Lockdown?

[noseall]

Is there anyone else that hasn't really been dramatically affected by the Coronavirus? I'm not talking about contracting the disease rather the effects that the whole Covid thing has had upon business.

We haven't really missed a beat at work and due to government guidelines, have been able to go on working as normal.

I'm entering homes as normal at weekends, as part of my ongoing quoting/measure-up process.

Granted, things have been a bit sticky regards (materials) supply, hence I've taken advantage of two tranches of government handouts. The latest (third SISS) is not for me.

However, the demand for trades is still just as high and hopefully will continue.

 

[Dangee]

The first 3 weeks of the first lockdown was very quiet. After that, busier than normal. I stopped answering calls from new customers around July. Inundated. I’ve been wearing masks 100% of the time inside houses since April/May.

 

[mattylad]

Apart from a few weeks off work last year, it's not really changed much of what I do.
I go to work, go shopping on Sundays, walk the dogs the same.
Nothing much else has changed, but then I'm a boring fart that does not go to the pub, out for meals or to the cinema etc.

 

[transam]

Has not made much difference to us

there are some issues getting into some
Merchants for kit

some boiler spares appear difficult to get hold but the boilers in question are made in Italy may be a Brexit affect as well ??

 

[Mottie]

Stopped work in mid March last year on first lockdown as kids weren’t coming from independent schools and they had scaled down their services. TBH if they hadn’t stopped the kids coming I probably would have refused them anyway because they reckon they are super spreaders and as virtually all the kids I had were in foster care or children’s homes with practically no night-time supervision, they would be mixing and mingling with other kids. It’s near on impossible to work safely in a motor vehicle training situation as you are under bonnets and under cars with them plus it’s in Newham which is a Covid hotspot. We had a lump sum payment from the govt and me and the wife (both directors) have been getting furlough payments since March - much to you-know-who's disgust! We own our own business premises which we have had since 1984 so no rent to pay and we get 100% small business rates relief (which is why we got the lump sum payment). Also took a government backed bounce back loan but nowhere near to using that at the moment. It’s not really affected us too much because we have no mortgage, our kids are off hand and we really don’t need a lot of money to live on. Mrs Mottie still has her part-time job transcribing for NHS consultants and I’ve got an income from a private pension. I must admit though that if I was renting premises, paying rates and staff salaries, I’d be pooping myself. Currently the business is in hibernation but I’m not even going to consider going back to work until figures improve and I’ve been jabbed twice. If there’s no need for my services when (and if) this thing is over or our own reserves and bounce back loan has been depleted, so be it - I’m of an age now (again, much to you-know-who's disgust) that I’d happily retire and either take a rent for the premises or sell up. I’ll see how I feel if and when that happens. Until then, I’ll just sit at home being bored, bored, bored!

 

[fillyboy]

I took 3 months out during the 1st lockdown but built a small timber frame extension/conservatory, did a large decking area in the garden and took the wall out between the dining room and kitchen to put in a new open plan kitchen. This was stuff I'd been putting off for years due to lack of time. I could really have done with several more weeks but by then work was piling up so got back into it, haven't stopped since.
As Nosy said demand is as high as it ever was, maybe even higher, I've never been so grateful to be self employed, my heart goes out to the hundreds of thousands of people who have lost or will lose their jobs, and possibly even their homes.

Mental health hasn't been an issue for me and the wife, after a brief spell, couple of weeks working from home she's worked throughout, her company is mail order and there are only 3 workers so easy to distance, their sales increased by 30% last year so her jobs safe. I have a number of friends who have either not married or are divorced so live alone, they are getting bored and lonely, we tended to have 'away days' at least once every 3 months, we'd get on a train to St Ives or Penzance or Plymouth, kick off with breakfast in a 'spoons' followed by a fairly comprehensive tour of the towns hostelries. As a group we'd meet down the pub 2 or 3 days a week, I don't miss the pub as much as I expected to, but I do miss the company of 'the lads'. I hope our pub survives but nothing is certain.

I do have a feeling that regardless of vaccines etc, life will never quite be the same again.

 

[fillyboy]

Granted, things have been a bit sticky regards (materials) supply,

Last March I went into the builders merchant I'd been using for the last 12 years and seeing they had 6-8 pallets of multifinish I asked for 3 bags. Sorry, all reserved they said. So I went into the shop and they said the same. I drove to Jewsons who are literally 100 yards away, they had one pallet with 8 bags left and sold me 3 bags without any problem.
I opened an account with them next day and haven't been back to the other place since.

 

[SirGalahad]

I took 3 months out during the 1st lockdown but built a small timber frame extension/conservatory, did a large decking area in the garden and took the wall out between the dining room and kitchen to put in a new open plan kitchen. This was stuff I'd been putting off for years due to lack of time. I could really have done with several more weeks but by then work was piling up so got back into it, haven't stopped since.
As Nosy said demand is as high as it ever was, maybe even higher, I've never been so grateful to be self employed, my heart goes out to the hundreds of thousands of people who have lost or will lose their jobs, and possibly even their homes.

Mental health hasn't been an issue for me and the wife, after a brief spell, couple of weeks working from home she's worked throughout, her company is mail order and there are only 3 workers so easy to distance, their sales increased by 30% last year so her jobs safe. I have a number of friends who have either not married or are divorced so live alone, they are getting bored and lonely, we tended to have 'away days' at least once every 3 months, we'd get on a train to St Ives or Penzance or Plymouth, kick off with breakfast in a 'spoons' followed by a fairly comprehensive tour of the towns hostelries. As a group we'd meet down the pub 2 or 3 days a week, I don't miss the pub as much as I expected to, but I do miss the company of 'the lads'. I hope our pub survives but nothing is certain.

I do have a feeling that regardless of vaccines etc, life will never quite be the same again.

That's good for an old codger like you. Well done.

 

[noseall]

The plaster Nazis were out in force last spring.

Flavour of these Winter months is roof tiles.... "sorry guv, were not getting any more Marley Moderns 'till July..."

FFS.

 

[fillyboy]

That's good for an old codger like you. Well done.

We refer to our 'boys day out trips' as 'the last of the summer wine trips'.

 

[Brigadier]

The plaster Nazis were out in force last spring.

Flavour of these Winter months is roof tiles.... "sorry guv, were not getting any more Marley Moderns 'till July..."

FFS.

Funny how people take the **** out of someone else moaning about x, y, or z - "just park somewhere else!", "get a life!", etc etc, until it's something that affects them.....

Not a pop at you nosey, but your "plaster nazis" reminds me of the term "parking nazis", whom we at work are frequently stymied by.

"It's all fun and games, until it's your chips that have been ****ed on."

 

[Scarlet Pimpernel]

Personally, I haven't done any face to face teaching since about last April or May.
This has also affected recruitment of students this academic year. I haven't done any teaching at all so far this academic year, but still being paid, plus some whacking great tax-free lump sum, which I didn't need and didn't apply for. I'm actually feeling guilty about taking a salary, and I have offered to resign my post on two occasions.
Also, the music making in groups has taken a massive hit, not having played together since last June. The one group has lost 4 members over the last year, two from cancer, one retired from old age, and the other was a heart attack.
Socially also has taken a massive hit. We're actively dissuading visitors to chez-nous, unless they're happy to meet up outside with social distancing.
But in the main, most people are being sensible and sensitive to others.
The only time we go out really is for shopping, and that's just about once per month. All other social/family comm's is virtual.
But we've plenty to keep us occupied, and plenty of space to rattle around in.

 

[Ian H]

We have both been busier than normal, we unblocking the drains and her doing the funerals.

Our 2 school age kids have been most affected, no real interaction with other kids and home/self schooling.

 

[Mottie]

Our grandson who was two yesterday, hasn’t really seen any other kids his own age since last March.

 

[Ian H]

Our grandson who was two yesterday, hasn’t really seen any other kids his own age since last March.

And he won’t even remember that far back I bet.