Looking at things in a different light ....

[trophywench]

This morning Pete had a text from a local-ish friend to say the friend's wife (who had a brain tumour several years ago which was successfully removed, however it's only been 12/18 months-ish since she's felt able to socialise a bit more, getting over worried if she can't remember, especially things she knows damn well she used to know, not wholly appreciating herself that at least some of that is a bit inevitable due to birthdays!) has literally today just been told by the NHS - for the first time! - that she can come out of lockdown on Saturday - though they never told her she was locked down 'for clinical reasons' in the first place !
Talk about locking stable doors .....

They were in their moho and at La Manga in Spain in March when they thought it best to get back to the UK and did so - and I know full well that they also went on a small 'meet' at a site near Stratford on Avon a week or so ago LOL

 

[Pumper_Sue]

Oddly enough I never heard a dicky bird from anyone once I had my shielding letters now all of a sudden I'm inundated with letters/emails advising me of all the help available to me now I am out of shielding! Emails have been assigned to the junk folder where they belong.

 

[Madeline]

I’ve been really lucky then; got my shielding letter very early on, and have had masses of help offered, from the gubmint food boxes (utterly useless to a diabetic lol) to prescription deliveries, weekly phone calls, and the LA have even been putting my bins out/back for me!

Youngest and I have been shielding together, it’s been relatively pleasant, although I’d have gone insane without her company.

 

[everydayupsanddowns]

Glad you have had such a positive experience @Madeline

I think some of the communication around many aspects of the shielding / lockdown stuff has been a little chaotic unfortunately, and it does seem that several people have fallen through the cracks

 

[Madeline]

Glad you have had such a positive experience @Madeline

I think some of the communication around many aspects of the shielding / lockdown stuff has been a little chaotic unfortunately, and it does seem that several people have fallen through the cracks

Definitely, there were quite a few people I know online who didn’t get shielding letters until a few months in, or were forgotten. The asthma forums were pretty chaotic as the advice kept changing.

The food boxes were marvellous, but there was zero capacity for alternatives, they were very carb heavy and old school ‘healthy’, and religious dietary requirements were shockingly ignored. First few boxes had corned beef, then it changed to some sort of pork stuff, like spam.

 

[Pumper_Sue]

’ve been really lucky then; got my shielding letter very early on, and have had masses of help offered, from the gubmint food boxes (utterly useless to a diabetic lol) to prescription deliveries, weekly phone calls, and the LA have even been putting my bins out/back for me!

Oh I forgot about the unwanted and unasked for food deliveries. That was a joke a box of gluten laden products for 3 weeks in a row (Great for a Coeliac) 🙄 Had to ask MP to stop the deliveries as driver refused to take them back. Elderly neighbours had plenty of food to keep them going though 🙂

 

[Madeline]

Oh I forgot about the unwanted and unasked for food deliveries. That was a joke a box of gluten laden products for 3 weeks in a row (Great for a Coeliac) 🙄 Had to ask MP to stop the deliveries as driver refused to take them back. Elderly neighbours had plenty of food to keep them going though 🙂

Us being No2 in the world for pandemic preparedness (US was No1) was an absolute joke. Family has stopped pointing and laughing at my War Cupboard though (it was meant for Brexit, which now seems like a mere passing irritant). It has served us well.

How did you manage in the end - did friends and family help out with deliveries?

 

[Pumper_Sue]

How did you manage in the end - did friends and family help out with deliveries?

There was a very handy bin for all 3 shielding letters I received. Basically I carried on as normal plus shopping for an elderly neighbour and my Mum. I had worked out there would be a lockdown before the government had so had made sure cupboards were well stocked and doggy had plenty of food. Just popped out every two weeks for fresh milk. There will be another lockdown at some point so I just keep everything well stocked now.

Unfortunately there is a huge influx of holiday makers at the moment so locals have locked down anyway and will continue to only come out after dark for the next few months 🙂

 

[Madeline]

Same here! Luckily the rest of the family listened in January (ok they humoured me), and stocked up. I bought a ton of stuff like soap and basic meds, and ordered some masks. We’ve all learnt that it pays to keep a good supply of everything in.

We have the same holiday makers issue here, the roads are busy again, and theres a lot of caravans going past. Supermarket delivery came earlier and the delivery guy said it was back to normal in the store as far as the shoppers were concerned,very few masks and no social distancing🙄