It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas Off Topic Chat

BK5

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121817846#Comment_121817846

Best of luck to your Dad today, hope all goes well for him.

My Dad is 75 in June actually and he's in good health, Mam is 73 in May and she unfortunately is not great but she is being well looked after.

DvB

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121814892#Comment_121814892

We're very lucky that all 4 of the grandparents are still with us, though my Father in Law & my own Mother are both currently undergoing treatment for cancer & my mother in law is also suffering from Alzheimer's so we've a lot going on, & we're all too aware of how fragile the current status quo is and are trying to make the most of having everyone around, the fact we have all 4 and all are in their early 80's or late 70's is a stroke of luck. Our kids are 13 now though so at least whatever happens they'll remember their grandparents as they get older which is lovely as they get on so well with them all.

CheerLouth

Having your grandparents is definitely a blessing! I'm in my late 30s and my last grandparent, my lovely Nana, only passed last summer. She's been a huge loss to us but it's been lovely to know that my children knew her & will hopefully have some good memories! My eldest niece is nearly 15 and when she was born, she had 4 grandparents & 7 great-grandparents. It's incredible when you think of it.

Loughc

My god, it was so cold this morning, colder than most winter mornings, but it was nice and dusky at 6.30am so the bright mornings are defo coming.

DvB

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121818394#Comment_121818394

Had to scrape frost off the car which wasn't a surprise given how cold it got yesterday & last night, but the flip side was it was almost bright when I pulled into the office car park at just after 7am... bright mornings on the horizon!! (pardon the pun!)

Norrie Rugger Head

All 4 grandparents for my kids too.

My parents do all childminding. I drop them off in the morning, they get breakfast/school runs/, and collect hem in the afternoon.

2nd mortgage saved right there and the kids get to know their grandparents so well

BK5

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121818133#Comment_121818133

My mother has Alzheimer's too, she also has Pulmonary Fibrosis so she takes a lot of minding. Have to say my father is absolutely brilliant, it's only when you get a bit older you realise how fragile we are though. When you're young you think you're invincible.

Loughc

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121820892#Comment_121820892

Spot on!

My mam has stage 4 COPD and my father has a lot of leg pain I feel like it was only yesterday they were flying around the place.

Life is so short there is no f’n way I’m working til 65 and beyond.

DvB

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121821149#Comment_121821149

My plan is 60. So 8 more years and hopefully I'm done with 5.30am starts and 60 hour weeks.

Loughc

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121821205#Comment_121821205

60 is my plan too.

BK5

Yes, absolutely. 2 more years to go on the mortgage so will have that off my back at 53 and will def revaluate my life/work balance.

I'd even take less money for a less stressful job or just rent the house out and use the money to rent a place in Spain, one can dream :)

Posy

Add me to the list!

I definitely don't want to work past 60 (should plan for that financially maybe 😂) and certainly don't want to be working 5 days a week right up until retirement!

tscul32

All good with the oul lad, home with no issues.

Lost MiL to dementia nearly 3 years ago. It's a difficult one to watch.

CheerLouth

Cold one out there this morning, although thankfully it seems like it is drying up. Back to football training last night & it was baltic out. Took me an age to warm up when I got home. Was still freezing after a shower & a cuppa. 9 year old back to training tonight have forewarned her on how cold it will be.

DvB

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121821920#Comment_121821920

I can live with the 5 days per week, just as long as its not a 12 hour day & it leaves me financially in a place where I'm not struggling on a state pension. I saw the 3 original owners in here reduce their workload & slowly step back in the last 2-3 years before we bought them out last year so my plan would be for something similar if possible. But with less time to take advantage financially may need to keep myself involved right up until the point I actually retire.

A means to an end basically.

BK5

I also would be happy with the basic 5 day week at this stage, I am in most Saturdays at present and we are trying to train up people to cover the weekends so maybe a little light at the end of the tunnel at this stage. You need two days fully off a week or long term your batteries are just going to run down. Also, I find Saturdays are for getting things done like the garden, shopping or cleaning the car and Sundays are for relaxing a bit so you can face another week.

Loughc

Hard to believe but this day 6 years ago the Beast from the East landed. And nowadays you'd be lucky to see a flake of snow.

DvB

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121827092#Comment_121827092

Hard to believe is right, had to double check that. 6 years, wow!

BK5

I had to call into a pub where we were going to have a charity pub quiz to cancel because the Beast from the East had closed the country down. The owner didn't mind at all the bloody place was packed! 😄

Posy

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121827092#Comment_121827092

Aaw... the snow. Happy times. ☺️

On the topic of not so happy times, tomorrow, 4 years ago, the last leap day, Ireland's first case of covid was confirmed. 😳

Loughc

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121829763#Comment_121829763

Oh wow that is mad. Genuinely felt like covid only started 2 years ago not 4.

antimatterx

4 years since covid wtf.

I remember being in the office on March 12thish and the CTO saying that Leo is making an announcement. I had left work early to get some food and it was chaos.!

DvB

Fast 4 years that.

Smell the glove

I was in Italy when it all broke the week before our first case. The panic people had ringing us to see if we were ok. It was mad we were at a football match one of the nights with close to 50,000 at it and the away fans had travelled down from Lombardi where the s*it was hitting the fan and where the first outbreaks were. When we came home nobody would allow us to meet with them in etc. My own family wouldn't see us for a few weeks after we were back. We really did feel like lepers.

Posy

I don't blame them, the scenes from Italy, especially the Lombardy region, were scary. It's always more frightening when it's close to home.

I remember Cheltenham still took place that March and being baffled, as we were already closing schools and childcare facilities over here.

I did feel at the time like we were at an advantage to the UK, as our leader was a trained medical doctor and the UK had Boris Johnson! 🤪

Posy

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121829987#Comment_121829987

Time clearly flies whether you're having fun or not.

DvB

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121830836#Comment_121830836

Always remember that Cheltenham festival being a real firestarter regarding covid over here, how it was allowed go ahead was an absolute disgrace. Totally on the UK government list of how not to handle a pandemic.

Still hard to believe that was 4 years ago.

BK5

I remember at the very start of the pandemic Westmeath registered one of the highest numbers of Covid cases in the country despite having one the smaller populations and the cause was traced back to 23 gobshites from Mullingar who went to Cheltenham.

I know the restrictions were a pain here but the way the British government handled Covid was absolutely disgraceful.

Andrew93

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121829692#Comment_121829692

Also vividly remember trekking through snow what was normally a 10 minute walk took us at least 30 if not more to get to the pub when the snow hit 🤣

Loughc

Happy Leap Day every one! Thankfully no COVID this time!

DvB

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121831703#Comment_121831703

Also, day 300 on the countdown, into the 200's tomorrow!! A nice way to finish a testing week!

Loughc

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121831933#Comment_121831933

Very much so, busy 100 days coming up, we have ST. Patrick's Day, Easter, May Bank Holiday and June Bank Holiday between now and 199.

DvB

After next week a proper run of short weeks too with st Patrick's day and Easter (for those of us who don't work good Friday anyway)

Am off the week after Easter Sunday too and am really looking forward to that now as a reward for getting through the first quarter of the year 🤣

Norrie Rugger Head

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121831123#Comment_121831123

Then the government would not enforce a calling off of the Ireland-Italy 6 Nations match.

IRFU were fecked because the government would not make that call and, without that, their insurance would not pay out.

The government were quite happy to let them swing for it, in the public eye

BK5

Sadly Dave Myers, one of the Hairy Bikers has died. Just wanted to give him a mention as he seemed like a genuinely nice man and I always remember the chefs that do Christmas specials and food.

pigtail33

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121833680#Comment_121833680

I was quite sad when I heard that earlier. They have a new show on BBC at the moment so I assumed he had recovered, but he was still having treatment while filming. I love watching all cookery shows and have seen many of theirs. May he rest in peace.

Posy

I was really sorry to hear that today, I was hoping he had turned a corner and would recover. ☹️

The bikers filmed a new series quite recently which only started on the BBC at the start of February.

Sad news.

DvB

Happy March everyone.

Into the 200s on the countdown too!

It's Friday and got paid this week...

Wins all round!

BK5

Was looking forward to March coming in, Spring arriving, bright mornings etc but bring a brolly folks, that is a wet one.

Brilliant that we've hit one of the milestones on the countdown and it's Friday!

DvB

Sneachta!!

All the way in to work this morning it was snowing, nothing sticking thankfully.

tscul32

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121835586#Comment_121835586

Just lots of rain here. Went out for dinner last night and it was baltic coming home. Shouldn't have gone anyway cos the cold I was fighting yesterday has fully taken hold. I've no voice, struggling to breathe and everything hutmrts, even my teeth!! Have called sick to work but will still need to drop kids to school. Only good thing is that it's not covid - still testing 4 years later!!

miamee

Woke up to this, it's still snowing but due to rain a lot later so I'm sure it'll be washed away

pigtail33

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121835497#Comment_121835497

We finally got paid this week too. I get paid on the last Thursday of every month and February was a five week month for us! Stupid leap day.

DvB

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121835657#Comment_121835657

Was a 5 weeker for us too... always a pain those ones.

pigtail33

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121835514#Comment_121835514

I did see this online yesterday though!

Tonight, the sun will set around 6pm and won't set before 6pm again until 29th Oct 🌝

Posy

Snow here too! Just after all our beast from the east chat. 😂

DvB

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121835712#Comment_121835712

ooh, that'll be almost 'in season'

Though in fairness, I love seeing the brighter mornings & evenings, it just makes the days seem longer, it can get terribly depressing driving to & from work in the pitch dark.

pigtail33

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121835786#Comment_121835786

My thoughts exactly! Although October 29th is still 8 months away, it makes it seem closer when you see something like that.

The clocks change on March 31st this year and from them on, sunset isn't until after 8pm.

CheerLouth

Happy March, everyone! It's a wet one and freezing out but no snow here yet. If it dropped another degree or so, we'd be in with a chance but as we have the little fella's birthday party tomorrow, I'd rather it didn't!

Loughc

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121835761#Comment_121835761

Lotto win lotto win lotto win....

Just in case Boards has some sort of manifesting powers.