Latest Moan From You and Me 2025

Re masks:
They probably don’t work. However, it must minimise germ spatter so probably worth it. Best set up is the person with the germs wears a mask too (obviously not always possible in a hospital situation as that person may have trouble breathing or be on oxygen etc). Masks should be changed regularly or you are just breathing in all the bugs that are on the material. I have seen people stuff them in a pocket then re-wear. That’s literally putting all the germs against your mouth and nose!

 

@KT53 that's appalling but can she not turn up to A&E and tell them she can't walk or stand and sitting is hard. That might get her scanned faster.

Flu jabs are available from mid October here and we get ours as soon as possible. How hard can it be to revive a campaign such as "Coughs and sneezes spread diseases" and another for the vaccine so people take measures to protect themselves and any vulnerable family and friends. Much cheaper than the consequences of having people lined up in corridors and ambulances waiting for beds in hospital.

 

Re Christmas socialising (and festivities in general):
Not for me.

I am surprised that the frenzy of festive activities hasn’t fizzled out by now. I thought the cancellation of Crimbo by Covid would have spurned people to re-evaluate things. So much pressure, enforced socialising (germs),money and faff is my take on ‘the holidays’ these days. I do like some seasonal nods - like fairy lights, a few food treats and presents for children but that’s about it.

Maybe I’ll change my mind when I stop having to work every Christmas??
Probably not.

 

The exact reason why I dont think they work, I've seen people walking down the street wearing masks, seems odd to me.
I still say these diseases are spread mostly within families and always indoors, just dont get too close to anyone.

 

To be fair, that's what's driven the world for most of history. Our ancestors didn't go out sailing around the globe purely in search of knowledge. Most of them were hoping to get rich from trade or treasure.

 

I love how many like-minded people I find on this forum. I used to think it was just me ...

 

Before Covid my employer was very reluctant to let anyone work from home; then when lockdowns struck laptops etc appeared out of nowhere. Now we're back in the office but still empowered to work from home when necessary and you can really see the difference this time of the year; people who are ill mostly stay home and don't spread it around. It's a very long time since I've had to sit next to someone with a full-on streaming cold.

 

I have only attended 1 wedding ( my sister's) apart from my own - a 5 minute Registry Office job. 2 funerals ( sister and Aunt ) unless counting that of my father when I couldn't face the church ceremony so just sat outside in the Churchyard. Christmas celebrations - 3 at the most some 50 years ago. Dinner parties - none that I can think of.
I have always acknowledged/chatted to anyone I meet on the street/neighbours and made a fuss of their dogs tho

 

I enjoy socialising but it has to be an interesting occasion or people and not too often. EG life is far too short to waste on OH's golfing pals who have only one topic of conversation. We like Xmas and NY at home on our own with Possum and pets now but we did, for a while, enjoy NY dinner dances with proper dancing and I even organised a few for our dance club in Belgium. We very rarely entertain here unless we have friends staying but we do enjoy the annual Fête des Voisins where we have the chance to chat with neighbours we like but maybe don't see for months on end.

Weekly dance class is fun and we see some of them once a month at a tea dance. Weekly patch/sewing/crafty club is good too with lots of chat and laughter but it's always good to come home and be in my own space with my own people for the majority of the week.

 

The last time I went to a big social gathering it was a colleague's retirement party. He'd hired a live band, and they were so loud you couldn't talk to anyone. When I got some food from the buffet, I could feel the paper plate vibrating in the sound waves. I'm unlikely to be invited to any more parties thankfully.

 

I’m just back from a Christmas lunch with the members of a ladies group from our village. It was really good fun, the food was delicious, and the company was very entertaining. I suppose Im a fairly sociable type, unlike OH who is a bit of a recluse. I joined two women’s groups in the village after realising that we could go for months without having a proper conversation with anyone other than each other. We do enjoy each others company, and don’t run out of things to talk about, but I’ve found it fun to make some new friends. We have no family locally, and my best friend lives in Spain, so I have been missing face to face chats with other than OH.

 

Your ‘meals on wheels’ sounds brilliant @shiney - there’s not many people like you who would go out of the way for others.

I was watching ‘Motherland’ the other day and the one character said she would love to volunteer at a homeless shelter doing Christmas meals and then said: “if I didn’t have the kids, was a nicer person and could be bothered”.

 

@KT53, re your niece, I echo Obelix's suggestion of just turning up at A & E and telling them she just can't stand the pain any more and is feeling suicidal. Some tears wouldn't come amiss as well. I would have refused the new painkiller and demanded a scan.

Alternatively, could the family have a whip round to arrange a private scan?

That's appalling treatment from her GP, he sounds absolutely useless. Is that the only one at her practice or could she ask to see another for a second opinion?

I do hope her problem can be diagnosed soon.

 

Those of you experiencing postal delays in various areas might find this useful. It's a list from Royal Mail listing sorting offices that are experiencing the worst delays. And yep, mine is there .

https://www.royalmail.com/service-update