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Happy New Year - AF (31st Dec 2020 - 22:34:22) Happy New Year all and good riddance to 2020. Lets hope the Government can get the vaccine rollout ASAP and we can get rid of the hated masks and get back to some sort of normal and ban the phrase the new normal.

Re: Happy New Year - er (31st Dec 2020 - 23:21:43) Happy New Year. Sorry to disagree but my perspective may be slightly different to yours. Don't be so negative and let's thank God that this last year had many good points, the virus was fought hard by a totally united international effort probably never seen before, yes some died but comparatively few, here we were blessed to receive generous payments when we couldn't work, the country lanes became ours to walk and cycle on (probably unknown for 70 years), we learned to appreciate simpler things, gardens and simple 'hellos' with strangers, I personally due to ill health haven't been able to go out much for many years, but this year I have been walking and meeting people more (thankfully though ill I'm not disabled) I've tried hard not to tell everyone how awful being ill feels or saying 'good riddance to the years', ironically over the years on the few occasions I moaned to healthy people I was advised to 'cheer up', not bring everyone down, a lesson I've learned is true, well this year I actually felt a bit normal, so cheer up, it could have been much worse and will get better for most soon, I'm a bit jaded of hearing constantly on the radio and TV how 'this has been the worst year ever', no it's been challenging and most of us rose to it, not all, face masks in shops, a moratorium on mass events, not as bad as some made out, it wasn't WWI or II, Labour supporting the Conservatives for the sake of national unity (my God!)!, Sunak finding money for the people (my God!), all of this will be paid back by a simple one off tax on the rich and raised Stamp Duty on our overpriced bricks and mortar (OMG we may now delay that new designer kitchen and invest in a garden instead)), yes it's been awful for some, as every year is, but not everyone, some have been lost (as every year), rest in peace, you will mostly not be forgotten soon, but that's real life, so have a toast to the New Year in hope and faith that tomorrow is better, but yesterday, today and tomorrow are gifts we should still be grateful for! PS sorry if this comes across a bit you know, had a few beers, Happy New Year!

Re: Happy New Year - D (1st Jan 2021 - 00:27:21) Thankyou, AF, all the best to you as well. As always, er, you have my utmost respect. Good wishes for the new year.

Re: Happy New Year - Paul (1st Jan 2021 - 02:02:06) As much as we all think that waving goodbye to 2020 is also waving goodbye to Covid am afraid the first 3 months of 2021 might probably kill as many people as the whole of 2020 did in the UK. We have all been told winter is going to be bad and we are now entering the eye of this storm with January and February going to be rough. The vaccines aren’t going to even dent this horrible disease until at least Easter. We need to have well in excess of the 30% of population vaccinated they so far optimistically reckon we can achieve by April. Yes there is good news, but the winter storm will have already ripped by us by then. Don’t be surprised with tier 5 and scenes of people dying in hospital corridors

Re: Happy New Year - Happy (1st Jan 2021 - 11:03:12) Paul take a leaf out of ERs book be happy you cannot forecast the future we can only hope all goes well. If we all pull together perhaps we will win and we can be Great Britain again. Happy new Year to one and All.

Re: Happy New Year - Joe (1st Jan 2021 - 11:46:50) I would love to agree re covid but the amount of people ignoring the social distancing and gaily walking around in large groups etc and meetings of at least 6-8 in gardens or on doorsteps etc means covid will not dissapear. Horseriders think themselves exempt too. Groups of 5 or more horseriders together with friends on foot etc. Rules for this area are maximum walking with one other person at 6 ft apart.

Re: Happy New Year - Bob (1st Jan 2021 - 18:33:51) Joe I agree with your point re horse riders which is annoying at normal times!!! However we are a family of 6 and have formed a support bubble with another family as we have 3 v young children! Please be considerate of these groups, there has been numerous times we have had dirty looks etc! Think before you speak Joe!!

Re: Happy New Year - David (1st Jan 2021 - 20:16:04) I fancy going out and meeting lots of other people as I'm sure everyone is, lets all use the "Support Bubble" excuse.

Re: Happy New Year - Davide (1st Jan 2021 - 21:32:01) David what an inconsiderate thing to say! Might not get the vaccine either!!!!

Re: Happy New Year - joe (1st Jan 2021 - 22:50:38) Bob, you are interpreting the rules of tier 4 incorrectly. 2 Families who do not live together are not supposed to form " bubbles" together. The government website is the place to look for this. Support bubbles are for single people living alone who would have no contact otherwise, they can form a support bubble with one other single person or one other couple. Please look at the government website. The rules on outdoor walking are you can meet up outside with one other seperate person.

Re: Happy New Year - AA (2nd Jan 2021 - 00:31:35) Families with a child under one are able to form a bubble with another household of any size, it's there on the government site clear as day. No size restrictions. Being tier 4 doesn't alter this, a bubble is a bubble.

Re: Happy New Year - Bob (2nd Jan 2021 - 10:00:58) Oh dear Joe, oh dear oh dear!

Re: Happy New Year - Penny Williamson (2nd Jan 2021 - 10:08:16) Bob I am puzzled by what you mean when you say "I agree with your point re horse riders which is annoying at normal times!!!" Leaving Covid aside as you use the word "normal" and the rights and wrongs of mixing, what in intolerant thing to say. We live in the countryside and there are a lot of horses and riders in this area, so I would suggest you move away into a town where you won't be troubled by horses and their riders. Incidentally Joe, I personally have never seen more than a maximum of 3 riders at any one time in normal times, let alone now and I find the vast majority of horseriders polite and considerate, raising hands in thanks and pulling over where possible, unlike the majority of cyclists. I have seen more than 3 cyclists out together in spite of Covid restrictions. You don't mention them.

Re: Happy New Year - Happy (2nd Jan 2021 - 12:00:00) Please please everyone be happy stop this back biting original post happy new year so let’s make it so.We have so much to be thankful for we live in a great country and we WILL get over all this. Again HAPPY New Year EVERYONE.

Re: Happy New Year - David (2nd Jan 2021 - 12:11:47) Davide, I was being sarcastic. Are these "support bubbles" being used so parents can take coffee trips with each? Just a thought

Re: Happy New Year - Joe (2nd Jan 2021 - 16:46:15) I think people are still reading the gov website in different ways. Support bubbles are for single person households, poss single parents, yes but not just 2 families getting together and support bubbles are not any size. Please read the section on support bubbles.

Re: Happy New Year - Penny Williamson (2nd Jan 2021 - 18:24:21) AA I don't think your post is quite correct: This is what I read: Who can make a support bubble Not everybody can form a support bubble. However, on 2 December the rules changed to widen eligibility for forming one. You can form a support bubble with another household of any size if: you live by yourself – even if carers visit you to provide support you are the only adult in your household who does not need continuous care as a result of a disability your household includes a child who is under the age of one or was under that age on 2 December 2020 your household includes a child with a disability who requires continuous care and is under the age of 5, or was under that age on 2 December 2020 you are aged 16 or 17 living with others of the same age and without any adults you are a single adult living with one or more children who are under the age of 18 or were under that age on 12 June 2020 That seems to me that two households with more than one adult cannot form a bubble. Please feel free to correct me if I am wrong - would be interested to know as these rules do seem complicated.

Re: Happy New Year - AA (2nd Jan 2021 - 21:17:58) Each of those points listed is independent to the rest. If you look at the last point in the list you can see that a single adult with one or more children of ANY age was already able to form a bubble with another household, and this was the case well prior to December I believe, I think it came about in June or around then. The point regarding children under one is a new addition and refers to a household not a single adult. As I said, if it was only meant for single adult households then they have already been provided for with the earlier rules so this would be a pointless addition. My interpretation is that it's for two full households regardless of how many adults are involved. I'm not sure how else you can interpret it given the preexisting rules. So far as I'm aware the second household in ANY bubble can be any household you choose, you don't need to find one that also falls on the list. If you did it would be quite restrictive for some of the very people who the provision came in for. For example a single person suffering from loneliness would need to know another single person living alone to join up with which not everyone will be able to do and the idea is to ensure people have support. I have one friend living alone and he has formed a bubble with his sister and her family and I recall this was clearly allowed. I'm sure all of this was explained fully in one of the briefings at the time. Yes I can see this getting complicated, but I suggest if you're unclear you also cross reference other places that have elaborated on the rules and will have doubless had their facts checked for example: bbc.co.uk/news/amp/health-52637354 I should point out this doesn't apply to me anyway, I have two one year olds and two other small children but we can't form a bubble with anyone as it stands.

Re: Happy New Year - Elizabeth (3rd Jan 2021 - 00:19:57) There is also a separate child care bubble for children under 14. gov.uk/guidance/making-a-childcare-bubble-with-another-household

Re: Happy New Year - Joe (5th Jan 2021 - 20:23:25) The support bubble paragraph on the government website has now been clarified thankfully, so there should be no confusion as to who is elegible to form support bubbles.

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