Covid-19 - The silver lining (Positives!)

[tomparryharry]

3 hours ago, The Johnster said:

Silver lining; it's much easier to cross roads where you want to these days without having to walk miles for zebras or wait hours for pelicans.

 

 

Edited March 27, 2020 by tomparryharry
Someone stole my joke!

[Oldddudders]

Sherry's daughter is Deputy Head of a primary skool. This is the letter sent out yesterday to all parents. A more reassuring missive would be hard to imagine, when no doubt many of the recipients are suddenly without income and wondering how to pay the rent or mortgage, let alone educate the bambini. 

 

"Dear Parents/Carers,

I hope that you are all keeping safe and well.

   

We currently find ourselves in uncharted territory, managing a situation that we could never have imagined possible just a few weeks ago. This has brought home lots of different emotions in people and many of you are understandably stressed and worried about how you are going to look after your children over the forthcoming weeks, and possibly months.

I would like to make it clear that this is an emergency situation and you should not be feeling worried or pressured about ‘home schooling’ your child. You can only do what you can do – There are no rights or wrongs. Staff at school are aiming to offer you as much support as possible by sending home links on Dojo, setting up Padlet pages and putting ideas onto our website.

If this helps, then great. If it doesn’t, then please don’t worry; just remember the following:

  You are the first and best educator of your child during these times. If your child won’t engage with the learning that’s posted on Dojo or sent home to you, please don’t worry. We know that some children will love engaging in these activities and we know that some children would prefer playing in the garden, baking, watching Youtube or bouncing around the living room. Just let them – Don’t stress or worry about it.

  Your child will not fall behind if they do less work than others say they are doing. All of the work that we are setting is to review, revise and embed learning that has already taken place in school – the teachers at XXXX are amazing and will get everyone back on track when we return.

 All learning is valuable – Playing with Lego, singing, baking, dancing, drawing a picture and kicking a football are all just as important as written worksheets

I would recommend that you try and do some of the following over the next few weeks/months:

 Some practical Maths, using baking, maths games, card games, counting or times table quizzes  Lots of reading
 Some art or craft (If you don’t mind the mess)
 Some form of physical exercise every day – The Joe Wicks workouts on Youtube are great

 Lots of talking and listening to each other
Please look after yourselves over the next few weeks. You are doing a great job.

Ensuring that your children are happy and healthy is your prime goal. Keep yourself as stress free as possible, smile at your children and tell them that this will pass and that there are better days ahead."

 

I hear other skools have been sending sharp reminders to parents that their child is not doing his/her online exercises. Ridiculous. 

[Ashcombe]

With reference to the Joe Wicks workouts mentioned by olddudders, with which you may be familiar if you have grandchildren, he posted this on Facebook this morning:-

 

“Message from Joe Wicks

 

Words can't express how happy and proud I have felt every day this week as the nation's P.E. teacher. I’ve been overwhelmed with the response and the support it's had from everyone.

As a result of so many people viewing the #PEWithJoe workouts on YouTube, the advertising revenue generated has been unlike anything I've seen or experienced on my channel before.

So I've decided that as long as I’m the nation's P.E. teacher, every single penny of the money generated on these videos is going to the place where we need it the most right now. All of it is going straight to the NHS, to support the real heroes right now.

Thank you for watching, joining in and sharing… I’m loving being your P.E. Teacher and now you can watch again, knowing you’re not only staying fit, you’re also helping raise money for the NHS.

See you Monday at 9am“ 

 

A great display of altruism!

 

 

 

[Nearholmer]

21 minutes ago, Oldddudders said:

I hear other skools have been sending sharp reminders to parents that their child is not doing his/her online exercises. Ridiculous.

Our youngest’s school has done a huge amount to provide material on-line, make teachers available during the day by Skype etc, and the Headmistress sent a letter similar to the above to parents and, nice touch I thought, and individually addressed letter to each child yesterday, full of positivity and balance.

 

Son is at senior school, and theirs is a bit harder-edged, but still plenty of material and teachers easy to contact if the child gets stuck and it is beyond the parent to help.

 

Son’s pal goes to “out of area” grammar school, and their support is pretty well identical.

 

Im finding that you can take horses to water, but outside the formality of school, they will drink precisely what they want to drink, and not a drop more!

 

we’re a fortnight into this, and gave-up attempting firm structure after about two days ...... everyone is freaked to some degree, and the last thing needed is a spark for conflict.

 

We’ve relaxed ‘screen time’ too (it’s still banned 0800-1600 weekdays), and even encouraged it, because in-game conferencing and ordinary video conferencing that my good lady sets up with other mums  are ways of giving the children social contact with their peers ..... actually seeing their pal’s faces and having a laugh with them is more beneficial than conjugating French verbs IMO.

 

They're on screen now, and I’m supposed to be hoovering and dusting ....   better get on!

[TheQ]

There are some bright things about it. 

 

[Coldgunner]

As a result of the lack of production on new TV shows, the BBC are putting out a lot of films and older content. Currently watching Witness, fantastic film on iplayer.

[eastglosmog]

I've been exploring a number of paths that I would not normally use due to having to walk nearly a mile on main roads to get to them.  With the sharp drop in road traffic, they are now usable without getting flattened.

[Reorte]

All the things I usually say I'll go out and do but am too lazy to actually do them, now I can say that I simply can't

 

[sem34090]

1 hour ago, eastglosmog said:

I've been exploring a number of paths that I would not normally use due to having to walk nearly a mile on main roads to get to them.  With the sharp drop in road traffic, they are now usable without getting flattened.

I'm finding the same with cycling.

[runs as required]

Clip from today's Private Eye :

 

 

 As

 

 As an oldie who enjoyed his Whole Line Timetable - all for 50p, I can see the sense in an integrated railway system 

dh (DNR)

[Ashcombe]

This was put together by some of  the entertainment staff from the cruise line with which we were planning to sail to celebrate my significant birthday. 
 

 
Along with many others, our cruise has been cancelled, as has a planned visit to see “Swan Lake” today at the Theatre Royal in Plymouth. In the overall scheme of things, it seems unimportant now. 

[big jim]

On 28/03/2020 at 10:50, Nearholmer said:

Our youngest’s school has done a huge amount to provide material on-line, make teachers available during the day by Skype etc, and the Headmistress sent a letter similar to the above to parents and, nice touch I thought, and individually addressed letter to each child yesterday, full of positivity and balance.

 

Son is at senior school, and theirs is a bit harder-edged, but still plenty of material and teachers easy to contact if the child gets stuck and it is beyond the parent to help.

 

Son’s pal goes to “out of area” grammar school, and their support is pretty well identical.

 

I have a strange situation with our pair, the eldest is leaving school this year so he is one of those who has had his GCSEs cancelled, basically leaving high school with no exams, he is still getting work daily through the ‘ClassCharts’ app which after a bit of a battle he is sitting down and doing during the day as it goes back to the school and is used towards his grades he will get in his ‘non exams’

 

fair dos to him, yesterday he went to Morrison’s to apply for a part time job As he is fed up of being stuck in the house, daft thing is when he was in school he rarely went out and spoke to his mates on line!

It was very strange the day the schools shut down as we stood there with the pair of them saying, well that’s you done with school completely forever and you will never come back to this primary school again (thank god!!)

 

its the youngest I feel for, As I say he is leaving primary school this year and due to some issues at the school he is in special measures as he fell way behind everyone in maths and English, we applied for the same school is big brother is leaving this year (we couldn’t tick the ‘sibling at the school’ box as he is leaving) as their ‘learning hub’ set up is superb in helping those who need it

 

when we got the confirmation of his high school place we didn’t get any of the schools we chose and he has been placed in a school we didn’t view, didn’t consider, indeed didn’t even know about! 
 

we tried to get a viewing a few weeks before the cornonavirus lockdown kicked in and were fobbed off and told they had lots of people wanting to do the same and they would get back to us, 2 weeks later got a date only for it to be cancelled due to the virus then obviously the school closed so come September he will be starting in a school he’s never seen the inside of where none of his friends are going, we have put an appeal in to see if he can get in his preferred school so we will have to see how that goes 

 

it’s laughable because when the eldest chose to go there from primary school he was the only pupil from his school who chose that particular school and a lot of the fellow playground parents scoffed at us for letting him pick that school as at the time it was seen as a bit rough and failing, 5 years down the line it’s now one of the top schools in the town and Unfortunately for us is now over subscribed hence why we didn’t get a place 

[Nearholmer]

Hope it turns out well for both of them. Changing/leaving school is always a bit of a challenge for children, and this weird end of the school year can’t make it any easier, and getting a school that you didn’t want definitely adds to the stress.

 

 

[Gilbert]

My daily exercise has frequently included a dog walk down to a local footbridge..one or two unusual workings

 

 

[SHMD]

I have an unexpected "Silver Lining" from all this - that is being 'forced' to shop locally with the shops stocked with local produce.

A bit more expensive but I count this as a real positive.

 

The improvement in cooking, taste and texture is really noticeable.

I'm not bashing the supermarkets but their quality control, and price pressures on suppliers, has produced a "samey-ness" feel/taste to our shopping that is really down to laziness on my part.

 

This mornings bacon butty will help me to carry on supporting local shops after this has all blown over.

(Yesterdays fresh carrots nearly didn't make it to the pot as me and my 12yr old son just couldn't resist them!)

 

 

Kev.

[Gilbert]

The reason for my exercise...she just doesn't know which way to look...

[Gilbert]

More routine fare..

 

[big jim]

Gilbert, without knowing the location how is the track set up there, trains seem to be coming from all directions!

[Gilbert]

Here goes Jim...

Its Keynsham near Bristol - the FL aggregate train is 663E 1230 Avonmouth Hansons Siding to Whatley Quarry F Liner Hh running wrong line on the down - it was effectivley being overtaken by the Colas 56s/70 020W 0715 Barnetby Sdgs Colas Rail to Westbury Down T.C. It was supposed to be for Eastleigh but stopped at Westbury 2.4.20.

The Pacers are withdrawn 142089+142032+142014 5Z43 0707 Gascoigne Wood Sdgs Gbrf to Eastleigh Works Gbrf 31.3.20

Colas service is 663L 1217 Westbury Tarmac Colas Rail to Aberthaw Tarmac Colas Rail 3.4.20 ( nice clean PCA underframes and well worn hopper bodies) and the DBC is 618L 0933 Northolt Sidings to Severnside Sita...(waste)

ATB

Chris

[Metr0Land]

2 hours ago, Gilbert said:

Here goes Jim...

Its K-E-Y-N-S-H-A-M near Bristol - the FL aggregate train is 663E 1230 Avonmouth Hansons Siding to Whatley Quarry F Liner Hh running wrong line on the down

 

Fixed it for you!

[The Johnster]

Horace Batchelor, a major feature of my late childhood and early teenage years, rather a lot of which was spent fine tuning a radio trying to pick up Luxembourg (208 metres MW) in bed.  He ran a postal horse betting system that you had write in for, to a P.O. box number in Keynsham, which he spelt out so you got it right, in his advert. It probably didn't work but there were always testimonials (most likely fake) about people who'd put sixpence on his system, which had returned 10 bob, and so on until they'd ended up with £70 or 80, a lot in the early 60s.

 

People of my generation are always likely to react to Keynsham with 'spelt K, E, Y' etc..  Luxembourg is still churning stuff out, but they're online now and have apparently gone religious.  Doubt if Horace would get a look in nowadays!

[runs as required]

... Stay-set and Brunatex shampoo and H Samuel 'Everight' Watches - reminds me of potholing (long) week-ends camped by Ribblehead viaduct watching A3s piling downhill (up) on fully fitted freights just before midnight - at least one axle box on fire.

  dh

[Oldddudders]

1 hour ago, The Johnster said:

Horace Batchelor, a major feature of my late childhood and early teenage years, rather a lot of which was spent fine tuning a radio trying to pick up Luxembourg (208 metres MW) in bed.  He ran a postal horse betting system that you had write in for, to a P.O. box number in Keynsham, which he spelt out so you got it right, in his advert. It probably didn't work but there were always testimonials (most likely fake) about people who'd put sixpence on his system, which had returned 10 bob, and so on until they'd ended up with £70 or 80, a lot in the early 60s.

 

People of my generation are always likely to react to Keynsham with 'spelt K, E, Y' etc..  Luxembourg is still churning stuff out, but they're online now and have apparently gone religious.  Doubt if Horace would get a look in nowadays!

It wasn't racing dobbins, but football pools - the Infra-Draw Method! It really did help one find the draws. Allegedly. 

[The Johnster]

1 hour ago, Oldddudders said:

It wasn't racing dobbins, but football pools - the Infra-Draw Method! It really did help one find the draws. Allegedly. 

Ah.  My mum did the pools, in aid of the Spastics Society (it was called that then); she had no interest in football but silence was demanded twice a week in our house, Saturday while mum marked off her coupon to the football results, and Sunday lunchtime for the weekly farming weather forecast, the only one my dad had any faith in.  Mum won £56 once, but I don't think father ever came up on the weather forecast...

 

I remember the H Samuel 'Everight' watches being advertised, but we were very much a Timex family.  Tick a tick a Timex... Though now I come to think of it my dad had an Ingersoll pocket watch, which was out of fashion even then.

Edited April 4, 2020 by The Johnster

[StevieD71]

My silver lining has been adding a couple more pets to the menagerie. As well as the dogs, guinea pigs and fancy goldfish I now have a couple of Russian dwarf hamsters.

I work at Pets At Home which is still open as an essential service for pet supplies, but has taken the pets off sale for the duration. This has led to a lot of small furries being looked after in stores (any stores with exotics returned them to head office) which were not going to be sold on and more now unrequired  animals coming from our breeders (the last litters before all this kicked off).

As a result the company has allowed collegues to adopt animals free of charge and is providing grants to help with set up costs (hutches, food etc). They are also providing 6 months free vet care through our Vets4Pets. I've been considering hamsters for a while now, so this has been my opportunity to take the plunge.

I'm currently off work for 12 weeks shielding due to my asthma ansd propensity for chest infections so had to make my first trip into work in weeks to collect them (with all due precautions taken obviously)

 

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