France is now in lockdown

something mighty peculiar happening in the skies over La Loire Atlantique

Google or someone doing “essential” map updates?

As in the solid thing that parents threatened to use to wash their children’s mouth out with when making age inappropriate comments.

And, for a second offence, pumice stone.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rORMGH0jE2I
Stay the F at home.

According to photos I’ve seen (The Guardian?), most of that is now ending up in the bin. F***ing idiots.

I expected that, part of me wants them to suffer financially or something, but the rest of us will probably have to pay high fees somewhere to bail out the cretins.

She’d eat them, and since our freezer is a glorified ice box,

Ours has needed emptying and defrosting for a while – working on the first bit, just might have difficulty on the restock (although a visit to the local “farm shop” for half of an animal should refill large amounts. – assuming they aren’t on a major restriction because of cretins.

went off them. Like me right now with carbonara sauce.

Never liked it, smells like vomit to me. Probably like Chris says Stilton smells like old socks.

Too much of something and it’s not so appealing any more. [tea and chocolate being exceptions!]

Too much? Hmm, rather like a person on secondment to the department once said “You guys drink too much coffee and eat too many cookies”
The looks of “Is she from another planet?” were unanimous. OK, so having a stock of 12 kilos of coffee grounds might a large amount for an office 6 people.

Seriously though, it will be interesting to see what the closure of gyms will do to overall health. I know the immediate effect was a massive reduction in A&E attendance before the travel restrictions and “stay away from hospitals because…” kicked in.
No gyms, fewer sprains etc. – it’s clearly not healthy activity.

The other one is the massive push to use contactless or general card payments. I bet that’s going to advance the abolition of cash.

One effect of the current situation, Chris is unfortunately not stopping me working and yesterday was another 10 hour day.
Fortunately “someone” set a session time limit on the remote access of 10 hours (actually it was 8 but people gave me grief and it got altered)
Anyway, I woke up tired today so it’s definitely chill out and gaze at the camellia directly outside the window which is a blaze of colour. Might go go and prod a few things out there – techie sun allergy permitting :)

Stay the F at home.

That’s brilliant.

part of me wants them to suffer financially or something,

They did. They crapped in their pants, freaked out, bought twenty loaves of Hovis, and threw nineteen of them in the bin…

but the rest of us will probably have to pay high fees somewhere to bail out the cretins.

Along with the high fees that are sure to come, given that the banks are treating the current government spending as loans.

smells like vomit to me

That’s my general option of pork.
To each their own.

The looks of “Is she from another planet?” were unanimous.

Yeah, doesn’t she understand that nerds need brain fuel?

OK, so having a stock of 12 kilos of coffee grounds might a large amount for an office 6 people.

Oh, I dunno. You deal with Cisco and Medtronic. I’d say you’re low on stock…

it’s clearly not healthy activity.

Or maybe just people trying to be badass (I can bench a hundred… argh… call an ambulance!) and people who want to fit some gym into their hectic schedule and don’t appreciate the value of warming up before letting rip.

The other one is the massive push to use contactless or general card payments. I bet that’s going to advance the abolition of cash.

I suggested that to my boss yesterday. She was like “oh no” and then “oh god”. Probably about the time she realised that one supermarket till accepts cash. The rest are card only (they have cash in the drawer but nobody wants to touch it).
They also strongly suggest that you buy under €30 so it can be done contactless.

I got pulled over by a rentacop yesterday. He wanted me to explain why I spent €72 and had more than two bottles of milk. I told him that it was the shopping for the week, I don’t plan to return until Thursday or Friday.
He told me that I should buy small amounts of things in several visits.
So I asked him to explain how me being out more was going to be safer for anybody. He didn’t have any answer other than not coming back before the end of the week like I said (which is the plan, duh). I flippantly took out my passport and held it open and asked if he’d like to make a note of my name while he was at it. He decided he had somewhere else to be.

Chris is unfortunately not stopping me working

What’s she doing at the time? Women seem to be more sociable so I can imagine some people are starting to get a little on edge with the isolation.

Might go go and prod a few things out there – techie sun allergy permitting :)

That’s why I did. Sowed some seeds, transplanted a Photinia, then washed my hair and sat outside to let it dry in the sun. It was so nice out that I took out a salad for lunch (at 4pm) and just spent the rest of the afternoon watching the sparrows. Got a headache from the bright light, but I don’t regret it. Currently baking fish and chips, that is done…Uh… Five minutes ago. ;-) Will have that with a tonne of ketchup and something on Netflix. I’m thinking “I Am Mother” tonight, I feel like a bit of sci-fi.

That’s brilliant.

Accidental posting (the link was in the same text edit tab and I accidentally did ^A ^C ^V then realised after and thought “stuff it can stay there”

To each their own.

I did contemplate a short “Chacun…”

Yeah, doesn’t she understand that nerds need brain fuel?

I think she knew the fight was lost when her dietary advice of “eat a rainbow” was answered with tubes of smarties :)

What’s she doing at the time? Women seem to be more sociable so I can imagine some people are starting to get a little on edge with the isolation.

Mostly somewhere else in the house doing little “live” web sessions related to her business – no money making but it does keep peoples attention.
She likes to have music on and suggests it’s a distraction at times and at others an impediment to the phone calls (conference calls and chats about the latest change we are doing to something on site with some of the team on-site and others at home.

That’s why I did. Sowed some seeds, transplanted a Photinia

In the end just looking and laughing at one of the cats finding a nice collection of small leaf and stick fragments and dirt passed some time. The cat of course rolled around in the collection, but looking like a four legged tramp is just so perfect in cat fashion circles.

They also strongly suggest that you buy under €30 so it can be done contactless.

My card has a limit of £30. However in Canada the same card has a limit of 100cdn, about 65 pounds.
Logical – no.

My card has a limit of £30

I believe the limit has been raised across the board and now sits at £45

I believe the limit has been raised across the board and now sits at £45

But nobody seems to have told Aldi!

But nobody seems to have told Aldi!

Individual card terminals need to be updated manually, it seems. Presumably this is being rolled out on a store by store basis by the supermarkets. It hadn’t reached Sainsbury’s in West Yorkshire this morning, either.

So, tomorrow is Friday¹ and I have two days off (my slot on the rota) and then Sunday and Monday are “working from home” sessions.
As you might guess the hospital has an altered work pattern for everyone. As commented earlier today, if the gifts of chocolate and sweeties and such carry on the diabetes units are likely to be full of NHS workers soon. Nice with a cup of coffee at break (and lunch and afternoon and…)
I’m tired, I wonder how the clinical staff feel?

¹ I know this because my phone shows the day as well as the time – I stopped wearing a watch as it’s easier to wash your hands properly like that.

I received an email from my optician reminding me that while the shop is shut, there is a minimal service in case of need.
It ended with #OSEZTOUCHEZVOUS.
Osez touchez vous?
Dare to touch yourself? Well, okay, I suppose if everybody is forbidden from touching each other, it’s the obvious alternative, right?
But why was the optician saying that?

Turns out I missed a single T. It was #OSEZTOUTCHEZVOUS, osez tout chez vous.

Pfft. I prefer the first reading.

As of next week, and until May 22 (when a new decision will be made), I (and the other hundred odd) will be doing three day weeks. Our pay will be 84% but the government is apparently guaranteeing “at least the SMIC”, which is currently €1219 net, which is… not far off what I’m normally paid.
I’m not complaining, even if it was a flat 84%. I see on the news about the millions let go in countries that value shareholders more than employees and I’m thankful that France cares enough about the workers to want to keep them in their jobs. Dunno how the hell this’ll be paid for, but let’s worry about that afterwards, eh?

We make a diverse range of products, but unfortunately two things we’re really big on is party/“do” food (where I work) and stuff for airplane on board meals (the other factory). Oops!

As it turns out, running a factory is expensive. Water, electricity, blah blah. We have a new washer machine that, with all parts operating, draws about 140kW (the older one was 38kW). So by cutting two days out of the week they hope to lessen the bills while staying operating.

It’s a bit of a shame as before the chaos, the company was growing at around 14% a year. Still, there is hope that we can all get back to it when this crisis passes. Don’t know when, won’t be for a while, though.

And there are still loads of unsold Easter chocolates in the supermarkets.

But why was the optician saying that?

Drumming up business. You know they say it makes you go blind? Well, that’s a bit of an exaggeration – or so my wife, an optician, tells me.

And there are still loads of unsold Easter chocolates in the supermarkets

I think the UK stores have been solving that storage issue by shipping pallet loads to the NHS.

Drumming up business. You know they say it makes you go blind?

You’re suggesting Rick is showing symptoms? :)

It ended with #OSEZTOUCHEZVOUS.

While it can be understand as “touching yourself”, must of the time it means “touching each other”.
But of course, it’s probably “dare to do everything from your home”. Even if it’s highly tendentious.
I do not like this kind of rebellion feeling in everything. It becomes really too common here.

I do not like this kind of rebellion feeling in everything.

Relaxation of spirit David. Rather like my joke with a work colleague who is in work today that if they call me in an emergency¹ and I don’t respond immediately then “I’m probably at the pub”.²
I think this is probably a definitive item of the British mentality – laughing in the face of adversity.

¹ Yes, I’m off duty for two days but things happen.

I do not like this kind of rebellion feeling in everything.

Isn’t that just your compatriots channeling the spirit of Marianne?

Remember your ten quid banknote:

(and note the very prominent boobies!)

a definitive item of the British mentality – laughing in the face of adversity.

Laughing? Pfft, amateur.
Real Brits would take adversity and mock it relentlessly. Question it’s manhood. And even when it is killing you, tell it that you’ve had it worse (usually up t’mill when you were a child).

Rather like my joke with a work colleague

Problem: there is 90% chance that #OSEZTOUCHEZVOUS is more a call for rebellion than a joke.

too common here.

I mean, in France, not in the forum :)

(and note the very prominent boobies!)

Those aren’t boobies, they’re cherry bakewells stashed for later. Rebellion is hungry work and the instruction was to eat cake.

So many people here don’t seem to grasp social distancing.While I’m not an advocate of extending the power of the police, I feel they should be allowed to use a taser on people that don’t get the message. If they can’t consciously understand it, then train a Pavlovian response.

Thankfully a supermarket over the border has started delivering again. The supermarkets shut it all down because of high demand. Such a strange, and peculiarly Australian reaction.
I’m just relieved because there is still a lot missing from the local supermarket and what they do have is under one or two items per person limits.
I think contactless payments here are $100 or maybe $150 now. That’s enough for a bag or two of groceries. At least from the local supermarket. Much more elsewhere.

The weather is comfortable for being outdoors now so I’ve been weeding, replanting grass and trying to uncover the vegetable garden from the knee length kikuyu. I figure I’ll get it growing properly again, especially with the increased prices of fresh produce.

Inside I’ve been designing and 3D printing practical things. I’ve also been fiddling with a couple of robots I built. No, none run RO. Give me a clear set of instructions on how to use GPIO the right way and I might. You all already I know I can do it the “wrong” way.

So many people here don’t seem to grasp social distancing.While I’m not an advocate of extending the power of the police, I feel they should be allowed to use a taser on people that don’t get the message.

A work colleague had a small “discussion” with someone who didn’t get the message, so his contribution when the large guy started getting loud and closer was to say “I work at a hospital with over 200 Covid 19 patients, are you sure you want to be that close to me?”
Social distancing x 2 established swiftly.

If they can’t consciously understand it, then train a Pavlovian response.

In the conversation I mentioned I was suggesting bluetooth controlled shock collars.

I’m just relieved because there is still a lot missing from the local supermarket and what they do have is under one or two items per person limits.

While the Tesco East Berlin soviet era experience the other week was unpleasant our Iceland visit on Thursday (last hour NHS only) was the total opposite. OK, so some items were thin on the ground but the staff were wonderful and scurried off to find things that were missing from the shelves/freezers if anyone even mentioned it. Assuming the “it” was in stock.
So that’s us pretty well sorted – might need to do an infill.

So many people here don’t seem to grasp social distancing.

Not me. 4 weeks without living my house and garden ONCE. And since I really love this place, it could be forever :)

Next time we went to the supermarket, they had stocked maybe thirty bags of the stuff. Because the system was clearly “damn, this is popular, let’s order it in” but not quite smart enough to correlate to the points card and realise it was the same person buying it.

I always knew they didn’t like me! When I develop a taste for something it almost immediately disappears from the stocked products, never to appear again :( It’s happened so many times I’ve considered taking repeat bribes from people not to buy their favourite items!

When I develop a taste for something it almost immediately disappears from the stocked products, never to appear again :(

Same here too! Either that or they change the recipe and the “New, improved” version tastes rubbish compared to the original version I actually liked!

I always knew they didn’t like me! When I develop a taste for something it almost immediately disappears from the stocked products

I hope this isn’t too intimate, but I have always had this problem with under-briefs, as I might politely call them.

My current preference is actually from Super-U, their “essentials” range, having sussed out their sizing scale, and have, ATM, a sufficient stock chez moi!

Notice how this is relevant to the thread title, as well as the posting I am replying to!

BTW, were you aware that French waist sizes, in cm, are the measurement across the stretched waistband when fastened, so appear effectively to be half of the UK equivalent!

For example, my current trousers are a 36" (working towards 34"), corresponding to a cm measure of, say, 91cm, however, this would be a 45/46 in French sizing.

91 would be clown-trousers!

I find this interesting! You must make your own judgement!