It's getting tough out there. Feeling the pinch?

Auntycaz

@Pollie I think it depends where you live whether your local pharmacies are doing covid boosters. I live in rural Norfolk, but I don't drive and I also have mobility problems. It is easier for me to travel to Norwich even though its  further away, as the vaccine centre is near the bus stop so I don't have far to walk. There is one place nearer if I could drive, but it is 2 bus rides away and a long walk from the bus stop. I;ve been checking the NHs website for a couple of weeks now but at least I have my booster booked now. Glad you managed to get both done at the same time though. I had both done together a couple of years ago when I was staying with my daughter in the midlands, but she took me in the car.

elsien

Trying to get hold of some bare root wallflowers. 12 quid for 20 on eBay, similar prices on Amazon and other online retailers. Just managed to track them down at a local nursery £3.98 for 20.
Shop local. Shop independent.

elsien

Update. £3.98 for 40. 20 in a pack, not the 10 that they’ve done in previous years.

I now have 60 instead of the 30 I thought I was buying. Anyone need any wallflowers???

YorksLass

@elsien - I'd take you up on that - if only I had a garden!  They're one of my favourite flowers.  Good bargain though.

Floss

Ah @elsien I just bought some from a local independent g/c last week!

sammyjammy

Auntycaz said:

@YorksLass my GP is only doing covid jabs for housebound patients or people in care homes this year, but they're doing flu jabs which are available at nearly every pharmacy. I had my flu jab on Wednesday at the pharmacy next door to the doctors but the nearest place I can get a covid booster is over an hour away by bus in a nearby city. I'm booked in for my covid booster on the 17th as I already had covid on the 14th of last month and wanted to make sure I left at least 4 weeks before I had my booster. Hope everyone who needs the booster manages to get it booked soon as I found this new strain to be nastier than the one I had previously. 

As usual its such a postcode lottery, I am 51, not vulnerable in anyway but had Flu jab and shingles (I've had shingles twice so snapped it up even though I thought it was only for over 75s) and my COVID jab is next Saturday.

The shingles had me laid up for 48 hours, had cats to feed so had to crawl up and down the stairs to sort them, part two in 8 weeks no looking forward to that.

elsien

I’ve just had my Covid jab as a health and social care worker. I haven’t been offered it by my GP but I was able to make an appointment online at a pharmacy. Have you tried that?

The place I went to is also a walk-in centre however that’s a bit hit and miss as they don’t know from one day to the next what supplies they will be getting.

Auntycaz

The rules on the shingles vaccine are strange. If you turn 65 on or after the 1st September 2023 you get your shingles vaccine when you turn 65, but if you turn 65 before the 1st September 2023 you have to wait until you turn 70.
I thought they would do the oldest first and work backwards but no, we have to wait until we're 70 to get ours.

Floss

Auntycaz said:

The rules on the shingles vaccine are strange. If you turn 65 on or after the 1st September 2023 you get your shingles vaccine when you turn 65, but if you turn 65 before the 1st September 2023 you have to wait until you turn 70.
I thought they would do the oldest first and work backwards but no, we have to wait until we're 70 to get ours.

That's like the bowel screening - the age has been lowered to over 55s but I'm 60 next birthday & haven't received mine yet 🤷‍♀️

I've had part 1 of the new shingles jab as I've just finished cancer treatment, I can also have a covid booster because of that, but can't have a flu jab (so I got one at my workplace instead!)

London_1

I think the smell of wallflowers, especially after some spring rain is the best smell in the world .I am hoping when I get home from hospital I will be able to get some and one of my grandsons will plant them for me

 Its such a beautiful scent, I once had years ago some from our old garden where we lived on Mersea Island off the coast of Essex. We moved back to London when my eldest daughter was due in 1967, and in subsequent moves until sadly in 1995 when we retired down to Kent I forgot to transfer them. The smell always reminds me of being a young Mum-to-be back in the 1960s. I'm pleased you managed to get some and I will be on the hunt for some as soon as I am home from the hospital 

JackieO xx