore.