[jezza]

Hello Yorkshires tier2 yet a coach load of ignoramuses from Liverpool  Tier3  visited the Designer centre at York on 5 December  jezza

[John]

As expected, Wales is getting tighter rules for Christmas and lockdown after. It seems a little unfair to make areas like ours with very low rates suffer as the places with really high rates but it wouldn't take long for our rates to shoot up so probably for the best.
We were going to have a meal with our neighbours on the Monday after but it's against the new rules. Plan now is to cook the meal and send them a take-out
We're about the only people they interact with but at least we can do something so they don't feel isolated.

[Aunt Sally]

What a great idea, John 

[John]

They're vegetarians which is fine, after the feast it's good to have a meatless meal. For some strange reason, Harrison tradition is that I prepare it. I'll miss them though. In the summer we often had a meet up outside on the patio but that's hardly feasible at this time of year.
Turns out that the infection report for last week was 50% down due to systems maintenance. The figures in some areas down south are even more awful than we thought. Over 1,000 cases per 100,000 in Merthyr! Hardly surprising when you read about 2 pubs being closed for ignoring the rules.
https://www.walesonline.co.uk/whats-on/whats-on-news/merthyr-coronavirus-pubs-closed-lockdown-19456473
Still, first year here we were snowed in, the sprog was snowed in with frozen pipes 200 miles away. We could hardly keep the house warm as it was -15ºC at points outside and the oven was broken. Actually it was a lovely Christmas! Pictures from 2010

[al78]

al78 - I agree with much of what you say but the problem seems to be people not obeying the rules so a lockdown is not going to help unless it's enforced. I was disgusted by a chief constable on the news a while back saying how it wasn't up to the police to knock on people's doors on Christmas day to enforce the law.
Personally I'd suggest he would be better on the dole.

You seem to be advocating a police state. REALLY? You'd be happy to have the police knocking on your door and questioning you? That is a very dangerous road to go down, this is the UK not North Korea. That is aside from the fact that given the millions of households in the country, where do you get all these police officers to check up on everyone? Sorry but I really don't think extremism is a solution and I will always oppose extremism.

[Aunt Sally]

It would be nice if more people thought about others rather than their own desires.  It might make them feel like following the scientific advice rather that their own selfish needs.

But that’s not human nature I’m afraid.  Our selfish, aggressive nature is what made us the supreme animal on the planet.

Having said that though, I do believe that the vast majority of people are doing their best to slow this virus down.

[John]

So, the police won't enforce the law and you think that's good al78. Hope you remember that when you can't get treatment in hospital because its full. You can exclaim as you die in the car park "I die free and moderate!"

[jezza]

Hello some people I know who were in Tier3 London came to Yorkshire Thursday they're travelling back Monday they have to isolate because their lodger in London was at work with someone who had covid symptoms, some others have gone to a wedding in the Lake district    jezza

[John]

The only way we'll get through this is people obeying spirit of the rules - never mind what you are allowed to do, it's what you should do. We're lucky in that we live in an area where it's been very low but it doesn't take many selfish idiots to spread it around and put us in a high area.
It's about time that breaking the covid rules is as acceptable as driving drunk.

[Growster...]

Our elder daughter was chatting with us only last night about this. She lives just a few miles away, but has been working from home all this time, and as she's in a business which is nearly all tech/internet stuff, it suits her well, thank goodness!

But she's also taking all these new tier 4 regs very seriously, her bubble is with her nieces and they would certainly be super-carriers, sadly! So for the first time ever, she's calling round a few days before Christmas, and will stand in the path, bin liner of presents in hand, wave, laugh etc, and we'll do the same - with gloves etc. They'll go in the shed for safe keeping.

They're her rules, and we're so grateful. We've got this far after a rotten year for so many good citizens, and if some sort of normality gets going by Easter, we'll have won out, but not without a lot of anguish! Our parents' had to go through far worse in 1940...

[mumofstig]

Same here Growster with my daughter working from home for 111 and the grandchildren being teenagers - there'll be no hugs and kisses from them.  I've told Stig it's not worth the drive down from Sheppey just for him to stand outside for a few minutes and hand over a parcel or 2 
Hopefully as Dame Vera sang  "We'll meet again, don't know where, don't no when.."

Better safe than sorry is my family motto right now!

[New shoot]

I think a lot of people are postponing their celebrations until Easter or beyond.

The one silver lining is that we will all really appreciate that day when it comes, so it will be even better than Christmas 

The vaccine is coming, so if you love or care for someone, keeping them safe is the top priority for the next few months. It is not worth throwing away nearly a year of being careful over one day.

[Yorkie]

I've just bought some butcher's pigs in blankets, and local mince pies, and they're in the freezer ready for the postponed Christmas, whenever that is.  Mum's got the lemon tart and beef joint in her freezer.  Even if it's high June, we'll have Christmas!!

[mrs bouquet]

I think I heard Professor Whitty say last night, that they have now lost control of this new mutation.  The quoted figures are horrific.
But, regarding Christmas,  lots of folk I know are grumbling about their Christmas plans (many of which I thought were ambitious !), who in previous years, have said, how much they dislike it all, all the upheaval, and commercialistion, children dictating what they want, et etc.   Ah well.  Mrs Bouquet  (shrugs shoulders in a hopeless gesture)