Thank you to all my GoY friends..

I’m sorry I hadn’t known that you’re unwell. Lots of luck for a speedy recovery ...

Sending a virtual hug 🙂.

Sending you 'get well wishes' ... Eve looks so very confortable ... don't cats just make good company?!!

You're never alone with a cat, Kate. Lovely to hear from you. Take it easy and take your time. (Great hamper by the way).
xx

What a wonderful selection in that hamper! Everything I love when under the weather - enjoy! Its good to hear that your little furry nurse is doing a good job of keeping you company.

Hi Kate! So nice to hear from you. So sorry you have to bare this dreaded virus. I'm sure you'll shake it off in no time and you'll be back to the ole grind. We've been hit with a couple big snow storms, but that's OK. We ain't goin' nowheres anyways! LoL. Let it snow I've been toying with my new blender tryin all different kinds of smoothies - Celery, Apple & a bit of honey to detox the liver; pineapple, banana with condensed coconut milk for the dreamcicle taste; pineapple & coconut milk for a Dole Whip (a taste of Disneyland). These are really fun & healthy you might want to try.

You'll be in my prayers for a speedy recovery.

Best regards,

Paul xxoo

So sorry Kate i didn't know that you'd been unwell, hope you'll be on on the mend soon, lovely pictures of Eve she's so much like Levi. Lovely hamper take care xx

Nice to see you are well enough to face a computer! take it easy and don't rush back if you are still under the weather.

Glad to hear you sounding so positive. Hope it won’t be too long before you are able to walk round your garden Kate.

I am so sorry Kate! I didn't know you had been ill and am pleased you are on the mend! Your cat is the image of our cat Minnie who is not with us anymore. They are so alike that they could be sisters!
Take care and stay warm! Sending hugs oooooooo.

Yes, so sorry you're isolating Kate. Have you contracted Covid or self isolating because you've been in contact with someone?
My daughter who's a nurse did so in the autumn and my granddaughter too. They are well now but Katherine my daughter, has still to regain most of her sense of taste and smell.
I too had to self isolate as they are my bubble. The NHS were great though, ringing me and texting and even offering a volunteer dog walker for Lottie!
I do hope you will be feeling so much better soon,
Keep snug x x

Neither did I, so do take it easy and don't try to do too much too soon.
Having such a lovely cat to snuggle up to will make you feel better.
I am sorry you have not been well.
xx

Thank you kindly, everyone! You are a lovely, caring bunch on here. Your warm wishes and compassion are so very much appreciated - thank you all! Thank you Julia, for your PM.
I did contract covid and I did my home test on 31st and it was positive. I had to go to Castlehill Hospital for the PCR swab on the 1st and it was confirmed.
I thought I had the start of a cold that weekend, I wish now..
I will be hopefully back on the covid ward on Monday until further notice. Missing my own job and lovely patients. However, despite covid, I hope I can help the elderly on the covid ward even just a little bit, when I return..
Keep safe everyone xxx

Aw thank you Klahanie, I’m really touched by your post.
It’s really kind of you! Xx

Eve looks so smug in the first pic - made me smile. Of course I miss you on here Kate. You are in my prayers that you will shake this off quickly and be back in full health and vigor.

Sorry you are unwell Kate. Hope you get over the virus soon and get your strength back again. You do a fantastic job in the way that you help others. Thankyou to all the nurses for all the help that they and yourself have given. xxx
And it's lovely to have a cat to cuddle too...…..

Sorry to hear you have been ill Kate, hope that you are up and about feeling better soon

Hi Kate ,just saw this ,this virus is a real bugger my daughter tested positive some weeks ago but luckily her symptoms were minor,but it was a real worry for a while.Take care and hope your feeling better soon and hopefully the weather will get better and we will see some nice bulbs appearing,stay safe. kevin xx

Thank you Paul, Linda, Davey and Kevin. I really do appreciate all your kind thoughts and warm wishes. As I said earlier, you’re all a smashing bunch of people with big hearts.
I’m taking next week off as advised by a practice nurse who called me yesterday- I was on her covid list apparently. She was very supportive.
Still have the niggling cough, horrible headache and fatigue. Getting there though.
Eve has been a real trooper, lots of kisses and cuddles. My OH has been great, I haven’t needed to ring a bell for attention or start banging on the floor for assistance! Bless him.
Thanks again everyone, here’s hoping for a better outlook in the coming months and all of us getting back out in the garden -spending hours on end doing what we love!
Best wishes xxx

Glad you are continuing to make good progress and I am pleased you are taking another week off. My cough niggled on for about 8 weeks but it got less and less until daughter commented 'you haven't coughed today' and that was the first time I had noticed.

Glad OH and Eve are nursing you well, you deserve it.

Thank you, Eileen. Going by what you say I regards to your cough, sounds like it takes a while to subside..are you feeling ok now? Any long lasting symptoms from when you had covid? Hoping you haven’t, fingers crossed 🤞
Thanks again for your lovely message, xx

So sorry to read you have been ill,Kate,I haven't looked in on Goy much lately,and so I'm very pleased to know you are over the worst,but please don't try and rush back to work ,till you feel up to it? I know how important your job is,but you must put yourself first,on this occasion..
My sister in law is helping out at one of our Vaccination centres,with her Hairdressing Salon being closed.,and she is really enjoying being able to help out.
Your little cat Eve is lovely,and glad both her and your OH are looking after you so well.
Take care,stay safe and make the most of the pampering Lol.x

So far kate I have had no other problems, whether I will get later symptoms only time will tell.

I feel full of energy and apart from coffee tasting odd everything else tastes and smell fine.

Thank you Bloomer, I really appreciate your lovely message! It is very kind and thoughtful. It cheered me no end. It’s lovely to hear that your sister in law is volunteering at one of the vaccination centres, she is a real trooper! A big thanks from me.
I hope you are keeping well? You and your family. As I keep saying, hopefully we see some light at the end of the tunnel soon!
I still off work, only 50 and I’m exhausted. I appreciate it’s one of the side effects though. I’m on annual leave next week, then due back on March 1st. We shall see what happens then..back to the covid ward for a ‘short time’, hopefully.
Keep safe, well and sending warm wishes to you. Xx

Fingers crossed Eileen that you don’t suffer any lasting effects, saying that this long covid seems to be something that a lot of people are talking about aren’t they..

Make the most of your time at home,Kate,and hope you feel much better by the time you go back to work,but make sure you don't go back too early,won't you?
I know it can get so boring,and not having the energy,makes it feel never ending,I'm sure,but you will get there ,when your body tells you it's right .
We are fine,thank you for asking.I had my 1st Covid jab,mid January,being of a certain age and diabetic,but I feel good.Russell,my OH,had his 2weeks ago,so no problems at all:o)
Take care,and stay safe.. xx.

Stay safe everyone.

Thank you Bloomer, I will take all advice offered. I’m still off work, I’m on annual leave next week. Feeling better but still fatigued and achy with the cough.
I’m pleased you’ve had your vaccinations, my 2nd one is due April 8th. I just hope as we all do, we’re all heading towards a more positive outlook and a happy summer in the garden x

Hi Kate ,I'm so sorry to see you've been unwell and hope you're over the worst of it , spring is round the corner we have that to look forward to , I'm afraid I've not had a lot to say recently and have been catching up on reading and embroidery plus making sure we have a good walk each day either on the marshes or the coast .. My daughter and granddaughter both work at the hospital luckily my daughter has a test each week it helps to know she has negative results at the end of the day . x

Hi Amy, thank you for your warm message, it’s very much appreciated. I’m getting there, although I’ve now got a chest infection and post covid symptoms. It could be worse though..
Hopefully you’ve had time to relax and enjoy taking it easy, reading and doing some embroidery. Very therapeutic I’d say, much needed in these times.
I was doing the lateral flow tests like your daughter and grand-daughter, and unfortunately I had a positive result. I had to attend Castlehill hospital the next morning for the ‘proper’ swab test / PCR and it too, was positive. I can only imagine you are worried about the girls, it’s such a risky occupation isn’t it! Hopefully now, with vaccines and numbers reducing, we won’t have to worry too much and we can see some light at the end of the tunnel too.
Keep safe and well, Amy. Best wishes to you and all your family.
Take care xxx

Kate that really is bad luck , I'm a little concerned about our Granddaughter as she's saying she's reluctant to have the injection ,she's 21 this year and has a boyfriend it seems there's talk of not knowing how it will affect girls of childbearing age if or when they become pregnant , have you any thoughts about this ? keep warm don't hang about in the garden too long x

Hi Amy, thanks again for your warm, well-wishes.
I’m not sure about the fertility and the vaccine. The scientists maintain it has no effects on fertility...but, it’s all so new isn’t it! Do we know how things are going to transpire in the future with this? I think it’s a personal choice to have the vaccine, as long as the majority have it, we should be ok. It’s not mandatory. I know some nurses, young nurses, who aren’t having it. It is actually the younger ones who are very unsure. Social media does have some influence I guess with the younger generation.
Two nurses on the covid ward I was on were unsure about having it, when I asked why? They weren’t really sure why..one said she couldn’t really say why it just didn’t feel the right thing for her to do...
The other said he felt it had all happened a bit quick with the vaccine. I said they’ve been working on a ‘coronavirus’ vaccine for a decade, as it’s been around a long while - it’s the covid variant that’s new. He was still unsure. I do find the reluctance with medical professionals very bizarre indeed.
I think as long as the majority have it, we are ok. It’s a difficult choice for some to make, but, I guess there is so much scaremongering out there, it does instil fear.
Best wishes x

That's true but if everybody relied on everybody else being vaccinated nobody would be done at all. The fake news on social media has done untold harm and I've read some ridiculous scare stories with people reading stuff they didn't understand and being terrified by it. eg some folk were believing that the vaccine injected particles that could transmit our details to other people or that it affects our DNA in some way.

Hi Kate. I've been praying for you and hope you are feeling well. I don't expect you to have all the answers but I'm sure you know more than me.

Do you know how many different strains of covid virus currently exist? I've heard scary news out of Florida of a strain resistant to the vaccine. True of False? My mom tested positive for covid but she was asymptomatic and was quarantined. She took the vaccine and now she's negative again - never showed any symptoms. I don't know what to do or who to believe. It's all moving so fast. I agree with that.

Thanks for your answer Kate , It's all trial and error isn't it ,the problem is a lot of us can still remember the awful business with Thalidomide , it may be that this will be no different from having a flu injection ,time will tell ,as you say the more people that have the injection the less likelihood it will be that the younger generation of childbearing age will succumb to it ... x

Thanks Amy, Sue and Paul.
I can fully understand where you’re coming from Sue -social media can be a very negative, misinforming area of people’s lives. I can understand where Amy’s thoughts come from too, as thalidomide was a horrific trade by for so many people and new treatments and vaccines can be worrisome. There are many, many variants of the virus - but that’s expected. Viruses mutate all the time. We have different flu strains also. I do have my flu vaccine faithfully every year, but, several years ago, I ended up poorly with flu and I was off sick for around 7 to 10 days I recall. I’d had the vaccine, but, like everything, it isn’t going to stop every single strain or variant. We build immunity too.
It is a very scary thought that people believe the vaccine can alter DNA or implant some sort of technology into our genetics etc. They could have done all this - if it were even possible - with the flu vaccine, but, I’m still ok!
I guess we all have our own beliefs and anxieties. It’s human nature. Sometimes we just have to take a leap of faith. Xx

I think it's because of what happened in Philadelphia during the 1918 Spanish Flu that we keep strict social distancing policy. Phili decided to have a parade and racked up the highest number of casualties.

Interesting to know, Paul.

Sadly sometimes that's how we learn.

Very true.