Covid - 19

[Sorastro]

Alas there are certain members of society that have to be told what to do every step of the way.
Having said that social distancing in certain circumstances can be very difficult. We will be catching the bus to town shortly, and passing someone walking through town and trying to keep your distance is very difficult, especially when they go to the trouble of only letting so many into a shop at one time and standing apart at checkouts but what about walking up and down the isles.
This can lead to frustration as last time we went into Tesco's in town we walked past a lady to get some veg, she politely coughed and pointed to an old lady picking the same veg saying she was waiting for the old lady to move away so she could get some so we tagged on behind. After standing there for what seemed an age the old lady was "faffing" around so the other woman just went and picked up the veg just out of sheer frustration. I tried waiting my turn for milk, same thing, another old woman deciding she wanted to read the label on the bottle so I did the same and got some milk, it's the same with most things it looks alright on paper.

As I've said if they relax the rules on lockdown I for one won't throw myself back into the fray, I and my wife will ease into it gently as obviously being pensioners we have the time to do that. 

[Sorastro]

Watched Matt Hancock on Question time last night {8p.m.-9p.m.} and they got on about the logistical challenge of getting a warehouse full of P.P.E. equipment out to the front line staff and he said it was basically in the hands of the army {obviously logistical corp.}
He mentioned the man in charge, Brigadier Phil Prosser.
I know nothing about the man except he is {apparently} very good at what the army asks him to do, moving tanks from Turkey to Timbuktu, saluting marching squaddies, shifting ammunition that sort of thing, but I personally think this job requires at bit more expertise  and manpower that the army can't provide, as the army only thinks 2 dimensionally.

It's common sense, you don't need a Brigadier, these delivery companies cover at least 95% of the country DAILY, the army can't.

So....Matt Hancock has now passed the logistics baton onto Lord Paul Deighton, obviously Colonel Blimp couldn't cut the mustard.
Deighton's claim to fame is that he was Chief Executive of the committee organising the 2012 white elephant...sorry Olympics.
Apparently his {sole} role was organising security for the Olympics. Not a small task, this is probably why he managed to mess it up to such a degree that at the eleventh hour the army was drafted in to take over, and that was with a preparation period of over six years.
Hands up all those who are now reassured!!

[Alsatian]

Our shopping was delivered today and the driver said that the roads were rammed! Idiots!

My fear is that if/when Boris starts to ease the restrictions, whatever criteria he sets (eg younger people) many mindless idiots will take it as carte blanch for them to go out willy nilly.

It annoys me when they're showing the graphs on the daily briefing programme, that they seem to make light of the fact that motor vehicle usage is constantly going up. Grow a pair and mete out the applicable punishment, as idiots such as them are endangering all our lives. We haven't been out for 7 weeks and, whilst it's not been a picnic (pun intended) it's done for the greater good of the nation.

Rant over!

[Sorastro]

You get those people in all walks of life. They just can't seem to get it into their noggins that this is a life or death situation.

There is talk of them starting to re open garden centres sometime within the next few days. This will most likely start a stampede to these places, 90% of those visiting will just be there to get out of the house, it will be like a day at the seaside to them, and if the centres follow guide lines the vast majority will be just sat in their cars all day waiting to get in and possibly the influx will mean they shut up shop for safety reasons as they won't be able to cope.

As I say it doesn't affect me and my missus all that much, as pensioners we can basically afford to ride it out irrespective of the length of quarantine.
But the thoughts of mindless imbeciles literally wrecking the last 7 weeks work just for the sake of a "trip out" meaning we have to start over again fills me with dread.

[Old Cruser]

We have Boris speaking tonight, just hope he doesn't jump too far with the current lockdown but from what is being said it's going to be slow.
Heyho have lost this years holidays apart from a September break which we are trying to transfer to next year but I'm not holding my breath!!!

[Sorastro]

Heyho have lost this years holidays apart from a September break which we are trying to transfer to next year but I'm not holding my breath!!!

We were due to go end of next week and have re booked for September, and they had the cheek to charge us more. It would appear that Sykes holiday cottages {we booked with} have tried this stunt with almost 90% of people ringing/E mailing in because of the pandemic, so much so they stopped answering the phones and decided to open a trustpilot post to gauge the feelings of their customers. The post had only been open two or three days when I put my post on and there were over a dozen pages then, I looked for my post about 5 days later and my post was on PAGE 70 and it's growing by the hour.

[Old Cruser]

We were due to go end of next week and have re booked for September, and they had the cheek to charge us more. It would appear that Sykes holiday cottages {we booked with} have tried this stunt with almost 90% of people ringing/E mailing in because of the pandemic, so much so they stopped answering the phones and decided to open a trustpilot post to gauge the feelings of their customers. The post had only been open two or three days when I put my post on and there were over a dozen pages then, I looked for my post about 5 days later and my post was on PAGE 70 and it's growing by the hour.

Our first break was in March, we booked the principle hotel for two nights and a trip on a steam train to scotland for hubbies 70th birthday. We pushed to boat out cost wise because of the occasion. The steam train no problems we can transfer to another date but the hotel we booked through trivago - never again!!! Couldn't get through their lines were dead !
The months cruise in November is fine we transfered the cruise to next year ( no way do we want to be a on a ship this year! )
September is skegvegas - a working week, we are waiting for government guidelines I was told by the holiday company Seriously can we see Ingoldmells up and running in September - even if it where I non of us want to go into a crowded market area or on the fair ground - so we may lose that deposit as Insurance finishes in May and we wouldn't be covered for the Covid on this insurance!
Big Sigh !

[Sorastro]

Thank you.  No we haven't, and our green bin was emptied again on April 22nd.

I sent an E mail to N.E.D.D.C. asking..........
A/ why they don't open refuse sites to avoid excessive fly tipping....... and
B/ Why was our green bin emptying suspended when others weren't?

The reply was the usual, thank's but we will do it our way basically we will open when it's safe and as for the bins the same, and to keep checking the website for updates.
This reply came on the 5th of May. I checked the website a few days later and found they are reinstating the green bin collections starting the 18th May, this info went onto their website on the 4th of May!! 
I still think it's a mistake not to open up the sites, having said that I saw pictures on t.v. of one site that opened somewhere and the queue of traffic to get in stretched as far as the eye could see.
Once again you could have figured out that was going to happen.

[Sorastro]

Was listening to the radio the other day concerning the governments {mis}handling of the pandemic. The independent speaker said obviously there would have to be an enquiry and these normally take place after the event, but as most enquiries take a lot to set up, usually a seemingly straightforward enquiry would take six to eight months to get up and running.
They said because of the severity of what we face the wheels should be set in motion NOW!
We are getting mixed messages from the government and it's so called experts. One may argue that some of the experts are being led by the government into giving misleading/wrong information whilst others are telling it like it is and being ignored.
They acknowledge that these are unusual times and that no one {yet} has a definitive answer, all the more reason to get this enquiry started now so any mistakes errors of judgement can be quickly discovered and rectified.

We may not be led by Donald {drink plenty of Domestos} Trump, but I firmly believe Boris Johnson is up there somewhere.

[Sorastro]

"Cummings and goings".........

Well once again opinions are like backsides...everybody got one. Should he or shouldn't he have gone, TWICE apparently.
My opinion on the matter is I don't have an opinion on the matter.

All I know from what I've seen of the bloke is I think he's a weasely  opportunist who has convinced Boris and {most} of the cabinet that he's indispensable. The p.m. it seems can't go to the bog without Cumming's say so.
 

[hifimad]

Ham Radio. It's times like this I'm glad I got my licence

73's M6YIF 

the real problem being 2m is dead in comparison to what it used to be and HF is boring.

[Old Cruser]

"Cummings and goings".........

Well once again opinions are like backsides...everybody got one. Should he or shouldn't he have gone, TWICE apparently.
My opinion on the matter is I don't have an opinion on the matter.

All I know from what I've seen of the bloke is I think he's a weasely  opportunist who has convinced Boris and {most} of the cabinet that he's indispensable. The p.m. it seems can't go to the bog without Cumming's say so.
 

Others, such as myself having a disabled daughter, have put contingency plans in place for the eventuality of this situation occurring, it's concerning that someone who is giving advice to our country couldn't also have thought this through prior to lockdown!

[Fly]

the real problem being 2m is dead in comparison to what it used to be and HF is boring.

Haven't you tried any digital modes, Dmr, Dstar, Fusion ?

[wollygobble]

All I know from what I've seen of the bloke is I think he's a weasely  opportunist who has convinced Boris and {most} of the cabinet that he's indispensable.

I think actually he IS indispensable.  Not because he's brilliant but because Boris is so useless as to be lost without him.  And a lost PM, in the middle of a national emergency, with a comfortable government majority and a general election nowhere near, is not something we need.

[Old Cruser]

I'm still staying in! No shopping for me!
The schools will have a hell of a job on when opening to accommodate more children!