Mixed Messages June 24, 2020

Sorry. Is it just me that’s confused?

How come we can now begin to ease ‘lock down’ and return to our normal routine ….when nothings actually changed.

How come we are going from being completely locked down, to now being able to go to restaurants and pubs….when nothings actually changed.

How come we are being told to go shopping when only a matter of weeks ago we were told that shopping was only for ‘essential items’ – when nothings actually changed.

 

There is no cure.

There is no immunisation programme.

No tracking system that works.

No clear indication of what the risk is in a variety of situations.

 

Yet we’re being told it’s ok now.

I read that there may be another peak infection rate at Christmas or the New Year but because we need to ‘get the economy moving again’ everything is ok at the moment to shop and work and go out and about.

Is this the key phrase in all this nonsense we’re being fed?

We need to ‘get the economy moving again’?

Did we really need to be locked down?

Did we really need to be cleaning our shopping when we came home from Tesco with our bag of goodies that we felt so guilty for buying?

Did we really need to leave that delivery from Amazon outside the door for 48 hours?

Gloves, face masks, hand sanitizers….were they really necessary?

I’ve also read, that 50% of people infected were deemed to have caught the infection in hospital.

Have we all been duped for whatever reason into believing that there was a chance of catching this virus from a gate whilst out walking in the countryside.

Maybe you could catch it from a petrol pump or a toilet seat.

I for one cannot believe that we do not have clearer evidence based facts on what the risks are and where the majority of people have caught this disease from.

 

What are we NOT being told…???

Is it all just about the economy.

  

Or …is it all just bollocks.

 

Mike C

Webinar: Japanese Knotweed June 22, 2020

Japanese Knotweed Solutions Ltd (JKSL) are delighted to invite you to a great CPD training opportunity ‘Japanese Knotweed: The Facts’ on Wednesday 1st July at 2pm.

Kate Hilton, a Surveyor here at JKSL, will be delivering a 40 minute Webinar, updating your knowledge on:

This event is suited to anyone who may come across Japanese knotweed on site – developers, construction companies, land managers, surveyors, utility companies, architects, local authorities etc.

To register, please send your name, company, email and phone number to [email protected]. The webinar will be broadcast live through Microsoft Teams, which can be downloaded as an App or via the link https://www.microsoft.com/en-gb/microsoft-365/microsoft-teams/group-chat-software. You will need to sign up if you haven’t already used it. Please ensure you have done this in advance of the day and we will send you an invitation to the webinar.

We look forward to seeing you on Wednesday 1st July. Please feel free to email in any questions in advance of the event.

 

Working From Home June 17, 2020

As we begin to come out of lockdown, many companies will be encouraging their teams to continue working from home.

This will make sense from a social distancing point of view and many people will be thinking this could become the new normal.

Working from home saves on travelling time and obviously reduces the risk of any possible disease being caught whilst in a confined office space.

Sounds like a win win situation.

Wait though… there’s a flaw in the plan.

How long before some bright spark sitting at home thinks… ‘Hang on, I’ve just given over my spare room to work…. I need to be paid for this…’

‘Hang on, I’m using my broadband allowance and electricity and heating… I need paying for all of this…’

Then you’re going to have the local authorities saying…. ‘Hang on, that’s no longer a residential house, that’s an office …we need to change its rateable value…’ ‘We need to charge more for these new office spaces that have been created’ ….

Plus …

How do you train any new team members?

Previously, you brought them into the office and they learned from the existing team. You can’t do that anymore.

Plus…

Those of you working from home.

How do you switch off?

When you used to leave the office at 5.30 or even 6, you knew that was the end of your working day. Now you’re working from home…. you get that niggling feeling that just one more email might have arrived before bed time …better check….

Ok, ok …you can’t wander around in your underpants at the ‘real’ office – but I’m betting there will be a few people begging to come back to working in a space designed for work – that you arrive at and start working, then finish at the end of the day and it’s over till the next day.

You’re going to miss those little chats by the water cooler, those little updates on the best movies or what’s new on Netflix that you took for granted.

Also …let’s be honest… the cats sick of you….

….and your partner just needs a break to remind them what a lovely person you are….

….even when you’re in your undies.

  

Mike C

Medals June 10, 2020

I feel that somebody needs to start doing some ‘joined up’ thinking.

Decisions seem to be made and publicised without the proper element of thought required to make us both believe that the information is correct and for us to act accordingly.

Face masks for example.

Statement: Face masks are not required. They have no benefit to either the user or the people around the user.

Statement: Face masks are required. They will in some situations prevent the spread of COVID 19.

(Thinks…Oh hang on – if we say face masks are required there may be shortages for the NHS.)

Statement: Face masks are not required.

Sorry, but EITHER they are required, or they’re not….shortages are irrelevant….it’s either a fact …or it’s not.

Credibility fail.

Then we go on to thoughts around providing medals for people within the NHS who have worked in the most appalling situations looking after the patients requiring their help during this crisis.

What a great idea, what a great way of saying ‘thank you’ – I was busy, mentally applauding this article, when I noticed the continuation of the piece.

 After suggesting a medal for NHS workers, the writer continued to explain that another medal was being suggested.

 A medal for the queen to celebrate her 70 years on the throne.

 Way to go in devaluing the NHS medal.

 Think these things through please somebody.

  

Mike C

Next time…….? June 3, 2020

I do not like being told what to do.

Never have, never will.

I’m sure a therapist would have a field day with my condition and probably relate it back to having an authoritarian father who berated me constantly into doing things I didn’t want to do.

My dad was an only child and had been pressured by his parents to conform and to hit targets – he simply carried this over onto his children.

I have often said that I didn’t make any decisions about my own life direction until I was at least 21.

So, my first job didn’t go well.

It did, however, fire my thought process onto overdrive, realising that I should have my own business thus cutting out the chance of anybody ever telling me what to do.

This worked well, until Boris decided to shut me down.

Now I’m asking myself whether if this happens again – would I just shut shop and send everybody off on furlough?

I’m not convinced that the government knows what’s its doing and I don’t feel that the leadership has been there during the crisis.

Yes, certain industries and certain occupations were at high risk and needed to be closed for public health and safety.

I’m not, however, convinced that the construction industry was a problem area.

I think a phased approach and a quicker stopping of large public events and gatherings would have been more sensible – then shutting of areas where outbreaks were severe.

I know this would have been complex but still doable.

I feel the damage caused to the economy and the money spent on furlough has been out of all proportion to the risk.

So next time somebody says… ‘shut everything down’ ….you might just find me keeping calm and carrying on.

 

Mike C