Originally posted by Eggchaser
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Easing the lockdown
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- Jul 2016
- 9280
- Dublin
- Bohemian FC Manchester United Mansfield town Torino Berwick rangers
- Chocolate Digestives
My local shops have a lot of food shops already, but today's partial easing of restrictions has added the opticians (appointment only) , the bike shop, the motor repair shop, the hardware store and the hearing aid shop to the back open list. I'm not sure that the shoe repair shop, the tanning salon and the adult shop should be part of it, but they're giving it a go.
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Drinkers are back on the buses, which is a sign of a return to normality. Today two blokes with a bottle of cider between them, and the well-dressed, seemingly middle class but extremely drunken woman who swigs Lambrusco while muttering and cursing under her breath.
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A couple of UK pals are struggling. One is a really keen sports type so the inactivity and lack of social contact is really hitting home; the other lives on his own and is just downright lonely. Neither uses social media, so a supportive email or 10 is all I can offer from a distance.
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I'm continuing to toil away under the notion that this will go on for the rest of the year, which in turn allows me to adapt to the changes to routine and break this down to focusing on the next week, day, hour... whatever it takes to manage my feelings.
My being bored will continue to come second to the reality that slipping into old routines could indirectly lead to the suffering of others.
I have fallen out with a couple of people who have just bored me stupid with their yearning to go back to their niche activities, because I've realised there's nothing else to them.
I really don't need it in my life, you know? Like, bigger things going on right now ffs.
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Lake District rangers find hundreds illegally camping and partying.
There's camping in The Lakes, and camping in the lakes:
One group set up an illegal campsite in a reservoir bed
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Got my lockdown locks taken off today. It felt like going in for surgery. There was only one hairdresser on (they have been doing two at a time for the rest of the week apparently) and I hit it lucky (they had been doing appointments all week but were doing walk-ins today) in that there was someone in the chair but no-one else waiting, so it was 10 minutes or so standing out in the sunshine in my mask, a few more minutes while the hairdresser disposed of disposable things and disinfected things that weren't disposable, and I was in. Hand sanitiser first, then writing my name and contact details on the sheet. Me in a mask and disposable gown, her in a mask, visor, disposable gown and gloves. They have put the prices up a couple of quid to reflect the lower throughput, and I tipped even more generously than I usually do, but I still got my money's worth.
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Our neighbourhood bars seem to be pretty full, and a friend who has a bar in another district of the city tells me that business is fine. I've just come back from the centre, though, and cafes which would normally be thronged with tourists have plenty of free tables, unthinkable on a similar early Friday evening in July in other years. That, or they have simply not reopened.
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- Jul 2016
- 9280
- Dublin
- Bohemian FC Manchester United Mansfield town Torino Berwick rangers
- Chocolate Digestives
Latest local re opening, the local bingo hall and McDonald's. Together with the middle aged women smoking like chimneys outside the former, and the families queuing outside the latter.
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My local council has notified everyone that they will not be reopening any of the outdoor pools or the splash parks this year as, despite being theoretically allowed to do so, they haven't been given enough warning to do all the safety checks on the water and to employ the necessary staff.
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My gym and swimming pool has messaged to say that they'll be opening and restarting indoor exercise classes and swimming lessons from 25th July and my direct debits, which are currently suspended, will also be restarting soon. I'm absolutely not comfortable with setting foot in an indoor gym and swimming pool at the moment so I will probably be cancelling the direct debits. But, I really do want the children to learn to swim and whenever I do deem it safe to go back I'll have to go back on the waiting list which previously could take up to a year. I'm happy with cancelling my gym membership as I've been maintaining a reasonable exercise regime at home.
I know that in theory I should continue to pay the direct debits for the children to support the business, but I doubt we'll be comfortable returning before next spring at the very earliest and I can't afford to spend about ?800 during that time on nothing.
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Having abided by Wales' five mile travel restriction for the past n months we today crossed the border into England. It's the first time we've used masks. Ours are quite thick. I was surprised how much harder I found it to catch my breath. Mrs H, similarly affected, plans to sew some using less weighty fabric once we're home.
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Our cleaner came back last Friday. Against my advice I have to say - she has a compromised immune system.
I'm not so much worried about her here, more that she uses public transport to get here.
But she's a grown woman and at some point keeping saying not to come is undermining her agency.
We've been paying her during the whole lockdown (and a couple of weeks before, in fact) so she absolutely didn't have to.
It was nice having the whole house clean though. I've been keeping on top of things, but one area at a time so while its all been cleaned, it hasn't all been clean at the same time.
We were going to have a bbq up the road with some friends whose son is the cub's bezzie. But it was horrible weather yesterday, so we didn't. Obviously the cub was gutted as he's not seen anyone but us for 4 months but he was totally stoic about it. No reaction other than a single tear and "Oh. I was really looking forward to it." So we got them to drop their son over to us for the afternoon so they could play. The sound of laughter yesterday afternoon was wonderful.
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First 'proper' haircut since early March today. Price had gone up to 11.50 but there were screens to separate the seating area from the front door, signs on the floor and windows and the owner took folding chairs outside for people when the two socially distanced waiting seats indoors were occupied. Only slight slip from compliance was that the woman cutting my hair only had her mask over her mouth, saying she couldn't cope with it over her nose all day while working. I sympathise, but I'm also glad she didn't sneeze on my head.
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I've just had my first haircut since lockdown. I'd been waiting for the rush to die down and had decided I'd only get it done if there was no queue. There was no one in today as I went past for my weekly shop and when I enquired and I was told it was still cash-only. But it looked like they were taking plenty of precautions so I took some cash out for the first time since March. There was still no queue when I went back so I went in but I haven't been as nervous about anything since my last visit to a proper supermarket in March. Turns out business is very slow now - it's Zone 1 so most of the regulars are working at home. The old chap who's done my hair for years was there. Last time I was there in February he was telling everyone he wasn't concerned about the virus, as he'd had his flu jab and it was only another virus etc, etc. He does talk a lot of rubbish in general but I was pleased to see him to be honest. He's in his 70s, overweight and with that attitude I could have seen him easily having got it with likely sad circumstances. I gave him a bigger tip than normal; he charged me OAP rate but mainly it avoided fiddling around with coins.Last edited by Capybara; 30-07-2020, 11:07.
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