How are you all doing?

[stephknits]

Decided to risk it for a biscuit last night and used some of husband's sour dough mix (which plays havoc with my numbers) to make the dreaded pizza. Finished it off with some ice-cream and then a pint of homebrew. Went to bed on an 11.7 which wasn't too bad all things considered, did correction and woke up on a 5.6. happy days. Am currently managing around 80percent in target, which is amazing for me and a compromise I can live with.
In other news, I finished a stained glass window panel for our front door. Would love to show it off, but also can't work out how to upload pictures.

 

[Ditto]

Pictures is dead easy! If I can do it anybody can. Just save your pic to your documents on your device then click 'attach files' and click on the picture you want peoples to see. I then click 'thumbnail' so it won't be too big for the page. Here's me and Binky my rescue cat. I called her Binky after Death's horse because she was skin and bone but I should have called her Claudia because her nails are lethal.

 

[Eddy Edson]

So here the govt's contact tracing app just launched & I've installed it. That's that for the virus, then, but goodbye privacy.

Menawhile, it's the fourth day in a row with no new cases in my state and the soft lockdown we have here is looking increasingly threadbare. Eg: my bro & I visited my 86 yr old aunt this afternoon for the first time in weeks. We're kind of allowed to but people have been wary of doing this kind of thing - that's wearing off now, at least for the moment ...

Surprised by how much I'd missed sitting in her garden. Once you get past nonsense she's picked up from right-wing talk back radio, there are always great stories about being a teenager in the 40's.

 

[mikeyB]

I’m not installing any government App, thanks very much. Who has access to the information? What will they do with it?

I’m a bit worried by how our human rights are being eroded and cheerfully accepted.

 

[Eddy Edson]

I’m not installing any government App, thanks very much. Who has access to the information? What will they do with it?

I’m a bit worried by how our human rights are being eroded and cheerfully accepted.

I'm comfortable that the practicalities outweigh the principle in this case & that the data will only be used by the contact tracing teams.

It's probably a bit easier when you can think of the govt as "those guys doing a good job battling a pandemic" rather than eg as "like those spivs down the road who send their kids to school with lice in their hair".

 

[trophywench]

As wherever in the world it's introduced, it still relies on folk carrying mobile phones with them with it's internet roaming turned on and hence, they'd never trace me! Rarely carry my phone these days, was a useful thing to have when I used to go places on my own.

Currently sitting on a side table next to Pete, adjacent to the phone charger, whilst I'm across the room in a chair. Hence if I turned the internet on, on the phone, I confidently expect it to show the last time I went anywhere will be February!

 

[Eddy Edson]

As wherever in the world it's introduced, it still relies on folk carrying mobile phones with them with it's internet roaming turned on and hence, they'd never trace me! Rarely carry my phone these days, was a useful thing to have when I used to go places on my own.

Currently sitting on a side table next to Pete, adjacent to the phone charger, whilst I'm across the room in a chair. Hence if I turned the internet on, on the phone, I confidently expect it to show the last time I went anywhere will be February!

This one's pretty innocuous compared to the metadata they could pull if they wanted to go for that. Stores numbers of any other phone you've been close to & if you get diagnosed, you can if you want to upload that data to the contact tracing team's database.

It's a tool to help out the contact tracers do their job faster and more completely, not supposed to replace or supplement them, which seems to be the way the UK govt is positioning its app.

 

[Stitch147]

Feeling a bit down this weekend. It's my weekend off work and I'm in a can't be bothered to do anything mood. Soaked my nail extensions off a couple of weeks ago and I've gone back to biting my nails, badly. I even put nail varnish on in the hope that I wouldn't start biting them. I now have extremely sore finger tips. I've spent all weekend binge watching Disney+. I just want to get back to some normality.

 

[Big Bear]

Hello
Given that a smart tv unless disabled will send back info picked up through its microphone, ditto alexa and ring door bells most modern tech devices are tracking and noting our preferences and have been doing so for years. Apart from the loony approach of tin foil and daft hats, the only way to stop tracking is to switch the phone off when not needed. Given the world's need to post, tweet, upload and generally have an online presence its your choice.
Me personally my phone is a 20 year old nokia and an old lg only linked to home wifi.
I use an internet phone so I can be contacted by my friends. Lets face it the Government considering ending the 10 yearly census because of loyalty supermarket cards and all the other public info people post that is readily available, there is no longer such a thing as not being able to be tracked. Who'd have thought George Orwell was so right back in the 40s.
Sent from my tin foiled lined cellar.

 

[everydayupsanddowns]

Feeling a bit down this weekend. It's my weekend off work and I'm in a can't be bothered to do anything mood. Soaked my nail extensions off a couple of weeks ago and I've gone back to biting my nails, badly. I even put nail varnish on in the hope that I wouldn't start biting them. I now have extremely sore finger tips. I've spent all weekend binge watching Disney+. I just want to get back to some normality.

Sorry to hear you’ve been feeling a bit down @Stitch147

Hope you can give yourself a bit of self-care and pampering over the next week and be kind to yourself.

I‘m finding the tricky days just come and go, with no real logic or predictability. I thunk you aren’t the only one longing for a bit of normality. Not that my daily life has been affected all that much, but the minor limitations just really get under your skin some days.

This too shall pass, and all that

 

[eggyg]

Day started ok and went down rapidly. Just found out through a post by @Northerner. Splenectomy patients, of which I am one, are now on the extremely vulnerable shielding list as of April 24th. Apparently we were “ missed off” the original list by mistake! Luckily because it was on the vulnerable list, I have been self isolating ie no shopping and just local walks, hardly any human interaction. The thought of staying in the house for three months isn’t filling me with glee. I will do it of course but it won’t be easy. To make matters worse, yesterday I just happenEd to start thinking about when I last had my pneumonia booster vaccine. I had my spleen out in December 2007, and had the vaccine a couple of weeks pre the op. I had a booster five years later and nothing since! I had made a note to call GP first thing tomorrow so will ask about the splenectomy issue if and when I get through. Wish me luck.

 

[everydayupsanddowns]

Ah sorry to hear that @eggyg

 

[AJLang]

Day started ok and went down rapidly. Just found out through a post by @Northerner. Splenectomy patients, of which I am one, are now on the extremely vulnerable shielding list as of April 24th. Apparently we were “ missed off” the original list by mistake! Luckily because it was on the vulnerable list, I have been self isolating ie no shopping and just local walks, hardly any human interaction. The thought of staying in the house for three months isn’t filling me with glee. I will do it of course but it won’t be easy. To make matters worse, yesterday I just happenEd to start thinking about when I last had my pneumonia booster vaccine. I had my spleen out in December 2007, and had the vaccine a couple of weeks pre the op. I had a booster five years later and nothing since! I had made a note to call GP first thing tomorrow so will ask about the splenectomy issue if and when I get through. Wish me luck.

@eggyg I’m so sorry to hear this. It must have been a huge shock for you. For various reasons you are one of my really true inspirations xx

 

[AJLang]

I was and I will be doing ok. Haven’t left the house for six weeks because of Covid. Although my HBA1C is in the 6’s my levels spike very easily if I don’t keep a careful watch not helped by the gastroparesis. I also had a chest infection a year ago which nearly caused me to collapse, so I’m not taking any chances but I am worried for when Mark goes back to work, but C’est la vie.
What has really brought me down is that in the last week my two longest serving best friends from school have each lost a parent. One from cancer and another in a tragic sudden situation at home. The virus has obviously affected their situations a lot. I’m doing my best to be supportive but really worried that I will say the wrong thing. I have known both of the parents since I was in my mid-teens.
So I am very sad but trying to embrace the life that I have.

 

[everydayupsanddowns]

So I am very sad but trying to embrace the life that I have.

sorry to hear your sad news Amanda

 

[eggyg]

@eggyg I’m so sorry to hear this. It must have been a huge shock for you. For various reasons you are one of my really true inspirations xx

Thanks Amanda, that’s a lovely thing to say. Xx

 

[Bruce Stephens]

I’m not installing any government App, thanks very much. Who has access to the information? What will they do with it?

I’m a bit worried by how our human rights are being eroded and cheerfully accepted.

I think Google and Apple have done a reasonable job with their proposal in terms of privacy. The downside (or upside) being that apps using their framework don't (and can't) provide quite as much useful information as governments would like. (I was a bit disappointed that the discussion on this morning's Marr show didn't seem to talk about any of this, maybe because they don't want to mention the companies, it being the BBC. But there was reported to be a disagreement between NHSX and Google and Apple about this.)

And using Google/Apple's thing seems likely to be required since otherwise (as I understand it) everyone would need to have the app running all the time (otherwise you can't get the bluetooth LE used in the right way) in a way that would be quite battery draining.

And according to that recent Oxford study you'd need over 50% of the population to be using this (which is apparently 80% of smartphone users). Seems rather optimistic (especially since the Google/Apple thing won't be on some older phones (for some definition of "older")).

It's probably something the government can't be seen not to be doing, but I doubt this'll actually matter.

 

[eggyg]

Up before 5, mind buzzing. Rang GP at 8 and surprisingly got through within 10 minutes. Got an appointment at 10.20 with the nurse for my pneumonia booster and was told to ask about the shielding. Seen straight away, took injection straight out of the fridge! Ow! Nothing on my file re shielding but as it was only decided on Friday that splenectomy patients were to be added, or should I saw reinstated, to the shielding list, she said to wait for the letter. I asked what I should do in the meantime and was told she couldn’t give any advice! Ah well, I’ll use my common sense as I’ve been doing for the last 5.5 weeks.

 

[AndBreathe]

Day started ok and went down rapidly. Just found out through a post by @Northerner. Splenectomy patients, of which I am one, are now on the extremely vulnerable shielding list as of April 24th. Apparently we were “ missed off” the original list by mistake! Luckily because it was on the vulnerable list, I have been self isolating ie no shopping and just local walks, hardly any human interaction. The thought of staying in the house for three months isn’t filling me with glee. I will do it of course but it won’t be easy. To make matters worse, yesterday I just happenEd to start thinking about when I last had my pneumonia booster vaccine. I had my spleen out in December 2007, and had the vaccine a couple of weeks pre the op. I had a booster five years later and nothing since! I had made a note to call GP first thing tomorrow so will ask about the splenectomy issue if and when I get through. Wish me luck.

Eggy - I must admit I was astonished splenectomy patients were left off the shielding list, but there are a number of anomalies on there impacting many people. I haven't bumped into my spleen-free neighbour since Friday, so I wonder if he's still going to work - key worker.

I have a very good friend who continually astonishes me and repeatedly demonstrates demonstrates life to be for living. She has had the kidney/pancreas transplant package, then another kidney transplant. She "only" ever needed the kidney in the first instance, but took the chance to potentially be rid of longstanding T1. The second kidney was needed due to a misdiagnosis of the root cause of her kidney failure, from the start, so now she has 4 kidneys and 2 pancreases.

Anyway. Her take on isolation is this.

She continues to work 3 days a week, although for now, from home. She sees her husband (obviously!) and he does all the shopping/errands and so on, however, they both have a stroll around 10pm every night, so that she has some exercise and a hint of everyone else's current normality. They live in a very quiet area and never meet anyone on their travels.

She realises the risks to her. Her husband is still working (key worker), but is exercising as extreme a version of social distancing as he can, but still function in the workplace. He doesn't even use staff kitchens to heat his lunch or such like.

She feels her life has been limited enough, during her years of ill-health and dialysis so she'll take her chances; on her terms. Whilst I worry for her, I also know she will have thought this through thoroughly and therefor respect her choice.

Please be clear, I'm not advocating you or anyone else follows her lead. Nor, I hope, is anyone going to pile in to slate this inspirational woman.

 

[eggyg]

It definitely is up to the individual. We won’t be going down the separate beds/ bathroom and eating and sitting separately. That is very extreme. My neighbour has just said about going out late or early but I did that one day last week at 5.30am and still met someone! I’ve been anxious since this all started so will opt to stay home initially and may review it in a couple of weeks. I’m lucky I have had 12 years of travelling, walking, climbing and socialising so a few more weeks won’t matter in the grand scheme of things. I’m sure your friend has it all worked out. She sounds like me 12 years ago, let’s live for today and I have!