COVID19 - How it's affecting you

Oh. And, drat, I've just seen that the latest studies show Covid can last up to 3 hours on cardboard. So I would assume that would include paper as well.  Be sure to wash your hands, etc., before handling anything you're putting through a letterbox.

I've been kicking all of my mail into a corner and leaving it there for a few days before dealing with it! Luckily much, much less mail coming in now than in the visa days.
But yes, everything coming in, treat as contaminated.

I hear that Vera Lynn (102 years young) is releasing a version of her war time hit with money going to the elderly, it will be called “There’ll be loo rolls over the white cliffs of Dover” *








*this a joke

Kod. Good to hear.

Am still, as with Jimbo, concerned that there's a lot of "feel good" going around. Which tends to happen in disaster situations. People want to feel like they have some control in life. Doing anything at all can sometimes help with that. So if a daisy-chain of feel-good on the internet is what works, great. It does no harm. If people actually DO go help others, that's even better.    As long as they keep doing it when the going gets rough.

Searching on Google. Hmmm. Hard to do if you're not online and the library is closed.    I would really like to see a mass-mailing go out, myself. Giving a pre-stamped return mail card or a phone number to call to be put on a "help" list.

I have seen a much larger number of elderly people walking in the general direction of the shops from farther out than I usually see. (I'm turning into the worst kind of curtain-twitcher (??), as I can see down to the main road from my living room window and am pretty much stuck looking out it all day.) Some of these people are with canes and walking very slowly, and return some time later with their one shopping bag. I would imagine they usually take the bus but are now afraid to do so. They might not want to take "charity" from people they barely know. Or they might not have anyone to help them, or who has offered to help them. Hard to say. Or maybe they feel well enough and want to get the chance to get out of the house, even if it entails a very long walk.  I live in a relatively affluent pocket that's in the  middle of areas that are obviously much less well off. It's a serious schlep to the big grocery stores from some of them, on foot. Our corner shop  is closing for good tomorrow. We went by a few others earlier this week that were also closed and shuttered. So people on foot will have to go a bit farther to get groceries. I hope the weather mellows out for them - it was sleeting/snowing/raining (at the same time?!) again yesterday for a bit.   

Nan, the average age of a Facebook user is OVER 40.  It is not for the young, hip trendies.  That's Instagram, Snapchat, Tik Tok, etc.

I suspect if you joined Facebook, you'd quite like it.  It really helps keep you in touch with people all over the world.  And you can join your local community groups, I bet there is one for your block of flats. 

In the broader sense, my MIL who is 78 and has Non-Hodkins Lymphoma and bone marrow cancer, she has been contacted by social services and they are asking if she needs any support as she is required to self-isolate for the next 12 weeks.

She also has a wonderful church community who are bending over backwards for one another.

Chances are no one is going to come knocking on your door unless they have a relationship with you.  It's a bit like waiting for Mr. Right to come along, you have to put yourself out of there a little bit.

Of course, I am absolutely happy to help in any way I can.  Let me know if you need anything posted or just want a pen pal.  I meet with HR in 3 minutes.  I'm about to have a LOT of time on my hands!

I ordered disposable gloves on amazon for handling mail and packages and delivery when they start up again.

I appreciate the offer of a gift card, but right now we have the funds to buy things, just no one with stock where my husband can reach. Many people in my position are having to put their lives at risk to get staples because they relied on Ocado prior to this, and now can only buy a packet of meat if they're lucky to feed a family of 4. Because of the item restrictions people can't do shops for their neighbours. It's not ok. The CEO of the EDS Society is hospitalised with pneumonia due to Covid-19 right now. She lives in London which is the epicentre in the UK, but we have a huge spike in Hampshire and Surrey too so I don't trust the "3" in Bracknell Forest, since all the inpatient hospitals for us are there and West Berkshire. If I catch this I know my chances of survival are slim. So at this point being hungry for a few days/weeks while they sort the online delivery seems the better option than going out right now.

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In fairness, i can see your concerns completely, but i am seeing offers being taken up and people stating they are helping their neighbours or inquiring for help on behalf of neighbours/friends/family who need it so it's comforting to see it's not just a facade. Im sure there's a lot of people motivated by wanting their superhero badge but, at the end of the day, if they are helping i think the reason behind it is less important.



Ohhhh what's nextdoor?? Not heard of that app before...i dont know if im ready to lose faith in humanity again as i just started feeling positive about people




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  Trust me, it's horrible.  Like watching a car crash where the chavs get out and start punching each other.  You'll want to double the height of the fence in your back yard. 

I live close to a free range,  pasture raised egg farm and they are begging people to shop their honestly box for eggs because they get 10,000 eggs a day. They supply a lot of local producers so I'll be rolling in cheap protein.

Same here

Nan, the average age of a Facebook user is OVER 40.  It is not for the young, hip trendies.  That's Instagram, Snapchat, Tik Tok, etc.

I suspect if you joined Facebook, you'd quite like it.  It really helps keep you in touch with people all over the world.  And you can join your local community groups, I bet there is one for your block of flats. 

In the broader sense, my MIL who is 78 and has Non-Hodkins Lymphoma and bone marrow cancer, she has been contacted by social services and they are asking if she needs any support as she is required to self-isolate for the next 12 weeks.

She also has a wonderful church community who are bending over backwards for one another.

Chances are no one is going to come knocking on your door unless they have a relationship with you.  It's a bit like waiting for Mr. Right to come along, you have to put yourself out of there a little bit.

Of course, I am absolutely happy to help in any way I can.  Let me know if you need anything posted or just want a pen pal.  I meet with HR in 3 minutes.  I'm about to have a LOT of time on my hands!

Ohhhh noooooo!!!!!! Not HR! I'm so sorry to hear that.   

We are fine. We don't need anything, thankfully (other than tylenol, and we're working on that). We are used to taking care of ourselves and, so far, are still in a position to do that. We had a support system, but with the Uni closed and everyone scattered back to their parts of the universe, it's kind of evaporated now. Aside from my long-distance one.

SO glad to hear Social Services contacted your mother. That is the kind of thing I would hope to see. And that she has a church group.  I was really surprised to see the massive lack of church stuff when we moved here, as compared to the States. It's really a VERY different culture. When we lived in the South (USA) one was almost socially defined by what "church home" they belonged to, and it was very rare to run across anyone who didn't have such an affiliation. Here  it seems to be almost completely the opposite. So I'm glad to hear that the social net that provides isn't entirely gone, everywhere!

I tried Facebook for a bit, last year. I found it incoherent, rambling (even more than me), massively full of misinformation, and kind of mindless. The Daughter is violently opposed to it because it apparently invades your privacy, sells your information, and is run by someone inherently evil who is making money off of manipulating you and your being on it. (I think I got all the points there.)  And yeah, I know FaceBook tends to be full of grannies. (Who can afford internet.) The Daughter has pointed that out to me many times.   

There are times I really miss the days when the Internet was populated pretty much only by scientists and academics, and where there was a code of conduct one adhered to when posting, and a level of general competence. But those days are long, long, long gone now.
I believe that some of the old hardliners have gone back to an alternate (completely un-commercial) internet, and may see about getting back there again. (Yeah, I know, that makes me sound like a snob who's putting everyone else down. Which it's not meant to do.)

As it is, I exchange emails almost daily with people all over the world. And for some who I know don't go online I exchange written letters (when my hand works well enough to master my old cartridge pen)  via the postal  mail. It's always nice to get a written letter in the post. And when you are writing a letter you take a lot more time and care in composing what you write, as opposed to just a knee-jerk quick reaction online. BBS like this one are nice to be able to chat back and forth with people, of course, but nothing like writing and getting a well-written, thoughtful letter. 

Would be happy to add you to my email or snailmail correspondence list, if you get tremendously bored.

Good on you Nan.  Your daughter is absolutely correct in everything she thinks about Facebook.  It would be difficult to name a company that has been responsible for such much evil in this world.  Never forget that Facebook is the reason we have Donald Trump and Brexit.  What's App is owned by FaceBook so you are right to stay away from that as well. 

KFDancer, good luck with HR!  Make them suffer.

She's a good kid. I'm letting her "do the driving" a lot more as she's really quick on the uptake with everything.

It's nice to be able to relax and not have to be "on duty" 24/7 anymore. 

I ordered disposable gloves on amazon for handling mail and packages and delivery when they start up again.

I appreciate the offer of a gift card, but right now we have the funds to buy things, just no one with stock where my husband can reach. Many people in my position are having to put their lives at risk to get staples because they relied on Ocado prior to this, and now can only buy a packet of meat if they're lucky to feed a family of 4. Because of the item restrictions people can't do shops for their neighbours. It's not ok. The CEO of the EDS Society is hospitalised with pneumonia due to Covid-19 right now. She lives in London which is the epicentre in the UK, but we have a huge spike in Hampshire and Surrey too so I don't trust the "3" in Bracknell Forest, since all the inpatient hospitals for us are there and West Berkshire. If I catch this I know my chances of survival are slim. So at this point being hungry for a few days/weeks while they sort the online delivery seems the better option than going out right now.

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Margo, I just ordered from my online butcher (Campbells). I also spoke to them on the phone and they have plenty of stock. When I was checking out they said they could deliver this Saturday (for an extra charge), but I went with the "deliver on the 31st for £5 delivery charge" because because I don't need it right away. They also had what looks like egg noodles in stock, so I ordered some of those as well. I hope they are good! And potato gnocci (sp?). They had chicken breasts on sale, too. And they stock liquid eggs in institutional quantities. They ship to England.

https://www.campbellsmeat.com/

Wow, thanks for the kind words everyone - that's so kind and you are all amazing!   

I finally got clarification yesterday about continuing to work as an employee with relevant underlying health conditions.  The NHS-specific guidelines are different from the rest of the UK in order to keep as much of the NHS running as possible (understandably).  In a nutshell, if you have a job where you can work from home, you should work from home.  If you have a job where it is impossible to work from home, if you aren't poorly or showing respiratory symptoms, you are being asked to please continue working if you are providing an essential service.  In this instance, you will be supported to help keep you as safe as possible while you continue to commute and work.  Even with adjustments, if you still feel it isn't safe for you, you can discuss your specific case with your line manager and try and work out an alternate arrangement that is suitable for both.

I've discussed my situation with my manager, and we've agreed on some adjustments so I can continue to commute into work and do my job - but with extra social distancing measures.  Also, we expect my conditions (usually well-controlled) to flare up more often now due to the increased stress, so we've made allowances to permit me to have more opportunities to take care of my physical and mental health (e.g. extra breaks during the day).  And of course, if I get even the tiniest feeling of starting to become unwell for any reason - going home and staying at home.  As this is an evolving situation, I can request a review of my situation at any time to change adjustments or request special leave.  If I am at a point where I feel I cannot safely continue working, they will endeavor to find something I *can* work on at home.  I must say, I feel exceptionally supported during this time.

So, all in all, I feel much more confident about continuing to work.  DH isn't particularly happy about it as he feels that I'm risking getting the virus every time I leave the flat - and I can see his point of view and agree on one level - but on another level, other diseases won't just thoughtfully pause their progression just because COVID19 is taking over everything else. 

In the specialty I work in, I've already seen patients suffer from the knock-on effects of the pandemic's disruption.  Yesterday, I was pleading to courier companies to try and arrange a shipment of specialized medical supplies to a pediatric patient abroad.  And then I had to send an email to my colleagues abroad informing them that the medical supplies will not be arriving due to the courier not being able to sustain international shipments due to rapidly evolving travel restrictions.  And there are no exceptions, not even for medical supplies.  Sadly, I expect more of this to be coming.    But it's made me more determined and slightly angry in a weird sort of way.  COVID19 is already causing the deaths of many before their time, and disabling many others - and it's trying to sink its claws into vulnerable patients and people everywhere.  And GD it, I'm not going to let it win.  Until I'm not able to stand, I'm going to fight this SOB. 

We're all in this together, and we've got this.   

  << virtual hug, remember to practice social distancing! 

I meet with HR in 3 minutes.  I'm about to have a LOT of time on my hands!

  Give them hell.

SO glad to hear Social Services contacted your mother. That is the kind of thing I would hope to see.

^ Ditto

It's done.  And I have so much peace with it.

I have some ammunition which I may or may not decide to use at a later time.  The owners of the company think they are above the law and I may make sure they not.  But we will see how I feel in a month or so....  after I get my money.   

In my role, I have a lovely golden parachute.  Even though I work for scumbags I know better than to have a contract that doesn't have a golden parachute.

My to do list so far while I'm stuck at home:
1.  Unsubscribe from all the junk email lists
2.  Go through my photos and delete lots (for example 50 shot of lunch - don't worry I don't actually photo my food - can be reduced to 1 photo)
3.  Load old photos from my laptop onto my icloud.  I've had a digital camera since 1998 so lots of pics.  I'd love to have them all saved in the cloud and safe and secure.

From there it moves onto things around the house.