Wishing everyone strength for the coming months.

[torqueless]

Re:

Although seeing the effect this is having on people's mental health is troubling me

Care to elaborate? I'm a bit worried- I think I might be a 'lockdown' natural.. which could make me either the very best, or very worst person to be offering any 'support' or perspective to others..

For years I used to be the only nutter walking in the woods without a dog. In the 'lockdown' suddenly everyone was doing it. That freaked me out good and proper!

Some of us have been living in something like 'lockdown' for years. My Christmas is shaping up to be indistinguishable from any other Christmas since... well.. since before I had a consciously out-of-date bike.. and in my case, that is at least thirty-five years.

What's a 'holiday'?

I think it's about fifteen years since I caught a train, boat, or plane..

Other than that I'm an absolutely normal, well-adjusted particle of the socio-economic milieu, of course.. :|

There is of course hope on the horizon, of vaccines to blunt the spread of the virus, and the likelihood that some aspects of the "system" in which we live will need to be rethought for the better.

I suspect the one is likely to preclude the other? That is precisely why they are so desperate for a vaccine. (Liked the rest of your post, btw..)

 

[Markybeau]

Re:

Thank you for the thread Steve.

Lockdown found me in need of introspection, cycling hundreds of miles examining my life. A difficult decision was made, leading to homelessness and a walk to the edge. The past couple of months have been very hard. I'll recover, my problems pale in comparison to those I read and hear.

Peace and good wishes to fellow retrobikers.

 

[The History Man]

Re: Re:

Thank you for the thread Steve.

Lockdown found me in need of introspection, cycling hundreds of miles examining my life. A difficult decision was made, leading to homelessness and a walk to the edge. The past couple of months have been very hard. I'll recover, my problems pale in comparison to those I read and hear.

Peace and good wishes to fellow retrobikers.

We are always here.

 

[The History Man]

Unless it’s a Thursday. Darts on Thursday.


Or a Tuesday.......

 

[legrandefromage]

Yes, we'll always try and do our best to help those in need.

The last lock down found me wandering aimlessly from room to (newly decorated) room wandering what on earth to do with myself.

The bikes were done, the house was done and even the garden was looking presentable

The missus was still hard at work on the laptop so it wasnt even a chance to annoy her.

And thats when the darker thoughts crept in of what is my purpose here? What am I meant to be doing? Who'd miss me if I simply ceased to exist?

And if even I'm having those sort of feelings, what the hell is happening to the more vulnerable with absolutely no-one? Our neighbours are all families so they were pretty sorted. One friend is going through some mess so it was the pair of us out cycling and drinking in the garden.

And there was a lot of loud music in the garden too, one set of neighbours pretending it was the Algarve and the otherside complaining - so I just turned it up a bit more in a Mayhem 2019 style of course.

Furlough certainly raised the spectre of retirement and what the heck do people do with themselves once that purpose for getting up has been taken away.

I'm being furloughed again soon and in the middle of the darkest months physically and mentally what to do?

Christmas should be fun though, both of us have the same time off so we can just be silly for the month of December with the decorations and Christmas itself.

So, apologies for the ramblings, I'm in a good place to help at the moment but if I'm not online for a while, that can be a bad sign but I may just be decorating again or on a bicycle or both

 

[gibbleking]

well ive just been told i have to isolate for a whole month due to me being on chemo(still) again,im not fussed to be honest as ive been hiding up since last xmas because of the crap running thru my system,in a months time i get the results of my 3rd scan on what the doc thinks are more tumours so my chemo might continue for another 6 months..the fun being mines incurable anyway.ive barely given the covid thing much thought since this whole tomato kicked off and tried to take over the world..if it gets me ...it gets me..but im damn well gunna enjoy being here till it does.this means bacon rolls,milky coffees and treks in the autumn woods,eating munchies while watching films on my big screen,hugging the missus when i need the uplift,messing around in the mancave when i get my oomph back(it legged it a few months ago to the algarve to hang around with my immune system...git),making new wood projects,some archery...oh and poking the new consoles in a few days time.christmas this year will be just me and the long suffering wifey as the normal routine of cooking for the whole family went out the window a week or so ago(im gutted honest guv),we will spend the day chilling out with some doggo poking with sticks,a nice roast lamb dinner which im cooking and an afternoon of appallingly bad foods and some films whilst er indoors snores like an anchor being dragged thru a shed full of spanners..so here i sit,in bed,watching the fun of the election not so much unfurl but dragged kicking and screaming thru a hedgerow of thorns and bitter unemployed shrubbery salesmen,the doggy is getting comfy stretched out over my legs cutting of more of my infected blood supply to my aging creaking body,the sun is shining..its a gorgeous start to the day out there ...the wifey has just told me shes doing a roast chicken meal for lunch(with the required level amount of puds of course) and i know that ,although this covid thing sucks harder than a cheap date for a fiver and very small back seat in a lada,there are those out there in a far worse position then we are so i thank my gods for my all i have and keep on smiling.....that it from me ...rant/muse/odd early morning thoughts done for now...

 

[gibbleking]

ps just noticed ive been here since 2007...april at that...do i get an og members badge?asking for a friend...

 

[legrandefromage]

well ive just been told i have to isolate for a whole month due to me being on chemo(still) again,im not fussed to be honest as ive been hiding up since last xmas because of the crap running thru my system,in a months time i get the results of my 3rd scan on what the doc thinks are more tumours so my chemo might continue for another 6 months..the fun being mines incurable anyway.ive barely given the covid thing much thought since this whole tomato kicked off and tried to take over the world..if it gets me ...it gets me..but im damn well gunna enjoy being here till it does.this means bacon rolls,milky coffees and treks in the autumn woods,eating munchies while watching films on my big screen,hugging the missus when i need the uplift,messing around in the mancave when i get my oomph back(it legged it a few months ago to the algarve to hang around with my immune system...git),making new wood projects,some archery...oh and poking the new consoles in a few days time.christmas this year will be just me and the long suffering wifey as the normal routine of cooking for the whole family went out the window a week or so ago(im gutted honest guv),we will spend the day chilling out with some doggo poking with sticks,a nice roast lamb dinner which im cooking and an afternoon of appallingly bad foods and some films whilst er indoors snores like an anchor being dragged thru a shed full of spanners..so here i sit,in bed,watching the fun of the election not so much unfurl but dragged kicking and screaming thru a hedgerow of thorns and bitter unemployed shrubbery salesmen,the doggy is getting comfy stretched out over my legs cutting of more of my infected blood supply to my aging creaking body,the sun is shining..its a gorgeous start to the day out there ...the wifey has just told me shes doing a roast chicken meal for lunch(with the required level amount of puds of course) and i know that ,although this covid thing sucks harder than a cheap date for a fiver and very small back seat in a lada,there are those out there in a far worse position then we are so i thank my gods for my all i have and keep on smiling.....that it from me ...rant/muse/odd early morning thoughts done for now...

This site needs a 'like' button!

All the best chap!

 

[gibbleking]

cheers fella....much appreciated ..

 

[SirLurkalot]

Re:

Love your outlook on life Gibbleking.

During the first lockdown I was also one of the "lucky ones" that got the letter telling me to lock myself away for four months. To be honest I'm a bit anti social and hate crowds so it wasn't really a problem for me although my wife missed seeing friends and family. The only real worry was financial due to being put on furlough, but we kept occupied by doing our hobbies. I dug out my old art stuff and started scribbling again, which I hadn’t done for a while. My wife did her crafts and we worked on the garden and enjoyed the result and read books, drank wine and generally chilled. It also gave me the opportunity to do up an old bike which I’ve been wanting to do for a while. I’m back working now but I’m lucky I can work from home, I haven’t been in the office since March.

What did depress me was the reaction of a lot of society. I kind of hoped once people could go out they would appreciate the open spaces and environment more. What happened was they descended on beauty spots like a swarm of Locusts and trashed them. Now it looks like the panic buying has started again. I despair.

Unfortunately during lockdown the cancer that was the reason I was shielding decided to rear it’s ugly head again. In reality it never went away (it’s not curable, but it’s treatable) but I’d been in remission for six years so it was still a bit of a blow. I’m now on a trail treatment which is looking positive and doesn’t have the nasty side effects of normal Chemo.

This second lockdown I’m advised to stay home but this time I can go out for exercise. I was talking to the Doctor Monday and she said to help the new treatment to work it was important I kept myself fit and healthy so at least I can get out on the bike.