MAY 2021

 Saturday 1 May 2021

Life is hard in Scotland. Apparently Edinburgh is in Tier 3. There's not much that a single person can do in Tier 3.

Had a 'Meet & Greet' to do this afternoon so got on the number 11 bus at about 2pm. It was absolutely mobbed. For the past year the buses have been really quiet. This was like the last bus out of town on a Friday night, pre lock down. Haven't a clue where everyone was going. Probably off to sit outside a pub somewhere because apparently pubs/restaurants can only serve alcohol outside until 6pm. Not sure why anyone would want to sit outside and drink alcohol in this weather though. Is Scotland really a nation of alcoholics. It's freezing in Edinburgh. I certainly wouldn't be sitting outside just so that I could have a glass of wine.

Went round to my support bubble's for dinner and that's as exciting as it's got today.

Sunday 2 May 2021

Arrived back in Edinburgh from sunny St Ives on Friday and it hasn't taken long for me to slip back into my lock down life, which is walk the dog for miles, watch hours of crap TV and drink gallons of wine.

Things may be gradually opening up in Scotland but due to the weather being so awful and due to the 'rules' stating we can only meet one other household indoors (ie, only one person if you're single with single friends) it feels like we're still in lock down.

Had a bit of a browse around a couple of clothes shops this afternoon, but as the changing rooms still aren't open I didn't buy anything. I really don't see the point of buying clothes if I can't try anything on. I might as well just shop online.

One of my friends works in M&S and apparently she's sold more bras and knickers than she's ever done in her life. Everyone just seems desperate to get out; though as we've all been locked down for four months, it's hardly surprising.

Monday 3 May 2021

Took Trixie, the Collie pup, for her annual check up this afternoon. This should have happened three months ago but because of lock down it didn't. Don't really know why because the dog groomers were still working. I wasn't allowed to go into the vets with her. I had to stand outside and wait until the vet and nurse came to get her and then I had to wait outside while they examined her. It was absolutely chucking it down with rain so obviously I was not very happy about that.

Should have stayed in St Ives. It's like winter in Edinburgh.

Thursday 6 May 2021

Snow on the hills in May. Seriously?!

Election day – Tried to hand over my voting card because it said on the card that it would speed up the voting process. The bossy ladies didn't want it. They very abruptly told me to take it away with me. Then they asked if I had my own pencil. Errrrr.......... no. Since when have you had to take your own pencil to a polling station? The bossy ladies said that I should have brought my own pencil to minimise the risk of transmitting Covid. They gave me a pencil and said, 'Take that away with you as well'. So at least I've got a free pencil. Lol! To be honest, if anyone is scared of getting Covid because they've touched a pencil that someone else has used; then they should be doing a postal vote and not even be going to the polling station. Then the bossy ladies told me three times that I had to leave by the fire exit. Well that involved me pressing down on the fire exit bar. I went at about 8am but by 10pm tonight how many people will have pressed down on that exit bar to get out? Pressing down on the fire exit bar requires a lot more pressure than just using a pencil to put a cross on a bit of paper. Just saying!!!

We're supposed to be coming out of lock down but to be honest I'm finding life harder than I did a year ago. I had the most fantastic month in St Ives in April and a lot of that was due to the fabulous weather, but since I came back 6 days ago I've only been able to see one friend in real life. I'd like to say, 'things can only get better' and actually believe it. I've been saying that for more than a year now and nothing has got any better.

Oh well, hey ho, it's almost the weekend and my support bubble is coming round for dinner on Saturday night. Think positive. A year ago the term 'support bubble' hadn't even been invented.

Saturday 8 May 2021

What a horrible, horrible day. I've had the heating on all evening. It's May for goodness sake. I should be basking on the balcony in the sunshine. Not cancelling outdoor arrangements with friends. Having said that, when I've been trekking around with Trixie, the Collie pup, all the pubs with outdoor seating areas seemed to be full of people sitting huddled under umbrellas. I don't think it's so much that people are desperate to go out and drink (after all they could sit in their own homes and drink), I think people are just desperate for some real live human company.

My support bubble came round early evening for dinner. Much as I like S, it would be really nice to be able to see some other friends in my house. Even on the 17^th May (due to the three household rule) I'm still just going to be able to see two people indoors because all my friends are single. After being in isolation for more than a year I don't even know if I'll remember how to communicate with more than one friend at a time.

From what I've heard, England is aiming to be back to the new normal by 21 June and I certainly know a few people who are planning birthday parties and 'Junemas (late Christmas) parties. Don't think that's happening in Scotland. We've got to work through all the tiers first.

However, there is a solution to every problem. I'm aiming to be back in my Cornish home by 21 June. Well, I can't miss out on a party can I?

Was very bored after S left this evening so thought I might as well take a COVID test????

.........Seriously???........

20 pages of instructions and the only bit I understood was, ‘wash your hands for 20 secs (twice) & don’t eat or drink for 30 mins before taking the test. .......Oh and when you’ve got your results report them via the QR code (I don’t even know what a QR code is) or phone an 0300 no. (which will cost you a fortune).

...............And everyone in the UK is being encouraged to do this twice a week? How much are all these testing kits costing? Does anyone else think it’s all, just a little bit too much, too late?

Sunday 9 May 2021

Took the Trixie the Collie pup, to Braidburn Valley Park for her walk this morning. There's new signs up all over the place. Seriously?! What was wrong with the old ones? I thought we were supposed to be coming out of lock down and all these new signs are popping up. Who is paying for these?

Went out for lunch with J. No alcohol was allowed in doors with lunch, but not too worry; we could sit outside afterwards and drink ourselves in oblivion. Obviously we didn't, but we could have done if we'd wanted to. The rules are crazy!

According to J, (who has her phone set for every Covid alert going), Boris has said we can start hugging people again from the 17^th May. Mmmmm............... I tried to tell, J, that these were English rules. Is Nicola Sturgeon really going to allow us to start hugging all our friends next Monday? I don't think so.

Wednesday 12 May 2021

Went out to a new burger joint with F. Yummy burgers but we weren't allowed to have a glass of wine with them.

Sunday 16 May 2021

Went for a walk with K this morning. K is going to look after Trixie, the Collie pup, in August when I have a couple of nights away in Glasgow with the girlies. Originally our trip was planned for last December, but it got cancelled so we re-booked for August, thinking that life would be back to normal by then. Having said that, the way things are going, Glasgow could be stuck in Tier two forever, which will mean another holiday cancelled.

I'm getting really fed up with all these restrictions now. Well, to be honest, I've been fed up with them since the first lock down. The way I see it is............... Covid is not going to go away so we're all just going to have to learn to live with it. Does anyone else think that all this is just getting a bit ridiculous now? We all need to get on with our lives.

I suppose my worse fear would be getting long Covid, but at the end of the day, you can't choose what type of Covid you're going to get and to be honest I'd rather be confined to my house because I'm ill, than be locked up just because going out in the big wide world might expose me to a virus that probably won't kill me. And if it did; then I wouldn't be in a position to worry about it would I?

Monday 17 May 2021

Went to the EICC for my second Covid vaccine. No queues so I was in and out really quickly (unlike last time when I had to queue for 55 mins). In two weeks time I'll be mega protected from Covid. Well that's the theory anyway.

Tuesday 18 May 2021

Latest news.................. Boris is now talking about putting England back into Tiers. It was only yesterday that everyone in England was going about hugging each other?!!

Scotland's been in Tiers forever and Glasgow and the Moray region haven't been allowed to move out of Tier 3. So what's happening................... people are getting on the trains and loads of people from these areas are flocking into the Tier 2 areas to socialise with their mates and have a few drinks.

The system is mad. There may be a new Indian variant lurking around but there's far too many people breaking the rules to contain it. My guess is.................... we'll be back in lock down within a few weeks. Surely after more than 15 months we all just need to learn to live with this. Covid, in whatever form, is not going to go away.

All the most vulnerable/elderly people in society have now had both of their vaccines so why can't we all start to get on with our lives again. Think of the Spanish Flu that killed millions of people worldwide in 1918.................. and there were no daily briefings or daily updates to say how many people were infected or how many had died.

Instant internet access to information about Covid is great but it also creates a lot of scaremongering. Let's all just get back to normal and if you're too scared to go out, then don't go out.

I don't want to stay at home. I'm happy to go out and risk getting Covid, but that's my opinion. I also respect the opinion of people who don't want to go out. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion. Covid is not going to go away so we all just need to learn to live with it in whatever way we think best.

Wednesday 19 May 2021

I haven't bought any new clothes for more than a year so decided I'd go shopping. Can't say the experience was particularly pleasurable.

Most of the shops I went into still did not have their changing rooms open. Why not? Changing rooms are allowed to be open so as far as I am concerned, the shops that aren't opening them are just being lazy. I really don't want to buy a load of stuff take it home and then traipse all the way back with the stuff that doesn't fit. How is that even sensible? It's like making people go out on an extra trip, when actually, if they'd tried the clothes on in the shop, they know if it fitted or not.

Big shout out to M&S whose staff in the changing rooms were absolutely fantastic. They couldn't have been more Covid safe, friendly, professional and just generally helpful. But, seriously?..................... why aren't other shops opening up their changing rooms? If 'Next' had opened up their changing rooms I would probably have spent about £100 in the shop today. As it was, I didn't spend anything because things that look great on a coat hanger, generally don't look great on my body. I NEED to try things on.

Went to the 'Steak House' this evening with S&G. First time since last summer that we've actually been allowed to go to a restaurant in Scotland and have a glass of wine with a meal. Whoooohoooo!  ............Albeit that they did have sheets of plastic in between the tables. #lifeinlockdown

Thursday 20 May 2021

F&J (who live in Aberdeen) took me out for dinner tonight as a thank you for doing the shopping for Fs mum (who was shielding), and lives in Edinburgh, during first lock down. Totally unnecessary of course, because that was the highlight of my week. In fact she was practically the only person I saw in real life for three months and I really enjoyed going shopping for her.

At the start of first lock down everybody seemed to be following the rules and yet now, more than 15 months on, society seems to have divided into two groups....................

Those who are extremely fed up with the whole thing and just want to get back to normal, no matter what the consequences.

And...................

Those who have become very scared and afraid to go out even though they've had both vaccines.

Personally, I don't think life will ever go back to what it was.

Friday 21 May 2021

I'm in a really bad mood today. Just what is the point of clothes shops re-opening if they're not going to re-open their changing rooms? Everyone might as well continue shopping online.

A few days ago I picked up a pair of trousers in Asda while I was doing a grocery shop. They didn't fit. Apparently Asda have got rid of all their changing rooms and they won't be coming back. Why?

Today I went to Decathlon. Found a lovely pair of summer walking trousers that could also transform into cut offs. Had to bring them home because the changing rooms weren't open and the very uninterested 12 year old shop assistant (OK she wasn't 12) couldn't tell me when they'd be opened again. ..........They don't fit!

Went into TKMax and bought another pair of trousers. They don't fit either! I asked three different shop assistants why the changing rooms weren't open, just to see what kind of answers I got. 

 The answers ranged from, 'It's illegal', to 'We can't open them until we've got social distancing put in place', to 'We need the changing rooms to store the returned items for three days.' ..........All that tells me is that the management in TKMax aren't doing a very good job of keeping their staff up to date with what is actually going on. Shop assistants should at least all be telling customers the same thing!

Made the mistake of watching Nicola Sturgeon do her daily briefing when I came back from shopping. .............Well I was already in a bad mood. She made it ten times worse! Can we not just stop faffing around with tiers and get back to normal. The Indian variant is going to spread whatever. Glasgow is in tier 3 and Edinburgh is in tier 2 but the two cities are only a 45 min train journey away from each other. 

 Does 'First Minister, Nicola,' seriously believe that all the Glaswegians are staying in their own city. They're not. There's train loads of them coming to Edinburgh to shop and socialise with their friends. And yes this is a fact. I have friends who are working in the shops and restaurants that they're coming to, and they're quite open about the fact that because they can't do things in Glasgow then they're more than happy to come to Edinburgh.

Took Trixie, the Collie pup, in the car, to Saughton Park for a run around this afternoon. Does anyone else in Edinburgh think that all these 'bollards' and 'spaces for people' are creating an absolute nightmare? There's no room to pull in to the side if emergency services want to get past. If taxi's/delivery vans are stopped to drop people/goods off, that holds up everyone. Driving in Edinburgh is an absolute nightmare and that's not even taking into account what it's actually like in the city centre. I never take my car into the city centre.

Everything just seems like so much of an effort at the moment.

Saturday 22 May 2021

Went back to Decathlon to return the trousers that I'd bought yesterday. There was a queue to get into the shop so I had to wait 7 mins. 7 mins may not seem like a long time, but it is if you're standing waiting and all you want to do is change one pair of trousers for a different size. They didn't have the size I wanted. Grrrrr................ Shopping for clothes in Covid times is impossible.

Why are the shops even bothering to re-open? Why don't we all just do everything online and live in our own little isolated bubbles and never see anyone. The world has gone mad.

Sunday 23 May 2021

It's official.............. I can have two people in my house now. Whooohoooo. S&K came round for dinner this evening.

Friday 28 May 2021

Went out for lunch today with 4 single friends. Due to Scotland's ridiculous 'three household indoors' rule we had to book an outdoor table. Fortunately the weather was warm enough for sitting outside. If England can allow six people from six different households to meet indoors, I don't understand why Scotland can't. It's like the minute Covid passes over the border it reacts in a different way.

Great Britain is a very small island compared to the rest of the world. Why can't England, Scotland and Wales not all work together to eradicate Covid. If we all stuck together and had the same rules, then surely people would actually have more of an idea of what the rules actually were?!

Monday 31 May 2021

Popped into the local M&S for a bag of salad and the self service tills are now even more complicated than they were when they first got rid of all the lovely check out assistants. Think I'm going to boycott M&S. I hate using self service check outs and as far as I'm concerned, the fact that they don't even have one manned checkout is totally bad service. They only have one person 'guarding' the self service ones, so consequently everyone was having to wait for help.

A lot of 'normal' life is never, ever, going to come back after this Covid thing.

There's been loads of the news and social media today as to whether Edinburgh/Glasgow/the rest of Scotland are going to move up or down tiers.

I've had enough of the whole thing. I haven't a clue what the rules are. How on earth can anyone keep track of anything? I'm just going to do my own thing from now on. Whatever that may be.