Travelling On

themadvix

Excellent! I'm sure the dolphins heard you too!  

[Deleted User]

Yes, I agree with themadvix, glad to have you back and so happy that you had FUN.  Whilst all the doom and gloom has been dominating the airwaves 24/7 here I was worried that maybe you wouldn't have been allowed to disembark at some of the ports of call.  I suspect had you gone in a week or so the stopping off and being allowed to visit places would have been very different.

I also thought of your preparedness for the coming weeks too as we've had time in your absence to get a bit more organised for what lies ahead.  Lots of very disconcerting occurrences of selfish people stripping the supermarket shelves of all the essentials and stockpiling, so much so that supermarkets now are rationing how many of the essential items people are allowed to buy.  Home delivery slots seem to be a problem, although the major supermarkets are now recruiting lots more shelf-stackers, order-pickers  and drivers.  Someone on another thread booked her  Waitrose delivery slot and the earliest she could get was in early April!

Karmacat

Thanks both!  We had an ongoing joke while the helicopter shenanigans were going on, that the dolphins would have to climb up the side of the ship and wave through a porthole to have any notice taken of them but the rest of the time, yes, they would have heard the squeals of human joy!

My preparedness had a hole in, embarrassingly - I haven't really learned to trust my jazzy new Samsung fridge/freezer, so I don't have any of my usual frozen veg in, at all.  I went to the nearest supermarket yesterday, and I got some frozen peas, some frozen butternut squash cubes (!) and some frozen celeriac (!!!). 

I did what I could while I was away - I bought a *lot* of data, so I downloaded the Asda app, while I was in Tenerife - I've never shopped via an app before, so that was new.    Then when I was on the train from Southampton, I booked a delivery slot - its for a week today, we'll see if it comes.  I didn't want to do it earlier than that, because it would have meant a *lot* of faffing if I'd been quarantined anywhere.  Which is why I'm off to Iceland now - I want my frozen carrots and cauliflower!   Only seen a couple of diaries, but I'll be back later on, I deserve some mse time

Lovely to be back here - laterz, lovely peeps.

[Deleted User]

Karmacat said:

   Then when I was on the train from Southampton, I booked a delivery slot - its for a week today, we'll see if it comes.  

Good luck with your Asda order.  Mine came the other day with 21 items missing!!!!!  I wasn't stockpiling either, just one (or at the most 2, what I normally buy each monthly shop anyway).  Not surprised the longlife milk didn't come as people are stockpiling that so I only ordered one carton to have 'just in case'.  Living in the middle of nowhere with even the tiniest village store being over 4 miles away  (incidentally totally out of bread and fresh milk when i popped in this morning!) I worry about having no access to milk. Surprised a big supermarket as Asda had no fresh semi skimmed milk of any brand/size that they could send me.  No wholemeal bread came either.  No washing up liquid or plain flour came . I didn't attempt to get loo rolls this time, they never came from Sainsburys either a few weeks ago but the pack of kitchen towel (for which I'd have accepted any available substitute brand/size)  didn't come either.from Asda. Bonkers !  I think since I placed my online order on Saturday they've introduced rationing.  Sad that things have come to this but maybe it will help the genuine buyers.

The Asda delivery man said that they closed the shop at 10 in the evening to allow for shelf-replenishing and a queue of shoppers was already forming outside from midnight despite a big notice saying they would reopen at 6 a.m.. It was a really cold night too. He said they were all still there at 6 (plus lots more queuing round the block) and as soon as the doors opened they ran in like the old days of the Oxford Street January sales!!!!!

apple_muncher

Yippee! Karma's home! And she had an a w e s o m e  time!!

Karmacat

Hi apple, yes I did, thank you, it was amazing!

Delichon said:

Good luck with your Asda order.  Mine came the other day with 21 items missing!!!!!  I wasn't stockpiling either, just one (or at the most 2, what I normally buy each monthly shop anyway).  Not surprised the longlife milk didn't come as people are stockpiling that so I only ordered one carton to have 'just in case'.  Living in the middle of nowhere with even the tiniest village store being over 4 miles away  (incidentally totally out of bread and fresh milk when i popped in this morning!) I worry about having no access to milk.
Hiya!  I did wonder if the order would turn, you're right - just have to wait and see.  But if I was like you, being 4 miles from your nearest shop, good heavens, I'd be stocking up fit to bust, perfectly regularly.  I have a 400g pack of dried milk, which will do me for about a year, as I only use one teaspoon a day, in my coffee.  I could do with a second cup right now, actually, so I'll need a bit more!
The Asda delivery man said that they closed the shop at 10 in the evening to allow for shelf-replenishing and a queue of shoppers was already forming outside from midnight despite a big notice saying they would reopen at 6 a.m.. It was a really cold night too. He said they were all still there at 6 (plus lots more queuing round the block) and as soon as the doors opened they ran in like the old days of the Oxford Street January sales!!!!!

Good grief!  That kind of goes beyond panic into insanity!  I'm sorry to hear its getting like that.  I had a chat with my neighbour yesterday, and to be honest, it sounds the same near to me: there's a hyper Tesco in the next small town to me, and at 5am on Tuesday morning, the car park was literally like a dodgems rink, with people pushing other cars to get a car parking space.  

As for me, I've got the frozen veg I went out for: carrots, broccoli, cauli, a stew mix, and (more) peas.  1.2kg of peas, in fact, since they sell them in 600g packs.  Can I be said to be hoarding peas?  Who can tell these days.  I'm definitely hoarding pesto, I bought two (more) jars. 

Phone chatting with friends today: my Glasto friend, who recently holidayed in Singapore with his stepdaughter and both are fine, and my former colleague - 10 cases confirmed in his town, though he lives on the outskirts like I used to.  More unpacking and washing today, as well.

themadvix

Glad you got your veg Karma. Delichon, that does sound like things are tipping over into utter hysteria - what do people think such behaviour will achieve?

Just seen that the BoE have cut rates to 0.1%... not entirely sure who that will help either, as most people are on fixed mortgages anyway, aren't they? 

Karmacat

Good grief, 0.1%?  I haven't kept up on the news today - I like the Guardian liveblog, it doesn't send out a recap every time, which is what newspaper articles tend to do.  Have to switch it back on and catch up.

[Deleted User]

Glad you got your veg, KC.  I sometimes think there's more availability for people who can shop instore rather than those who rely on the home deliveries.  definitely not stockpiling in your case (even the peas ) as I believe you are vegetarian and have food intolerances.  Maybe I'm wrong there though.  Anyone who can only eat a limited amount of different foods needs to buy them and keep some always at the ready.IMO.  I think we'll all be resorting to your countryside foraging ideas before too long too.

As for the fall in the interest rate I can't see how it will be a success in the long run.  It might be great for those who owe money but savers might as well bung their money under the mattress!   It won't result in people flooding to save  and I would have thought banks wanted our money..  I've got about £30k which I'm going to withdraw and put into  Premium Bonds.  Not even 0.1% there but at least there's the chance of a win.  Even a £25 one every few months would better than most savings  interest rate.  I know some investments and long-term savings could get a better interest rate than the 0.1% but I need ready access to my money for essential home improvements and renovating.  Need to copy you and get a new kitchen installed asap, plus a total house rewire and work on the roof .  At our age (retired) we don't want debts.

beanielou

Sounds like you had a fantastic time