So folks, we are now in level three from next Wednesday, as announced on Thursday. That won’t go down well with a lot of people methinks.
It’s just a shame that people didn’t follow the rules from day one and we might be practically waving goodbye to the virus by now. Some people think it’s a lie, though I’m not sure why with all these deaths and lockdowns.
You would have to be barmy to think that the country went into lockdown, with lives at risk and the economy in the state it is, for nothing. Who in their right mind would risk crashing our economy, I don’t know how people think anymore.
Hubby and I have been sheltered, and luckily as we live together, it’s been a lot easier to do than for a lot of people. Kevin has become a brilliant shopper, and what we would have done without him when all this kicked off, I don’t know. We did decide to buy our supermarket stuff online instead of going every week like we always did. Although Jane had been wanting to do that for some time before the pandemic. “Just to get heavy stuff delivered would be good” she was always saying, so common sense prevailed and we now shop online. Like millions of others!
By and large we’ve had good results from Sainsbury’s, not so much Morrison’s, so we are carrying on with Sainsbury’s for now. The thing I miss is seeing different things that could tempt me, but on the up side, we spend less by and large so that can’t be bad can it.
Do you think that people will ignore the rules over Christmas? Call me cynical, I think some will say they are doing what they want, not what they should. I can fully understand that Christmas is such a precious time to a lot of people as they get together with families. Some might see it as a blessing in disguise, not having to visit family they aren’t particularly fond of.
We will be having our usual Christmas, a quiet one and relaxing, doing just what we want and when we want. As with a lot of people, work dictates how and when we can do things.
I feel for all the businesses that are in trouble, large or small. We, although a small business, have had our share of problems with earning money. People aren’t going to advertise businesses that aren’t open. As a result, we’ve worked hard to diversify to make up for the loss of revenue. Some people can’t, some won’t, but without any financial backing from anywhere at all, we’re looking for alternatives to pay the bills!
The draughty perils of seaside living…
While I’m moaning, I thought I would ask what you think to phasing out gas boilers in new houses from 2023. They’re also proposing to make all new houses so well insulated that you don’t need a boiler at all. A bit puzzling I thought, but never mind all will be revealed. My first thought was that electrical consumption would soar and have to be provided for to make up for the loss of gas energy. My second was that it would be a good thing, as it would make us less dependent on other countries like Russia. But what puzzles me is what happens to the rest of the country who have gas boilers. What do we all do. More and more fuel is needed as the world’s need for energy soars, so what will answer the question I don’t know.
We changed our house in two stages, with the last stage being rebuilding the full roof of our bungalow to make us a large living room, plus a bedroom and shower room. We stressed and stressed to our builder that we wanted the whole lot thoroughly insulating, draught proof, snug and warm, simply because of where the house is – slap bang across from the sea.
Having had the house for ten years before this happened, we learnt quickly what to do and what not to do, or else. This was stressed time and time again to the point I think they thought we were mad. But builders walk away don’t they, and you’re left with whatever you are given. We definitely did that.
OK we have a lot of glass which should have been the type that keeps the heat in – that wasn’t explained to us, we learned that afterwards. The draughts are something else, as they blow from the double glazing – which is another problem on its own. When it’s windy you would think the roof was coming in – it bangs, creaks and rattles so much. As a consequence we have to have the heating on, especially when it’s windy, as we discovered that first winter.
We had the large loft at the back of the house made into an office some years ago, after the front was done. A different builder did the work and was told the same thing – insulate, insulate and then some more. As a result, it is always warm, without the need for radiators to be on and not a sound is heard when it’s windy.
So I’m sure you can see where I’m coming from. We knew that energy consumption was a problem, asked for a better spec than standard building regs, and got what we got. I totally agree that houses should be properly insulated as I have first hand experience of what happens when it’s not and the end result isn’t good.
So, I think it’s a good idea to make these new rules because I only have to think of the money saved in the office from not needing heating, wouldn’t it be brilliant to not have to have them on all over the house. Think what energy and money we would all save. But at the moment we are stuck with what we’ve got like a lot of people, because someone didn’t seem to think that sea front living would be so bad!!
While you’re here…
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