WEEKLY CHAT (NON-OSPREY) SUNDAY JANUARY 3, 2021

Thanks ANNETTE for starting us off and with a view of West Beach.

I do hope DIANE has not disappeared under white stuff. Temps in her region look rather low. May she soon get back on air.

{{{HUGS}}} to ALL who are in serious lockdowns UpOver.

I intended going to real church this morn, then I told myself not to be stupid. With virus outbreaks in NSW & VIC, it could so easily spread to our state with holidaymakers returning home. There are borders checks with VIC and a closed border with NSW, but what if someone is not honest as where they have been? So it was online service yet again. Mid-20s and humid. Salad for tea. Whoops, too late I remember we had salad roll for lunch. I don’t suppose OH’s memory will fail. . .

To live is the rarest thing in the world. Most people exist, that is all. (Oscar Wilde)

We tend to get what we expect. (Norman Vincent Peale)

The old pessimist focuses on his growing number. The old optimist focuses on his growing blessings.

Good Morning, and many thanks to Annette for starting us off, and for the cheering picture.

Harelady - Hang on in there, as the young ones say. You've done well thus far and it's been tough, but you must be kind to yourself about your situation. Do things you enjoy, if you can. Perhaps doing some work will help give more structure to your day. We are all in this together, and together we will beat this and get back to normal - my {{HUGS}} are on their way across the miles to you.

AQ -- Thanks for the quotes. I was especially interested in the Norman Vincent Peale one, as I read his self improvement books avidly many years ago. I used to be shy and the books opened my eyes to the fact that if you turn it around from looking inward, and become interested in other people and their lives, you can build relationships.

The sun is now trying to come out, here, after a very dark sky at the start. There is still snow on the fields and our snowmen are in the gardens. I'm going to begin, slowly, to pack up some of the decorations but am not rushing to get Christmas over, yet.

LINDA - with a quick look back, I see you have described how you came to move to your present home. Our change to a bungalow was mostly due to my decreasing mobility - not entirely needed in 2003, but having watched family members aging in the wrong place, we always tried to stay a step ahead. Originally from further south, we had been almost 30 years in Lancashire, were in a four bedroom house, had taken early retirement and needed a change. Bungalows are easier to find in Scotland, and that is how we came over the border (no family in Lancashire and they were all three scattered at that time - J come back to us in 2011).

ANNETTE - thanks for starting our week again, with the lovely view of West Beach.

AQ - pleased to see you sensibly "attended" virtual service - don't take any risks before or during your treatment.

HARELADY - I would have expected you would see others on your regular walks, even if only for a quick "hello" across the road! Maybe the contact with work, be it real or virtual, will help you.

Quiet here this morning., cold with sunshine. No plans, but I am sure there must be some tidying to be tackled - maybe even some "flinging" coming on! We have thrown out one decoration from Christmas - commonly known as "the farting Santa" he was filled with circulating glitter, but his action never seemed quite right and was accompanied by noises!

Lindy - thank you for your kind and wise words and OG - all of our regular Health walks have been cancelled due to social distancing but I do out to Dunwich Heath and Sizewell Beach as they are much less busy that Aldeburgh and Southwold which are packed with Londoners and the 2nd home owners.

People here are very friendly and we all nod and say hello but its just in passing.

Anyway I should be grateful that my family are all well from 80 year old Brother and wife in North Yorkshire, Sister and Husband in Essex - which have very high Covid cases.

Son & family are in South East London again very high numbers and Daughter and family in Northamptonshire.

I also see Boris has said that Children should could go back to school - what does everyone on here think? My Son-in-Law is a primary school teacher and he worked all though  teaching key worker children with a bit of online for the others. He much preferred classroom teaching to online.

Reading all your comments is a big comfort - packed with humour and good advice and long may it continue!

LINDA - sorry. I didn't see your post before. I hope the sunshine will stay with you today. We just ordered a light fitting for our bedroom. Liked the previous one. but it now has heat marks on it, despite using bulbs of the correct rating. Gone for LED this time.

HARELADY - must be breezy walking there on the east coast! That programme ("Coastal Villages") on Warberswick was repeated recently, so yesterday we watched it for a second time and enjoyed as much as before. Pleased your family members are all well, despite living in problem areas. My view on schools is that they should have been closed much earlier - and we should stop telling the children they are being damaged for life as they will carry that thought with them as an excuse for any educational and social problems. I think that now the situation is worsened by the newer strains of Covid, we should close all schools until after Easter or until the R number is below 0.5, for the sake of schools workers.

E-E is now cooking - stuffed chicken breasts, roasties, yorkies etc - which reminds me - I am supposed to be on brussel sprout duty!

The schools confusion ... hmmm. I agree children should have face to face teaching if at all possible. But what about the teachers? Many of them fall into the 'vulnerable' category. Children live in homes where people are going all over the place - shops, offices, building sites, work environments secondary schools and so on - and then going home to their children. It may well be that children do not suffer as much as some other groups with Covid, but there is very little, if any, proof that they don't act as carriers. They probably do. So they 'carry' into schools where vulnerable teachers are being told they are completely safe. Of course I am concerned for children, but I am far more concerned for the teachers.

HARELADY Just a thought. Where we walk, we acknowledge everyone and often stop for a chat, sometimes with complete strangers. Perhaps next time you are walking you could add a weather comment to your "hello" and you never know where it might take you. It is good to know all your family are well esp as some of them are in high risk areas.

Harelady - I'm relieved you weren't offended by my preachy post - I did mean well but it's hard not to sound too superior (?) when giving advice or tips. My heart is with all of you who are living alone and no one to hug you or exchange moans with!

I think it was right that all primary children should be in school - very few of them are ill even if they catch the virus and they undoubtedly need the structure to their day at that age. Also, their learning would suffer - online is not the same at all as face to face teaching. The parents have enough problems without having to worry about childcare and home schooling. They can all be tested regularly to keep the teachers safer. And wear masks!