Was Mortgage Free until 52!!!

A_Frayed_Knot

A huge amount have this virus, its rife - and why we are being told to stay indoors, I believe we know ourselves whether or not we have/had the virus, so you will be tight in what you think, and perfect example of why we need mass testing quickly,  There is 500 extra staff starting in labs up here shortly for testing, and site has been opened up today for nhs staff testing.

Put out washing and half hour later had to bring in because of heavy shower, however the sun is now shining. Typical.

Birthday came and went in solitary confinement, with promises of nights out, celebrations etc at a later date.

I kid to folk, all I got was a bus pass, mask and hand gel for my birthday. (Didn't really !!!) and got asked at work

if I wanted a coffee the other day, and said "no thanks, would rather have a mask that wasn't 3 years out of date"

Also thankful, that I am now MF although still being paid, but if I took the 12 weeks, imagine I may just be paid the basic, not sure how that would go.

bexster1975

I agree re: taking the 12 weeks in isolation. I realise the situation is very tough, but it is not realistic for most people to take 12 weeks off to self isolate. Some employers are telling staff they can take the time off, but if they do it will be unpaid! Not acceptable. In the meantime, people on low/minimum wage jobs continue to work and risk illness or death. I have heard this morning that 14 London bus drivers have now lost their lives to COVID-19. All for about £10 an hour!  Truly shocking. I am sorry you have had a solitary birthday. I guess better that than one in hospital. I am also likely to see my birthday this year in self isolation. It is not until the end of May, but I do not realistically see the lockdown restrictions being relaxed significantly by then by current measures. Hope you are keeping well generally. I am very grateful for my outside space, which I am currently working from this morning. I have a good number of food seeds that have now germinated. Another couple of weeks inside and I will move them to the cold frame, prior to hardening off. I have compost ready for the planting on into their final locations. This year it may yet be more important than ever that we have a bit of our own food, if this is going to continue of several months. Lets hope the weather is kind to us.

Stay well AFK

bexster 

Moneyfordreams

We have masks from Wuhan.... apparently .. oh the irony.. mind you I cannot read Chinese so we could have been told a few lies  

ElmoR

Hope you stay safe at work AFK, and that your colleague pulls through OK.

Did you have a little celebration on the arrival of the bus pass? I would probably ask my DH or DD to make me a bus pass shaped cake. We celebrate anything and everything with cake at the moment.

ElmoR x

A_Frayed_Knot

Moneyfordreams said:

We have masks from Wuhan.... apparently .. oh the irony.. mind you I cannot read Chinese so we could have been told a few lies  

We have been allocated/restricted to 4 a day !!! forgot to check the date last time I was in at work, will do that this weekend, just taking it a week at a time, but the hospital road runs at the back of my house with a field inbetween but have heard a whole lot more sirens, the last few weeks its been dare I say silent silence, even at work its like a lockdown, with security at the door, and only gaining entry if you have your pass or your name is on the visitors list, even then staff are going down to pick up whatever the relatives have brought in.  If I feel it gets too dangerous I will need to rethink me even being there as I am classed "at risk".

ElmoR said:

Hope you stay safe at work AFK, and that your colleague pulls through OK.

Did you have a little celebration on the arrival of the bus pass? I would probably ask my DH or DD to make me a bus pass shaped cake. We celebrate anything and everything with cake at the moment.

ElmoR x

Thanks, getting mixed messages atm for colleague, did hear she was out of Icu but has a trakie, in Hdu, then we heard she is now back in Icu, but she is still holding on.  4 weeks in Icu, says everything about the care she is receiving.

Celebration was nil  - Lockdown came 3 days before my birthday !!! -  So as you can imagine - couldn't use it - after all that time looking forward to receiving it   I got a large cake and flowers, and a few other presents in the post, but had no one to share the cake with,    (Yummy) - but I done not too badly with it, Your idea is a great one for a cake, I must remember that, my friend will be 60 in Sept and plans to retire in Oct, so will see what I can muster up, hoping we might be back to normal by then.  

Not sure if I spoke about my pension papers being delayed, but they have now arrived, and was beside myself wondering if there was going to be any pot left - the delay meant the pot was going down, then up, then down, as you can imagine, felt they should have put a freeze on it when my retirement date came, but no, current situation meant I just had to watch/phone every week to see where it sat at,  Galling thing is I phoned 2 weeks + before lockdown but they didn't manage to send me my papers.  Even now still now received/heard anything, since papers returned.  Rant over.

Stay safe everyone.

badmemory

AFK can I please suggest that you post on the pension's forum.  There are some very knowledgeable people on there who may well be able to help you on what to look out for on your paperwork.  Things like do you need to take it at 60 & do you have any GMP.  I only have scimpy knowledge but it seems odd that you can only decide either now or wait a year!

A_Frayed_Knot

Hi badmemory

Thanks for suggesting pension's, you would think (I, hoped) that I wouldn't lose out, government seem to be covering a lot of loss, well I have 3 "biggies" with no help as of yet with any of them.  

 So near, yet so far, patience is not my strong point although others would certainly disagree.  However I keep telling myself - I still have a job and My health is my wealth - never a truer word said these days.

A_Frayed_Knot

Hi Bexster,

How right you are regarding the importance of having a bit of our own food, I have seen mini greenhouses sprout up,  (not literally !!!) 

Have been rather lazy of late, however have managed to start painting the brick round the house, only to run out of paint, but now have more so need to carry that on, meanwhile cut the grass, cleaned the patio (slabs) and have plans (once I can gather my thoughts on what to do) as fence at very back of garden seems to be hanging in fresh air, I'm sure if I huffed and puffed it would blow the fence down !!! stairs also painted at front door, and with weather being lovely since the start of lockdown (? strange) have also plans to whip cushion covers of suite off and throw them in machine, even though I bought a steamer a while ago.

Plan (thought) for today is painting - no idea what though - may go to my mums (only a 5 min walk away) and sort a small part of her fence then start painting it - change of scenery may do me the world of good and I don't need to be near to my mum who is isolating due to her age.  Then of course, there's her shed and dividing fence as well, and so it goes on . . .

It's nice to be out in the good weather, and at last I can enjoy(???) my decision to go part time (even though the world is a very difference place from when I made my decision).  

bexster1975

Hi AFK
Sorry to hear about your colleague being so ill still. I shall try to put some pics up tomorrow ( have a couple of hours work this evening) of the growing here. In short, I currently have salad leaves growing, a range of herbs and spring onions and radishes all starting to show. I have baby plants that I am looking after in the cold frame of tomatoes, cucumbers, spinach and broccoli as well as some little gem lettuces. I have blackberry, strawberry, raspberry and blueberry plants, but none currently fruiting, but hopefully strawberries will start to flower in a few weeks if the nice weather holds. Either way, it is nice to grow some of my own as it tastes much better, and makes the outside space look lovely and productive. Work is picking up a bit, if in a slightly different style. I am not complaining, I am grateful for what I can get for now. Can you defer your pension for a few months? I only ask as the market is likely to see a recovery as things settle into a "new normal" over the next 6-12 months.

Don't know when you are back in work, but stay safe. I found a template today to make my own face masks should I need to.

Bexster 

Suffolk_lass

My friends are all using this one to make masks. I have been sent it in an email but I can't bring myself to fight with my sewing machine again yet. Made a couple of cotton bags and it was war, with the thing needing a proper clean, service and oil, and all the tension things need adjusting