Topic: How's everyone doing?

[Jeannine]

Well good luck with your war time cooking LOL. I do in now nad gain through Lent and it quite challenging, but at the same time it can be liberating..

My grocery delivery has gone in the same pile as the newbies, despite the fact that I have been having mine delivered for 3 years I still have to grab a delivery slot when I can,However I have it figured out now, I know when  they add the times and I just grab one. You just have to get used to waiting 2 weeks but as long as you are topping up rather than replacing empty shelves it works OK,  If the twoo weeks goes by and I don't need anything, I grab another slot further down the month and cancel the current one. It is lthe grocery roulette

I have been sick for a couple of days, coughing but it is common for me. I get it often and my Dr and I have it figured.If I need it, I just phone him and he sends a prescription for antibiotics. Usually ny body can fight it off but if I go moe than 3 days I have to take them..This is the 3rd day, so fingers crossed I will start to get better tomorrow.

Anyway, good luck with your garden this year and if there is anything you need that is available here and not there let me know. This goes for all of you.

XX Jeannine

[George the Pigman]

On another tack are people in the UK  finding they are being limited to 1-2 hours on their allotment per day? This comes from  guidelines from the National Allotment Society which some councils have run with meaning the allotment societies are then obliged to follow. All but this rule seem very sensible  but I can't understand the logic behind the 1-2 hour rule.
The government (or police) does not put a limit on the number of hours one can exercise a day provided one does it once and of course follows social distancing rules. One can walk or run for four minutes or 4 hours! At the allotment one is liable to make as many, probably fewer, social contacts than walking or running.
In fact some councils have said they do not put a limit on the time one can spend on the allotment. So how did the NAS come to this decision?
It's not a problem for me as nowadays 2 hours is more than enough but I would be interested to know other allotmenteers experience in other parts of the country.

[Paulh]

There's no limit here - frankly, you're more isolated on your plot than going for a walk!

The guidelines are that you exercise for an hour, but that's not law, so far as I know. So I think someone may be going too far, however it's a different picture in London and other cities with high infection rates and other parts where you're more likely to [insert your own comparison].

[George the Pigman]

Hi PaulH
apparently, as you say, there are no actual rules from the Government about the time limit for exercise. The one hour thing cams about when Michael Gove was pushed to give an idea on the limit on the Andrew Marr Show and trotted the one hour limit as an example off the top of his head.
I wonder if the NAS misunderstood the rules when they made the decision - there was little clarification from the government at the time. A lot of it seems to have been based on off the cuff comments by various ministers at various times.

[ACE]

I expect the time limit was put in to make it look fair. An hours exercise for most would be really just a figure to put out so there would be room in some parks for everybody without it getting too crowded. I think the allotment 'exercise' original idea was ok, you can do it but not all day. There are even people on my street who resent that I can go and play at the allotment. I don't time it, I just come and go as I wish. The only restriction we have is no visitors unless it is family living in the same house. But as far as my wife knows it is no visitors at all.

[ancellsfarmer]

I expect the time limit was put in to make it look fair. An hours exercise for most would be really just a figure to put out so there would be room in some parks for everybody without it getting too crowded. I think the allotment 'exercise' original idea was ok, you can do it but not all day. There are even people on my street who resent that I can go and play at the allotment. I don't time it, I just come and go as I wish. The only restriction we have is no visitors unless it is family living in the same house. But as far as my wife knows it is no visitors at all.

Agree with this, as far as we have been told ,there is no risk in exposure to air. Apart from the travel aspect, a short session everyday would give the best results. it was said that the best gardens were those of the railway porters-half hour between trains. Its a case for 'risk assessment', and efficient utilisation of time. Today its 'too risky' due to the delightful rain, which will do more good than you or I.

[saddad]

For the last couple of weeks, in the sunshine I have been out on the lottie from about 8am to 8pm with meal breaks... more of a health risk from sunburn than anything else... great tan for April... and yes I have been using sunscreen!