Un- shielding

Dear flowerlady,

 Perhaps if you find an outside area with distancing that may work.  We have managed to get my daughter, son-in-law and granddaughters to the outside patio with masks, clean hands and all brought our own food and drink.  It was so nice to see them in person.

 We all felt safe and together.

xx

Hi Millie 

garden centre is probably a bit of a misnomer for some of the garden centres here. Retail village might be closer. 

At one end of the spectrum are the places that call themselves nurseries and are all about the plants. They might be specialists in one type of plant - there’s a fabulous rhododendron and tree specialist near where I live. It has a great selection of plants and a fabulous tea room with seating out among the plants for sale. 

At the other end are huge centres, usually on the outskirts of town, that are loosely built around a plant nursery. Typically, there will be a big outdoor and indoor plant area selling everything gardening imaginable. Not just plants but pots, compost, landscaping materials, tools. You name it. Then there will be the tea room, the kitchen store, the farm shop, the clothes and furniture outlets, pet stores. You name it. My local garden centre has a swimming pool centre and a hot tub centre. 

These big garden centres are always fun. I used to take the kids when they were little to see the tropical fish, for example. They are especially fun at Christmas with all the lights up and a trip to see Santa. 

So as you can see, the tea room is all part and parcel of the garden centre experience, whether it’s the specialty plant centre or the retail village end of things 

xx

Hi Nicky Nosher

Your post is very interesting, but when you say that sunlight destroys the virus, I think the jury is still out on that one, so please be careful. 

A very interesting article in the online Hindustantimes, delves into that very claim. I don't know how (after 3 years on the site!) to insert a link but the following is a short excerpt.

"An official from the Department of Homeland Security made the eye-catching announcement during President Donald Trump’s daily pandemic briefing Thursday, showing a dramatic reduction in the virus’ viability under the sun’s rays. But the fact there are no further details about how the study was conducted has left some experts scratching their heads."

I've read also that the sun's rays shorten the length of the virus' life but I, like you and several others in our group, am exercising extreme caution. 

I'm afraid with respect to this virus, living life on the edge or dangerously, I don't subscribe to that opinion. I've seen too many tearful, heart jerking interviews from people whose last contact with a loved one suspected of having the Covid19 virus was when they were put into the back of an ambulance and even though they may have lived for another 7 or so weeks, no further contact was possible. 

I know most of our friends and family are mentally prepared for our demise, that in my opinion is just not comparable to our departure with Covid19 symptoms. 

Annette anndanv, I too don't understand why people go to a garden centre just to go to the cafe! That's bordering on the unbelievable!

Take care everyone and stay safe.

Tvman xx

Hi All,

As I don't live in a mansion where I can isolate with my own bathroom, kitchen or even bedroom I have not really shielded but have socially isolated.  I have been out for the occasional walk and have driven my wife too and from the shop where I stayed in the car.

However, my new dilemma is that my son is in year 10 at school and the aim of government and schools is that year 10 can start to go back to school on the 15th.

My son would like to go back and we would like him to as well.  He has struggled to work at home where he can't ask a teacher or one of his peers if he could not understand him.  We have been of limited help as teachers.  He has also really missed seeing his friends.  As an only child he has now spent twelve weeks with adults.

He is not hugely concerned about getting the virus as he is aware that children appear less likely to catch it or have complications.  Our concern is that he could carry the virus home where I am extremely vulnerable and my wife is vulnerable.  We are looking at him putting his clothes straight into the washing machine and them getting a shower before he interacts with us.  We are still very short on details from the school but we do know that they will be taught in socially distances groups of 10.   We are not aware yet how often he will be at school but it is likely to be significantly less than previously.

I have written to the school to query the dress code as I will not be able to wash his blazer daily if he is expected to wear his uniform.  (It's not a posh school Millie / , school uniform is fairly standard in the uk.).

He is now able to meet a friend but even at 15, kids are quite tactile and I can see them forgetting about the rules and the social distancing.  You often used to see him shoulder to shoulder with a friend looking at a phone screen.

It is just another factor to consider how we can relax the restrictions for all of us but still stay as safe as we can.

All the best,

Gragon. xx

We took our two-year-old granddaughter to a garden centre where she loved pets corner and water features, but she particularly liked looking in all the ‘little houses’ or as we would call them, sheds. 

Hi Millie

The "tea rooms" are, in Northern Ireland anyway, full on cafes serving breakfast (some places) then scones, tray bakes etc until 12 noon. A few serve main courses, some light lunches and in the afternoon tray bakes etc again and none after 4pm. 

A good garden centre that we would visit about 35 min drive away serves meals on Thursday and Friday nights until 8.00pm. On Sunday the garden centre is open from 1pm to 6pm, but the cafe opens at noon until 5pm and they serve Sunday main courses from noon until 3pm. The queue for entry begins at 11.30am and by 12.noon there would be up to 100 people queuing! The food is excellent and the desserts are massive but not quite US size. 

The garden side is of excellent quality, plants well kept. I won a competition there for home grown vegetables. The onions swung it for me. I won a selection of products plus £100 voucher (about $125), so not bad. Next time I'm at that garden centre I'll take a few photos. 

Take care and stay safe everyone

Tvman xx

You've had some very difficult dilemmas. I've been lucky I suppose, isolated in bedroom with ensuite whilst my husband slept on the sofa. It was difficult shut away but safe though I don't live in a mansion, just the only upstairs facilities previously put in by the council for previous tenants lol. I'm glad you're OK, you're doing well by the sounds of it.

Your school discussion took me back to a conversation, on the phone, i had with my eldest. Two of her kids due back June 1st. This leaving one with special needs & one diabetic along with a toddler at home. She didn't want to hold them back but was torn because of the others. I tried to put myself in her position. If one or both of my girls still at home had been asked to return. Everything you said is relevant & exactly mind conflicting at best, what we discussed last week. She wanted us all to meet up & see each other when allowed, she wanted all her kids safe. In the end she & her husband have decided to keep all their children at home.

My girls at home have been to see a friend now & I too worry about their social distancing. Are they really?!

My husband works in a care home, caught covid-19 & survived. My girls at home are teens, free to go out unsupervised, I've lived in a solitary bubble since March & overnight been told I can join the family & go out, keep your distance but.....

You know best, its difficult but you know. We won't all do the same but that doesn't make it wrong. Do what sits right with you. Nobody gave us a handbook when we became parents, I could have done with one many a time. 

Good luck, take care, you've got this. 

Hi Everyone, There seems to be so many variations to un-shielding! Here in Scotland,some of our garden centres are reopening this week. We also have several different sized Garden Centres within an easy drive away. One has a separate restaurant, coffee shop and ice cream parlour as well as a huge Garden Centre that sells everything. Outside in the grounds there is a boating pond you can walk round, it is about a 2/3 mile walk and also has its own walled gardens. The one 5 minutes drive from here is Dobbies and they opened on Tuesday, letting in only a few customers at a time to keep social distancing. The coffee shop is opening tomorrow but just for take away, however there is nowhere to have it, except in your car! Gragon Our schools do not return until the middle of August. The plan, at the moment is to have 10 pupils per class (the normal here is 20). Half the pupils will go in on Monday and Tuesday, and have home schooling Thur & Fri, while the other 10 attend school. On a Wednesday the classes will have a deep clean before the change over and then again at the weekend! Of course that is the plan but it could all change at anytime!  

It makes me wonder when I will next be in a shop! Certainly not anytime soon! Stay safe and well everyone and enjoy this lovely cool air we are now having! I just melt in the heat so yesterday was ideal for me!

Hi Annette

That garden centre with the boating pond sounds great, somewhere to spend half a day. We have a Dobbies too, a 30 minute drive away the only one in Northern Ireland and it has a tropical fish shop inside and for the life of me I can't remember its name. I did a little research on the fish shop and there are 200 odd of them in the UK, mainly in Dobbies' shops.

Our schools don't go back until the end of August some time and no other details yet. My wife is a classroom assistant in one and our schools have a maximum size of 30, Scotland's 20 sounds good to her. My wife was sent home in March by her headmaster to be with me and hasn't been back and doesn't know when she'll start again. It depends on our government's decision on my shielding. 

I also don't know when I'll be in a shop again. This virus has a lot to answer for!

Stay safe everyone

Tvman xx

Dear tvman and ,

We do not have wonderful Garden Centers in the US. They sound absolutely wonderful and somewhat magical.

NOW I find out about them when I am shielding and cannot travel. I'm a bit jealous.

I think I would buy a walkable isolation bubble just to see one. Seriously we have nothing so wonderful. Tvman, hope you get to collect your voucher in the near future! 

And both of you are doing wonderful jobs in your gardens.And tvman your raised beds are absolutely marvelous.What a wonderful transition comparison. WOW.

Still need to make that salad, so I am signing off to all the Gang ,

xx

Millie