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Post by Deleted on Mar 29, 2020 10:19:46 GMT
Sorry, didn’t mean to criticise. And I really feel for you The Matthew. We all have to support each other and I apologise if my post was insensitive. Is there anything we can do to help? Happy to email privately (if you are still speaking to me!) to offer more contact.... Eh, no worries. We're good. I get a reasonable amount of online contact, but it's not really real, if you get what I mean. I'm just really getting down at the moment. I've worked from home for years and until the last couple of weeks I hadn't realised how vital it is to my survival that I can get away from the home environment that occupies 95% of my life. Now I can't do that. Legally I can, but because of confusion over what the law actually says I don't dare. And it doesn't help when idiots like Derbyshire police show a picture of someone in the countryside with nobody else visible for miles and say it's wrong, which merely serves to muddy the "stay away from other people" message that the government is trying to get across. People certainly shouldn't be going to tourist attractions but they should be avoiding them because they're crowded, not because they're enjoyable, and that distinction seems to have been lost with some of the police. |
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Post by kathryn on Mar 29, 2020 10:31:15 GMT
I feel for you, Matthew! I am also finding it weird that the room I should be relaxing in is now where I need to work. I’m eating lunch squeezed into my tiny kitchen just to get away from the computer for a while. At work I would normally go out at lunchtime for a walk and to buy something to eat, and sit in the kitchen to eat and chat with colleagues. Even though I’ve been putting my computer away in the other room each day it still feels like I’m not quite getting away from it.
I’ve been having a daily walk but after 2 weeks I’m actually starting to get fed up of seafront, and as everyone else appears to be heading there too keeping the proper social distance is quite hard. It’s just not natural to allow 2 metres of space - the runners in particular will go straight through the middle of 2 people who are carefully passing at the extreme sides of the pavement.
I don’t have a car, so I’d need to use public transport to go anywhere else for exercise. I don’t at all blame the people who are hopping in their cars for a drive to somewhere remote.
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Post by londonpostie on Mar 29, 2020 10:51:04 GMT
Now I just need to get my 20 year old desk chair adjusting properly again (the mechanism seems to have seized up) and I’ll hopefully be able to work from home for however long this lasts without needing a physiotherapist at the end of it! Generally, the first step is to squirt in some WD40. You can even buy it in pound shops now. |
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Post by intoanewlife on Mar 29, 2020 10:54:13 GMT
Sorry, didn’t mean to criticise. And I really feel for you The Matthew. We all have to support each other and I apologise if my post was insensitive. Is there anything we can do to help? Happy to email privately (if you are still speaking to me!) to offer more contact.... Eh, no worries. We're good. I get a reasonable amount of online contact, but it's not really real, if you get what I mean. I'm just really getting down at the moment. I've worked from home for years and until the last couple of weeks I hadn't realised how vital it is to my survival that I can get away from the home environment that occupies 95% of my life. Now I can't do that. Legally I can, but because of confusion over what the law actually says I don't dare. And it doesn't help when idiots like Derbyshire police show a picture of someone in the countryside with nobody else visible for miles and say it's wrong, which merely serves to muddy the "stay away from other people" message that the government is trying to get across. People certainly shouldn't be going to tourist attractions but they should be avoiding them because they're crowded, not because they're enjoyable, and that distinction seems to have been lost with some of the police. Go for a walk. Do what you need to do to stay sane. As long as you are social distancing there will be no problem. The police should not be looking at people like that, they should be looking for arsehats who are disregarding the rules simply because they are/want to be arsehats. Of course unfortunately some police are also arsehats so maybe combine your walks with visits to the shops. |
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Post by showgirl on Mar 29, 2020 11:10:25 GMT
The whole issue of what is and isn't allowed is so fraught, partly because it's new and evolving and partly because the detail is lacking. Physical and mental health are equally important and as above, some people need to get out to manage one or the other or both. A medical organisation yesterday made the valid point that people who can do so, need to maintain their physical health to reduce the likelihood of catching Covid-19 and to make it less severe if they do, which reinforces the case for people being allowed to exercise outdoors. As kathryn has said, some people would need transport of some type to reach a suitable area to do this. |
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Post by kathryn on Mar 29, 2020 11:18:09 GMT
Now I just need to get my 20 year old desk chair adjusting properly again (the mechanism seems to have seized up) and I’ll hopefully be able to work from home for however long this lasts without needing a physiotherapist at the end of it! Generally, the first step is to squirt in some WD40. You can even buy it in pound shops now. Yup, got some of that. Going to take it apart and liberally apply to all the moving parts I can find. |
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Post by clair on Mar 29, 2020 12:39:32 GMT
Feeling very grateful to the two lovely delivery guys from Currys who just delivered my new fridge freezer after the old one gave up on Thursday. They also took away the old one and a few other small appliances for recycling along with all the packaging. Very relieved as now is not the time to be without one, they were lovely and cheerful too which has helped the day nicely.
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Post by foxa on Mar 29, 2020 14:31:52 GMT
someoneinatree, thank you for posting the clip of your partner - it was adorable and I love the way the children responded to him. Sending you best wishes.
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Post by xanady on Mar 29, 2020 16:37:14 GMT
Been issued with a letter from local education dept to show to police if stopped on way into college tomorrow.
We will also be on call throughout the Easter holidays.
Spring cleaning today.Am also trying to read more books....I love travel books and am currently reading Simon Armitage’s Walking Away.
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Post by Deleted on Mar 29, 2020 17:28:16 GMT
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Post by tmesis on Mar 29, 2020 17:58:51 GMT
Been issued with a letter from local education dept to show to police if stopped on way into college tomorrow. We will also be on call throughout the Easter holidays. Spring cleaning today.Am also trying to read more books....I love travel books and am currently reading Simon Armitage’s Walking Away. I love that book - read it a few months ago. Have you read Walking Home? Also very good, although I think Walking Away is even better. |
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Post by edi on Mar 29, 2020 18:11:33 GMT
I did something today that I haven't done for over 5 years. I cooked on a Sunday. I always eat out in the weekend so this was unheard of but I already exhausted the fish and chips option yesterday and the only other option was a take-away and I never do such things. Last weekend I got take-away food from 2 of my favourite restaurants but I sat down in the park to eat them. Today was not only too windy to do so, but I'm also afraid of being fined by the police, even though the park where I sat last weekend was completely empty. Common sense says that I should be able to sit down and relax with my food in a virtually empty park, but the current ambiguity around law enforcement and public shaming of apparent covidiots seems to imply otherwise.
I also went for a run in the morning and people are clearly getting the social distancing concept, all runners and walkers were keeping to the side of the pavement.
I also did a shopping trip, which was actually a long walk as I needed some specialist items from a specific shop. These items weren't strictly essentials, but I'm trying to make our meal times more varied and interesting to keep up the moral. I was observing social distancing on the almost completely empty London streets but I popped into one of the trendy food shops and there was absolutely nothing done there to keep shoppers at 2 meters apart. I complained but was not acknowledged. Unfortunately I will use this shop again as it has toilets and now with all public ones closed and department stores shut, it's hard to keep hydrated and go for walks too.
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Post by xanady on Mar 29, 2020 19:31:28 GMT
^Yes,tmesis,I have and it’s very good...big fan of Stuart Maconie and Bill Bryson’s stuff.Also the wonderful Raynor Winn’s,The Salt Path.
Two ‘road trip’ books I read recently were Mike Carter’s brilliant and emotional,All Together Now in which he retraces his own fathers’ footsteps in the 1981 People’s March For Jobs and the frankly ludicrous but hilarious Pier Review by Jon Bounds and Danny Smith in which a bunch of mates try to visit every pier in Britain.
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Post by xanady on Mar 29, 2020 19:43:10 GMT
Having given up on the local big supermarket a few days ago due to the reckless,selfish and irresponsible behaviour of fellow shoppers and the rather heavy-handed security people who seem to be revelling in their positions of power,I have started to use a farm shop,and three independents (a bakery,a grocers and a greengrocers)...what a revelation in terms of quality and customer service!
After this mess is over,I am determined to keep supporting them!
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Post by david on Mar 29, 2020 22:09:46 GMT
Having given up on the local big supermarket a few days ago due to the reckless,selfish and irresponsible behaviour of fellow shoppers and the rather heavy-handed security people who seem to be revelling in their positions of power,I have started to use a farm shop,and three independents (a bakery,a grocers and a greengrocers)...what a revelation in terms of quality and customer service! After this mess is over,I am determined to keep supporting them! I had a similar experience yesterday trying to get a few things from my local supermarket. I ended up walking out empty handed but tried a few of my local corner shops. Got what I needed with no hassle involved and customer service with a smile. I think in times like these, supporting your smaller independent shops is vital to keep businesses and to keep the local community spirt going. |
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Post by showgirl on Mar 30, 2020 3:36:36 GMT
It would be great if, as with my hope that people will choose to continue exercising after this is over, support for independent local businesses was also sustained. The only issue with the latter is having to visit more shops in order to obtain all you need; plus in my area such businesses are very few and outside town centres so some travel - even if on foot or by bike - is necessary, and then you are limited to what you can comfortably carry. We usually shop on foot anyway, unless one of us has a reason to drive, eg for an appointment we cannot attend by car. In those cases we try to multi-task by doing a bigger shop, taking donations to the charity shop, disposing of garden waste at the recycling centre, etc.
Of course now charity shops and recycling centres are closed but I'm thinking I might still have to try to do an occasional bigger shop by car, simply to reduce the number of more frequent visits on foot to local shops required as I/we can only carry so much by hand.
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Post by londonpostie on Mar 30, 2020 10:15:16 GMT
My neighbour hasn't changed his Sunday evening habit, which reminded me it's a difficult time for sex workers.
Bit ackward in Lidl at 7:30 when a women refused to see reason over 36 tins of tomatoes.
Work are asking if I'd go onto a newly created night shift in order to get the test kits out (and presumably Boris's letter). Like TfL, RM are down 30%+ on delivery staff atm.
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Post by marob on Mar 30, 2020 17:10:21 GMT
Had a bunch of emails from Theatr Clwyd this afternoon cancelling everything I had booked with them for the next few months. With the cancellations and postponements I've already had from other theatres that means the next show I see should be Sunday in the Park with George in June. I won't be getting my hopes up on that going ahead.
I end up spending a pretty big chunk of my wages on theatre once you factor in the tickets/programmes/public transport/food/accomodation, so I'm trying to be pragmatic and use this as an opportunity to pay off some of the ever-present credit card bill. But so far all I've done is order blu rays online. 🤦🏻♂️
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Post by NeilVHughes on Mar 30, 2020 20:43:25 GMT
A day spent reconnecting with my 15 year old self.
Before Theatre there was music, in my early teens as I was developing my musical identity which was predominately wanting to be Dave Murray from Iron Maiden, me and my mates in the pre-Spotify days would buy on average an album each per month and we would avidly go round each other’s houses and listen (tape) the newest addition to our growing collection.
Back to today, at the time I was a complete metal head, hair as long as I could get away with at school, the ubiquitous denim jacket covered in embroidered band names and had just discovered Metallica so I thought my identity was complete then my mate bought an album, gatefold sleeve, artwork depicting a jester trying to write music on his violin in his dingy bedsit.
On first listen we thought he had gone mad, no chugging riffs and mindless lyrics only long complex songs with lyrics that deserved to be listened to, I still remember that initial listen and devouring the images on the record sleeve as we listened intently.
Today the 5.1 remix of the album dropped through my letter box and the opening lines of Script transports me back to that day only now immersed in the full majesty of surround sound my 15 year old self couldn’t imagine as we listened on our cheap amstrad stereos.
The band Marillion, the album Script for a Jester’s Tear.
Marillion have been a constant throughout my life unlike any other, rarely miss a tour and their biennial weekends are something I never tire of and attended the Montreal one a few years ago which for me was as much of a right of passage as my first visit to the Hammersmith Odeon.
The band is unrecognisable in the same way as I am from my 15 year old self and the only constant is I still look forward to their next album with almost as much eagerness as I did for Fugazi all those years ago.
Time now to reconnect with those brain cells that learnt the Forgotten Sons solo and spend some time channeling my inner Steve Rothery.
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Post by lynette on Mar 30, 2020 22:36:33 GMT
I have Nothing to offer there, Neil.
Me 15 the Beatles. 😂
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Post by david on Mar 31, 2020 14:54:33 GMT
For anybody who is missing Les Mis -
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Post by Deleted on Mar 31, 2020 16:55:41 GMT
Not being able to go out to eat has certainly had a beneficial effect on my weight. Down 1.3kg in three weeks. (Not wolfing down bags of Haribo probably has something to do with it as well.)
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Post by intoanewlife on Mar 31, 2020 17:31:52 GMT
Starting to think that healthy members of the public who are currently parading around in facemasks should be made to hand them over to NHS workers who actually need them. On the plus side: I hear Boris is writing to us all tomorrow, so, bog paper crisis averted. 7 million pounds in the middle of a crisis well spent x |
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Post by Forrest on Mar 31, 2020 18:31:02 GMT
The band Marillion, the album Script for a Jester’s Tear. Fellow (Fish-era) Marillion fan and a big Script fan here! (They were a very important band over what was a long and both beautiful and not so great period of my life. The relationship fell apart, the love for Marillion remained.) Although that album itself is some 8,5 months older than I am. I love that my first post on this thread was triggered by your love for Marillion, though! The day was... alright. Struggled with work a little, did a double yoga practice to balance it out. Solved some crosswords over Microsoft Teams with my favourite work colleagues to try to retain a sense of normalcy, which was much needed. (The Guardian crossword was our 4PM break, on most days.) Thought about going out, but stayed in instead. Don't really know why. One of those (quarantine) days, I guess. |
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Post by showgirl on Apr 1, 2020 3:56:01 GMT
Trying to continue working was a bit stressful yesterday as we had a team meeting by video call - or were supposed to. However, as we only received the instructions a few hours earlier and as some of us older volunteers are less confident and capable with IT, we couldn't join in, which was frustrating and demoralising. I wish managers would realise that we have differing abilities and allow those who need it more time to learn how to use new systems and tools, otherwise we're going to be permanently anxious every time we try to do a particular thing, which isn't a good starting point. After that there was so much work which a few of us are temporarily covering for the usual teams that we couldn't get through it all, which made me feel more stressed and guilty on top, as colleagues will have to pick it up today.
Nothing really compared to the genuinely major issues some people are dealing with but I began to feel that futile shopping trips were still less taxing in comparison!
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