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Khatm Hua Dekh
Oct. 31st, 2020 01:30 pmThe stress levels have been ratcheted up this week, largely on account of the changing COVID situation. On Wednesday, it was announced that Germany would be entering a four-week lockdown period from this Monday, 2 November, which resulted in us scrabbling around to see how we would be affected. With hotels shut for tourist purposes, we had to make sure we had a place to quarantine, but fortunately as we are relocating, everything seems to be fine. Added to this, is that the removal people had the completely wrong docket, so we had to change that while last night's leak that the UK will go into lockdown on Wednesday has only heightened our fears again. The fact it was leaked on a Friday night and we will not know any details until Monday is intolerable and puts a couple of days of uncertainty our way. Hopefully, the airports will still be open and we'll be able to make our move, but I do have fears we may be prohibited and with the Brexit deadline hurtling our way, I certainly don't want to be trapped here.
Nothing has developed on the work front either. We were due to go for a meeting on Monday but the guy was ill and as yet not gotten back to us with another suitable time. The fact is that after Tuesday I will no longer be available, so if he wants a face-to-face meeting, it needs to be arranged swiftly. However, with Leeds entering Tier 3 from Monday and COVID cases not coming down, the last thing I want to do is go out and contract this illness, particularly as the move to Germany is so close. I do want to know where I stand though - we haven't really been full-throated into the company this month and we are suffering because of it. We have a couple of new clients, but only made £650 this month, and this cannot continue. The website needs serious work and we can't fully promote ourselves if we are going to be winding the whole thing down. With increased overheads with the move, I'd just like some certainty.
Despite the COVID fears, we did go out last night as Brewdog opened their new bar in Headingley. We would have gone to the EFP opening night on Thursday, but I didn't notice this until it was too late, despite checking the forum and Facebook every day. This meant we had to risk the Friday night crowds, and there were some idiots, but Brewdog were again exemplary in dealing with the social distancing while the taxi drivers there and back were also responsible. It was a risk, but we have been stamp collecting and this would be the only chance to go ahead of the pending lockdown restrictions. It's a neat little bar and it was great to get our 69th stamp, and our first since Swansea the weekend before lockdown started. It's also a bar that pairs with Reds BBQ, so we had a lovely plate of roasted meat, which gave me meat farts for much of the evening. We actually arrived about an hour early and were sent to sit on the benches outside, enabling us to peek at the non-socially distancing people walking down the street. We were also near the door, which worried me, but once inside we were tucked neatly away in the corner and I felt quite safe. Alas we did drink a fair bit and upon returning home shortly after 10pm, a thirty minute snooze became three hours and we ended up missing Gothi's rock and metal set. This was sad times.
Tuesday's final evening Pony Chat was quite sparsely attended, partly I imagine due to the US not having set their clocks back and Europe having done so. On a work day, the timezones are delicately balanced. Shadow and GreyPony were there though and it was great speaking to them, but the popularity of the Tuesday evening ones has been waining. With moving to Germany, they would start at midnight, which isn't good on a work day, which was the main reason why I decided to can them. The Sunday ones will go on as normal.
Aside from this, I decided to back both Dylan's Travel Reports and Bloodywood on Patreon, realising that I was enjoying their content so much that $5 a month is scant appreciation. I also managed to buy a new iPhone 11 ahead of the move, thanks largely to a generous contribution from my mother. My current phone is just about running okay, at least in these confined times, but the memory isn't big enough so I am having to delete apps I need while once we are released back out into the community, the battery life is not long enough to be viable. Of course, that's going to be quite a while and with lockdowns wherever we are going to be, I have to accept my birthday is now a right-off too. This is a shame considering it's a Friday, but I guess we'll just have to listen to Gothi's metal set, which I least get a choice over due to it being my birthday. I also bought a Kindle too, largely for the two-day quarantine inside a hotel next weekend as its weight is a lot less than the bulky books I have.
The only other thing this week is I have been revisiting the Michael Palin documentaries, partly due to the 'Travels of my Lifetime' series on BBC Two. Clearly a programme made for COVID times as it's easily recorded socially distanced, it at least provided fresh insights into this first four journeys, journeys I watched while I was growing up and which greatly influenced me. It was great to hear a little more background
behind his travels and I even bought volume three of his diaries detailing these. I look forward to reading them over the coming lockdown months. I also realised that there were a few episodes - of Sahara and New Europe particularly - that I have not yet seen so I am relaxing by watching these on DVD. It's a pleasant way to spend an hour, not least because Palin is so heart-warmingly generous and kind to all those he meets. It also provides fascinating insight into different cultures, even 20-30 years on, so it has been great revisiting them.
Nothing has developed on the work front either. We were due to go for a meeting on Monday but the guy was ill and as yet not gotten back to us with another suitable time. The fact is that after Tuesday I will no longer be available, so if he wants a face-to-face meeting, it needs to be arranged swiftly. However, with Leeds entering Tier 3 from Monday and COVID cases not coming down, the last thing I want to do is go out and contract this illness, particularly as the move to Germany is so close. I do want to know where I stand though - we haven't really been full-throated into the company this month and we are suffering because of it. We have a couple of new clients, but only made £650 this month, and this cannot continue. The website needs serious work and we can't fully promote ourselves if we are going to be winding the whole thing down. With increased overheads with the move, I'd just like some certainty.
Despite the COVID fears, we did go out last night as Brewdog opened their new bar in Headingley. We would have gone to the EFP opening night on Thursday, but I didn't notice this until it was too late, despite checking the forum and Facebook every day. This meant we had to risk the Friday night crowds, and there were some idiots, but Brewdog were again exemplary in dealing with the social distancing while the taxi drivers there and back were also responsible. It was a risk, but we have been stamp collecting and this would be the only chance to go ahead of the pending lockdown restrictions. It's a neat little bar and it was great to get our 69th stamp, and our first since Swansea the weekend before lockdown started. It's also a bar that pairs with Reds BBQ, so we had a lovely plate of roasted meat, which gave me meat farts for much of the evening. We actually arrived about an hour early and were sent to sit on the benches outside, enabling us to peek at the non-socially distancing people walking down the street. We were also near the door, which worried me, but once inside we were tucked neatly away in the corner and I felt quite safe. Alas we did drink a fair bit and upon returning home shortly after 10pm, a thirty minute snooze became three hours and we ended up missing Gothi's rock and metal set. This was sad times.
Tuesday's final evening Pony Chat was quite sparsely attended, partly I imagine due to the US not having set their clocks back and Europe having done so. On a work day, the timezones are delicately balanced. Shadow and GreyPony were there though and it was great speaking to them, but the popularity of the Tuesday evening ones has been waining. With moving to Germany, they would start at midnight, which isn't good on a work day, which was the main reason why I decided to can them. The Sunday ones will go on as normal.
Aside from this, I decided to back both Dylan's Travel Reports and Bloodywood on Patreon, realising that I was enjoying their content so much that $5 a month is scant appreciation. I also managed to buy a new iPhone 11 ahead of the move, thanks largely to a generous contribution from my mother. My current phone is just about running okay, at least in these confined times, but the memory isn't big enough so I am having to delete apps I need while once we are released back out into the community, the battery life is not long enough to be viable. Of course, that's going to be quite a while and with lockdowns wherever we are going to be, I have to accept my birthday is now a right-off too. This is a shame considering it's a Friday, but I guess we'll just have to listen to Gothi's metal set, which I least get a choice over due to it being my birthday. I also bought a Kindle too, largely for the two-day quarantine inside a hotel next weekend as its weight is a lot less than the bulky books I have.
The only other thing this week is I have been revisiting the Michael Palin documentaries, partly due to the 'Travels of my Lifetime' series on BBC Two. Clearly a programme made for COVID times as it's easily recorded socially distanced, it at least provided fresh insights into this first four journeys, journeys I watched while I was growing up and which greatly influenced me. It was great to hear a little more background
behind his travels and I even bought volume three of his diaries detailing these. I look forward to reading them over the coming lockdown months. I also realised that there were a few episodes - of Sahara and New Europe particularly - that I have not yet seen so I am relaxing by watching these on DVD. It's a pleasant way to spend an hour, not least because Palin is so heart-warmingly generous and kind to all those he meets. It also provides fascinating insight into different cultures, even 20-30 years on, so it has been great revisiting them.
