OCTOBER 2020

Thursday 1 October 2020

Heading down to my St Ives home and staying overnight with my sister. It will be interesting to see how different life is in England.

Saturday 3 October 2020

Had a lovely afternoon at the Porthmeor Beach Cafe with five friends. Four of them were from the same family so I stuck to the English rules and only met two households!

Monday 5 October 2020

Had a bit of a catch up with my very lovely housekeeper this evening. All I've seen on social media for the last couple of months; is the trouble holiday makers have been having with the cleanliness of their holiday properties. I've not had any cleaning issues while renting out this place and it's all down to the fact that my housekeeper keeps my house very spick and span.

Tuesday 6 October 2020

Life is pretty much normal, here in St Ives. Met a friend for breakfast and am now just waiting for another two friends to come round to the house for a few glasses of vino.

Wednesday 7 October 2020

Glad I'm not in Scotland. It looks like Nicola Sturgeon is introducing a whole load of new restrictions into Scotland, which are going to start on Friday at 6pm.

All licensed premises to close indoor and outdoors. Cafes that don't have an alcohol licence can stay open till 6pm to support social isolation. Snooker/pool/bowling alleys/casinos/bingo halls to close. Outdoor live events are banned. And so it goes on...................

Apparently Scotland has recorded 1054 new cases of Covid in the last 24 hours.

Thursday 8 October 2020

St Ives seems to be the busiest that I've ever seen it. I'm guessing it's because people can't go abroad for their holidays.

Had a lovely evening tonight. Pizza and wine with three friends.

Friday 9 October 2020

Went out for one glass of wine with three friends. It turned into a whole lot more. Lol! So glad I'm not in Scotland. All the pubs and restaurants are now closed for the next two weeks.

Sunday 11 October 2020

Went for a 6 mile walk with a friend then we went for a big roast dinner. Wouldn't have been able to do that in Scotland.

Monday 12 October 2020

Pre-dinner drinkies with friends at the 'Pool Club' and then dinner at the 'Firehouse'. Wouldn't have been able to do that in Scotland!

Wednesday 14 October 2020

Went out for coffee with a couple of friends (from two different households). Wouldn't have been able to do that in Scotland.

Thursday 15 October 2020

Went to 'Source Kitchen' for dinner with a friend tonight. Wouldn't have been able to do that in Scotland.

Friday 16 October 2020

Spent a lovely afternoon in the 'Pool Club' with four friends. Wouldn't have been able to do that in Scotland.

When will this ever end. Yesterday the half term booking that I had in my house here, cancelled. Although renting out this house is my main source of income, I was actually quite pleased because it meant that I could stay here for longer. All my friends in Edinburgh are very jealous of the life that I'm leading in St Ives and keep messaging/phoning me to say, 'Don't come back'.

As a single person in Scotland, nobody has a life. Nobody can see anyone, nobody can go anywhere and all the pubs and restaurants are shut. All anyone can do in Scotland is go for a walk with people from one household, which to be honest, is probably not going to be that enjoyable now that the nights/mornings are drawing in.

Here in St Ives (in the English three tier system) we are the lowest of the low and to be honest, the last couple of weeks that I've spent in St Ives have almost been like normal. I've walked the dog and been out with friends to eat and drink. Apart from wearing a mask in public places, life really does feel like normal.

However, unfortunately, I wasn't quick enough to block off the cancelled half term dates to myself so it got re-booked pretty much immediately. Good from a financial point of view, but bad from the point of view that I'll now have to return to Scotland on 23^rd October to a life of isolation.

Who would ever have thought that a three week lockdown in March would have led to this?

Saturday 17 October 2020

Had a friend round for a bacon roll and a coffee this morning. Wouldn't have been able to do that in Scotland.

Went to a friends house for dinner tonight. Wouldn't have been able to do that in Scotland.

It's lovely to be able to meet friends. Next weekend when I'm back in Scotland I'm going to be 'Billy no mates' again.

Monday 19 October 2020

Popped round to a friends house for a coffee this morning. Wouldn't have been able to do that in Scotland.

I'm dreading going back to Scotland at the weekend. It's going to be like being in prison. I won't be able to meet anyone in my house and can only meet one household outside. Well Scottish weather in winter is hardly conducive to sitting around outside having a chat, is it? That means that the only friends I can see are those that are hardy enough to come on the dog walk with me (but only one at a time) and I don't have many friends like that.

Oh and I have a friend in Scotland who had a text from the 'test & protect' app to say that he had been in close contact (ie for more than 15 mins) with someone who had tested positive for Covid so he had to self isolate for two weeks. However, he didn't get the text until 5 days after the alleged close encounter but he hadn't been out that day at all. In theory the self-isolation starts on the day of close contact. Being a law abiding citizen, he stayed at home until the date he was told he could be released. (Obviously during the 5 days that it took the 'test & protect' app to contact him, he'd been out and about all over the place.) Anyway, it turns out that the couple who live next door to him had both tested positive and he no doubt was sitting on his sofa and they were sitting on their sofa at the other side of the wall and their phones 'talked to each other'. What a joke! Apparently the 'test & protect' app says that it's highly unlikely that this will happen. Highly unlikely, but obviously not impossible?!

And the other thing............... while I'm in England, I have the English 'trace & track' app on my phone but the English and Scottish apps do not work together so when I go back to Scotland I will have to change my location so that the Scottish one works. BUT, what happens, if in the next few days, I come into contact with someone who has tested positive but it takes them a few days to contact me................... they won't be able to because I will have deactivated the English app.

The whole system is just stupid! We are Great Britain (not that's there's anything very GREAT with us at the moment). We should all be coming together as a nation to fight this pandemic. Together we stand, united we fall. And unless you're watching the daily briefings every day, how on earth is anyone actually even supposed to know what the rules are?

Tuesday 20 October 2020

Went to the 'Balcony' to have breakfast with a friend this morning. I wouldn't be able to do that in Scotland.

Wednesday 21 October 2020

Went out to the 'Bier Huis' for dinner with friends tonight. I wouldn't be able to do that in Scotland.

Thursday 22 October 2020

Went to 'Una' for lunch with a couple of friends. I wouldn't be able to do that in Scotland.

Went to the 'Pool Club' to meet friends for drinks this afternoon. I wouldn't be able to do that in Scotland.

Heading back to Scotland tomorrow. Out of the three weeks that I've been here, I've only spent two days by myself. Apart from wearing a mask, life is pretty much like what I'd be doing in normal times.

I've been too busy socialising to check out what the rules are like in Scotland, but just about to have a look now. No doubt I'll be back in prison for the rest of my life......................

Friday 23 October 2020

Saturday 24 October 2020

Staying an extra night at my sisters on the way back to Edinburgh. There doesn't really seem a lot to go back to Scotland for.

Sunday 25 October 2020

Back in Edinburgh and it's very cold.

Haven't really checked out what the rules are in Scotland re meeting people. Is it no one indoors and only one household outside. Who knows. Anyway my latest plan is to do some voluntary work and help out at the food banks from now until Christmas.

Monday 26 October 2020

I had a mission today. My mission was to find a food bank to volunteer at. I'm obviously not very 'volunteer savy'. I honestly thought that I would just rock up at a food bank and say, 'Here I am. What would you like me to do?' Apparently volunteering is like everything else in this digital age. One has to fill out an application form first. (That was for the Trussell Trust). I did it, but I can't say I'm happy about having to jump through so many hoops for a volunteer role.

I also filled out a few other applications for paid work in the lead up to Christmas so whoever replies to me first will get me, whether it be a volunteer role or a paid role. I think the amount of information that you have to provide for a volunteer role or a minimum wage job is absolutely ridiculous. Is a CV really necessary. Who cares what O grades I got in 1975?!

The whole experience of not being able to secure a volunteer role has left me depressed so in an effort to cheer myself up I re-arranged the furniture in the living room. It didn't work. I'm still depressed.

….............Think I'll have a glass of wine.

Tuesday 27 October 2020

If I thought yesterday was bad; today was 10 times worse. This not being able to see anyone apart from outside is driving me mad. Rules are going to get broken soon! Managed to do the morning dog walk before the rain came but by 2pm it was absolutely chucking it down so I got soaked on the afternoon walk. Who would want to go out in weather like this unless they have to?

Apart from walking the dog and watching TV that's all I''ve done all day. It's not even 5pm and I'm onto my second glass of wine!

Wednesday 28 October 2020

This lockdown seems to be so much harder than first lockdown. At least in March we were at the start of summer and the weather was fabulous in April and May. Now it seems to be dark at 5pm, the weather is horrible and it's even miserable doing the dog walks.

I just think we should all just get on with our lives. I haven't seen anybody since I came back to Edinburgh on Sunday. Single people can't live like this. I live alone so I'm not bringing the virus back into the house and infecting anyone else. As responsible adults surely we should be allowed to make our own decisions about whether or not we feel comfortable about meeting other people.

This whole tier thing is absolutely crazy. All the kids are going to school (and are no doubt infecting their teachers, who in turn will be infecting their families). All the universities went back ages ago only for the students to be locked down in tiny rooms. All their learning is online so it's no wonder they're all deferring their courses in their droves and going back to mummy and daddy.

I've got the 'test & protect' app on my phone but to be honest the only place where I might be in contact (closer than 2m) with someone for longer than 15 mins could be if I'm on a bus. Apparently we're only supposed to travel on public transport for work, education or caring purposes. Going on a big long walk and jumping on a bus doesn't count as 'essential travel' then? Oh dear. It seems like I'm going to be breaking the rules then!

Thursday 29 October 2020

Does anyone know what's happening?

Edinburgh is in Tier 3. Is that better or worse than Tier 3 in England. Who knows. We're not allowed to mix with anyone indoors but does that include single people who have formed a bubble with another single person for support? Who knows?

No travel in and out of one's Tier except for work, education, caring, exercise, weddings, funerals, etc. Seems a bit mad. That list seems to cover pretty much everything. And are these new rules actually rules, or just guidelines?

Where does one actually go to get information? Who knows. There needs to be ONE easy to understand website that is being constantly updated as the new rules/guidelines are announced. The government websites are so complicated that it takes forever to find anything out. And most of the time I can never find out what I want to know anyway.

Nobody seems to be following the rules anyway. I went into town on a bus today because I was doing a 'Meet & Greet'. Obviously that is classed as 'work', but the bus was loads busier than it was the last time I went on an Edinburgh bus which was in September. I'm pretty sure everyone on the bus wasn't on it for work, education or caring purposes. The people that I was meeting were delayed so I had a mooch around TKMax and Primark. Was that 'essential'? No it wasn't but what was I supposed to do for an hour in the middle of town?

I certainly wouldn't want to be in Wales but at least they seem to be doing it properly. Close the schools. Close the universities. Close the non-essential shops, etc, etc. And escort people who are trying to cross the border, back out again.

This whole Scottish thing just seems to be a shambles to me so I'll just do my own thing and hope for the best. The whole system has just become so confused that unless you watch the Nicola Sturgeon updates every day, most normal folk haven't a clue what is going on.

Lock us up or let us go. That's what I think. These half measures obviously aren't working.

Friday 30 October 2020

Went on a big long walk with a friend that has a dog today. We walked about 9 miles and were out for longer than three hours. This was the first friend that I've seen since I was in St Ives last week. None of my other friends would dream of going out in weather like this.

Saturday 31 October 2020

Went trekking around town today because I didn't have anything better to do but also because I wanted to see what was happening in the city. It was really depressing seeing how many pubs/restaurants were boarded up or had for sale/let signs up. The hospitality industry is never going to recover from this.

   

     

   

It's been reported that the number of people applying for minimum wage jobs has reached an all time high. Mmmmm................ that's probably why none of the places I've applied to work have bothered to reply to me.

One of the places that have actually replied was 'Next'. I applied for an eight hour job in their office (4 hours on a Sat and 4 hours on a Sunday) and I got a reply saying: 'We have reviewed your application and are writing to let you know that, on this occasion, we won't be moving it forward to the interview stage. This is because we have had applications that match our criteria for this role more closely.' Oh and they sent it twice so whoever is working in the office at the moment obviously isn't exactly doing a great job are they?

It might be nice if they actually told candidates what they were looking for. I had to do a comprehension test and a numeracy test and they were both so easy, a five year old could have done them. 'Next' are still advertising loads of temporary roles but apparently I can't apply for any of them for another six months. As if I would want to. Reject me once and you don't get a second chance!

It would seem that pubs/restaurants can re-open from Monday but they're not allowed to sell alcohol. Whoever heard of a pub that doesn't sell alcohol? They also have to close by 6pm and we're only allowed to meet one other household in a pub/restaurant. How it can actually be feasible to open under these restrictions I don't know.

Boris is doing a press conference at 6.30pm. I'm thinking another English lock down is imminent. Just wondering what's going to happen as I've got quite a few bookings in my St Ives house for November. Wondering if the whole of the hospitality industry in England is going to get shut down again.