How Are The Over 70s Copping In The Lock Down ?

[marsh man]

I dare say like me there are several members who are in the vulnerable age group of 70+ , I know Alan ( Lakeside1000) , Chris ( Old Boggy ) and I believe P C is , or very near to it .

We should stay in self isolation for a minimum of twelve weeks and at the moment I am like a caged wild animal ,  we can exercise once a day , go and get food and medicines and very little else , I must admit I cheat a bit on the exercise , I take my dog out for a good walk first thing in the morning , on the way home I pop in the village shop and get my paper , after reading the paper and having a bit of a rest I look around and find something to do , yesterday I washed all the outside guttering and the garage door , then a break for dinner and another cup of tea , it is now time to take the dog out again , I walked down the main road to the nearest field and then walked all the way around and then back home , now it's sweeping out garage time before yet another cup of tea , around 4pm it time to head off out again , this time I did go in the motor as we were running out of milk and popped down to the super market , right beside the car park is the lane that lead down to the marsh so way I go again and took my binoculars , I saw loads of Pigeons sitting in the trees at the little marsh carr , our old friend the Great Egret was on the marsh ( if you have never seen one , this bird is the size of an adult Heron and twice the size of the Little Egret ) , over on the estuary there were loads of Avocets that look they were sitting on the water with having long legs , several pairs of Shelduck , Mallard , Teal and a few Wigeon , now it was time to turn back and make my way back , on the way I walked past a Pair of Greylag that were tamer than farm yard geese and could have been looking for a nesting site .

Back to my car the six o clock news was then coming on so I had been out for two hours and never saw a soul , so now this caged wild animal is beginning to get used to the lock down and really speaking it is not that bad .

How are you finding it ? 

[Good shot?]

I am in that category and it's hard. Glad I am 1/2 an hour drive from my shoots as I couldn't cope with seeing pigeon in numbers and not able to get out.Cannot be bothered doing jobs outside as it doesn't encouraged me in this miserable weather currently.

[Walker570]

Well past that figure and approaching 80 at speed and I am staying totaly locked down and isolated, not venturing out. Our small village have been so kind collecting groceries and checking on us, when this is over I think there is going to be one hell of a barbecue here.  Fortunately I have 12 1/2 acres here I can work/play in and there is plenty to do. I had just topped off all my squirrel flip tops the day before it all fell apart and of course cannot get to them until it is all over. No big deal.  I do feel for those folks in small apartments and properties who are not so lucky.  I may run short of diesel for my mower and tractor in the future but one of my farmer friends will drop me a few gallons at the gate.   I have a few tons of firewood to cut split and stack and can always plink at something down in the wood and even harvest a pigeon or two but fortunately my freezers are well stocked with last seasons bounty.   Extension to log store which has been planned for almost 12 months and now just needs it's roof sheeting.

 

 

Edited April 2, 2020 by Walker570

[hawkfanz]

same here finding things to do,have loaded 500 20g carts,now startin on 410[a first for me in that calibre]my nearest perm is about 4 miles away,drove past it the other day while takin supplies to my woman,but still rough plough,to bad to walk with dog me avin ad left leg off some 50 years ago,so when its drilled i got somewere private to walk dog n sit watch woody come to drills,cant risk takin gun.

[kenholland]

turned seventy last week , the garden maintenance business customers will have to wait , just going through the pigeon diary from last year , the good days and the bad , you don't realise how quick it gets to you when you cannot get out , talk about a caged animal, I have a photo of a pigeon by my bed just in case I forget what they look like.

[deny essex]

On a 12 week myself at 71 and the mrs being on lock down for 12 weeks even though shes under 70 as she had lung transplants.

Fortunately although living in a flat we have with a 3 mtr x 15 mtr balcony  with a small man cave and more flower pots than I want to count, so sorting that lot out for the coming spring and whatever Im told needs doing, (better that than decorating which is never to be mentioned !!!).

Been through the guns and shooting gear twice, plus the fishing tackle but have great fear of that other disease women get decorating , turns my blood cold.

I wont forget what a woody looks like though, they frequently land on the balcony 🙁

Wired some solar lights up on the patio yesterday, it now looks like a night time wedding venue! Tried to get a sparky in but seems they are all on insulation ! 

Ok I will shut the door behind me. 

Stay safe guys

Edited April 3, 2020 by deny essex
addition

[marsh man]

Some brilliant replies above and really glad you are finding bits and pieces to do during these troubled times .

Hopefully we will all come through this invisible war in once one piece .

Look after your nearest and dearest and above all ...... STAY SAFE.

[Lloyd90]

Stick it out gents, please don’t take any risks. 
 

We are starting to see a lot of deaths in my area, people admitted to hospital one night and dead by morning etc. 
 

Truly awful. 

[johnphilip]

14 hours ago, marsh man said:

I dare say like me there are several members who are in the vulnerable age group of 70+ , I know Alan ( Lakeside1000) , Chris ( Old Boggy ) and I believe P C is , or very near to it .

We should stay in self isolation for a minimum of twelve weeks and at the moment I am like a caged wild animal ,  we can exercise once a day , go and get food and medicines and very little else , I must admit I cheat a bit on the exercise , I take my dog out for a good walk first thing in the morning , on the way home I pop in the village shop and get my paper , after reading the paper and having a bit of a rest I look around and find something to do , yesterday I washed all the outside guttering and the garage door , then a break for dinner and another cup of tea , it is now time to take the dog out again , I walked down the main road to the nearest field and then walked all the way around and then back home , now it's sweeping out garage time before yet another cup of tea , around 4pm it time to head off out again , this time I did go in the motor as we were running out of milk and popped down to the super market , right beside the car park is the lane that lead down to the marsh so way I go again and took my binoculars , I saw loads of Pigeons sitting in the trees at the little marsh carr , our old friend the Great Egret was on the marsh ( if you have never seen one , this bird is the size of an adult Heron and twice the size of the Little Egret ) , over on the estuary there were loads of Avocets that look they were sitting on the water with having long legs , several pairs of Shelduck , Mallard , Teal and a few Wigeon , now it was time to turn back and make my way back , on the way I walked past a Pair of Greylag that were tamer than farm yard geese and could have been looking for a nesting site .

Back to my car the six o clock news was then coming on so I had been out for two hours and never saw a soul , so now this caged wild animal is beginning to get used to the lock down and really speaking it is not that bad .

How are you finding it ? 

To me it sounds like your enjoying  your retirement  and rightly  so . Keep going and stay safe .

[Mice!]

15 hours ago, marsh man said:

around 4pm it time to head off

I thought that was going to say, head off to bed 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣 

[marsh man]

1 hour ago, Mice! said:

I thought that was going to say, head off to bed 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣 

Head off , not Nod off , please pay attention Mice , it's only ole people who nod off in the afternoons 

 

2 hours ago, johnphilip said:

To me it sounds like your enjoying  your retirement  and rightly  so . Keep going and stay safe .

THANKS John P ..... While we are allowed out for exercise I can live with that , it do me a bit of good , keep my dog fit and take my mind off the virus that is taking it's toll all around the world , scary stuff    , All the best     MM

[islandgun]

20 hours ago, marsh man said:

I dare say like me there are several members who are in the vulnerable age group of 70+ , I know Alan ( Lakeside1000) , Chris ( Old Boggy ) and I believe P C is , or very near to it .

We should stay in self isolation for a minimum of twelve weeks and at the moment I am like a caged wild animal ,  we can exercise once a day , go and get food and medicines and very little else , I must admit I cheat a bit on the exercise , I take my dog out for a good walk first thing in the morning , on the way home I pop in the village shop and get my paper , after reading the paper and having a bit of a rest I look around and find something to do , yesterday I washed all the outside guttering and the garage door , then a break for dinner and another cup of tea , it is now time to take the dog out again , I walked down the main road to the nearest field and then walked all the way around and then back home , now it's sweeping out garage time before yet another cup of tea , around 4pm it time to head off out again , this time I did go in the motor as we were running out of milk and popped down to the super market , right beside the car park is the lane that lead down to the marsh so way I go again and took my binoculars , I saw loads of Pigeons sitting in the trees at the little marsh carr , our old friend the Great Egret was on the marsh ( if you have never seen one , this bird is the size of an adult Heron and twice the size of the Little Egret ) , over on the estuary there were loads of Avocets that look they were sitting on the water with having long legs , several pairs of Shelduck , Mallard , Teal and a few Wigeon , now it was time to turn back and make my way back , on the way I walked past a Pair of Greylag that were tamer than farm yard geese and could have been looking for a nesting site .

Back to my car the six o clock news was then coming on so I had been out for two hours and never saw a soul , so now this caged wild animal is beginning to get used to the lock down and really speaking it is not that bad .

How are you finding it ? 

Nice one MM. sounds like a pretty full life.

I'm 67 and wondering if I shouldn't sign up for the state pension,  we have no income at the moment, very fortunate enough, to be able to deliver some home-made food/bread around the township to some of the house bound and getting on with the numerous jobs about the croft  [gardening mostly] theres been a few cases of 19 on the islands and i fully intend to steer well clear of everybody [ as usual] Im looking to get a commercial fishing licence as i think people will need as much good grub as we can get locally/... will pm over the next few days.. IG

[TIGHTCHOKE]

Just now, islandgun said:

Nice one MM. sounds like a pretty full life.

I'm 67 and wondering if I shouldn't sign up for the state pension,  we have no income at the moment, very fortunate enough, to be able to deliver some home-made food/bread around the township to some of the house bound and getting on with the numerous jobs about the croft  [gardening mostly] theres been a few cases of 19 on the islands and i fully intend to steer well clear of everybody [ as usual] Im looking to get a commercial fishing licence as i think people will need as much good grub as we can get locally/... will pm over the next few days.. IG

Well done with what you've already done and good luck with the fishing licence. Very sound thinking!

[Old Boggy]

Well, since I have been mentioned as being in the 70+ category, I therefore think it only right that I should reply, so here goes -:

Generally, the wife and I are coping very well but we tried last week to do a bit of shopping. The supermarket was full and the shelves empty, with many shoppers totally ignoring the distancing rule. I understand that this has now been rectified on both counts. However, we left quickly without a purchase, so I decided to do shopping on line. Sat at the PC for about an hour and a half trying six supermarkets and none had delivery slots despite ticking the box that said `priority for over 70s`. Not being familiar with online shopping, I went through the whole rigmarole of ticking all items needed on the first supermarket I tried before realising that I should have checked first to see if a delivery slot was available. So I gave up on that idea. Fortunately one of our daughters, who lives nearby, was only too pleased to do our shopping for us and has done so since. This I don`t mind as not only does it get me out of the shopping, but I get to look after her dog while she shops.

The weather over the last few days has been good so we have spent mornings in the garden, with me trimming back shrubs and generally tidying up, cutting grass etc and the wife supervising ! Lunch we have taken in the garden in the sun listening to just birdsong, very pleasant. We have been most fortunate with the weather as I know that other parts of the country haven`t been so lucky. Had it rained constantly, then I`m sure our days would have been far different and less pleasant, so my sympathy goes out to those with less clement weather and hope that they are finding things to do and managing to stay active.

My energy levels seem to subside a little in the afternoons (strangely enough this doesn`t happen when out shooting, if I remember rightly ), so I`ve then pottered in the shed, tidying up, finding odd unidentified objects from my past and then continuing with my stickmaking. This is a relatively new hobby to me with much to learn so my efforts are very amateurish compared to some of the wonderful skill indicated by many on this forum. I can now do this in peace with no interruptions from her indoors having put a catch on the inside of the shed door.  I must have foreseen something as I had only just ordered and received quite a few bits and pieces of stickmaking stuff from Thestickman (Keith Pickering) before he had to close shop due to the virus. Also, I had cut an ample supply of mainly hazel and a few blackthorn sticks the winter before last and these are now well seasoned and ready to be worked on. However, after a couple of days, I noticed a bad smell which just got worse as the days went on and no, it wasn`t me, I had showered each morning . This was finally tied down to a dead mouse in the bottom of an open waste bin. Poor little thing must have got in there and not been able to get out. I don`t mind the odd mouse, it`s rats I cannot abide. Fortunately the neighbouring cats seem to keep rats under control as I haven`t seen one in my garden for years. Back to the mouse, I just couldn`t believe how such a small dead thing could kick up such a stench. So now I`ve got a sweet smelling shed once more. Well as sweet as a shed can ever be.

Late afternoons we`ve been taking a walk around the field at the back of our house. Not a great distance but it gets us out and I can have a look to see if there are any pigeons about. Not that I would do anything about it if there were. The rape in the adjacent field is now in full flower so no pigeon activity there, although there is a field of beans been drilled further over where a few are going down to feed. I tell myself that they are doing no damage to crops as they are only gleaning whatever`s left on the surface, so shooting would be wrong and not classed as essential crop protection. Others may disagree. Further over is a large field of Triticale (Wheat/Rye cross) that is being grown for biofuel and cut around mid June. It was grown around here for the first time last year and the three field of Triticale stubble down on the marsh provided some great decoying opportunities, so I am ever hopeful that the current situation is relaxed somewhat by then and will be something to look forward to before the harvest proper begins once more. One can only hope.

All in all, I`ve not been bored at all, yet and if I`m honest am quite enjoying the time, but like everyone I`m sure, am missing terribly my few hours a week out shooting.

Anyway John (Marshman) you did ask, so I`m sorry to waffle on a bit, but at least it gave me more than a few minutes typing this and you a few minutes reading it.

Keep safe everyone.

OB

 

 

 

Edited April 3, 2020 by Old Boggy

[TIGHTCHOKE]

Glad someone is looking after you two.

[Grandalf]

I'm nigh on 81 and the Memsahib clocked 84 on April Fools Day.   She is disabled and I'm, luckily, as fit as a flea.   Normally I have a relief carer in two days a week and the odd night so that I can get out fowling, stalking, foxing or any vermin job that comes my way.   The carer lady is now in isolation herself so I am a carer 24/7 and I don't enjoy it.

If I couldn't get out to walk my dog each day I would go stir crazy.   I don't have to look for jobs - Anyone who is a carer will agree with that one.   It's just full on from 7am to 11pm.

Mr Sainsbury has delivered the groceries each week so far and my next door neighbour is very good with collecting the wife's prescriptions etc.   I have family but they all live on the other side of the country.   They phone - but visits are out of the question at the moment.

The little Suffolk village where we live is super and everyone is very helpful but as contact is out of the question the phone is our real saviour at the moment.   The Memsahib doesn't do computers - She calls them confusers.  (She's probably right there).

My wife's immune system is shot so we have to be very careful.   Just can't take risks.   Got to get through this until there is a vaccine and the Gods only know when that will be.

My main worry is keeping fit myself.   If you don't use it then you will loose it.   I normally push myself pretty hard but this is difficult with the isolating.   My dog is fit as I run/walk him for a few miles every day - All over the fields where I was the part time keeper for nigh on 30 years.   This means that I have a very large area over which to roam and I don't have to keep to the footpaths and roads.   It all helps but, as I said before, I am not enjoying it very much.

With all the speculation that one does about old age I never once thought that my life would be put on hold by a bug from China.   Time is not on our side so the sooner they get that vaccine the better it will be for us.

Take care my friends. 

[das]

Garden never looked as good, ( I actually enjoy it now), car clean and polished and a near daily walk up through the woods.
Wifes working at home so pots of tea and a biscuit on demand.
Lost weight and feel 3 years fitter?

What is a bit of a bind:
Coniston Shooting Ground closed.
The repetitive Coronavirus multi duplicated stuff on TV including 'it will peak in 2 weeks, 2 weeks, 2 weeks' every day.

Must admit though, we are lucky to live quite rural and I truly sympathise with city dwellers in high rise apartments.

[marsh man]

What brilliant and up lifting replies , by using this modern technology we can at least keep in touch with each other and do our best to keep each and everyone's spirit's up.

This is a time when it bring the best out of people and we treat ourselves lucky to be living in such a friendly village and also a caring one , a young couple who are only in there low 20s put a note through our door with there telephone on saying if we need help in any way including taking my dog for a walk do not hesitate in ringing them up day or night and they will do there best to help us out , now how nice is that , they are putting an extension on there bungalow and will be living in it when they get married and there kind thought will be remembered with a good bottle of drink .

Before long we might be getting some good news saying this lock down will be drawing to a close and light is appearing at the end of the tunnel , and with God willing we will all be here to see that time .

All the very best MM

 

[TRINITY]

Well into 67 and a couple of health issues that put me in the risky bracket. Coping well, get out for a long daily walk and spend time in garden. To me this is all down to getting the right state of mind. If scum bag criminals can get through years in the nick, then several months of this is something I can do.

I also have decided that if I get through this then, I will treat myself to another gun (although I dont need one) and also have no feeling of guilt of the amount i intend to spend in smashing Clay's.

 

 

 

 

 

[mad1]

15 hours ago, Grandalf said:

I'm nigh on 81 and the Memsahib clocked 84 on April Fools Day.   She is disabled and I'm, luckily, as fit as a flea.   Normally I have a relief carer in two days a week and the odd night so that I can get out fowling, stalking, foxing or any vermin job that comes my way.   The carer lady is now in isolation herself so I am a carer 24/7 and I don't enjoy it.

If I couldn't get out to walk my dog each day I would go stir crazy.   I don't have to look for jobs - Anyone who is a carer will agree with that one.   It's just full on from 7am to 11pm.

Mr Sainsbury has delivered the groceries each week so far and my next door neighbour is very good with collecting the wife's prescriptions etc.   I have family but they all live on the other side of the country.   They phone - but visits are out of the question at the moment.

The little Suffolk village where we live is super and everyone is very helpful but as contact is out of the question the phone is our real saviour at the moment.   The Memsahib doesn't do computers - She calls them confusers.  (She's probably right there).

My wife's immune system is shot so we have to be very careful.   Just can't take risks.   Got to get through this until there is a vaccine and the Gods only know when that will be.

My main worry is keeping fit myself.   If you don't use it then you will loose it.   I normally push myself pretty hard but this is difficult with the isolating.   My dog is fit as I run/walk him for a few miles every day - All over the fields where I was the part time keeper for nigh on 30 years.   This means that I have a very large area over which to roam and I don't have to keep to the footpaths and roads.   It all helps but, as I said before, I am not enjoying it very much.

With all the speculation that one does about old age I never once thought that my life would be put on hold by a bug from China.   Time is not on our side so the sooner they get that vaccine the better it will be for us.

Take care my friends. 

Hi Grandalf,

Good to hear from you,last time we met was my self and Connor at catton. You called him the little sniper and hes never forgot that !!

Please send my best wishes to your partner and also to all the others reading this.

I'm glad to say I come from the generation that are actually bothered about other people,I was brought up to respect and help.

Please keep in touch and feel free to contact me via PM or I'll give you my number to talk.

I'm not trained in this line of work but im human.

Stay safe

M1 

[Grandalf]

Mad1, I remember you and the little sniper very well.   A natural with a rifle if ever I saw one and as keen as mustard.   Is Connor still as keen or has he discovered girls yet?   Thanks for the offer of a chat to catch up.   I will PM you later.   Just sorted the lady out with shower and breakfast so now I get to walk the legs off my three and a half year old Labrador who is called Noodle.   (Very appropriately as it happens).   Since we met I have not been able to get up to the rifle weekends which are now held in Scotland and a bit of a trek from East Anglia.   Would be nice if we could find a venue more in the centre of the country.   Have got madly keen on stalking over the past few years.   Luckily I have a big piece of ground at my disposal - Friends farms.   Thought it was just a matter of going out and shooting a deer.   Now I have got into it I know that is not quite the case.   I am getting better and my knowledge is improving all the time.   Wish that I had got into it sooner.    My old landy is still going strong and she has now been converted into a mobile high seat with all the mod cons that you would expect in a high class shooting lodge.   Comfy seat and hot drinks.   Also has intercom if I have a guest to stay.

Thanks again for the offer which I will avail myself of in the coming days.

Ben 

[mad1]

Hi Ben,

Yes please feel free to talk...as for our Connor yeah hes 17 and his girlfriend is 19...didnt know if to high 5 him or poke him in the eye !!!!!

Yeah hes doing well I have a post on here with regards to him making 3D printed masks ,if you want any let me know and I'll get some sent down.

As for the shoot we are limited to where we can have it now I guess..

 

Stay safe my friend ...

Scott 

[blackbird]

On 02/04/2020 at 20:44, marsh man said:

I dare say like me there are several members who are in the vulnerable age group of 70+ , I know Alan ( Lakeside1000) , Chris ( Old Boggy ) and I believe P C is , or very near to it .

We should stay in self isolation for a minimum of twelve weeks and at the moment I am like a caged wild animal ,  we can exercise once a day , go and get food and medicines and very little else , I must admit I cheat a bit on the exercise , I take my dog out for a good walk first thing in the morning , on the way home I pop in the village shop and get my paper , after reading the paper and having a bit of a rest I look around and find something to do , yesterday I washed all the outside guttering and the garage door , then a break for dinner and another cup of tea , it is now time to take the dog out again , I walked down the main road to the nearest field and then walked all the way around and then back home , now it's sweeping out garage time before yet another cup of tea , around 4pm it time to head off out again , this time I did go in the motor as we were running out of milk and popped down to the super market , right beside the car park is the lane that lead down to the marsh so way I go again and took my binoculars , I saw loads of Pigeons sitting in the trees at the little marsh carr , our old friend the Great Egret was on the marsh ( if you have never seen one , this bird is the size of an adult Heron and twice the size of the Little Egret ) , over on the estuary there were loads of Avocets that look they were sitting on the water with having long legs , several pairs of Shelduck , Mallard , Teal and a few Wigeon , now it was time to turn back and make my way back , on the way I walked past a Pair of Greylag that were tamer than farm yard geese and could have been looking for a nesting site .

Back to my car the six o clock news was then coming on so I had been out for two hours and never saw a soul , so now this caged wild animal is beginning to get used to the lock down and really speaking it is not that bad .

How are you finding it ? 

As the vast number of the country are listening to the government to protect the NHS & the most at risk like yourself ( over 70’s ) please show us a tiny bit of respect & please stop cheating ( 1 FORM OF EXERCISE A DAY THEN STAY AT HOME) are you stupid   Maybe it’s time we went on total lockdown then people would get the message??? Try explaining I only popped into local shop to get newspaper then popped down to local supermarket for milk to the two nurses families that died yesterday.

Edited April 4, 2020 by blackbird

[marsh man]

1 hour ago, blackbird said:

As the vast number of the country are listening to the government to protect the NHS & the most at risk like yourself ( over 70’s ) please show us a tiny bit of respect & please stop cheating ( 1 FORM OF EXERCISE A DAY THEN STAY AT HOME) are you stupid   Maybe it’s time we went on total lockdown then people would get the message???

I accept that to go against government guidelines is reckless and I could well be stupid in doing so .

I live in very rural that are surrounded by fields and can't see any harm walking around the outside of the field and keeping well away from any members of the public that walking along the foot paths , the nearest I get to people are my neighbours in the next door garden's and if I was going to catch anything that will be where it is likely to be .

My car is left at home all the week and is only used for any shopping when required and normally my wife do the shopping, I have to take my wife as she don't drive so I take the dog for a run while she is in the shop , maybe in the guidelines that is wrong as well but I feel safer down the marsh than I do walking around the shop .

 

I will now stick to the guide lines and only go out once a day for exercise although in this nice weather it might now be for a bit longer . 

[Grandalf]

I walk my dog every morning.   Provided my Mrs is ok, I am her carer, I will stay out for an hour and a half (ish).   During my walk I go out through a gate on my back fence onto a field that is part of the shoot that I have keepered for the last thirty years.   (Now retired).   I can go anywhere I want over about 3000 acres.   I don't use a footpath or track.   I rarely see anyone, never mind meet them.   Now IF I did this again later how would it endanger anyone?   Bit of sour grapes going on here I think