The Lockdown Gang - on parole!

Oh cherry bless you for popping in. I bet that’s because I PMd you last time to tell you we were worried about you. You probably thought I’d send out a search party if you went missing again.
I’m so sorry you’ve had such a bad time. I hope you recover quickly and we Have your company again soon. Take care
nfk oh I bet your children won’t be pleased with you but a new floor is quite exciting. I think you are wise to stay out of their way and air everything well.
Iam like you, we are just sticking to avoiding everyone and following our own thoughts on shielding now. We are at last enjoying walks but keeping out of the busy areas where we wouldn’t be able to avoid people.
mamissimo the drug treatment you had seemed to have a wonderful effect on you and it’s so good it’s still working. I’m not surprised you are mixing your days up. I am totally confused most days.
Oh dragon hopefully you will get to see them all soon too. It’s getting harder to be in lockdown now that others are having more freedom.
panache yes we do have a view of the river from our balcony. Not straight on but quite nice nevertheless. It was one of the reasons we wanted to move here.
I hope you all sleep well. Take care all.

Hugs to all of you.
Dragonfly I know how you are feeling. It's hard not to get pangs of envy.
Cherry I hope after a rest you will be feeling better.

We were tempted to break loose but after a very wet and dismal day and quite a wobbly one, I think we won't go anywhere.
Hot chocolate is on order.

So sorry to hear you have had a bad day Cherry I hope you have a good night and feel a lot better in the morning.

Feeling a little envious tonight as I know my DIL’s mother will be rushing down to stay with my DS and DGC now that Boris has said she can. It is my birthday next week and I usually spend it with them but of course that is impossible. She has always spent a lot more time with them than we have which is normal I suppose as she is the maternal grandmother.

Sleep well everyone.

Good evening!
So glad Marydoll will be getting her treatment soon and hoping it suits her well. I was one of the first people in the UK to have a biological drug and its effects were almost biblical - my disease went into remission in under 4 hours and since then I have been able to do all the things it stopped me doing. I have been having them for fifteen years now.

I thought the PM was particularly unclear tonight and I wonder if unmarried people will take ‘single households’ to mean unmarried rather than one person. My DS was almost out of the door to run to his beloved when I pointed out that it didn’t apply to households of three like us, nor to the shielding like me. The very first question to Boris was a member of the public asking if she could go and sleep overnight with her partner. I think more confused people will do their own thing!

Boris did say however that he may have news for the shielded next week.....so I guess we travel on in hope...but not too much!

I got my days totally confused last night now that every days a blur day! It’s BiL’s funeral tomorrow, not today - I will have to get up early again tomorrow!

Sleep tight!

Cherry- please rest and recuperate, what a rotten time you had

Nfk - the changes to the shielding/veryvulneable/kind of vulnerable groups make little sense to me. I fear we're going be doing a Dominic and following our instincts, which for most of us will be to be Very Very Careful
Keep safe gang x

Evening gang. I've got quite a bit of brain fade going on at the moment due to my having had three more dratted seizures and can hardly think straight at all, just enough to do this much. I just wanted to let you know that I am thinking of you all. I will recover and return to chat to you all before very long I hope.
Take care gang.

Marydoll - I do so hope your appointment comes through really soon, although I hope the R rate drops considerably before hand too!

Thank you so much for the Scottish Govt shielding list, it prompted me to look at Gov.uk and yes, Aziothioprine has been taken off the list for those with Crohns and colitis type dosages, so that would put DH into the vulnerable group rather than extremely vulnerable. We have no idea how diabetes in remission or being 76 fits into the equation, but I guess we’re still shielding! Our area is very low risk though so we’re fortunate.

I don’t know if it helps, but
[https://covid.joinzoe.com/data#interactive-map]] gives a different and perhaps more localised indication of how things are where you live. I think you’re Glasgow? Hopefully the hospital is south of the river!

I haven’t dared tell our offspring, but we’re having a new floor fitted in our little front room tomorrow. It was booked for the first week of lockdown and apparently they’re clear to work inside houses now. It seems weird that workmen can come into our home but not our family or friends. Still, they’re wearing masks, opening the windows and staying completely separate from us - we’ll be staying in the conservatory all day and evening, and most of tomorrow to let any virus die off!

Only me again!
This time catching up with you lot and all that you have been up to!

The first bit and good news obviously that jumped out at me was your posting Marydoll where you have just learned you may well be having Hospital treatment soon,safely cocooned in a single side room.I can well imagine that although you will have many concerns, this has though given you a great uplift.
I sincerely hope all goes to plan,you need this and sooner than later I say.

Whilst Grammeretto yes please don`t rub it in,the stats we follow avidly, and the news for us here in Wales is not good.
We are all aware that anywhere a distance away from the Capital Cardiff area, our Hospitals are just no longer fit for purpose.
For years the aim has been to close our local one,yet our County`s population is expanding at a fast rate,whilst some 3 times its size in the normal summer months.
Because we have resisted they have simply let the Hospital get run down,removing service by service, taking them some 50 miles away,second to that our roads are poor so quite frankly, these stats do not shock me,but yes I am deeply troubled.
Calling us hearties I so hope that will be us both next week.........all at sea!!! Knee deep in the briny!

I hope you have better results from calling on Age Concern,when we tried out of desperation some 18 months ago, we found they had actually moved out of our Town and County........... so we were left "high and dry" after being told they would be ever so helpful.

What a massive spider Bradfordlass,are you trying to scare us?!
A weta........?? I guess that is what I have just called a spider!
Pardon my ignorance!
Hope you manage to be get to the funeral,it is good that you will have a friend alongside you,hope it all goes well.

I was a little taken aback hearing how you have an app to help sort out your different medications Dragonfly....when taking many and at differing times per day,it is quite a task,and of course essential to get it spot on.
I manage myself and have done over the many years.But as my dear man`s medication kept increasing, and so many differing times of day, we decided on a Dossett box.He was very reluctant initially,however we both find it is quite a boon as the Pharmacy do the main work,he only has to worry about the times!
With little else to do usually he manages well.It is a relief for me, because my head was getting quite befuddled!

I would not dare call you long winded Cherry......you are just like me,have an excess of words to say sometimes!!!
It seems from what I gather, Hospitals are finding it much harder to keep their nurses nowadays........this was prior to Covid-19 by the way.
But of course the nursing nowadays truly needs degrees to manage all the treatments they are expected to mix,make up and deliver.
The nursing, where one actually genuinely feels,chats and are able to support patients through their operations,treatments and recovery, just is not viable any more.
That is where I fitted in and of course that was a different era .I don`t think I would like to work in today`s environment.........so utterly demanding and of course a slip up costs lives.
After my Nursing days, I along with my man,nursed my elderly crippled Foster Mother through her terminal illness which was such a privilage,although the hardest nursing experience is when nursing a loved one.
Then came my own cancers,operations,treatments and feeling rather sorry for myself following losing out on all the company I had been amongs.
I started the first Cancer Support Group for the County.Then when we formed a fully fledged Cancer Care Centre,and that took the rest 20 years of my life.
I loved every minute although some of it was just absolutely heart breaking.
Then my dear one`s health broke down as well as my own deterioration.............and here we are today.... propping up the bar in our local Penitentionary!!!!

Good to find you popping in every now and then Iam64 hope today was a good and productive one.

Quite an experience driving again after such an absence Mammissimo but I bet it felt good and just as if you had not been away from that steering wheel!!!
How I envy your 8 hours good sleep and NO loo trips.........I need some pointers please!!

I think that by using these Filling Kits for teeth that need attention Missedout you have brought a lot of interest here,the Dentist will be sueing you because there will no longer be a need for their services!!

Did not enjoy our PM waffling away though to be honest he was faced with some very tough questions..........some good news for some.Nothing that helps us.

As for you Doodle you have brought me such pleasure by opening up the door to my own P.M`s.......I have now caught up with those dear ones whom have been wondering so much where I have been hiding!!!
I am full of questions and I beg you to dismiss any that you might find intrusive..........I just wonder if you have a river view from your flat?

The expected rain has still not arrived,it has remained a fine dampness for this day.
I am looking forward to my night cap,topped up with some spirits of your choice I think.......so night night and sweet dreams to you all.
Aiming for an early night!!

That is wonderful news Marydoll. I am sure they will take every precaution and the new medication will make you feel so much better.

We went out for a drive today to boost the car battery. Things felt almost normal except no stop for coffee or lunch!

That's great news Marydoll

Oh marydoll that is such good news. So pleased for you. Hope all goes well and the treatment is successful.?

Marydoll that is excellent news and faster than we expected. Yay!!

A short stay in hospital will be do-able especially if the meds can be monitored.

I found the stats for the various areas. Our county is 11h worst for the entire UK and second only to Dundee in Scotland.
The worst were some of the Welsh counties. (sorry you lovely Welsh cellmates)
www.theguardian.com/world/2020/jun/10/coronavirus-uk-map-the-latest-deaths-and-confirmed-covid-19-cases

We were a big coal mining area so I daresay it's a hangover from that.

Good morning gang,

Bradfordlass, thanks for the link.
I'm desperate to find out specific numbers in my own area, but all the figures are a total for Greater Glasgow Health Board, which is vast.
The Covid tracker doesn't seem to be working, either.

I'm just popping in for a minute with some good news. It's been such a busy morning and my job as a virtual schoolteacher is very onerous.

I will be back later to catch up.

I have just had some goods news, which has lifted my spirits.

My lovely ex consultant has just phoned.
After much discussion with others in the the RA dept, they are trying to find a slot to get me into hospital in the next few weeks to start my treatment.

It will be risky, but they will pull out all the stops to keep me safe in a single room, where they will be able to monitor me for any allergic reactions.

It is risky, but it is even riskier, me being on steroids, due to Covid.

The downside is that I will be shielding even longer, but hey ho, life may improve!
Take care and thank you for all your lovely support. ?

Morning all.
dragonfly my DH takes lots of meds. He is very meticulous. He stores them in the bedroom but carries them to the kitchen morning and night so he can use the scales to measure doses and he cuts all the excess foil off the packets!
Marydoll I will look up the changes thank you. I know it’s Scotland but I am interested to see what the differences are.
grammaretto we like lasagne too but DH prefers the ones I make as they have been perfected over the years to the exact blend of sauce and pasta that he likes. ? I wonder what your delivery girl’s son will make with his clay. Depending on age it could be an animal or a pot or bowl of some kind. I bet he will enjoy it ? A knitted scarf for your DIL sounds a nice idea. What colour will it be?
As for your description of us as pirates I am indeed looking a bit bedraggled. No chance of a haircut for a while.
bradfordlass like others on here, if I found that in my bed I wouldn’t sleep for a week ? So glad the restrictions have lifted so you can go to your friend’s funeral. Nice that you have someone to go with.
Hello Iam hope you are ok. That little wetta looked mighty big to me too.
panache so glad you have now been able to view your messages and realise that you have not been forgotten or ignored.? My DH gets up many times at night too but I think you must hold the record!
I’m sure you will remember anyway but just in case, don’t forget to sanitise the steering wheel and handles etc when you get your car back from the garage. I can’t see that a little trip in your own car somewhere quiet will do you any harm but I can understand MrP being a bit worried about going out. Hope you get to see the sea soon. I’m sure it will do you both good.
cherry and dragonfly hope you are both had a good night.
Take care everyone and have a good day.

A hasty good morning gang and fear not I have no energy for any more long scribes!!!

Just so pleased and happy that through our Doodle`s help I have full access to my mail bag and that will keep me busy for today!!!
You have created yet another haven within these walls and as you can see we are all in unison when thanking you.

After a fairly decent sleep punctuated with my usual 90 minute loo calls throughout............yes you have not misread!!!.........everyone gasps in disbelief,even the GP but it is very true and a real nuisance.However where once I failed to getting back to sleep after the first or second call,I did sleep last night so very pleased with myself.

We both have the task of walking over to our car park this morning to de clutter our car because tomorrow the men from our Garage has arranged to collect same,replace a light and give it a service,hopefully returning it on Friday...........and then the call of the sea may well be met!!

My dear man though is deeply worried even now about going out into any public spaces so I shall not push,just gently help him to see we should be safe within our own car.
We shall see,the jury awaits!!!

We have a damp morning,not raining as such yet but certainly it will follow so the earlier we get our chore done the better.

I don`t know about you shielded ladies and your man Doodle but the bathroom gets booked for quite a period every morning ..........he is simply so slow,yet very determined that he copes with his own ablutions,whilst very particular about his looks..........with both of us turning a blind eye to our flowing locks which really are completely out of control!!
He looks amazingly well for his age and all he has been through these past 2 years actually.He has fared far better than myself ............however I too will not halt making the best I can of myself!!

Shall be back at some point to catch up with you lovely lot,keep smiling,keep hopeful and above all Keep Safe!

Oh My BradfordLass, I'd come back to Bradford if the choice was living in the rainy north east, whoops, sorry, god's own county, or getting into bed with a little wetta!
Will you be able to go to the funeral
Keep dry and warm everyone x

Ahoy there me hearties!
I am talking to you as fellow pirates because I am sure you all look as though you have been at sea for many months. (apart from Marydoll who dressed for her photo shoot!)

That is some big grasshopper Bradfordlass I am not sure I would react so calmly if I came across anything that size in bed with me.

We just heard your NZ professor Michael Baker on the BBC explaining how NZ dealt with the covid virus by following the Asian model rather than the Western one. Because it worked.
He said it wasn't too late to do the same here but that there is no point in quarantining if you don't also have lockdown and tracing.
We are still treating this as though it was flu and it isn't.

I am about to begin knitting a scarf today for my NZ DiL. Her birthday card has just arrived a month late but it may still be cold enough for a woolly when this arrives.

.

Marydol This site may help:
www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-52009463

Doodle thanks so much for helping dear Dreamkeeper to access PMs. Looks like there was quite a sackful waiting

Finally heard Micki's funeral is on Saturday. Her neighbour is coming to collect me.

Putting on my clean nightie last night, felt a pinprick. Couldn't imagine how a pin had got in there but fossicked around near my armpit and pulled out a little weta. Poor thing, it was only about 3 inches long and doubtless far more frightened than I.

I have a UK friend who has a business which helps find digs in private homes, for theatre people.
She's a stage manager and knows not all actors and stage personelle can afford hotels. PM me if you know anyone interested.

No rain today and currently 16º C Got all my laundry out.

Grammaretto It does get cold where I live; average winter temps around 7 C degrees but has been known to go down to -3. In 2016, we even had 2" of snow. It didn't last.

A leaflet for Age Concern, help line, dropped through the letterbox today.
I may try ringing it. Nothing like being pushed into old age before you feel ready.

I may have some of your soporific hot choc. Doodle
Our delivery girl brought us a delicious lasagne which we had tonight and she brought us some pumpkin seedlings.
I asked if she wanted anything. I'm giving her some clay for her son. (to make into something)

Goodnight all you lovely people. Sleep well.

Doodle, Nicola S said yesterday, they were reviewing it and that some people, who are shielding, may no longer be deemed as needing to shield.

I will need to get my previous shielding letter and compare it with the new document, published yesterday.
I expect to get my new shielding letter tomorrow.

NS said that in the next fortnight, they hope to advise the shielders of the different levels of risk and what conditions remain the most risky.

New research has shown that some conditions are not as vulnerable, as previously thought.

I'm off to bed and haven't prepared tomorrow's maths.?
You may have to talk among yourselves.

Love that your WP reminds you to take meds Cherry. I have an app on my phone as I have to take different tablets 4 times a day. My phone rattles at me like a pill box and drives my poor DH mad!

Sleep well everyone and Cherry I hope you have an undisturbed night.

marydoll I wonder what conditions they are taking out of the shielded list. I assume that implies that some of the shielded people are more vulnerable than others. DH is still on the list too. Ah I see a new role for you and missedout . You can take over as emergency dentists until the real ones open again. With the practice you are getting you may apply for jobs filling in the pot holes in the roads in winter too ?
mamissimo you made me chuckle with your description of why your DHs car needs new suspension ?. Hope it doesn’t cost too much. I have attended a virtual service and found it very moving. Not at all what I expected. Hope your BILs funeral goes as well as these things can.
I would put the dog in the greenhouse if I were you. They keep mentioning greenhouse gasses, perhaps that’s where they come from ?
cherry like you, I find the day goes by so quickly. Glad you enjoyed your quiz. I have just been trying to do some painting by lamplight as I didn’t manage to get any done during the day.
Your comments to panache are spot on and you express it much better that I can. That is right. People should get their treatment, tests and monitoring and without having to fight for it too.
My DH sends his best wishes to all the gang. With him being the shielded one he empathises with you (having written that I’m not sure it’s correct but you know what I mean. I have spent too long in Miss Dolls maths class. I don’t know what I’m talking about any more ?)
Sleep well all.

Evening gang, I can't believe where the time has gone to today. I was awake til 3am but woke up at a reasonable time - 8am after a good sleep in the end and now it's evening again. My body clock is gone to pot (like my figure).

I have had quite a busy day not doing very much, in comparison to recent weeks of not being busy and not doing very much ?. I spent the morning finishing the cleaning I got distracted from yesterday because the weather was gorgeous and beckoned me into the garden. I had my usual group quiz, a light lunch followed by messages to and from a friend and then the phone rang, a short call from the epilepsy support worker. My order from the local butcher arrived and then it was time to do dinner. I had a quick read of all your messages, posted quicky, finished cooking with my WP, ate dinner and that's it! Like I say, not done very much - so can anyone tell me where the day went?

Dreamkeeper, are you suggesting I'm long winded - that hasn't been said to me once before now ?. Many times yes.
Yes, you're right I wasn't a psychiatric nurse for long, 5 years including the training. I think I was too young to cope with the incident (life threatening) that occurred.

Your post earlier today was a difficult read as your sadness and anger was so evident. It made me angry too, why oh why are we made to fight for what we should be receiving, why are you made to. The way I see it is that anyone who who is meant to be receiving ongoing treatment, testing and monitoring should receive without hunting it down and dare I say begging for it. I think the NHS is amazing but that's not to say it's faultless. This virus is leeching from all ongoing services and whilst obviously it is imperative it is dealt with I think it has truly exposed its limitations. Please take care, you, and Mr Dream, are worthy of so much better.

What an unbelievable (though clearly true) farce you have been put through BradfordLass, are you sure they were sharing a whole brain cell. On an infinitely happier note, it's wonderful that you have seen your son and shared such a lovely time together with a hug too! That's one you won't forget ?.

Marydoll, there really isn't any need to thank me it's what I feel but I'll accept it graciously as I think you are a star.

I haven't checked out your link yet Grammaretto but I will - your community shop sounds interesting and obviously is to receive it's (and your) "claim to fame" ?

Sorry to hear that your appointment has been put back a week Missedout. I hope it's not too long before it comes round.

Doodle you are a one in a million star for creating this thread. It means a lot to all of us you know.

Oh well, my WP is reminding me it's time to take my meds now. Where or where has today gone? Can anyone tell me?

Take care lockdown gang. Sleep well ?

Hello everyone - and congratulations to panache for finding her PMs, to Doodle who restored my reputation by doing that, and to Dragonfly for having a good result.

I have to confess that I slept for eight hours straight through last night with no bathroom trips! Haven’t done that for over 4 years ? The infusion I have at the hospital makes me utterly dopey but DH thinks no one could tell the difference.

I drove today for the first time since Febrauary and I can still do it! DH’s plaything was booked in for an MOT, service and expensive tinkering so I followed him to the garage about 20 miles away and drove him home. As we arrived home the garage rang with the bad news that it needs new suspension on the drivers side.....I am putting him on lean rations immediately as I reckon his love of pasties made it break?

It’s my BiL’s funeral tomorrow. DH and DS are going but I will follow the service by the streaming link. It will be a strange and surreal experience.

The elderly dog is asleep on my feet....and she has wind ? so I think I’ll go and shut the greenhouse for the night.

Sleep tight

Grammaretto, the Scottish Govt. shielding list of conditions was updated yesterday. It looks as if some of the previous conditions have been removed.

www.gov.scot/publications/covid-shielding/pages/highest-risk-classification/

B****r it, I still fit into two categories! . Nae luck at a'!!!!

Panache, glad to see you are now cooking on gas and getting your PMs. Well done Doodle.

Missed Out, what a worry concerning your credit card being blocked.
After reading your post, I have ordered a temporary filling kit for DH. His filling fell out yesterday, eating the bruschetta I made as a treat for lunch for him. . So it's all my fault!! He thinks he may need a crown!

I shall see you all tomorrow. DD is hassling me to look at caterers to get her postponed wedding plans back on track.

Night, all. ?