Morning all

[Chilham]

Would have been Sharks at the Ricoh today.  That would have been a test of our new found form.

The boredom of social distancing is beginning to hit me.  No rugby to watch, no fantasy rugby to play, no motorcycling, no travel, no work (that I enjoy) ....  The monotony of home, hardly knowing or caring what day it is.  A corporation tax demand for twice the amount from the year before - yes, I should have known, as our profits doubled last year - adds to the "douleur". 

On the plus side, Rishi's £10k small business grant has arrived, the lovely Mrs. Chilham's eye is much, much improved after the second laser surgery last week, our daughter has been declared, 'Business-critical", so continues to work, and our son is now doing Tesco deliveries and seems to be enjoying it.  Managed to get in-laws sorted out with food deliveries too, and persuade them to stay indoors.  We've got a small fresh veg., milk and bread delivery coming tomorrow.

I'm still off the smokes - day twelve today - and no more big 'pangs'.  Next task is to get my activity level up.

What's new with you?

[Chunky24]

Morning all, think i am on school Easter holidays now but not sure, particularly as will be in school a couple of days as part of rota looking after key workers and vulnerable children.
Been remote teaching from home, in a couple of days on the rota and looking after my 2, they have been really good so far, about the right age where they don't need constant attention / supervision and still super keen to do all their school work!
Wife is NHS physio so still seeing patients in hospital and community still, sent all our school science glasses to her trust to help the staff there. Proud of her but obviously concerned.
Also been catching up on reading to take place of rugby, read Gatlands book so far which fitted in nicely with alot of the wasps and lions rerun games on tv, now onto Sam Warburton's book. If anyone wants a lighter rugby read in these times would recommend Absolutely Huge by Luke Upton.
Take care and safe (non) travels to all.

[RogerE]

Having officially retired a few years ago, this shouldn't be too much of a change, but retirement actually meant I became a full time volunteer gymnastics coach/administrator.

Have been taking advantage of not having to run a gymnastics club by writing an online management system so that we can hand-over to others to run with an integrated system, rather than the ad-hoc mixture of Access databases and Excel sheets we have been using, and has, like Topsey, grown over the last few years.

However this has meant me trying to learn a new language, PHP, as I go along. All a bit different from the desktop languages I have been using for the last 30 years!

We were hoping that today the whole family would have been travelling to the Ricoh for our annual family treat (hospitality), but not to be (and in the process saving us a lot of money!) The good thing is that for the last 3 years, we have always been beaten on our treat day, so at least that won't happen this year!

Have a good Easter everyone - and stay safe.

[westwaleswasp]

Morning all.
Hope everyone is safe and well.
I must admit I would not have been there today, Easter Sunday is spent in church, and with my wife and daughter after.  Christmas day football used to happen, and it was moved to St. Stephen's/boxing day some half a century ago. I have always wondered why Easter sport does not have the same treatment, especially as Easter has a bank holiday the day after and is, of course, of far more religious significance. Obviously the answer might be 'but we (the nation) do not observe the religion'  which is fair enough, but then why Christmas? The two days have very similar approaches regarding shop opening, but we shunt sport to the day after in one case only, the one of less religious significance.

I have been setting stuff online for pupils. Being an independent school there is a worry that parents won't pay fees, but frankly my class sizes are overflowing, whilst my colleagues with tiny classes four times smaller for the same salary or more are in a worse position if that happens.  We would have cut a couple of subjects with sych low numbers in the past but one is taught by the head's wife.  I have been thinking of quitting or moving on anyway,  I guess it will all depend on fees for my daughter if she goes to the same school and some difficult conversations next year.


I read with incredulity people wishing an end to the lockdown because of the economy. I read with greater incredulity often the same people's dismissal of the disease as 'the flu' or even less. Words fail me. I have a cherished picture on my desk of my dad and daughter at the Ricoh, in front of the sign, and I want more days like that. If it means my daughters' financial future is hamstrung but that she gets her grandfather to be around for longer, so be it.

Sadly the virus is indirectly killing my mother in law, which is a dark, dark cloud in the house. Her cancer is aggressive and thus far, no treatment due to the virus. Again, better that than being in hospital for treatment because she simply would not survive the virus. My wife is obviously frustrated, but she knows 'back to normal' will be a death sentence for her mother.



I wish you all a happy Easter, and hope you stay safe.

[westwaleswasp]

Ok, some one has smited my morning all comment above. I am not sure if it saddens me that this comment has upset someone, or concerns me.

I wish people to be safe and well. I talk about what I have been doing. What kind of person gets upset by this? It was bad enough being smited twice for contributing to a thread where people were talking about chemistry (as were the others in thread) which is my professional area of interest. That is not what those buttons are for. This, however, is beyond.
If someone disagree about the disease being like the flu or less, then they really do have a reality problem. It's not, and that is just not a matter of opinion, it is a matter of fact. Obviously we all want an end to the lockdown, but is there is someone amongst us who wants it now? Seriously?

[Rossm]

Ok, some one has smited my morning all comment above. I am not sure if it saddens me that this comment has upset someone, or concerns me.

Can't say I take any notice of them. Never thought them of any importance whatsoever.

[Raggs]

Ok, some one has smited my morning all comment above. I am not sure if it saddens me that this comment has upset someone, or concerns me.

Can't say I take any notice of them. Never thought them of any importance whatsoever.

Still haven't worked out how you're supposed to know which comments you've been cheered/smited on. I'm supposed to be a mod too . Never used it, never paid much attention to it.

[Wiltshire Wasp]

I have used the option occasionally but have on more than one occasion hit the wrong one.  I don’t  think they matter one jot - mind you stuff that didn’t matter before I came stir crazy is now nearly life and death.  Sometimes.

[westwaleswasp]

Sorry if I seem to be sensitive over them- if I am posting regularly and often then I don't notice them them much, but it was precisely because I had only posted in the morning all thread here that I noticed this time, that should not really be a place for that sort of thing imho. It is one of those things,generally I don't think it is especially good form to smite and not leave a comment to explain- I think if someone says "Danny Cipriani is a brilliant, if you don't agree you are a ****" then and yes, I'd might use the button and perhaps not engage in order to avoid a row, but I think I have done that maybe once, and I have barely used the button at all, it should be very rare in a pub like atmosphere, which is what we have here which is by and large friendly debate- everyone should be applauded more than (smited/smitten??I should know but don't). Otherwise I would rather just say "no he isn't he is better than that" or "no he isn't he was just good" or whatever. Otherwise I prefer to actually engage in conversation, and point out the bit I disagree with, and it normally is just a bit as it is incredibly rare to have somebody make a raft of comments and for me to disagree totally, and if if it is a thread I don't like or can't contribute to then I just don't take part (like the endless thread)- not smite all involved. I do wonder if the forum would be better without them, iirc they can be disabled. Still, I will finish my contribution with an evening all to everyone...)
 
 

[DGP Wasp]

Having re-read the "offending" post, maybe the minor rant about changing kick off days to appease a religious minority (in terms of conscientious observance) may have been what prompted it rather than anything that waa said about the need to observe government social distancing guidelines. I don't know, but as others have said I really pay no attention to these things.
I very occasionally use the applaud button, but never have I read anything on here that got me sufficiently riled to hit the smite button. This is a pretty friendly place, so I'd urge you not to take such things too seriously.

[westwaleswasp]

Maybe, I guess although it was (and is) more of a question than any upset- Sport at Easter does not offend me- I just can't do both given the distance- I was only wondering why Easter was not given the same observance as Christmas when both used to have sport on them, and they stopped in one case rather than the other-  rather than commenting with an opinion I was trying to ask if anyone knows why they stopped it on Christmas and kept it at Easter and not vice versa. I know the last Christmas Day soccer was 1965, but it was rare by then, but common up to the fifties. I know rugby clubs played on Christmas day down here in Wales as late as the fifties. I would still be fascinated to know if anyone has insight. 

[Raggs]

Maybe, I guess although it was (and is) more of a question than any upset- Sport at Easter does not offend me- I just can't do both given the distance- I was only wondering why Easter was not given the same observance as Christmas when both used to have sport on them, and they stopped in one case rather than the other-  rather than commenting with an opinion I was trying to ask if anyone knows why they stopped it on Christmas and kept it at Easter and not vice versa. I know the last Christmas Day soccer was 1965, but it was rare by then, but common up to the fifties. I know rugby clubs played on Christmas day down here in Wales as late as the fifties. I would still be fascinated to know if anyone has insight.

A guess would be that it's because more people celebrate christmas day than any particular part of easter. Easter may be the more significant date in Christianity (and considering Christmas day isn't even the right day, easter is definitely more significant), but Christmas is the more significant day of celebration, for people of all faiths/non-faith.

[westwaleswasp]

Could well be. I guess that the Church etc. was not involved in the original moving of the days from 25th to 26th Dec. Could it have also been  financial- bigger attendance on the 26th?

[coddy]

Just checked and the past tense of smite is smitten when I would of put money on it being smited.

Every day is a school day eh!

[westwaleswasp]

Brilliant!