Diary < Saturday 25 April

[Pheno]

I am quite sure you can make cakes for the neighbours.  Just leave them on the doorstep in a container and ring the bell and walk away and the neighbour can take them in.

We had a home baked cake sent via Royal Mail a couple of weeks ago - no problem.

Pheno

[california dreamin]

I don't think dropping off a cake is the issue.  Some people are pretty strict with the items they buy or receive because the virus can live on different 'surfaces' for varying amounts of time.  Some wash or 'anti bac' the items - some isolate their shopping so  I think the cake might have to be in quarantine for up to 72 hours.

Also, just wanted to add to Roobarb's query about people missing like RTL - we've not heard from Trystan for sometime... hope all well!

[Roobarb]

Trystan has been online this afternoon, maybe just not contributing to this particular thread.

[andrewalston]

Where I live is much better than most have to suffer for isolation. We are on the edge of town, close to a Country Park. It's a large plot of land - there are three trees of over 50 feet between the house and the road. I don't know if I could stand being stuck in a tower block.

Got a couple of jobs done yesterday.

First was to take my mum to hospital to have the dressing on her leg changed. It seems they were pleased to see her. The wound is improving, and they are always happy to share good news.

While there, she enquired about the numbers of CV admissions. Their CV ward has plenty of patients, but none of them are local; all shipped in from the city 11 miles away who hog all the funding. Lots of terrace housing there, but the main cause of spread there appears to be a predominance of large families. In our own town, social distancing appears to be working.

Being 92, my mum is in a vulnerable group. Any excuse to see something away from home is welcome, so I take a different route home.

Decent carrot & pepper soup for lunch. I enjoy making soup and the freezer has a drawer reserved for it - currently 6 different flavours to choose from.

In the afternoon I got around to servicing the lawnmower. It got a good clean too, and I treated the rust spots underneath. Then I removed the dead battery for the electric start. I took the lid off it and refilled with proper water. Ten minutes on the battery charger and it was showing over 12V again. Lid glued back down again and refitted to mower. It started! So much for "no user-servicable parts inside". Cut some grass - not all, as the woman next door works shifts for 111, and her bedroom curtains were closed.

Felt good about the battery - a new one is about £20, and Morrisons only charged £1.50 for 2.5l of water. Topped up the battery in the burglar alarm while I was on a roll. It wasn't dead, but will now last longer.

Sat outside for a while watching YouTube videos, mostly about repairing lawnmowers.

Didn't feel like eating the other half of the chicken casserole from Friday as the weather was too warm. Ended up with one of my mum's favourites - tinned pears, cream and a couple of slices of bread and butter. Canned fruit was a luxury in her ration-era youth. Pineapple Chunks were the only sort to be found until after she was married.

Telly was rubbish, just like every other Saturday evening, so watched a couple of Repair Shop episodes. Feel Good telly at its best!

[louisa maud]

I am begining to really dislike the summer months, I would like to sit in the garden with a book, no chance, next door is out in  full force with radio blaring, all adults, my husband is just recovering from pneumonia and has just asked if I would go with him for a walk, we have walked around  the block plus and no one else in the neighbourhood has any music, in fact you can hear a pin drop except for chatter in the garden, one couple who share a drive is sitting  the allowed distance apart having  a chat, they waved and we all laughed, why are people so unsociable,?,  I am not confrontational in any way, if I was I would be knocking at their door, and so they get away  with it, would they like  it if their parents lived next door to such an unsociable lot. I know they will be put there till dusk now

Louisa Maud

[Pheno]

I don't think dropping off a cake is the issue.  Some people are pretty strict with the items they buy or receive because the virus can live on different 'surfaces' for varying amounts of time.  Some wash or 'anti bac' the items - some isolate their shopping so  I think the cake might have to be in quarantine for up to 72 hours.

But quarantining things, for those that do, is surely because you don't know who might have handled it in its journey to the supermarket?  A home made cake, by someone who does not have coronavirus, and has self isolated for longer than the 14 days, is surely not in the same category. 

I can't see us ever getting out of this situation if people are so panicky about things.

Pheno

[pharmaT]

I don't think dropping off a cake is the issue.  Some people are pretty strict with the items they buy or receive because the virus can live on different 'surfaces' for varying amounts of time.  Some wash or 'anti bac' the items - some isolate their shopping so  I think the cake might have to be in quarantine for up to 72 hours.

But quarantining things, for those that do, is surely because you don't know who might have handled it in its journey to the supermarket?  A home made cake, by someone who does not have coronavirus, and has self isolated for longer than the 14 days, is surely not in the same category. 

I can't see us ever getting out of this situation if people are so panicky about things.

Pheno

I have always been obsessive to the point of me wondering if I have OCD.  All this has made me worse.  I try and quarantine shopping that can be quarantined and stuff that has to go in the fridge and freezer is cleaned before putting it away.  Last shop I did I washed my hands 27 times during the process.  Then yesterday at work we had a couple of bags of sweets.  I didn't take any and I have a very sweet tooth, the reason being I could not be 100% certain that everyone had washed their hands before putting their hands in the bag.

[Roobarb]

Louisa Maud, have you spoken to your neighbours at all about the music? If not, perhaps they think it doesn't bother you. You don't have to be confrontational, you could maybe just go round and say do you think you could turn the music down a bit? You could perhaps add that your husband isn't in good health or make a joke about not being so young any more. I do know what you mean, my neighbour had the music on rather loud the other day when he was working outside, it was getting on my nerves because I like peace in the garden too. I didn't say anything because they've been so kind to me in other ways, I think he just gets carried away when his wife isn't monitoring it!
 

PharmaT, I'm obsessive about washing the shopping too, and any mail that comes is put in a paper bag in the garage for a few days, even after washing any wrappers that I can.

[Viktoria]

Well as the spread of this virus is still not absolutely clear,personaly I err  on the side of caution.
I have not sent birthday cards or presents to my sister, son, friend,nor will I to G.Grandson for his fourth birthday.
Ansolutely incensed this afternoon,neighbours had visitors to their garden .
All sat at the pic nic table !
Just down the road a near neighbour who had  a big birthday party a few days ago,was chatting to his next door neighbour over the shared fence, not two feet between them, then he moved to his car and chatted at close quarters  to a passer by ,who spoke to me yesterday indignant that he had seen two people walking up the road side by side with their dogs and they were not partners!
I moved from him as he himself did not know how far two metres were!
What is wrong with people?
Two men chatting at the open back of a van. One walked away ,so not working together but again not 28” apart let alone 2m.
Ah well.
My chicken breast roast was not the best,from Morrison’s,Son got it and left it at the door.I am assuming it was all he could get,but very garlicky and an odd mixture of spices ,was not keen and still got three quarters to wade
through,it was  a very small one .
Did gate and sowed some wild flower seeds I had saved but mislaid - found them in the shed with the weed killer etc..Might germinate this year.
Nice sunny afternoon but a stiff cool breeze.
Cheerio folks .
Viktoria.