What are you going to do with all that time you'll soon have?

[bungeejumper]

Locked down at home, or just deprived of that precious commute that used to swallow up four hours of your working day? How are you planning to spend the time for the next month or three?

Apart, of course, from trying to get a delivery slot from Ocado? Or a Skype appointment with your doctor?

Exercise has been mentioned by some posters. I've got gardening in mind, as long as my wife gives me permission to move the weeds around a bit. And a brand new box of art materials that are just waiting for a few weeks without time commitments. Who knows, I might even open that Yamaha keyboard tuition book I bought years ago, and fire up the mighty Wurlitzer in the grand-daughter's playroom.

Then again, I might just sit on the sofa and try my unpractised hand at box-set surfing. Whatever that is?

What's your poison likely to be?

BJ

[Itsallaguess]

Then again, I might just sit on the sofa and try my unpractised hand at box-set surfing.

Well that was a hugely improved end to the sentence than the one I was fearing part-way through, I can tell you...

Cheers,

Itsallaguess

[JohnB]

Welcome to retirement. I've had no problem filling my days with stuff since I FIREd, but you need variety and to get out of the house and all its books and box sets. If I can't cut down trees in the weeds I'll hoe weeds in the garden, but its not the same.

I might return to computer gaming, find the right game and time disappears.

[Clariman]

Interesting topic. For me - the following, I'm not yet 60 but will practice some social distancing

• Music practice. I never practice unless I'm playing with others. I will have no excuse soon.
• Write some arrangements
• Having recently done a PGT degree, I'll do some private research and write a paper or two.
• Do some gardening- the first time for a while.
• General sorting things out at home
• May do some redecorating but, being mildly asthmatic, it may not be sensible to do too much painting with a virus around. Paint does get to me.
• Subscribe to Netflix again.

Cheers

[kiloran]

You could contemplate creating some new recipes for all that pasta and rice you have stockpiled.

--kiloran

[kiloran]

Or listen to some music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QnfhM_Ob17E

--kiloran

[bungeejumper]

Or listen to some music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QnfhM_Ob17E

Wow, 28 minutes 47 seconds of one riff, and they're still warming up by the time they fade out. That takes me back a bit. But they'll have some distance to go before they can compete with Anthrax, Leprosy, Pestilence, Black Death, or Septic Shock. Not forgetting the lamentably named Gang Green.

BJ

[scotia]

The answer is obvious. The Brown Trout season started today, so I had a pleasurable 4 hours rowing up and down the loch with a few other like-minded souls. We all caught the same number of trout, and the sum total of the trout caught equalled the number that each of us caught. It also equalled the number of carrots and parsnips my wife managed to purchase in Lidl this afternoon.
But I did see Grebes, Swans, Ducks and noisy Geese.

[kiloran]

The answer is obvious. The Brown Trout season started today, so I had a pleasurable 4 hours rowing up and down the loch with a few other like-minded souls. We all caught the same number of trout, and the sum total of the trout caught equalled the number that each of us caught. It also equalled the number of carrots and parsnips my wife managed to purchase in Lidl this afternoon.
But I did see Grebes, Swans, Ducks and noisy Geese.

Back in the 70s, I spent 2 weeks B&B at the bakery in Lochinver at midsummer, using it as a base for hillwalking. Absolutely glorious weather for the whole 2 weeks. Another guest there spent the 2 weeks fishing in all the little lochans in the area, and in those 2 weeks, he caught precisely zilch. He didn't mind at all, he was quite happy lazing around watching the wildlife and taking in the scenery while waiting for the fish to take the bait.

It wasn't you, was it?

--kiloran

[sg31]

The answer is obvious. The Brown Trout season started today, so I had a pleasurable 4 hours rowing up and down the loch with a few other like-minded souls. We all caught the same number of trout, and the sum total of the trout caught equalled the number that each of us caught. It also equalled the number of carrots and parsnips my wife managed to purchase in Lidl this afternoon.
But I did see Grebes, Swans, Ducks and noisy Geese.

That sounds like a proper days fishing. I often catch the same number as you and thoroughly enjoy doing so.

[UncleEbenezer]

The answer is obvious. The Brown Trout season started today, so I had a pleasurable 4 hours rowing up and down the loch with a few other like-minded souls. We all caught the same number of trout, and the sum total of the trout caught equalled the number that each of us caught. It also equalled the number of carrots and parsnips my wife managed to purchase in Lidl this afternoon.

That looks like an entry for the Fool's puzzle board.

[scotia]

It wasn't you, was it?

--kiloran

I caught the fishing bug a bit later in the early eighties - when we holidayed with our young children in Ullapool - and catching fish from the sea was very simple. Trout came later, and for a period I also dallied with salmon- - but I now leave that to my son. We continued holidaying in Ullapool or Lochinver (and still do) for many years. My son also caught the bug in Assynt - and made it an academic career! My wife was well trained in our folly, since her father had been a keen Caithness angler.
Do I mind if I don't catch anything? Well - maybe a little bit, but there's always the thought of what I might catch (and return) the next time. And I enjoy rowing a boat in pleasant conditions with good scenery and plenty of wildlife around. It was bit breezy and chilly today - but its great to be back on the loch, and as usual, I was the last boat to return as darkness started to fall.
I am assuming that any quarantine restrictions on over 70s do not apply to fishing. We keep a store of rockets at the loch to scare off the cormorants, so if the Scottish Bobbies attempt to enforce a curfew using drones (as apparently the Spanish Police are doing), then we have the technology to foil their efforts.

[Alaric]

I am assuming that any quarantine restrictions on over 70s do not apply to fishing.

I think that's unenforceable unless accompanied by a requirement to carry an identity document containing date of birth. Still, supermarkets etc. have been able to enforce that on the young through their Challenge xx schemes, so maybe the older generation are going to get a taste of the same thing.

What's more worrying is as to whether there's any clear idea as to how long the emergency will last. Could it be as long as twelve months?

[servodude]

What's more worrying is as to whether there's any clear idea as to how long the emergency will last. Could it be as long as twelve months?

It could be longer

It's going to be very hard to tell when it's gone if the current plan works


-sd

[ADrunkenMarcus]

Peeps need to chill, innit.

I've got plenty of whisky so I'm fine.

Best wishes

Mark.

[redsturgeon]

Mrs RS and I will shortly have a lot more time on our hands and along with many others, a lot less income coming in.

Our business relies for most of its income on face to face meetings and larger group training seminars, these have all now been cancelled or postponed for the foreseeable future. Some have been replaced by video conferencing but not all and nobody is booking anything new at the moment.

So what does this mean for us?

On a business level we are looking at all alternatives to help our customers and maintain our own revenue stream. We will have to look very carefully at how long we can pay our one regular employee and the two associates who are on regular retainers at the moment. We have office that we can move out of at a months notice and that may also be something to be looked at. These moves could save the business over £5k per month and may be essential. But clearly they have a knock on effects to other people and businesses.

Then there is our own personal expenditure. It seems prudent to cut our own costs as much a possible during this crisis. Some of this will happen naturally, no going out to eat or drink, no flights or hotel costs will all occur naturally. Capital expenditure will also be cut, no new car this June, no new major household purchases and only essential new clothing purchases.

Our young daughter who works in the hospitality industry in London fears for her job, she has just taken on a new flat and if laid off she cannot afford to live there for month than a month. She would probably have to move back with us.

All this will be prudent and necessary for us and many others will have to make similar sacrifices. Obviously there will be many whose incomes are better protected than ours but the knock on effects for the economy on a macro level will be severe. It seems to me that a recession is inevitable and it will be years rather than months before any significant recovery. I may be wrong, I hope so but I fear I maybe correct.

John

[scotia]

It seems to me that a recession is inevitable and it will be years rather than months before any significant recovery. I may be wrong, I hope so but I fear I maybe correct.
John

You are probably correct. Its strange that a virus , which will have a similar effect to flu on the majority of the healthy population can be so disruptive. But out of disruption, sometimes comes beneficial changes.

Its difficult to admit, but WW2 ended the misery of the Great Depression, and resulted in a much brighter future for the majority of our population. So lets get this "opportunity" to build useful infrastructure - e.g. more hospitals won't go amiss. And lets start training our youngsters in socially worthwhile activities - e.g. full University grants for science, engineering and medicine. And a redistribution of wealth to expedite this transformation would do no harm. I fully agreed with Maggie's reduction of the 90% plus rates of tax which were believed to be leading to extortionate levels of remuneration in the upper echelons of "industry". Of course, we now know that it had exactly the opposite effect. But this time, lets not call it Tax - lets call it (compulsory) benevolent donations. There would be some freedom as to where the super-wealthy "donated" their surpluses, and there would be some recognition of their efforts - e.g £1M gets a (small) hospital ward named after you, while £100M gets your name on a wing, and £1B is required to get your name on the Hospital. And lets get our "honours" system into full gear - stepping up the handouts out to the "benevolent" donators. But most importantly - lets use the money in worthwhile social projects to get things going.

OK - back to reality. I'm afraid that there are many sectors that are going to be badly hit. I remember the effect it had on my father who walked all over central Scotland for eighteen months in 1930, looking for employment. We can't let another Great Depression happen.

[UncleIan]

I'm predicting a baby boom. Lockdown +9 months.

Not round here right enough.

[DrFfybes]

Given that Castorama have closed in France, I suspect a trip to the local DIY sheds is in order.

Annoyingly after being at home all winter, I've only 1 room left to do.

Still, the weather is picking up, I guess I should get the patio slabs delivered soon.

Paul

[Dod101]

Mrs RS and I will shortly have a lot more time on our hands and along with many others, a lot less income coming in.

Our business relies for most of its income on face to face meetings and larger group training seminars, these have all now been cancelled or postponed for the foreseeable future. Some have been replaced by video conferencing but not all and nobody is booking anything new at the moment.

So what does this mean for us?

On a business level we are looking at all alternatives to help our customers and maintain our own revenue stream. We will have to look very carefully at how long we can pay our one regular employee and the two associates who are on regular retainers at the moment. We have office that we can move out of at a months notice and that may also be something to be looked at. These moves could save the business over £5k per month and may be essential. But clearly they have a knock on effects to other people and businesses.

Then there is our own personal expenditure. It seems prudent to cut our own costs as much a possible during this crisis. Some of this will happen naturally, no going out to eat or drink, no flights or hotel costs will all occur naturally. Capital expenditure will also be cut, no new car this June, no new major household purchases and only essential new clothing purchases.

Our young daughter who works in the hospitality industry in London fears for her job, she has just taken on a new flat and if laid off she cannot afford to live there for month than a month. She would probably have to move back with us.

All this will be prudent and necessary for us and many others will have to make similar sacrifices. Obviously there will be many whose incomes are better protected than ours but the knock on effects for the economy on a macro level will be severe. It seems to me that a recession is inevitable and it will be years rather than months before any significant recovery. I may be wrong, I hope so but I fear I maybe correct.

John

Being retired and living off dividends I feel kinship with RS's comments. I am aiming to reduce my expenses by about 25% as I know that I have a lot of discretionary spending built in to my current expenses. I was until about three weeks ago thinking a new car would be good as well but my current one is only just over three years old. Am I stupid? Yes of course and it will now be with me for at least another few years I expect. Summer is coming and that should keep the heating bills down. Currently looking at insurance costs for both said car and the house.

Dod