Some thoughts on covid 19 restrictions

ASs some regulars may know I sometimes have a few health problems that at times restricts my access to the countryside so many of the restrictions that we have endured, and are still enduring, do not feel strange to Chris and myself. My immune system is pretty shot up at times so I'm quite good at avoiding numbers of people, I'm maybe not as anti social as it seems, and I've never been a lover of shopping unless its books. When we were recommended to shield in our own homes we actually realised we could walk the riverside fields with permission from the owners and had little chance of meeting anyone so we felt quite happy there. When restrictions eased we have four small nature reserves within a couple of miles of home with plenty of space to avoid close contact but still both watch birds and talk about birds with others doing the same, quite a little anti social bird club we are. There has been good birds aplenty and as winter has drawn closer the wintering Thrushes arrived we have been doing counts on them. One of our local reserves has got a wonderful Starling murmuration,60,000 birds at least, which we managed to social distance the grandsons to. We have found by visiting the busiest of the reserves late afternoon most birders have gone home and we enjoy the spectacle of birds going to roost. We do miss visiting our local moorland but they are outside the 3 mile radius we put on ourselves, they will still be there when all this is over and we settle down to our new normal. Because I am in that at risk category we seem to be swimming in hand sanitiser but Chris keeps an eye on what I get up to. I just hope other folk are coping as well as us and getting the support we have been getting, take care out there we will beat this lot somehow.

Pete

Birding is for everyone no matter how good or bad we are at it,enjoy it while you can

  • I’m getting my first vaccine next Tuesday Morning and my second vaccine on Sunday 9th May again in the morning and that is in the centre of Newcastle Upon Tyne. I don’t know if you know, but anyone who is 65 years old and lives in England you can book an appointment to have your vaccine. I don’t know about the rest of the UK. I could have waited to receive a telephone call or letter and then I could have had the vaccine at my local hub just 10-15 minutes walk from where I live. But it’s so easy getting into Newcastle by local transport by either the Tyne and Wear Metro or an excellent bus service and both run very frequently into Newcastle.

    Regards,

    Ian.

  • Good news, Ian, glad to hear you are sorted for both jabs. We had received a text from our local surgery some weeks ago asking us not to contact them and to wait until they contacted us. When we were contacted by text to Mr GB's phone, first me, than Mr GB, a bit over a week apart, we were given a choice of a few dates and times and could choose one. Jabs are given at a local leisure centre and were very well organised. Several local surgeries are having their jabs done there so one of the many questions to verify we were actually us was which surgery we are with.

    Kind regards, Ann

  • I don’t if you know, now anyone who is 65 years of age and over who lives in England can book there vaccine and the second vaccine 12 weeks later at the same time as I did on Friday evening. Not sure about the rest of the UK.
    www.nhs.uk/.../
    The link above for anyone like myself who is 65 years old and over who hasn’t heard by phone or letter about making an appointment for having your vaccine, as anyone of that age in England can make an appointment online to have the first vaccine and also at the same time make an appointment for your second vaccine 12 weeks later.

    Regards,

    Ian.

  • Thanks Ian, I was lucky enough to receive two texts for booking and later found one using the NHS link where I was able to change my Wednesday jab appointment at doctors surgery to a new hub opening up at the conference centre on our residential parkland so now I have a 10.30am appointment next Wednesday morning and it's just a ten to fifteen minute walk away with an office café which is open next door - win win all round !! lol I was also able to book my 2nd dose at the same time and venue of conference centre (which I was not able to do at the doctors surgery) so have second appointment for May 5th :) I'm still 64 for another two weeks so really pleased to get the call up ;)

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    Regards, Hazel 

  • It's great that we are all getting sorted out with our injections Chris got hers this morning at the local racecourse which is good news. Mine was just over 2 weeks ago I should have some protection, still not a time to crazy yet but maybe light at the end of the tunnel that is not a train coming the other way. I will be happy when we can travel just that bit further onto the local moors before it is too late to check on birds up there. After that Northumberland might be calling, well we can dream safely can't we.

    Pete

    Birding is for everyone no matter how good or bad we are at it,enjoy it while you can

  • Great news Pete and glad Chris had hers this morning; it will feel very strange once we get most people vaccinated and start to unlock our outdoor pursuits as I've not been on a bird reserve for over a year and will feel very weird when we begin to drive out to various wildlife areas, however, baby steps as we go and see how things pan out. Meanwhile stay well everyone.

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    Regards, Hazel 

  • Unknown said:
    I'm still 64 for another two weeks so really pleased to get the call up

    You young whippersnapper.  I'm very pleased for you!

    Our herring gulls are red listed birds.  Think about that the next time you hear some flaming idiot calling for a cull of them.

  • Clare Bailey said:
    You young whippersnapper.  I'm very pleased for you!

    LOL Clare -   I feel about 94 some days  !      I would suggest to anyone in the same 65+ rollout should get online and book via NHS website as my neighbours (without a notification first via text or letter) were able to successfully book their vaccine appointments yesterday (one is 65, the other 66) by filling in the necessary details including their NHS number (if known) which proves they are truly eligible.  This only applies to those in Group 5 on the list.     For me ........ 3 days and counting ;)  and it looks like two other households in our apartment will also be attending on the same day although different time slot to me.    When I think,  how lucky we are to have such a well organised and successful roll-out of life-saving vaccine and such wonderful NHS and volunteers to administer it,  hats off to them all for all their hard and dedicated work and a big thank you to all the scientists and testers too.        

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    Regards, Hazel 

  • Unknown said:
    I have a friend in Netherlands who is 83 and he is not getting his until March sometime as I think it was the same problem there with late ordering of the vaccine. I think Australia are yet to begin with the most vulnerable starting from end of February.

    That may be due to the fact that the EU was a lot slower in approving any vaccines than the UK, even though there is provision in the EU for individual countries/Member States, to approve things like vaccines should they need to..

  • Michael B said:
    That may be due to the fact that the EU was a lot slower in approving any vaccines than the UK, even though there is provision in the EU for individual countries/Member States, to approve things like vaccines should they need to..

    yes, that was the case Mike as UK ordered our vaccines much earlier.      Hope all that want one wherever they are eventually get their life-saving jab.    Stay well all.

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    Regards, Hazel