Lockdown - the Megathread

dubrov

Cyrus wrote: »

To be fair you made a decision to live in cheap accommodation I presume to save money ? Wouldn’t matter where that was it sounds awful

Yeah. That's a long way from normal urban living.
I hope it was worth it for the poster as most wouldn't last 2 weeks let alone 18 months with that lifestyle

_Brian

Deleted User wrote: »

A lot of people talking about how we have come together etc to make the lockdown work, how we will hopefully keep that community spirit, clap for this group, clap for that group etc

I have to disagree. I have worked all my life , and pretty long days, so have been gone from early morning to 6 ish in the evenings. With the exception of 2 stints of maternity leave which were several years ago.

I didn't realise how annoying living in a fairly densely populated city suburb can be. Where I live is a very scenic middle class neighborhood. But I honestly didnt realise how noisy it can be during the day. Im working from home the past 3 weeks and there's constant noise, kids shouting, cars up and down , people cutting grass, hammering away doing DIY projects.

Yes, I know all normal stuff and its me who has the issue. But I really didn't appreciate how noisy and busy it is. I guess at weekends Im busy catching up on housework then I would be out of the house quite a bit.

My new 'dream' now is to locate somewhere quieter, nice country side location, just me and the fields.

Anyone else feeling like this?

We live on our farm in a rural area and at the moment we thank god every day for it. So much space, freedom and space from others.

Multipass

I live in the countryside, it has it downsides.
Slurry spreading, don’t underestimate the misery this can cause, it also gets dripped along the roads so good luck walking anywhere.
Smoke, practically every sunny weekend everyone seems to burn everything.
I thought I’d be going for lovely walks, but actually have to drive places to walk as my road is too dangerous. Same for cycling, taking a bike out would be suicide.
If you have kids consider the teenage years, you will spend day and night driving them around.
Crime is a worry, especially if you live on your own. There are dodgy people in white vans around. Medical emergencies too. A Garda car or ambulance would take at least half an hour to reach here. At least with eircodes they should find the house. I once had to drive to the main road to meet an ambulance and lead it to the house, that was 45 minutes after 999 was called.
Social life is only possible without drink, unless you have €50 for a taxi.

For all that it’s nice to have a garden, and the rent is cheap (my reason for being here)

old_aussie

Single man with toilet paper seeks woman with hand sanitizer for good clean fun.

jester77

I don't mind the noise, there's something almost therapeutic about it, apart from crying babies, that is irritating. But when I want peace to concentrate on something I just close the windows and noise is gone.

jester77

sweet_trip wrote: »

Honestly, I've never been happier I'm living rurally.

You just can't compare the quality of life that comes with rural living vs living in a city especially now that we're all on lockdown.

I feel like people whove never lived outside of a densely populated city will never understand rural life tbh.



Noise pollution is a serious bug bear of mine, and with all of this going on it's never been quieter around here. The reduction of traffic is a god-send.



Feel sorry for people in dense urban area's who never get a moments peace between noise pollution, light pollution and air pollution.

I grew up rurally, nothing or no one for miles. Wouldn't wish it on anyone, awful awful existence, especially for children. Would never ever consider moving rurally now. My parents live there and it's awful now for them with this cocooning.

mariaalice

The best rural( ish ) situation to live in is, 2 to 3km outside a village or very small town with a secondary school and amenities, within say 30/40km of a large city other than Dublin. I suggest Limerick or Sligo or Waterford they are also near enough to lovey beaches as well as an added bonus.

It will mean children can walk to school there may well be a path into the village friends are near enough but far enough and small enough area that activities can be controlled for teenagers.

Third level and employment within a commutable distance in the city.

Large house on your own ground.

The big issue that such places tend to be expensive and sought after.

_Kaiser_

I live an hour from Dublin in a large town so have the benefits of having everything I'd need 10 minutes or less drive away, but also lower rents, less traffic, and luckily a quiet enough estate. The motorway is 5 minutes away and I can WFH 2/3 days a week (and full time at the moment) without any issues as I have decent broadband.

The ideal for me I think would be to buy either in another "better" estate in the town, or a penthouse apartment in a nearby complex. Lower mortgage than I pay in rent, all the same benefits, and if I did move somewhere else I could keep it as a rental because it's handy for Dublin, or move back when I retire.

Living in the middle of nowhere wouldn't be for me, but neither can I ever see myself moving back to Dublin.

ShatterAlan

kippy wrote: »

100 percent

Yes. You should factor in that the weather has been quite good and this brings out the kids, lawnmowers, shed-hammerers, etc. On a rainy Wednesday when the kids are back at school you'll be able to take your lunch break as a peaceful catnap on the sofa. Also when the restrictions are lifted and you are allowed the opportunity to WFH you could also head off to a hub/library a couple of days a week and work from there instead of from the house. That way you maintain a routine that's kind of like a commute. Bring a flask and some sandwiches. Meet a few others there to have a chat. In a previous job I always worked from home on a Friday and would go to the local pub when it opened at 10am. The place would be completely empty and I'd sit in the back room and log onto their wifi. Barman would bring me down a pot of tea and the old ham & cheese toastie and leave me to my own devices. He wouldn't have music or the tv on or anything, he'd just be busy checking orders, wiping down the bottles, etc. One or two old boys might come in around 3pm and sit quietly chatting at the bar. No distraction. Around 4:30 I'd order a pint and start finishing up, firing off the last few emails then log off. Read a few online newspapers, have another pint or two and that was it.

ShatterAlan

Dufflecoat Fanny wrote: »

suffered dublin for too long it's no way to live. I had to live in a hostel in temple bar for 18 months and it will either make or break you when ya have to work in back breaking contructuion from 6 till 7. no privacy and no sure time to cook eat **** or wash. pure fcuking misery and then the snoring.

Good GOD, I think I'd prefer 18 months in the Joy

ShatterAlan

looksee wrote: »

Thirty years? You move! I just spent exactly 30 years living in a house on an estate and I have just moved - and I am over 70. It was put to me that I was a long way from a hospital but I have no intention of living beside a hospital for the next whatever number of years, 'just in case'. (And the 'just in case' has happened). If I really have to move again I will do so, but I hope not.

I hope I am as active and positive as you when I'm 70. Some people dread moving and have a meltdown when they're 40.

Antares35

MaureensFry wrote: »

Anywhere is better than Dublin. Literally.

Depends what part of Dublin IMO.

dhaughton99

It’s all part of a racist agenda.
https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2020/apr/10/coronavirus-park-closures-hit-bame-and-poor-londoners-most

Thelonious Monk

If we all decided to build houses on a bit of land it wouldn't do the country any favours. I live fairly central Dublin but the only way I could get infected is by going to a supermarket, and rural people have to do that too. I actually like the buzz and noise of cities but it's still pretty quiet where I live, I'd also hate to be car reliant and wouldn't fancy cycling on rural roads.

hmmm

The lack of commute, better food, nicer work environment, more sleep, all game changers for me and my outlook on working. Feel that I'm significantly more productive also. I could see a lot of movement after this, and smart companies will be able to hire good staff willing to work remotely on salaries.

otnomart

Great to read how everyone have their different opinion of what quality of life is.
For me, it is: a reasonable rent combined with a short commute to work, and shops and a few restaurants/cafès in walking distance.
Good public trasnport connections to everything else.
Have happily traded square feet of space for all the above.
Working from home during this lockdown, having the shops in walking distance has been a Godsend, not having to risk taking public transport just to buy necessities.
Used to live in Dublin by the way, many moons ago, now in Continental Europe.

Cedrus

There was an interesting "Question Time" discussion on TV a few years back, I don't remember the programme or even the channel, but one of the subjects under discussion was the public services cutbacks. I remember particularly that the imminent closure of Stepaside Garda Station was discussed, a couple of people raised hell that the expected Garda response time in area would rise from 7 minutes to ten minutes.The next speaker, from one of the west cork peninsulas, was then asked what her Garda response time would be and as far I recall she said "45 minutes to the next day". The Stepaside woman looked like she'd been slapped with a full side of wet haddock.

As many above have said, rural life isn't all it's cracked up to be and neither is city life, I've lived both.

However, this new life arrangement definitely should change the way people work, working from home will be proved to be viable for some at least, I for one took a day to two to normalise, the previous occasional few hours at home were hard, commuting should be less inevitable, and trust from bosses and colleagues will be more expected.

Ubbquittious

I live waaaay out in the sthicks and tis mighty. Only thing I want to try at least once is to go even remoter. Perhaps somewhere 100s of miles from the nearest town, a proper barren outpost with a few ramshackle buildings, some broken machines laying to rust and the odd fella passing on a quad bike with a rifle

Harry Palmr

So the ideal for many is essentially a big field with all amenities. ie the absolutely worst option for Ireland's sustainable development.

beggars_bush

Ubbquittious wrote: »

I live waaaay out in the sthicks and tis mighty. Only thing I want to try at least once is to go even remoter. Perhaps somewhere 100s of miles from the nearest town, a proper barren outpost with a few ramshackle buildings, some broken machines laying to rust and the odd fella passing on a quad bike with a rifle

Leitrim

LoughNeagh2017

I live half a mile from the British Isles largest lough. At night you can hear the waves and the birds squaking, I don't know the names of the birds, they are long necked things. Not swans, although there are swans too

Eric Cartman

Harry Palmr wrote: »

So the ideal for many is essentially a big field with all amenities. ie the absolutely worst option for Ireland's sustainable development.

I think the idea that everyones expecting all amenities is a complete myth. Im sure some have , but people who live in towns and cities seem to be under the impression that those in one off houses expect a bus service, footpaths, street lighting , a school every 1km, new roads etc... when its just not true.

People living in one off housing fully accept that you dont have everything on the doorstep and dont want that either, most of the houses are along existing roads that require no extra development and now with eircodes this thing of ‘emergency services can’t find you’ is gone.

The national broadband plan is about the only additional infrastructure that anyone in rural ireland has asked for.

Downlinz

It really highlights how much of the working day is spent doing nothing of any real value between commuting, car parking, walking up multiple flights of stairs, queuing for coffee, smalltalk with colleagues etc.

Hours wasted every day doing things that benefit nobody that are being regained when working from home.

Antares35

Eric Cartman wrote: »

I think the idea that everyones expecting all amenities is a complete myth. Im sure some have , but people who live in towns and cities seem to be under the impression that those in one off houses expect a bus service, footpaths, street lighting , a school every 1km, new roads etc... when its just not true.

People living in one off housing fully accept that you dont have everything on the doorstep and dont want that either, most of the houses are along existing roads that require no extra development and now with eircodes this thing of ‘emergency services can’t find you’ is gone.

The national broadband plan is about the only additional infrastructure that anyone in rural ireland has asked for.

Yup this is us. I never complain about no bus service or narrow roads etc. because if we had them, we wouldnt have the peace and quiet we have. Although we got street lighting about five years ago. There was great excitement

rahmalec

Lads.
I work(ed) in an industry that was the first hit from this and will be the last to recover, as it 100% relies on mass gatherings. I don’t envisage returning to work in this field until the vaccine is available. Some of us really need to pivot.

What would you say are the jobs that are “working from home”-able, pay well, are the quickest to train into? Have a good knack for numbers (degree with very heavy math), a bit rusty as that was years ago but could get back in the swing.

magicbastarder

Harry Palmr wrote: »

So the ideal for many is essentially a big field with all amenities. ie the absolutely worst option for Ireland's sustainable development.

If everyone in the city decides to move to the country, the country becomes the city.

Technocentral

Ill tell you one thing the thought of working 5 days a week in an office again when this is over has completely lost its appeal!

dubrov

Technocentral wrote: »

Ill tell you one thing the thought of working 5 days a week in an office again when this is over has completely lost its appeal!

Anyone with kids is the opposite

Technocentral

dubrov wrote: »

Anyone with kids is the opposite

Even when school/creche/child minding is back?

Blueshoe

dhaughton99 wrote: »

It’s all part of a racist agenda.
https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2020/apr/10/coronavirus-park-closures-hit-bame-and-poor-londoners-most

What does BAME mean?