Stockpiling...

[Twilight]

I'm amazed you didn't get the ubiquitous 'F. off' response. Where was this garden centre, Miss? In the Farmyard?

It's more than just a garden centre... Has the most fabulous tea room, a gift shop & the best plants I've ever bought. Apart from York & our home it's my favourite place in the UK. Spending a couple of hours there, having one of their amazing scones & then bringing back something beautiful for the garden, is my idea of bliss.

 

[stratobuddy]

If I've been out then I wash my hands thoroughly as soon as I get home.

But if I am in all day on my own, apart from normal hand washing after the loo or before preparing food, why is there any need to wash more often than this? Presumably I can't infect myself.

 

[Twilight]

I hope everyone stays safe, stays healthy or at worst gets this virus only mildly.

Figures from infected areas across the world seem to bear out that the elderly and those with underlying health conditions are most at risk. I have friends with asthma who are being extra cautious.

I'm due to fly to Tenerife shortly, so just keeping an eye on both UK and Spanish Govt announcements.

I've become very conscious of what unconscious habits I have, and others, too. I am trying not to touch my face under any circumstances. My handwashing game has improved. I haven't bought extra anything and by the sound of it I needn't bother trying now!

US Prez announcement of Europe travel ban is consistent with WHO stating Europe is now the disease epicentre but the exclusion of UK and Ireland has more to do with golf clubs and hotels than anything else IMO.

I watched people talking at our Slimming World meeting on Tuesday, I don't know if it was because they were self conscious talking in front of a large group but everyone touched their face. I ended up sitting on my hands so that I wouldn't copy them.

 

[loveallthingsitalian]

Did you see the item about your phone? Apparently the best way is just to use liquid soap and a damp cloth obviously making sure not to get wet. If you think about it people touch their phones all the time whilst putting them down any space space they have (including the bloody loo) and then touch their face.

 

[alter ego]

I would like to hope that this just might make airlines think about how badly they clean the aircraft but I’m afraid that once the worst is over it will be back to a plastic bag being passed around. I’m always astounded at the state of aircraft no matter at what point of the day you travel. Is there no legal standard of cleaniness for this? Even in normal circumstances I rarely come back from a flight without a cold as everyone seems to splutter and cough.

is there any possibility that yummy mummies just might stop their brats jumping all over tables and seats in cafes after walking in god knows what - that really gets on my chesticles- my mother would have killed me stone dead if I had dared to do that.

Oh, God, YES! I always check my seat now (though germs don't show, I don't want. to put my bum on a muddy footprint). A while back I started taking a refillable 30ml spray bottle (eBay) filled with Dettol spray (just pump it in from the nozzle) so I can clean the table off before eating and the loo before using it. I use the disabled loo if available (and doesn't have a dodgy man with an armful of shopping in it - I strongly suspect he was shop-lifting - he got in before me but I had a feeling he wasn't disabled so knocked hard. He came out immediately and gave me a look to freeze hell, too, before going into the baby change next door). The disabled loo must have an invisible sign saying"**** here" that I can't see as almost every time I use one the previous user has left at the very least skids all over the pan. Some don't even bother to flush.

Anyway, I digress. And agree. WTF is wrong with these people leaving their precious kids walk all over chairs and even tables?! Or run around so other people carrying trays of hot drinks are terrified kid will bump into them and get a head full of boiling drink over them. Or run around with a drink and spill it all over the floor that mummy sees but does nothing about so someone can slip and fall, pouring hot drinks over themselves.

WTF happened to common sense and decency? It's a great shame this virus wouldn't target idiots!

 

[alter ego]

I visit Venice at least once a year and have a live webcam of St Marls square on my iPad. Normally it is teaming with people but at the minute there is 1 person and 2 policemen there. So sad.

I have 3 trips to Eunope already booked long before this started so I have my fingers crossed that it has calmed down by the first in June as worried about my annual insurance policy which was in place when booked but will need renewal before travel which has never been a problem for the past 20 years but not sure about now.

Wise woman. I haven't been abroad for years but I always got my travel insurance at the same time as booking. I don't have the nerve or the luck to book it near the date.

I'm wondering how many people have booked but not bought travel insurance will be caught out now that many companies are stopping new policies? I think renewals should be okay, though.

Have a lovely time and stay safe.

 

[Brissles]

I was perusing Q the other day and was really tempted by the set of 4 Loccy liquid soaps for £48 inc p&p. I managed to Nanny McFee myself and not get them but I thought they looked just right for the kitchen. Well today I have been down the DHS for my weekly shop and Putney is a handwash free zone, forget about sanitiser which the shops also don't have - I mean ordinary wash! I checked Waitrose, Boots, Superdrug, Sainsbury's and Wilko. So I regarded that as an authorisation to buy the Q set. I do my main shop in Waitrose and they also had no loo rolls and no kitchen towel. I felt quite fortunate to find a bottle of bleach! Putney has clearly fallen apart in the crisis. People were queuing outside Superdrug to register names for the next delivery of hand sanitiser...

I was in my Waitrose yesterday afternoon around 3ish, and there was quite a few bales of loo rolls on the shelves, and nobody seemed bothered to buy ! Probably because everyone has them stocked up to the ceiling already at home !

 

[Brissles]

Well I have a stall at a craft fair tomorrow (saturday), which I expected to be cancelled, but clearly us villagers are made of hardy stuff !! the organisers apparently are sanitising all the tables, providing gloves (and advised us to bring our own), and having handgel in the toilets - if it doesn't get nicked ! so we'll see if we get any customers.

 

[alter ego]

I do enjoy your posts, Alter. Always so honest, & the 'number 2' made me laugh. I wonder if she dashed out of the entire lavatory area because she'd done a smelly one & was embarrassed that you were there to smell it?

Why, thank you, SB. I do try to put a bit of a smile on things. I'm extra polite this week as I'm not in the throes of PMT. I apologise to anyone I insult sometimes. It's not me, it's my evil PMT twin!

She meandered out. Stopped to check herself briefly in mirror by sounds of it. Ugh!

I can't do links! It's techy and beyond me but I found it in a San Fransisco online article, Baynews9.com.

There`s a 5 litre container of hand sanitiser on Ebay for £999, yep £999 and there are some stupid silly prices for tiny little 30ml bottles too. Rip off Britain strikes again.
My husband works part time as a taxi driver so he`s at high risk from coronavirus with people in and out of his cab, coughing , sneezing etc, handing him money and so on and as much as I love him there`s no damned way I`d pay £999 for hand sanitiser. He has wet wipes and a bottle of Anti Bac household cleaning liquid and every so often he squirts some into his palms, rubs his hands with it and then wipes over them with a wet wipe. He washes his hands when he can do but that tends to be inbetween fares when he`s buying fuel , or getting his lunch or visiting the loo.

Can you give him an e-cloth wrung out in a plastic bag? I'm not 100% sure about viruses but it gets rid of 99% bacteria off surfaces and the act of scrubbing with a microfibre cloth will, at the very least, help.

He's probably more at risk from the virus in an airbourne state, though. Does he have a screen between him and the passengers? Some Dettol air freshener could help. It advertises that it kills bacteria but the force from the spray may blow particles away from him.

If I've been out then I wash my hands thoroughly as soon as I get home.

But if I am in all day on my own, apart from normal hand washing after the loo or before preparing food, why is there any need to wash more often than this? Presumably I can't infect myself.

Technically, no. But it's shocking how many surfaces at home we touch without realising when we get in. I did a walk around after my partner came in earlier this week. There's the door handles, keys, light switches work surfaces, the clothes we take off and the tap handle after we've washed our hands.

I watched my partner walk in, put the keys down after locking the door then wash his hands. He could have re-infected himself with the tap, the items he took out of his shopping bag and the handles of the Bag for Life just at a glance.

 

[Totally Loopy Lou]

Nice to have a read of this and some common sense amongst all the madness...

I am at high risk (autoimmune disease and already pretty poorly etc) but not at all worried about myself - and for once in my life there’s an advantage to being housebound LOL!

But it’s pretty scary sounding out there...

My 14 year old niece is in hospital so very worried about her and my mum and brother both high risk groups...

Several of my family work at a large hospital in various roles and they said it’s suddenly feeling very real now.

Sounds so surreal - and terrifying in many ways - but also they’re all just trying to plan and be sensible and reduce risk as much as possible.

I think it’s the uncertainty that’s making everyone panic - and over-reporting and alarmist reporting in media not helping that I don’t think?

Take care out there everyone...

Oh dear, I’ve just used the excuse of “who knows what’s around the corner” to buy the Neom Big Deal trio of candles...

More than I would/should ever spend on candles - but do hope they’re as nice as people say?!

SIL will be given one at least so not ALL for me...!

 

[donna255]

I was actually talking to my doctor on the phone yesterday, she phoned me. Now the phone call was about something different as reception uncertain what to do. Me giving my body for medical research I thought just tell them and they put it on my file, no I have to bring the signed forms down and they photocopy them.

Anyway, after talking to the doctor about the latter I asked as I have asthma and always get a chest infection with a cold could I phone up and get a strong antibiotic if I caught the virus, no problem. Then she said even if you catch the virus you may not even develop the serve symptoms even with asthmas.

 

[boffy]

Hospitals are so dirty these days with the staff cutbacks this will not be helping with anyone forced to go into hospitals who are already poorly. Plus the added bonus of less staff in the NHS its not looking good. Nurses and drs are pushed to the limit at best this will be the straw that broke the camels back

 

[Twilight]

If I've been out then I wash my hands thoroughly as soon as I get home.

But if I am in all day on my own, apart from normal hand washing after the loo or before preparing food, why is there any need to wash more often than this? Presumably I can't infect myself.

There isn't any need because you're doing all you have to, unless you like washing your hands a lot & can blow bubbles from the lather.

Technically, no. But it's shocking how many surfaces at home we touch without realising when we get in. I did a walk around after my partner came in earlier this week. There's the door handles, keys, light switches work surfaces, the clothes we take off and the tap handle after we've washed our hands.

I watched my partner walk in, put the keys down after locking the door then wash his hands. He could have re-infected himself with the tap, the items he took out of his shopping bag and the handles of the Bag for Life just at a glance.

We could drive ourselves to distraction over this & I don't know anyone who lives in a sterile home, in fact for years we've been told we're TOO clean. There are over 7 billion people on the planet & this virus has caused the deaths of thousands so perspective is needed. When I look at photos of people on trains or shops who are wearing gas masks & hazmat suits I wonder how many of them smoke, vape, drink heavily or are overweight & aren't addressing these health issues. I retired just before Christmas 2017, it was a huge decision & after all the celebrations I obviously relaxed & then got flu. I was ill for a month & it took another two before my usual level of energy returned, my Mr T was fine but must have been in the same germ quagmire because we were together for the holidays. Last thoughts - if you are very elderly & have multiple health issues this is probably one illness too many add to that poor nutrition, air pollution & different standards of living in other countries mean that comparision isn't helpful. The majority will be fine.

 

[shopperholic]

Just hopped on to QVC from Sky News to see smuggly Chuntley doing the usual hard sell and love of all things QVC and how daft we must be not to pay over the odds and excessive postage, to be honest for some reason she really repulsed me, even more so than usual, but I suppose nothing gets in the way of the almighty dollar does it.

 

[Mazza]

Has she suggested we should buy from Q rather than risking death on the DHS? She always slags off High Street shops so it wouldn't surprise me.

 

[Twilight]

Has she suggested we should buy from Q rather than risking death on the DHS? She always slags off High Street shops so it wouldn't surprise me.

Wouldn't surprise me either & if she does that should be the end of her contract.

 

[merryone]

I hope everyone stays safe, stays healthy or at worst gets this virus only mildly.

Figures from infected areas across the world seem to bear out that the elderly and those with underlying health conditions are most at risk. I have friends with asthma who are being extra cautious.

I'm due to fly to Tenerife shortly, so just keeping an eye on both UK and Spanish Govt announcements.

I've become very conscious of what unconscious habits I have, and others, too. I am trying not to touch my face under any circumstances. My handwashing game has improved. I haven't bought extra anything and by the sound of it I needn't bother trying now!

US Prez announcement of Europe travel ban is consistent with WHO stating Europe is now the disease epicentre but the exclusion of UK and Ireland has more to do with golf clubs and hotels than anything else IMO.

When are you due to fly to Tenerife? I'm going there too at the end of April and flying with Tui. I'm actually hoping that it's cancelled because instead of looking forward to the holiday I'm actually feeling pretty nervous. Ok, we might get there ok, but if something happens, will we be stuck out there? Will I even be able to relax properly and enjoy the holiday as I should....will loads of things be closed anyway. I'm sorry to paint a picture of doom and gloom over something as wonderful as a holiday..but if the holiday company cancels then I'll be entitled to a full refund and book again hopefully at another time. Jet 2 have stopped flights to spain and the canaries...I wonder whether or when other companies will follow suit?

 

[loveallthingsitalian]

I was in Marks this morning and TBH they had more stock than usual (real bug bear with me when they closed the storage facility here and it’s lunch time before the shelves are being stocked WTF idea was that). Loads of T rolls none rationed as far as I could see and plenty of pasta etc.

 

[Anna]

I called someone back into the loo at our local garden centre earlier this week & 'asked' her to wash her hands. I wiped the door handle she had touched with soaped up paper towels & then dried it. Forget the current virus, the look I received was enough to kill me instantly. If there's one thing that's now obvious to everyone it's just how dirty people are.

Well done you. I can't believe how dirty some people are either. Yuck. Did she wash her hands Twilight??

 

[loveallthingsitalian]

Mr L and I often laugh at the cleanliness or otherwise of our childhoods. One in particular was a local corner shop which had a meat slicer where we are sure they sliced both raw and cooked ham in fact Mr L remembers that as young boys if they were lucky they could get the scraps for free! Very little was packaged it came from large containers into paper bags and was often uncovered. Of course there was people smoking all over everything.

On one hand there were many things like above but then my mother used carbolic soap like it was going out of fashion and often put some detol in our bath.