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[Barnacle]

I'm so sorry to hear that, Birdy.

[Sparrow]

Ah yes, no pavements too! There aren't any here either Donnadoobie.
I put the bin out earlier, and saw about three groups of families wandering down the lane. it's like a zombie apocalypse out there. Groups of people going for a walk at all hours whereas usually there's no one!

Oh, don't mention no pavements.  I had to walk my eldest to school up a lane like that, with a baby in a pram as well. 

Don't quite understand the 'wax jacket' remark EK.  Assuming living in the country makes you well off is well wide of the mark.  The rural poor have it tough at the best of times, and the virus will add to their woes with lack of transport etc.,

[ElkWarning]

Ah yes, no pavements too! There aren't any here either Donnadoobie.
I put the bin out earlier, and saw about three groups of families wandering down the lane. it's like a zombie apocalypse out there. Groups of people going for a walk at all hours whereas usually there's no one!

Oh, don't mention no pavements.  I had to walk my eldest to school up a lane like that, with a baby in a pram as well. 

Don't quite understand the 'wax jacket' remark EK.  Assuming living in the country makes you well off is well wide of the mark.  The rural poor have it tough at the best of times, and the virus will add to their woes with lack of transport etc.,

Oh, sorry, I'm referring to people who live in the country, with no dependants, out and about constantly against earlier government advice, filling more than one freezer.  Doesn't really help that these people were also the ones saying 'Don't worry, carry on as normal'.  Now we have a pandemic on our hands.  People need to take personal responsbility.

As I've said, well aware of the realities of living in the country, my husband grew up on a farm, his dad was an agricultural worker (who I know are some of worst paid workers in the UK).  These are the rural poor, obviously not the folks who've retired there on a jolly, crushing communities and driving up house prices.  Don't need your lecture, thanks.

[Sparrow]

Your an odd one EK.  I was making a point not giving a lecture, but have it your own way.  No point in posting if you don't want a response.

[Sparrow]

The problem of respirator shortage is not going away, anytime soon.  Apparently several manufacturers, including Gtech, are get frustrated as having been approached to produce they still haven't been given the go ahead.

[Hurdity]

I am puzzled by the discussion about what you're allowed to do and the difference between town and country in this respect. Obviously if you live in a rural area for whatever reason and whatever your background you need to drive to the shops to get essentials - but not a trip of 4-5 hours   . Those with a village shop are well served and most villages will have a support group or pub or volunteers who will go and shop for you if you are in the vulnerable category.

I live in a small village in SW England without a shop but the pub will get essential foods for you as will volunteers if you are self-isolating - a leaflet was put through the door. My nearest small town is 6 miles away but who needs a large town at times like this? All you need are food and medicines and maybe other stuff if important things break that you need to fix if you do it yourself.

Re the exercise argument. Yes it's a common sense thing eg where I live I can walk around the lanes but if I wanted to walk along some different lanes and drove a couple of miles and parked by the side of another road I am unlikely to meet anyone nor endanger anyone nor is anyone likely to stop me. Unfortunately in more densely populated areas this has to be policed for all the reasons given - close proximity in car parks, parking meters, RTA potential, petrol stations etc I am acutely aware of how difficult this must be for families with young children living in high rise blocks in city centres, and the privileged position I and other countrydwellers are in because we do have that open space at our fingtertips or should I say toes  .  The downside of course is less easy access to food, medicines and services, including hospitals ( nearest hospital in big town 16 miles away).

In the meantime I am posting an appropriate ( but very explicit!) song on the youtube thread which some of you might have come across

Hurdity x

[CLKD]

We are allowed out and about  - doesn't matter where we live.  Until Boris decides otherwise on what might be wrong information from so-called experts [see my new threads]

If we live in the country with no dependants we have to go out to exercise, make sure that the neighbours are OK and get shopping.

I couldn't live in a town-town but there are some places that I have visited across the UK that I would buy in i.e. Durham City.  Edinburgh.  Alnwick.  Brighton or Lewes.

[CLKD]

If you can get hold of one.   Our Solicitor and Estate Agents have gone to ground  we had almost reached Exchange 

I don't consider myself 'privileged'  we worked HARD for our bricks and mortar from the age of 16.

[sheila99]

Government advice is that exercise should be taken from home, not after a drive. You may be safer by driving further away but the unsuspecting farmer opening the gate after you have potentially contaminated it will think you are putting him at risk.

[CLKD]

How does that work though?  In the 13 years [1980s] I walked the fields locally often 3 times each day, I never saw a farmer walking them.  Cows, bull and calves but never a farmer.  When I got lost one afternoon as I couldn't read the OS Map properly and the way posts disappeared the Farmer who I knew came out to meet me.  I often went to the farms to let the owners know when sheep were on their backs and would put my dog into the down position whilst we turned them onto their feet.  Without my having walked those fields the sheep would still be there  .

Logically how many people will be contaminated enough to leave the virus on wooden gates  .  It's enough 2 freeze the germ off a post out there today ;-).  How likely is it that anyone else will touch the same spot as anyone else  .  Even busy areas are unlikely to have been contaminated and as people are not walking in droves or as regularly in 'beauty spots' ......


Recently I said to someone 'Strictly Come Pavements now then' he was about 80 and giggled as he avoided me 

[CLKD]

Oh we have gates, stiles, 5-barred gates to negotiate, all paid for by the local authority. How else does one keep stock in .........  lambs of course are great for getting through hedges  and of course, the nearest gate will be at least half a mile away in order to shoo them back and fix the gaps  and sure as eggs is eggs, they won't find their way back naturally.

Mended over the years by the Ramblers Association.  I fell off one stile in 1991, I knew as I put my welly down that I was going to slip, the surface was green - into a bed of nettles in a dyke  .   Laid there a while unhurt but I didn't know how to get up without slipping into the nettles further.  It took all my brain power and where was the dog: not helping that was for sure  . DH bought me a mobile phone after that incident but it would have been in the pocket I was laying on anyway  . I walked those fields 2/3 times a day.


Kissing gates - all have to be handled in order to open/shut.  If anyone wears gloves which would be necessary today due to icy wind, these need to be washed after each use to avoid spread.  Not put into the pocket of the jacket and got out on the next walk!  We also have lytch gates ....

[sheila99]

I don't have to imagine people walking through gates to get into fields, I see them every day. Then I see OH or myself opening the same gate to check the stock which we and every other farmer do every day. They say it can live for 3 days on metal and plastic. Shall we take bets - how long before we get it and pass it on to elderly MIL who can't be isolated as she can'tmmanage on her own? There is no other workplace where Jo public can wander in and contaminate handles.
If we get it isn't only MIL who will die, so will anything that can't calve or lamb on it's own and many lambs will be taken by foxes when we can't bring them in.

Our LA pay for the material for stiles, the landowner has to build them.
OK birdy less chance you will spread it there than in a livestock area.

[Sparrow]

Yes, I'm inclined to agree with you.  The contamination via touch is all to do with droplets from coughing and sneezing.  So if people are careful with their own personal hygiene the spread by touch should be limited.  I don't think it lasts outside for as long anyway.  Something do do with UV rays, but I may have misremembered that.

[CLKD]

It is killed by boiling water, detergent/bleach mix.  It is unlikely to surivive really cold weather but we haven't had a proper Winter for years 

How long does it live on wood?  Do you wear gloves sheila? Marigolds that can be washed with hot water is as good as anything around the farm yards.  I 'did' the letter box yesterday and all indoor handles. 

[suzysunday]

Anyone else terrified at maybe being forbidden to go for a walk in the coming weeks?