The Chat Thread

[Dave]

Mar 11, 2020 23:46:51 GMT comet said:

Europe seems to be closing down.

So do the stock markets! And America is shutting up shop.

[Libby]

Well, here's something nice to lift our spirits a bit; he's a superb singer!

[comet]

HAPPY
Saint Patrick's day.

We live on a route into Dublin city that on Saint Patrick's day would normally be thronged with families and children heading in to the Saint Patrick's day parade, looking for places to park cars, laughing and wearing the green hats and daft red beards and waving flags, this morning just eerily quite, a couple of magpies playing undisturbed on the roadway and hardly a sound, a distant click click of someone with a secateurs trimming their garden, no planes and just the sound of an occasional car. Most unusual. All the pubs and bars in Dublin city closed, maybe the restaurants and hotels closed as well. Most people staying at home to reduce the spread of the virus.

Just had a look at the street cameras in Rome, on the Piazza Navona just one man and his dog, at the very clean Spanish steps just four police men standing a couple of metres back from each other, not a soul in front of the Trevi Fountain and the pavement spotless, just some light traffic around the Colosseum.

[Dave]

Glad to discover how quiet it is Paul, it bodes well for eventually containing the little beasties as long as everyone keeps it up - and not just in Ireland!

It will be a long haul though, for all of us.

[Martin]

The Chiltern Railways 7.10am train to London, which is normally not only full but has standing passengers, just went pass empty!!

It really is like a science fiction film at present.

Martin

[scoobedoo]

Yes indeed, things have really wound down here in NZ, bars, meeting places and just today council-owned library, service centres, information centres have all closed here in Christchurch. I would think other centres around the country will do likewise. Yes indeed, it is strange, trying times the whole world is almost going through complete lockdown in some countries. All we can do folks is simply hang in there, be kind, helpful to anyone who may need it assist where you can. This is the message from our Prime Minister, so everyone on HWI, take great care look after yourselves and I am sure with common sense prevailing (to blazes with PC) we will get through this,

Catch ya later,

Rodders CH CH NZ.

[Jeff]

Good words Rod. I'm keeping spirits up by listening to old Hayley CDs but I think the chances this year of us getting a new album now, let alone a concert tour are similar to a cat in a very hot place !

[Libby]

Mar 21, 2020 11:27:27 GMT Jeff said:

Good words Rod. I'm keeping spirits up by listening to old Hayley CDs but I think the chances this year of us getting a new album now, let alone a concert tour are similar to a cat in a very hot place !

I would have to agree on that one, unfortunately. I had been holding out hope that at last we might get it this year. But unfortunately, this year is just not the year for anybody or anything. It didn't seem like she was accomplishing much to begin with, and now that it's become unwise to leave one's house, if it's not banned altogether, she really won't be able to do anything. And... another albumless year will go by.

People are calling on the Olympic committee to postpone the summer Olympics. To leave it as is does not make sense anymore; athletes will be extremely limited for the vast amounts of training they would normally do, since most facilities are shut down; preparations for the event itself would be severely limited as well, as everyone involved should not be out and about unless absolutely necessary... and anyone under quarantine will not even be able to do anything.

However, they should also not cancel it, because this is something that these athletes have been training the last 4 years for. For some athletes, it could be their final time, and to eliminate the opportunity completely would be devastating. It was bad enough that the World Figure skating championships in Montreal last week had to be canceled. It's not the Olympics, but there are some figure skaters whose competitive careers will likely come to an end after the next winter Olympics, and so to lose out on one more world championship medal was extremely disappointing. But, of course, it couldn't be postponed, since the event took place in the height of the outbreak. And then training for the next season would need to start in a matter of months, as well, but I'm sure that will be disrupted, too.

Small businesses will likely take a big hit. I've already heard of a small shop in downtown Seattle having to close, because lack of business has basically made it impossible for them to stay in business at all.

The Skagit Valley Tulip Festival here in Washington is being profoundly affected, as well. Roozengaarde, one of the main gardens/farms of the festival, have decided (based on recommendations from our governor) to close their gardens to the public. They say, "...it will have tremendous immediate and long lasting impacts on our business, family, and local community.... The spring season represents 90 percent of our business." However, the other farm, Tulip Town, has so far not made such an announcement. I'm guessing at some point they will have to, as well. I can't imagine what this will do to the economy of Mt. Vernon, Washington, as I'm sure the small business owners of the downtown area (which is nowhere near the size of Seattle!!) rely on tourists in the spring. Also, the hotels in the area likely exist mainly for the tourists coming to see the festival, as there is really nothing else of any interest there to see. The only other thing I can think of to go there for is to witness the annual migration of the snow geese and tundra swans in the late winter, but that would not compare in the least to the crowds that normally come for the tulip festival.

And lastly, I'm worrying about my planned trip to Vancouver to see the Canadian Stars On Ice tour on May 14. Even if everything has miraculously wound down by then, the skaters are likely to miss out on the practice that they would need to be able to go on the tour. I have not heard whether or not the Japanese tour has been cancelled yet or not, but I'll be shocked if it's not. It was supposed to start next Saturday!! I already have my tickets and a meet-and-greet pass, and I've booked my hotel, as well. Fortunately, my booking included free cancellation up until May 11, and my credit card will not be charged until I get there. I would hope that they would refund tickets if it does get cancelled. I don't think the meet-and-greet pass is normally refundable, but I would think a circumstance like this would require them to refund it. But, I am hoping the tour will just be postponed instead.

[Joe]

I think that we, as this forum is a family of worldwide friends, should be encouraged to share how our lives are affected by this pandemic.  It may be very theraputic to type out what our feelings may be.  

Although my county has not seen any confirmed cases, there have been a handful in some surrounding counties.  I hardly ever go to restaurants or stores much, so I have not been impacted by my state's governor who ordered restaurants to only offer take-out.  The grocery stores are all out of paper products and hand sanitizer. All the schools are on their second week of closure; two additional weeks have just been added on. All the churches are also closed...many have opened for an hour or two of private prayer. Please heed your local gpvernment's actions and recommendations.  We will and can get through this.  


Two weeks ago on March 9, I had jury duty!  Forest City is the farthest town to where the county courthouse is, in Montrose!  About 45 minutes and 32 miles away. My family and I did a practice trip up to the courthouse in February, so I would not be so nervous.  Luckily court had adjourned for the day and we got an awesome tour of the courtroom!  It honestly looked like a movie set, all old seats and magnificient woodwork! I felt at ease for what to expect for my jury duty day.  So when March 9th came I felt really good!  I was so surprised, though, to see about forty people also arriving for jury duty!  About half were considered, which the lawyers picked 14 to serve as jurors.  I was not considered nor picked to serve on the first case  After lunchbreak, the jury for the second case was selected. Again, about half were considered (I was one of them.) But I was not picked by either lawyer to serve on the second case.  Some people were chosen to serve in both cases which took place later that week.  I would have liked to known how each case turned out.  And on Monday I was pleasantly surprised to receive a check for my service from the courthouse! I got $9 for serving, plus $12 for mileage!  

[comet]

I am beginning to wish I had gotten a dedicated 35mm negative scanner, It would certainly have given me something to do, biscuit tins full of negatives going back to the seventies could be done, I have an adapter for an Epson scanner but it takes pot shots at the whole A4 page and at 1200 dots per inch in full colour it takes ages to scan.

Ah but there is always YouTube, now that's entertainment,

I have also taken to watching various street cameras all over Europe, not much activity around Juliet's balcony in Verona, she's probably gone inside to watch Youtube,

Arena di Verona Street Camera

You might think you are looking at a photograph but then a bird flies past or a tree or flag moves in the breeze.
There is also a "Time Lapse" button above the picture, you can watch the whole previous day in 100 seconds or so.

[Libby]

Well, I just heard today that the summer Olympics WILL be postponed... but they do not have a date for it yet. They did say it would be "no later than next summer", so it appears they are considering moving it to next summer. I just hope this virus doesn't stick around, or that any other nasty viruses appear next year.

Washinton state's governor issued a state-wide stay-at-home order last night, but for all the good it is. It's not a lockdown, and says we can still go out to grocery stores, doctor's offices, etc, for anything "essential". Problem is, almost every store is apparently "essential"! So, people still have to go to work, and idiots will still go out unnecessarily and stand in line, more like 6 inches apart than 6 feet! So a lot of good that is! At this rate, we will have to go under lockdown!

[Dave]

I went out earlier this evening here in southern England to buy a few essentials and the only thing missing was bread, you have to get there before noon to get any of that these days but I have relatives who can do that for me. One of the local convenience stores has started closing at 8pm instead of 11pm, and the one next door is likely to follow suit - it was almost completely deserted. People really are staying at home, at least in this part of England.

I miss seeing my locally based daughters and grandkids in the flesh though, that's the most disappointing thing about the current UK version of a lockdown - which is likely to go on for at least several weeks - and may become even tighter.

[Libby]

It's official: the Skagit Valley Tulip Festival is cancelled. To help make up for the financial loss, I plan to order a bunch of bulbs in the fall to plant for next spring!

[comet]

our first lockdown here was voluntary, we have now gone into a more compulsory one now until Easter Sunday at least, only people within essential services should be out and about, police checkpoints, permits and papers to verify your identity and reason to be out and about are now required. Exercise, walking etc to be restricted to two people within two kilometers of your home. It is to confine the spread of the virus. To help the health services locate the clusters of the outbreak and deal with them when they identify them. It seems to be working.

It is odd, the way you use your home changes when you are in all day every day, when you don't need to childproof various areas, you visit no one and no one visits you, nearly all contact is by phone or email or whats app.

[Libby]

Supposedly that's our order here as well: only "essential" things are open and running. But the question seems to be, what isn't essential? Not much, apparently!