The Lockdown Gang - on parole!

Camping ain't like it used to be!
I went into a camping shop to buy a sleeping bag for DD (it must have been a while back because she has 2 DC of her own now) and was stumped when I was asked if I wanted a 2, 3 or 4 seasons ? I replied that I was looking for a sleeping bag.
Almost immediately a man customer joined the conversation by telling us he had camped in the foothills of the Himalayas with a 4 season bag and was so cosy he may as well have been on the Equator or somesuch story

I retorted by saying when I was a child we added a blanket if we were cold. To which he replied, well when I was a boy we couldn't afford sleeping bags and pinned 2 blankets together. You get the drift!

In the end I think I bought her the cheapest.

grammaretto it seems there are lots of people in the lockdown gang who have a connection with NZ in one way or another. The best I can come up with is a friend who went there on holiday once. She loved it.
missedout I’m beginning to think camping is getting a bit luxurious. Self inflating mattresses not just a mat on the floor and a tent that puts itself up. I could get used to that sort of living......if I didn’t like cruising ?. Ah the getting up off the floor might be a bit of a problem. Ungainly is the best way of describing my rising from the floor.
Butlers indeed mamissimo. You’ve obviously got used to a good standard of living here in our 5* lodckdown lockup ?
I love the idea of you and DH enjoying a trip to the dump and then two parking lots. He certainly knows how to treat you ?
Did you get a new lawnmower in the end?
Gin fizz it is. Too hot for chocolate I think.
Sleep well.

Good evening!
So kind of you to give us bells Doodle but I wonder if personal butlers might be just the thing for these last few lockdown weeks? I think we are going to have to be very self focused as we prepare to be exposed to society again.

I had a treat yesterday- DH had booked a shielded dump appointment! We loaded - and maybe overloaded -the big estate car and I went along for the ride. It was well organised and we were the only people there for our slot.....but only o e person can get out so I stayed in the car like Miss Daisy.

He then took me to a big shed because he wanted a new lawnmower....I stayed in the car....and I was really surprised at how few people were wearing masks! Shed of choice had apparently lied about their stock levels so he drove me 20 miles so that I could experience another car park. His mission was successful and he got me home for lunch by 16.00 hrs! My body clock was all over the place by then and a ham sandwich didn’t cut the mustard!

If anyone would like some help with their family tree do let me know....I’m a qualified (Cork) Researcher and have particular expertise with DNA and Ireland. I spend several hours a day researching because I just love the puzzle element. I don’t charge at all, I do it because I love it and it keeps my brain firing.

I’ve only got a few big jobs left on my lockdown list so I’d better get a wriggle on....front door needs painting.....bulbs need ordering....and that bloody spinach is destined for the HotBin.....I’m sick of it! I’m not even going to honour it by freezing some. I get almost a kilo a day ?

Gin FIzz for me tonight please Doodle....I’ve been good ?

That is sad news Doodle.

Self inflating mattresses are just that. The have an inflate and separate deflate valve. Roll out the mattress, open the inflate valve and lave it for a while. It gradually plumps out to 10 cm. They come with little pumping bags that you use to adjust the hardness of mattress to suit. They are foam, no cold ground underneath you and have square sides, so you don't roll off. Two strapped together (ours come with a pair of straps) make a 6ft by 6ft 6inches bed! We use them as extra beds at home for family. The are obviously low on the ground but if you can get on and off the floor under your own steam, they are fine.

Good night all, I hope you all manage to get some sleep on this hot evening.

Oh so terribly sad Doodle.
I can't help thinking that there must have been fewer accidents especially car crashes during Lockdown but something like this is such a tragedy.

I am glad Cherry that you aren't in such pain.

Well you are a lovely mixture of Nationalities and so am I!
My Father was a Kiwi (of Scots, Irish & English stock) My mother was born in Burma (Irish father and German/Indonesian mother) I was born in England, lived in NZ until I was 10, then England, then married a Scot and have lived here for 45 years. However on testing our DNA, I was very amused to discover I am more Scottish than he is (and more to the point his mum who is a very proud Scot!)
It was all those Scots who went to New Zealand.

I think you must be my sister Missedout she waxes lyrical about wonderful tents and lilos. I am not convinced but mainly because of our unreliable weather.

Very sadly, the latest news is that the body of a man, a father of five has been found In the river. The person in hospital is in a critical condition. Such a sad outcome for what was obviously an outing to the river in the sunshine. Poor man and his family.

Missedout we used to love camping. We lived in the Netherlands and had a trailer tent with all mod cons. We would set off at 1am to get round Paris before the rush hour. We spent three weeks in France every year. Our children loved it as there was always something to do on the campsite.
We used to meet my parents who camped in a little tent well into their 70’s.

dragonfly DH got the same letter. We will be proceeding with caution. No supermarket shopping (so hope we can still get deliveries) no pubs or restaurants, no hairdressers. In fact for the moment nothing other than meeting our sons in the garden and going for a socially distanced walk every day.
missedout my mother and father were both born in Wales as was my brother. I was born in London. My grandmother on my fathers side was part French.
I have panic attacks on occasions being a long term sufferer of claustrophobia. The fear itself is horrendous and in my case the heat generated in my body could fry eggs as they say. It is a horrid feeling.
You are not being a bore about camping. I think on this thread we have many interesting people with a variety of hobbies and interests and it is so nice to hear about them.
Self inflating mattresses. ? Do you not need a pump for them? How do they work? It certainly sounds a nice way to visit places. My problem would be insects and community showers and toilets. Not one of my things ?.
We have done many holidays in caravans or chalets and enjoyed that but have never been in a tent. Sounds as though you have a very quick and easy way of getting everything up and running.

I can't claim any interesting heritage at all. The best I can offer is that my mother was born in South Wales!

I've never experienced a panic attack. It must be dreadful and speaks volumes about the stresses we are under. It would be awful if we weren't able to tell someone else how bad we are feeling. I have joined this group because there is no-one among my acquaintances who has been asked to shield. I don't want to be labelled as extremely clinically vulnerable but labelling should be the least of my worries. I'm so lucky that my DH has such a phlegmatic (if sometimes maddening) approach to my health. I know, if the situation were to be reversed, I couldn't be so calm.

I don't want to be a bore about camping but modern tents are amazing. We have an inflatable tent, I can put it up by myself. I just peg out the 4 corners and use a hand pump to pump up the support hoops. Up it pops and a few fixed guys need to be secured. The (darkened) bedroom is already in place. I just roll out the two self-inflating foam mattresses and lay the sleeping bags on top. The front of the tent is all windows, doors, fly screens and privacy curtains and there is a protected area at the front for cooking. The tent is well ventilated and stays dry even in heavy downpours. The only real rule is that my DH does not go off and chat to fellow car enthusiasts before the camping stove has been connected up and I can have a cup of tea! (My fingers aren't strong enough to do up the connections). We camp in Norfolk once a year with the cars but may go to other campsites if we feel like it. I know I sound like an advert but there is no housework in a tent and nothing to show for our presence when we leave.

I'm too hot today, I've stayed in and dozed, I didn't mean to, it will mean I won't sleep well tonight. The evening meal calls.

I got my letter today telling me to shield until the end of July but then apparently I can go anywhere and do anything!

panache sorry I somehow missed your post. I think we were both typing at the same time ?
Sorry panache I won’t mention the C word again except to say that some of us are lucky enough to have a pyrolytic oven which c**** itself at the push of a button. Not such a hard chore for those of us who have them. We also have a pyrolytic combi microwave. When we had our kitchen installed DH insisted we had them so that I didn’t have to bend down and clean the ovens. My knees are very grateful for that now ?
Yes last night was quite disturbing. We get used to hearing the sirens go past as we are on a road between two hospitals but only one or two a day. Last night was non stop. I still have hopes that the man who is missing may just have got out somewhere and no one realises. See what the local papers say at the weekend.
I’m so sorry you had a panic attack. That is so unpleasant. Always leaves me feeling shaky too. Whatever you are feeling you don’t need to share with us I think we can understand but on the other hand anything you want to share don’t be afraid of ‘bringing the mood down’ it’s what we are all here for. To support one another. Im sure your DHs treatment must be cause of upset for you both. None of us like our loved ones (or anyone for that matter) to be in pain. We will be thinking of you both tomorrow and hope it passes quickly enough and the pain eases. Take care ?

Ah cherry I understand. Your poor hand. You and Marydoll both suffer from the same condition but not one I have heard of before. I will look it up. Is there anything you can take for the pain? Hope it is easier today.

I have put bells I the rooms of all our poorly lockdown gang members so you can ring for assistance or any thing you need. You are going through a tough time at the moment.
Take care all. I will be back later to check on you all.

Hiya.

My hand is feeling a bit better today ?.
Doodle, it's not so much my "typing finger" that's the issue but the fact that even by using one finger my hand is moving and that causes more pain and swelling. Hey ho ?.

We missed you dragonfly, I think many of us thought there was a possibility you were in hospital. I suspected it and was worried. Sorry to hear that you still have aches and pains, I hope they settle ?.
Why is it that hospital parking is always a nightmare! It's the same here, the two main hospitals are always chock-a-block. A few years back my WP got challenged by security because he went all round the biggest hospital car parks twice looking for a parking space! There wasn't a single one. In the end security got on his radio to CCTV control for them to look. They found two space empty in the entire hospital! We were pointed in the direction of the nearest one by security. He scurried ahead of us. As he did, there was a car entering that carpark! He stopped it from going in and guided us through ?. We felt sorry for the people in the other car though. They were not best pleased.

Marydoll, you sound quite chipper today, despite the brain fogginess ?. I'm guessing that they didn't make arrangements for someone to come to you to demonstrate how to administer the treatment because they want to monitor you as you receive it. I hope it does prove to be effective and in a few months you are "all singing and dancing" ?
If you don't mind, can I ask how you manage to type and perform other precision tasks having de Quervain's in both hands? I have contraction scarring (from burns) on my right hand so using it is a bit restrictive but using my dominant left hand is, on times, a pain in the proverbials.

Grammaretto, have you got a rockery from where you can "hang out" with the rooks ?. I think they are fantastic birds, even if they can be a bit like a class of noisy schoolchildren (take note *Doodle ?). I love to watch them visit our garden, I love the way they seem to potter about and then poof they lift off like a shaft of light ?

I hope your visit to the market fish & chip shop with Rangi turns out to be a wonderful day BradfordLass. If the wicked fairy turns up or exerts one finger of influence summon the power of the shield of the Lockdown Gang to use to block his wicked ways.
Sorry to say it BradfordLass but those styluses are an aggregation rather than a help but thanks for thinking of something you thought might be helpful ?

Panache, what an interesting heritage you have. I think many of us do, I think most people, if they delve back will discover they are "hybrids" of nationality/race. On my father's side is a mixture of Welsh, English, Spanish and American (not sure of the root of the American ?). On my mother's side there is also American of partially indeterminate root (one Welsh one not - still working on that ?) and Welsh, Greek and Italian. It is proving to be an interesting but difficult search.
I hope your DH's treatment tomorrow goes as well as it can. It's hard to be strong when you love someone so much as you want to take all they are enduring away. I wish I had a magic wand to use to rid my WP of his pain and then I could pass the wand on. ❤️

I heard about that incident on the news Doodle. It must have been quite scary and disconcerting at the same time to witness such a cavelcade of emergency vehicles and services go past where you live. It did say on the news that they were searching for someone who hadn't come out of the water. I hope either that is mistaken information or they've retrieved the person safe and sound.

Grammaretto, I hope you are enjoying your afternoon in your neighbour's garden ?

Doodle I guessed rooms were rooks. Another bird down the chimney!
I caught it this time so that it didn't get trapped in the window. It squawked loudly. It must have been a young jackdaw but it didn't seem to have a grey head.
A young corvid sounds very similar to covid

DS mischievously suggested we might expect Alfred Hitchcock down the chimney next.

I have just been invited to a neighbour's garden if I bring my own cup and plate.

Yes grammaretto I hope those ‘rooms’ don’t keep you awake thinking of tall the cleaning you have to do. ? hope the rooks don’t keep you awake either (autocorrect or my typing ?)

marydoll nice to have you back with us. Hope the treatment wasn’t too bad and you feel better soon.
dragonfly we’ve been wondering how you were. Sorry to hear you’ve been in hospital. Hope you also feel better soon.
Yes those oven trays do need some cleaning. I have a gadget now like a Brillo pad on a stick which seems to do the job quite well.
Hope you and Marydoll have a restful day.
bradfordlass yes it was quite upsetting last night especially as lots of rumours were floating around on the internet. First suggestion was that three boys had drowned. That was then changed to three men in the water one given CPR and taken to hospital. This morning there are still reports of one man missing. Very sad if anyone has lost their life.
We’ve been for an early walk this morning as it’s supposed to be very hot later.
Your wicked fairy certainly needs seeing to. Not another bad day. I certainly hope the fish and chip trip with Rangi goes well. What is a Pacifica market? Is it a fish market?
I think a Yorkshire Kiwi sounds rather nice. Hope you have a good day.
grammaretto lovely to be sitting in the garden on a nice day. Is it shady or are you a sun worshiper? Hope the rooms don’t keep you awake . I tend to not off in the sunshine ?
Have a good day all.

Indeed a truly gorgeous summer day and nature is at its best.

Good Morning to you all.

Always great coming home after "adventures" in Hospital Marydoll and of course there never are easy ways to continue these treatments,but the main thing is that you are being given of the best with all care given to the situation as it now is.
I totally agree that the Government are moving far too fast and too soon..........I sincerely hope we shall be proved to be in the wrong..............however I fear not.

Doodle indeed excitement of the kind you did not want for sure,scary seeing all those various Life saving elements rush past at such a rate.
Not a good outcome either, altogether rather a strange story with an horrific outcome,but hopefully no further loss of life.
Very unsettling for you both for sure.

Don`t you ever say a dickie bird about my cleaning again madam.......sorry,Guv! What is this I hear about oven cleaning? That is the marathon of all cleaning!!

We too are rather of "mixed race " of sorts Bradfordlass......my man is Scots but born of a Lithuanian mother and dutch father,I am welsh with a French/canadian mother and welsh father............just as well we have no children!!

Good to see you Dragonfly and as we might have suspected Hospital and you continuing feeling well below par took you away from us.How are you feeling now?
Very often there are no answers and you come out still feeling unwell,but sincerely hoping that the root cause has or will be found so that you can have treatment which will,hopefully,make you feel a whole lot better.

You too and your wrist Cherry.........these things certainly are such trials,hope some rest has improved the situation...........though if like me.......nothing keeps you away for long!

Sorry I am such a wet blanket but having had a major "panic attack" again,this time in the night,I feel utterly wretched and my "get up and go" has not only gone but it has vanished.
Rather than bring you all down now that you sound so perky and zestful I am taking myself off to a quiet corner.
Tomorrow my dear one has his painful treatment again and I feel so much for him,and our situation so please just understand that I am best out of the picture.

Trusting you all enjoy this beautiful sunshine and have your family outings,take care and keep safe.

G' day cell mates!
It's the first proper nice day for ages so we are sitting in the garden listening to the rooks. I feel like a member of the rookery. They are very noisy. Before lockdown roundup was banned so now people are complaining about the weeds and schoolchildren have been weeding the pavements. I wonder who else has noticed the birds are thriving.

Your darned fairy Bradfordkiwilass*
NZ has numpties just like we have here.
We are all in this together. Truly!

Take care all you precious people.
Come back and tell us what you've been up to. I love to hear but not if your fingers are sore.

Good morning all. I too have been absent as I have spent the last two days at the hospital while they investigated various aches and pains. No real conclusion so hoping they will go away.

Great to hear your treatment went well Marydoll. I agree hospitals are scared places. Parking is free at ours due to Covid but the multi-storey was full at 9am because outsiders are taking advantage of free parking.

What adventures you have Bradfordlass. I love reading about them.

So sad about those young men Doodle and upsetting for you.

I hope your hands improve Cherry they think my painful shoulder could be tendinitis so told to keep away from the computer!

Doodle I clean my oven by pressing a button but I still have to clean the shelves and trays!

Sorry folks that I have been AWOL.

There don't seem to be enough hours in the day. Thanks for all your good wishes. I'm still pretty washed out, but glad my treatment has started.
Some one should have come to my house to demonstrate how to give the next dose at home, but due to Covid restrictions, I will have it done in hospital in four weeks time.
I will still be shielding, so still risky.

I got a message from the Shielding team yesterday, basically telling us to ignore the English advice, it is not for us in Scotland.
Personally, I think it is all too soon.

Cherry, I too have de Quervains in both hands, the pain can be excruciating at times. That was the nail in my coffin for my teaching career six years ago. I didn't drive for six months, it was so bad. I hope you get some relief soon.
I have wearing those splints, they are so restrictive.

Mammissimo, I really appreciated you taking the time to message me, I still have brain fog, just as you predicted. My DD is doing my shopping at this very minute. She keeps phoning, as I've missed all the essentials off the list! ?

I can't really concentrate just now, so I'm sending you all my very best wishes, have the best day you can.

What sad news this evening. I feel deeply sorry for their poor families. As if they weren't already under such stress with this darned virus.

The wicked fairy managed to keep his distance but not his influence today, by jinxing my taxi driver!

I had asked Karan to pick me up at 12:30 at the Waitemata RF Club in Swanson as I would be at a meeting there.
I waited outside for 45 mins, in a cold wind and Karan didn't turn up.

Fortunately, the same lady who took me there at 9am, brought me home - to a phone message from Karan who, despite my giving him a note with all the details including the address of the club, waited, at 12.30, outside my house! 11 km away.

Tomorrow we are supposed to go to South Auckland to a fish & chip shop Rangi says is the best and also to a Pasifika market.
I hope its under cover as rain is forecast.

Lovely to hear Marydoll is home safe.

Cherry would it help your hand to have one of those stylus pointer thingies?
I have a fish-shaped sponge on my mouse mat as I got rsi - and that's helped a lot.

It's just occurred to me that I have family allegiances in all parts of the UK.

My sister in law married a Welshman and they extended their home near Talgarth to accommodate her parents (my in laws) when they retired.

My grandfather was in the KOSB and we had many holidays in Rothesay.

I married an Irish man born in India (because his Dad worked out there) but brought up in Yorkshire.
Now I think of myself as a Yorkshire Kiwi - what a mix

Update from the Mail now says one in hospital and one missing for over four hours. Not sure as the fact keep changing. Hopefully the missing man will be found ok.

Doodle that is terribly sad.

missedout I cleaned my oven yesterday. Like you it was exhausting pressing that little button. ?
After a 7 hour drive I’m not sure I’d be ready to put up a tent. Is this a once a year event?
Hope you sleep better tonight.
grammaretto hope you sleep well too.
Take care all.

grammaretto sadly yes we have just found out. It may well be in the papers tomorrow. Two men have drowned and a third is in hospital. According to reports they had been jumping into the water just splashing about having fun but got caught up in the current. Such a very sad outcome. Apparently there were about 40 emergency vehicles involved.

Did you find out what was going on Doodle? It sounds very serious. Someone in the water?

Batman is waiting behind the greenhouse with his bat monitor. DH spoke to him and his 2 assistants but I haven't.
He said there are plenty of places where bats could roost. I didn't want to break the news that the jackdaws are already in residence.
It isn't dark yet but there are pipistrelles whizzing about.

The hot chocolate was very good tonight. We watched the Alan Bennett, Talking Heads and I'm off to bed.
Good night all of you. Sleep well.