Prime Minister to hold press conference at 16.00

Oh dragonfly I can only imagine your abject disappointment. Your family have pulled together to be able to make a Christmas bubble happen and tonight the rug has been pulled from underneath you all.

Commiserations to you all, but especially to you. You’ve had such a tough year and have tried to be so upbeat about it.

x

We really shouldn’t need any government to tell us how deadly this virus is regardless of whatever guidelines they advise.

We have known this since March and yet it appears so many are unwilling to make their own risk assessment, taking unnecessary risks for a few hours of real life which has and always will, at this point, result in the number of cases rising and worse still, deaths.

We are most definitely, not in this together nor enough common sense used, for the greater good. ?

So sorry, dragonfly. This certainly has been a crappy year.

Well despite paying for tests and self isolating my DD cannot come to us for Christmas. We had already decided we could not see DS and GC as it was risky. So now Christmas is cancelled. The year started with chemo and ends with disappointment. I will be pleased when this crappy year is over!

Poor Gosport. A tiny area in tier 4 surrounded by tier 2.

DGS and his girlfriend were hoping to spend Christmas with her parents. They're only a few miles away in Fareham.

He messaged earlier to say the shops will be mayhem and 'We haven't even got a turkey.'

I nearly burst into tears. He's 24 and I'm sure they'll sort something out but just for a moment he was our little grandson who was disappointed and we wanted to make it better.

Human nature acting true to form.
Within an hour of the news being announced Lakeside shopping centre was jammed.

My daughter is in tier 4, just had a mad dash to the services to swap presents. We’re tier 3 so can still host my parents for lunch (they both suffer with mental health issues so need the support).

We've just cancelled our Christmas with DS, DIL and DGS. Even though we are both in Tier 2 areas, we are 300 miles apart, so no way could they just come for the day! All the headlines are saying Christmas is ruined for people in Tier 4 areas, but it isn't just them that are affected.
Having said that, I think it was the right decision. A difficult one to make politically, so I'm glad Boris had the balls to do it!

Has anyone seen and heard the poem read by Max Boyce?

‘When just the tide went out’

It’s very moving and I’m always a sucker for a Welsh accent.

You can Google it or I think it’s on YouTube.

At last Boris has grown a pair Hopefully it will save a lot of lives

I couldn't post it all, Urmstongran

www.poemhunter.com/poem/a-child-s-christmas-in-wales/

That’s beautiful & very poignant Calli.

You must all be feeling pretty flat NanKate not even to get one day. But the new strain in T4 is so virulent that Professor Whitty said it’s critical now to contain and suppress it. All the same, I feel dreadfully sorry that your area bears the biggest brunt of this.

Cancelled Christmas Eve and Boxing Day in Wales.

Looking through my bedroom window, out into the moonlight and the unending smoke-colored snow, I could see the lights in the windows of all the other houses on our hill and hear the music rising from them up the long, steady falling night. I turned the gas down, I got into bed. I said some words to the close and holy darkness, and then I slept.

A Child's Christmas in Wales
Dylan Thomas

vegansrock

growstuff I’m just repeating local news - our v large teaching hospital renowned for innovation etc and has own tv series have the vaccine - they have invited 80 year olds plus into ge it and have found a v low take up and are doing a shout out for any over 80s to come in, I honestly don’t know why protocols can’t prevent them from vaccinating health care workers if no shows occur. On an anecdotal level my 60 yr old neighbour took his 94 yr old Mother and was ushered in with her, after a list of questions - are you pregnant etc- he received the vaccine as well as his mother. All a bit weird.

If there are doses which would otherwise be thrown away - fine. I'm just getting a bit fed up of people who think they have a reason to jump the queue.

The policy was decided weeks ago and the rationale for the decision-making was fully explained.

There are only enough doses for 400,000 people and nobody seems to know when any more will arrive, so they're limited. There isn't enough (yet) for everybody who thinks they should have one.

It's a logistical nightmare anyway and any attempts not to follow the policy will just complicate matters.

Tier 4 here in Buckinghamshire. Just cancelled visiting our DS and DGSs for Xmas. ? This will be happening in thousands of households so must just get on with it until we get the vaccine.

Outdoors?
Without the hot weather?

Spit roast, salad, bring a dish of food and plenty of wine and beer?

Oh, I wish

It’s been declared an Australian type Christmas???

All of Wales in Level 4 from tonight.

We are allowed to meet (within strict limitations) on Christmas Day only when the virus will have a day off.

lemongrove

Bizarrely? You should agree with me at all times Lucca?

Or vice versa.?

? MissA

growstuff I’m just repeating local news - our v large teaching hospital renowned for innovation etc and has own tv series have the vaccine - they have invited 80 year olds plus into ge it and have found a v low take up and are doing a shout out for any over 80s to come in, I honestly don’t know why protocols can’t prevent them from vaccinating health care workers if no shows occur. On an anecdotal level my 60 yr old neighbour took his 94 yr old Mother and was ushered in with her, after a list of questions - are you pregnant etc- he received the vaccine as well as his mother. All a bit weird.

It was inevitable Christmas needed to be cancelled or very low scale this year it’s selfish to do anything else
Johnson tried to be popular and go against the scientists advice so everyone would say good old Boris let us have a good Christmas Hes had to back track and looks more of an idiot than ever
Was listening to radio 4 and they were saying the countries that have managed the best are run by women and those that have fared the worst run by populists sounds about right

Well, I don't agree...

Just kidding

One thing we can all agree on is what a horrible situation we are experiencing. So bad in fact that I’ve had a second glass of Pinot instead of my customary one !