The Untied Kingdom? - the British thread 2021

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  • I know people in their 60s who have been jabbed (several ladies in my yoga group). It's going at a pace.
    I was marking til 7.30pm. Just went and checked what time I was teaching tomorrow evening (essay writing skills and referencing) and it turns out to be 10am in the morning! Good job I checked - I hope my colleague realises too (I've emailed her). Suits me fine as I still have marking to do tomorrow and I can get more done in the afternoon if I'm not distracting by the impending tutorial.
    Husband made thai green chicken and veg curry with rice.
  • Penny SPenny S Shipmate
    edited February 11
    I had my first jab today - not very good signage. The location, if I hadn't known it, was not shown on the web site map clearly, and not easy to spot once inside the shop.The process was fine and I have no after effects from the Oxford AstraZeneca.
    We've been out taking pictures of cold things, especially a cluster of reeds by a pond by a road which had a huge puddle. The water from the puddle had been splashed over them and frozen like some strange architecture, weird and beautiful. We weren't the first to notice, we noticed a man taking his own photos, and stopped to add ours.
  • MooMoo Kerygmania Host
    MrsBeaky wrote: »
    Meanwhile Little Beaky (in Greater London) who is classified as extremely vulnerable and his family and carers are still waiting to find out about vaccines.

    My daughter, whose nine-year-old son has had a kidney transplant, tells me that so far none of the vaccines have been tested on children under twelve.

  • Wesley J wrote: »
    I've been invited for my vaccination! A bit of a schlep but I should be able to combine it with a few errands - dump, specialist butcher [...].
    What sort of specialists do you usually have butchered?
    They have local meat, plus they stock game so it means a better choice of venison (Tes*o only stocks farmed from NZ) and they get the surplus from local shoots so partridge, pheasant, etc. They also cure their own bacon, which is delicious.
  • Moo wrote: »
    MrsBeaky wrote: »
    Meanwhile Little Beaky (in Greater London) who is classified as extremely vulnerable and his family and carers are still waiting to find out about vaccines.

    My daughter, whose nine-year-old son has had a kidney transplant, tells me that so far none of the vaccines have been tested on children under twelve.

    Thank you, I didn't know that. I think it would still be good if all the adults involved in the children's care could be vaccinated to reduce the risk of the children catching it, so hopefully that will happen soon.
  • BoogieBoogie Shipmate
    Fingers crossed @MrsBeaky fingers 🤞

    Pilates today. I have my toe socks on - they are styled as cats 🐱

    Strange, isn’t it, how the days go by so slowly but the weeks fly by!?
  • HeavenlyannieHeavenlyannie Shipmate
    edited February 12
    MrsBeaky wrote: »
    Moo wrote: »
    MrsBeaky wrote: »
    Meanwhile Little Beaky (in Greater London) who is classified as extremely vulnerable and his family and carers are still waiting to find out about vaccines.

    My daughter, whose nine-year-old son has had a kidney transplant, tells me that so far none of the vaccines have been tested on children under twelve.

    Thank you, I didn't know that. I think it would still be good if all the adults involved in the children's care could be vaccinated to reduce the risk of the children catching it, so hopefully that will happen soon.
    Yes, it is quite common for medicines to not be registered for use on children in the early stages as drugs companies are understandably reluctant to test things on children, as well as the difficulties recruiting volunteers.
    There is a plan to get carers vaccinated and I've heard it is worth them ensuring their GP has them listed as carers.

    Up early here to prep for my morning tutorial; I will go for my walk afterwards,
  • I love the socks Boogie!
  • PigletPiglet All Saints Host, Circus Host
    I had a pair of "toed" socks back in the 1970s (!) - they were in rainbow stripes. TBH they weren't very comfortable - I have small toes, and the sock toes were too long.
  • BoogieBoogie Shipmate
    Piglet wrote: »
    I had a pair of "toed" socks back in the 1970s (!) - they were in rainbow stripes. TBH they weren't very comfortable - I have small toes, and the sock toes were too long.

    Ahh, but they are very good for the feet. 🦶

  • HelixHelix Shipmate
    palindromic date : 1202 2021 - such things appeal to me.

    Boogie I love your socks but like Piglet I think I would find them infernally uncomfortable.

    Are they good for the feet?? I'm curious !
  • They must be.

    They allow room for the toenails to grow, and for the toes themselves to expand in Ot Wether.
  • BoogieBoogie Shipmate
    Helix wrote: »
    palindromic date : 1202 2021 - such things appeal to me.

    Boogie I love your socks but like Piglet I think I would find them infernally uncomfortable.

    Are they good for the feet?? I'm curious !

    Yes, in Pilates we learn to use the toes like fingers - as if playing the piano, it’s not easy! We do a lot of work on the feet to help with balance. The toe socks help this.

    They are no good in slippers or shoes but Pilates socks have grippy soles so you wear them on their own.


  • HelixHelix Shipmate
    That's interesting - the yoga I do encourages a lot of "toe-action" (not sure what else to call it)

    Feet are seriously neglected in general but it is so good to give self-care to the feet.
  • BoogieBoogie Shipmate
    Here is an example. Play it with the sound off - her voice is annoying!

    https://youtu.be/hwaBZPkF6Lc
  • Baptist TrainfanBaptist Trainfan Shipmate
    edited February 12
    I cut the lawn! The soil in the shady bit was frozen, the rest just a bit bumpy. No snow here and it hasn't rained properly for a week.
  • PigletPiglet All Saints Host, Circus Host
    Why on earth would you do that? Surely the grass isn't growing at this time of year?
    It's still a bit Baltic here: 0°, but feeling colder with the wind-chill, and getting about is really rather tiring, trudging through the snirt. I think that must explain why I was so monumentally zonked last night: I flaked out and went to bed about 11, and was out like a light.

    "It's not so much the toes" said Piglet, "as the ears".
  • NenyaNenya Shipmate
    Piglet wrote: »
    "It's not so much the toes" said Piglet, "as the ears".
    :heart:

    I was zooming all afternoon and it would have been easy not to go out once I'd finished as there wasn't a huge amount of daylight left. But I did go, and froze all the way round. Glad to be back in the warm I am.

    We have our usual Friday evening wine drinking with friends shortly and then curry for tea, with a nice Brancott Estate Sauvignon Blanc.

  • Just heard that Little Beaky's parents and carers will all receive their first dose of the vaccine next week 😍
  • NenyaNenya Shipmate
    Yay! Excellent news for all the Beakys! :smiley:
  • JapesJapes Shipmate
    Hooray for the Beakys!

    @Helix - I have been enjoying the palindromic date.
  • PigletPiglet All Saints Host, Circus Host
    edited February 12
    Excellent news, Mrs Beaky!
    Nenya wrote: »
    I was zooming all afternoon ...
    Please don't take this the wrong way, but in what passes for my mind, that conjured up a picture of a rather jolly lady on a broomstick, swooping merrily around the place! :mrgreen:

    Maybe I've had too much Sauvignon Blanc ... :blush:

    And btw, Brancott Estate is lovely - I had some last week.
  • HeavenlyannieHeavenlyannie Shipmate
    edited February 12
    Piglet wrote: »
    I had a pair of "toed" socks back in the 1970s (!) - they were in rainbow stripes. TBH they weren't very comfortable - I have small toes, and the sock toes were too long.
    I also don't like them, I've tried them (for doing yoga on holiday without a mat) but find them uncomfortable. I do Iyengar yoga which has a lot of focus on upright poses so we emphasise widening feet and working on our foot arches. No toe piano though - I would find that difficult with my short stubby flat feet with old broken toe!
    Just finished marking and we've ordered in burgers and milkshakes.
  • NenyaNenya Shipmate
    Piglet wrote: »
    Excellent news, Mrs Beaky!
    Nenya wrote: »
    I was zooming all afternoon ...
    Please don't take this the wrong way, but in what passes for my mind, that conjured up a picture of a rather jolly lady on a broomstick, swooping merrily around the place! :mrgreen:
    Works for me. :lol:
    Maybe I've had too much Sauvignon Blanc ... :blush:
    Us too. Mr Nen and I have shared a bottle. Just as well as we're watching the rugby and it's a bit stressful - as far as he's concerned anyway. :wink:
    And btw, Brancott Estate is lovely - I had some last week.
    Yes. we thoroughly enjoyed it and it seemed to go well with the curry. It was that or Oyster Bay - also a favourite.
  • HelixHelix Shipmate
    Boogie wrote: »
    Here is an example. Play it with the sound off - her voice is annoying!

    https://youtu.be/hwaBZPkF6Lc

    Yes it is an unusual voice it seems to me - but I kind of like her! I might dip in every now and again. Thanks for the tip.
  • Is Utter Outrage!

    That video clip was preceded by a Horrible NSFW Advert starring Nigel Farage!!
    :open_mouth:

    But yes - the torturer's voice was a bit annoying, too.
    :wink:
  • la vie en rougela vie en rouge Circus Host, 8th Day Host
    Greetings from the sunny South of France... where it is raining. ☔

    We have decamped here for the week, and it's nice to get a change. Man, that train is long, though.

    We are in my inlaws' house because ours is currently rented out. My inlaws being French people of a certain age, tonight's dinner involved SOUP and green salad. Tomorrow's dinner will also involve SOUP and green salad, and Monday's dinner...
  • What? No MEAT, or CHEESE?
    :open_mouth:
  • la vie en rougela vie en rouge Circus Host, 8th Day Host
    There was CHEESE. But old-fashioned French people like my husband's parents mostly eat the hefty food at lunchtime rather than in the evening.
  • Greetings from the sunny South of France... where it is raining. ☔

    We have decamped here for the week, and it's nice to get a change. Man, that train is long, though.
    You have no idea how jealous I am... Not that you are in the South of France, or of the rain (we have snow), but simply that you are able to travel. We are allowed to go no further than 5 miles beyond the boundaries of our local authority area for exercise....

    Dear God, I would love to be able to get out of Glasgow and go somewhere else. Anywhere else! I have (excess) leave to use up by end March, and we have to use it (for our mental health and well-being, allegedly), but I discovered over Christmas that being home alone on leave is in fact detrimental to my mental health and well-being.... It would be fine if I could be away alone somewhere else, but home...
  • PigletPiglet All Saints Host, Circus Host
    I know what you mean, Kingsfold - while it was a nice luxury not to have to get up at silly o'clock for a few days, it was tempered by the fact that I couldn't even legitimately go into Edinburgh to visit any of my nearest and dearest.
  • I went with Mr S to get his jab last week. Not that he wasn't perfectly capable of going on his own, but just to BE somewhere different. It fell a bit flat though as the place he had to go is the least attractive in our local area, and it was nitheringly cold so I couldn't even go for a walk.

    ION, my jab is booked for Wednesday <yippee>
  • Here's some light relief from (and for) Scotland for all pun lovers: The Guardian.
    Andy Flurry and Mary Queen of Salt: craze for naming Scottish gritters goes global

    With country gripped by icy weather, thousands track daily journeys of gritters and snowploughs online

    And the online tracker is here; I've already discovered gritters like William Wall-Ice and Hello Gritty. :D

    Have fun! :)
  • Hansel and Grit All! - Gritly Come Dancing!

    Ok, I'll stop now. VERY satisfying, this!
  • Piglet wrote: »
    Why on earth would you do that? Surely the grass isn't growing at this time of year?
    Amazingly, it actually had got quite long!

  • Helix wrote: »
    palindromic date : 1202 2021 - such things appeal to me.
    Seen in digital form it is also an ambigram

  • HeavenlyannieHeavenlyannie Shipmate
    edited February 13
    My husband has the excitement of a trip to the tip today (he booked a slot) - it means a pretty drive through the country!

    I contemplated doing a bit of marking as I still have loads but decided a complete day off was definitely needed as I’ve worked into the evening all week (and attended an evening meeting and tutorial). But I will be back on schedule early next week anyway. Which is a good job as I have an assignment I need to write of my own.

    Off for a walk shortly and I hope to go for a family walk later as I am convinced my 16 year old’s leg muscles are wasting away. Hopefully we’ll Zoom my eldest for family games this evening.
  • Wesley J wrote: »
    Here's some light relief from (and for) Scotland for all pun lovers: The Guardian.
    Andy Flurry and Mary Queen of Salt: craze for naming Scottish gritters goes global

    With country gripped by icy weather, thousands track daily journeys of gritters and snowploughs online

    And the online tracker is here; I've already discovered gritters like William Wall-Ice and Hello Gritty. :D

    Have fun! :)

    I always look to see which one is going by when I see it!
  • Love the gritter names; my favs are the same as Wesley’s, though Mary Queen of Salt appeals to the historian in me. My choice of name would be Gritty Gritty Bang Bang.
  • SarasaSarasa Shipmate
    edited February 13
    Today is starting slowly as we had rather a lot to drink last night. I ordered in a posh meal as an early Valentine's Day treat. Of course we had wine with the meal, but the pudding was tiramisu, and we couldn't resist a bit of coffee liqueur to go with it as well. I'm sure we'll wake up soon, though it's pretty cold out there for South London, so I'm not sure either of us feels like going for a walk just yet.
  • BoogieBoogie Shipmate
    I often see the gritter as we live near a hospital and the gritter comes round often. I forget to check their names every time! 🙄

    Chilly chilly chilly wind today but the mud is all frozen so no hosing dogs down today. 🙂🐾
  • PigletPiglet All Saints Host, Circus Host
    It's not just gritters: the library van that serves the country areas in Orkney is fondly known as Booky McBookface. :mrgreen:

    I'm being very lazy today: still sitting up in bed messing around on here! I haven't looked out to see what the weather's doing; if it doesn't look too bad I'll have an Expotition to Sainsbury's, as I need one or two heavy/bulky things like orange juice, kitchen paper and WINE.
  • Helix wrote: »
    palindromic date : 1202 2021 - such things appeal to me.
    Seen in digital form it is also an ambigram

    Clearly, the End Of The World is imminent...or was, yesterday...
    :confused:
  • Last night I decided that first thing this morning I’d go out for a walk, but when the time came and the bitter cold hit me I realised (ahem) that I had shopping that desperately needed doing, and it required a car. The urgent item was assorted New Forest mushrooms (farmed, not wild) and I got to the shop just in time to bag the last lot. So this afternoon I’ll hunt for a recipe to do them justice.
  • NenyaNenya Shipmate
    By a strange coincidence we were talking at our Friday evening wine drinking Zoom only yesterday about the named gritters and the library van called Booky McBookface.

    I walked into our local town on a few errands and I didn't think it was too horribly cold until I rubbed my hands with sanitiser having touched the letter boxes of both the library and the doctors' surgery. As it evaporated off it felt as though I was getting frostbite!

    There's been a flurry of snow since I got home but it's stopped now. I'm hunkered down in the warm for the rest of the day.
  • It's been bitterly cold the last two days, freezing conditions accompanied by a really nasty wind which sandpapers any exposed skin and much ice underfoot, as we've still got snow lying in places.

    We walked a decent route yesterday, past the "Stabal manor", for anyone watching any of their concerts online. It is exposed and unheated at the best of times, and looked in use yesterday (the Bellowhead concert last year was there and Seth Lakeman is slated to be filmed sometime soon). I was involved in digging the older mansion house site for a few years, and have attended winter talks in the building, so had much empathy with the band members wearing hats and coats in their extended interviews, and even more sympathy for whoever was playing yesterday.

    We were really cold when we came home, so weren't sad when DNF activity on a local geocache, plus random finds on another suggested a slightly more sheltered town walk today. It was still brass monkeys.

    I really want to head out into the fields tomorrow as it should be frozen enough to be solid, at least briefly.
  • FirenzeFirenze Shipmate, Host Emeritus
    Another penguin waddle to the paper shop this morning. A few stretches of cleared pavement, but mostly hard frozen snow in various degrees of compactedness.

    As I look out, a few flakes are beginning to fall. Stop it!

    My hopes are fixed on tomorrow, when it's supposed to soar to an incredible 7°C
  • PigletPiglet All Saints Host, Circus Host
    edited February 13
    I confess that the only walking I'm doing at the moment is that which is strictly necessary for getting to the train/bus, and thence to work/supermarket. I absolutely loathe walking in snowy/icy conditions, and can't imagine why anyone would do it voluntarily.

    Sainz Breeze has been braved; I was much luckier with the buses than last time, but although there was nothing falling from the sky when I left the house, it had started snowing by the time I was waiting for the bus to get back, and I was glad of (a) my hideous but hooded, waterproof coat; and (b) the bus shelter.

    I'm now ensconced on the sofa with a cup of tea, biscuits and no intention of going anywhere else for quite a while, except possibly to set some bread going in the machine.
  • Horrible today, dark and cold with occasional slight flurries of snow. Drove down to church to record my service for tomorrow _ I'd been told that heating would be on but it wasn't. I put it on but it didn't make much impression! Now waiting for the rugby - they'll be cold at Murrayfield!
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