The broom cupboard 2 - just for when we get briefly stranded without a staffroom

[TheHoneyBadger]

I'll pop a link in the old one so you know where to find safe haven. I have tried to clear out some space by getting rid of the ohp and vcr trolley and gin is hidden behind the sick sand bucket.

So many are because of the vaccination I think Random although not all. So many of my ‘school mum friends’ got vaccinated recently in a dubious manner and now they are all meeting up regularly. Feel very left out!

That's rubbish, Chloe.

Loads of my friends and I are vaccinated and my parents obviously are) through a mixture of age and NHS occupation, plus health conditions, but all of us who work in schools don't want to break the rules or be seen to.be doing so - and I'm talking about friends from different schools, so not people I see in passing daily.

Mum lives 200 miles away. Dad lives a little further away. Lovely friend about 50 miles away (but we work together so I normally see her most days)
The longest I ever visit mum for is 5 days... after that, we irk each other too much.
I met my sister in Rome for a long weekend last summer.

I’ve not broken many rules, but have relaxed a bit since having the 2nd jab. Technically stretched the definition of a support bubble a bit to see my sister, but it wasn’t a huge risk.

Slightly hopeful that might be able to go home and see my family from the end of April. It’s a bit reliant on cases continuing to fall here though and they look like they’re going up round here.

My parents live about 40 miles away, which is a good distance I think. They're close enough that we can visit for an afternoon, and stick to outdoors when it's warm, but far enough away that I'm not expected to go round every week. My sister lives 100 miles away, which is doable as a day trip. She has some health and mobility issues that mean she really needs to be in a proper chair, so staying outdoors would be difficult and painful for her. That's why she's claimed us as a support bubble (for the minute, maybe she'll swap us out for someone closer if she feels the need).

I think we've been really lucky with our GP. Partner had his thyroid out last June after lots of f2f appointments. I think the hospital stay was miserable for him, but at the time I was guiltily preoccupied with work (and emotionally a bit numb I expect). I also had book pain and managed to get a few appt after a phone one. Then had a mammogram and a scan. My parents have had normal stuff from their GP, as have my in laws. The olds have had a load of fairly time intensive medical stuff go wrong over the last year, and it’s all been dealt with.

I am so sorry about your friend, MrsH. I hope you get what you need from your visit to your Mum

If I had somewhere separate to stay I would be there right now, under ‘maintenance’ or ‘support bubble’. Life around me is grinding back into gear and I will not be left behind. Personal and family safety comes first now. And of course, the safety of people around me, I’d never compromise that, unlike so many parents of children at my school.

Limited ourselves somewhat with small puppy who won’t be up for our usual length of walk for at least a year, but apart from that I’m travelling where I want, when I want and DS will be going to his chosen Uni town with DH asap. Too far for Small Puppy, but I’ll wave them off without a qualm.

My sister has seen her GP face to face quite a lot. She's got a lot of ongoing medical problems, and her children have had a bad year for needing to see doctors as well. I think as a family they've seen doctors at least once a fortnight and almost all of them have been face to face appointments.

I've had blood taken twice in the past year, but then the results have been sent to me by post and the follow up has been on the phone. That's fine, as I don't need to be in the same room as the doctor to be told I need to get better control of my blood sugar.

saucery does someone stay at home with your small puppy? I think we're going to get a puppy this summer (we're on a list with a breeder, so it's looking hopeful), and are trying to work out the logistics. Dd1 will be at home for a while, then we'll have the summer holidays, but we're hoping by September that dd will have at least a part time job.

Just checking in to say hi. Haven't been around much as there's so much going on here, but wanted to say hi to you all and hope you're all getting a decent break

Hi everyone- another who is checking in having been a bit absent lately.

for MrsH I hope seeing your mum is beneficial to you.

I hope everyone is enjoying Easter? We are having a nice time - saw my mum and dad in the garden the other day which was lovely, albeit rather chilly! Me and DS went on a walk to the village park and a friend if ours was doing some outdoor work for us so brought his son so that he and DS could play outside. They loved it despite the cold!

I went running this morning but it wasn't great as there was frost/ice and I slipped and fell I'm ok - just not what you need! I shall run later in the day next time when it's thawed a bit!

Our puppy is coming to us on Friday! I work three days, DH going to wfh for a while then will move to 2 days at home and 2 days at work with the other flexible. Will need to get a walker/daycare probably at some point - but probably not until after summer at least. We’re moving into a ridiculous rental place Thursday - puppy Friday... that’s all worked out well timing wise... oh no hold on!

I've had a rubbish night and morning - feel really flu-ey. Paracetamol is holding it at bay for now but wondering if I should use one of my lfts or not.

I’d go for a PCR personally, but lft is worth a try.

@MsAwesomeDragon

saucery does someone stay at home with your small puppy? I think we're going to get a puppy this summer (we're on a list with a breeder, so it's looking hopeful), and are trying to work out the logistics. Dd1 will be at home for a while, then we'll have the summer holidays, but we're hoping by September that dd will have at least a part time job.

Yes, at the moment, while she is little. DH has arranged his in office days around my school holidays. DS doesn’t want to be involved with sharp little teeth and toilet training, which is fair enough so he’s not on the rota. It doesn’t mean she’s never left alone - we don’t want to set her up for separation anxiety down the line. When she’s settled in a bit for a sleep I’m going for a walk, for instance. We’re crate training and she’s taken to it well, so a quiet 45 mins in there will be fine. In September I should be going back to my 2 days a week and we have an excellent daycare/training place down the road we used for our last dog, so that will be sorted.

MrsHerc excited for you! Biological washing liquid solution in a squirty bottle is my tip for toilet accidents on carpet

Pumpkin ouch!

I'd do a test callme. Probably a PCR one from a test centre rather than an lft, but it depends how much of a problem it would be for you to go to a test centre. I've got a bit of a cold at the minute, but none of the big symptoms. I've done an lft, which currently looks negative, but it's not had the full 30 minutes yet. I can't use a "new continuous cough" as a symptom as I've had a cough since before Christmas and tested negative then. But I don't think I'll be able to spot a new cough as I've still got the old cough.

I've had that one nostril burning/tickling, eyes watering and occasional sneeze thing going on for the last 24hrs or so and was thinking how can I have a cold until I realised it'll likely be hayfever. Thinking it must be hayfever because where the hell would I have caught a cold given I've only seen family in a garden and haven't even been to the shops since school broke up.

Have started on my nasal spray today and must remember to take it twice a day from now on - it has a preventative effect rather than a treatment itms and I always forget to start taking it early enough. I also keep forgetting to take my brown inhaler and now there's pollen of some sort in the mix that I'm reacting to that becomes more important to remember too!

I'm well overdue an lft so I'll do one of those now.

Nice to see people emerging from their breaks I was comatose for most of the first few days of the holidays.

Damn. Forgot to take antihistamines this morning. Now I’m going to have to try not to cough for the rest of the day.

Good point about hayfever honey!!! I think I don't have a cold at all, I've just forgotten about hayfever and spent all day doing gardening yesterday. I'll get the antihistamines out now.

I am following the rules but as things are allowed I'm definitely doing them. Like my walking buddy and I had a lovely tea in my garden last week, and I have a hair appointment and pub garden plans for next week.

But I am foreign and if I get caught breaking the law I get deported.

Bloody hell, Beachhuts, seriously!

That's crackers, beachhuts

PCR negative - happy to have reminded others about hayfever.

Just had a helpful chat with a colleague trying to make sense of contradictory sow that don't gel and which we meant to be following and she's let me know where she's up to with shared groups. Now need to drag myself into school to take in books I've marked and somehow make myself sit there till I've marked at least two whole sets of essays.

I'm coming to hate marking - this QMA approach is sound but our HOD has put far too many in when really we only need to mark every 6th lesson which is one per month of term time at ks3 yet somehow she's put in 12 for the year and they take way more input than the tick and flick and a closer mark of one lesson with an EBI that the qma approach replaced. I'm lead teacher on 5 ks3 groups despite being 0.4 so it's a fuck load of marking that all comes in at once. That's my moan for the day!

Beachhuts you've reminded me about hairdressers and I have realised mine is probably fully booked for the next month by forward thinkers.

I tried to book a hair appointment this morning. Failed miserably to even get through.
I have marked one set of the 5 sets of marking though, so I rewarded myself with a chocolate truffle. Sadly, it wasn't very nice :(

Likewise I had 5 sets MrsH and have done one.

Slow progress.