The Mock Turtle

I really miss hugging people. I know lots of you aren't touchy-feely types, but I really am. A good hug paints a thousand words for me. I hate this "waving vaguely at people from a distance " shite. I want touching and hugging and linking arms.

Leap wrote: ↑Tue Feb 23, 2021 7:45 pm What form did the dating take, was it meet-for-coffee or busy bars or restaurants?

First dates were always non-foody - walks along the beach or the Thames, a gallery or museum or market, and/or a drink or coffee. Just fun, light and flirty (if applicable). Once I fitted in three in a day :misty-eyed:

But yes! I feel dreadful for the youth too. One of my nephews started university in September and he's missed out on so damn much being stuck at home and attending remotely - first year was so much fun and so important socially.

Ruby wrote: ↑Tue Feb 23, 2021 8:03 pmAlso, despite the fact I never go out and don't drink that often, I am desperate to go out and get properly cunty-drunk and fall off my heels running for the last train. I want to wear too much make-up and jeans-and-a-top. I am 46.

You can totally see how the whole "Roaring Twenties" thing happened, can't you!

I want to meet friends for cocktails wearing fancy clothes, and go and take a day off work and go pottering around my favourite shops with breaks for nice coffee and sushi (god, I've missed sushi ). And going out for dinner and then the theatre - that was pretty much my last normal night out.

Same here. I remember around this time last year sitting in the Hippodrome watching Matthew Bourne’s The Red Shoes and feeling vaguely nervous because people might be breathing on me. That was the last “out” thing I did.

I think I’m missing the big things really, like seeing family and my children seeing their grandparents and friends, but the little things I’m missing are similar to everyone else’s. Having a mooch round a shop and deciding what to make for dinner on the fly, or taking Pete out for tea and cake or having lovely relaxed breakfasts out with Pete and A. I haven’t taken Neil anywhere like that at all yet. It’s so weird. Like she’s a secret baby or something.

I’ve missed the theatre. My last show I saw was literally the week before lockdown.

Singing. Both lessons and with my choir. Galleries and museums. Sitting in coffee shops. Going out to a restaurant and eating solo at the bar. Being able to book a couple of nights away somewhere locally because not every fucking half decent place has been booked solid since last June

I really miss thinking 'oh it's a nice day, let's pop to the zoo' instead of, when it is open, having to have booked it up several days/ weeks in advance. Or just getting to the end of a walk and popping somewhere to have a drink or some food. I hate all the planning, and the choosing between nothing.

Zoomer wrote: ↑Tue Feb 23, 2021 10:29 pm I really miss hugging people. I know lots of you aren't touchy-feely types, but I really am. A good hug paints a thousand words for me. I hate this "waving vaguely at people from a distance " shite. I want touching and hugging and linking arms.

I agree with this. I crave physical contact. My skin feels unhappy having not had a hug for so long - which sounds ridiculous but it's like it's all prickly.

I miss meeting friends for lunch or brunch. I also really miss my theatre job.

Lily wrote: ↑Wed Feb 24, 2021 10:17 am

Zoomer wrote: ↑Tue Feb 23, 2021 10:29 pm I really miss hugging people. I know lots of you aren't touchy-feely types, but I really am. A good hug paints a thousand words for me. I hate this "waving vaguely at people from a distance " shite. I want touching and hugging and linking arms.

My skin feels unhappy having not had a hug for so long - which sounds ridiculous but it's like it's all prickly.

I've had that too in the past. It's really hard. I'm sorry Lils.

I find it difficult not being able to hug people. I'm lucky that I have J to hug, and I have hugged my mum illicitly a few times, because I just couldn't not, its been when she's had bad news about my SD. I don't go round hugging people all the time and I try to gauge people's preferences, but for example, I was meant to go to my friends son's funeral at the weekend and I couldn't imagine seeing my friend who I've known for 10 years, and not being able to hug him when he'd lost his child. In the end I couldn't go for other reasons but it would have just felt so alien.

I've not been to a festival in 20 years now but when I just saw the announcement that Reading and Leeds are planned to go ahead this year I got a genuine pang of wanting to be in a sweaty crowd, off my face on class As and miles from the bog. Pandemic has broken us all.

As if the kids hadn't had a tough enough pandemic with not being able to go out and have fun, now they have to contend with finally getting some fun but having to share it with a load of drunk elderlies. Finally you get to go clubbing and when you get there, turns out it's not full of hot young men, it's full of your mum and Auntie Noreen from number 42 requesting Walking On Sunshine and doing the can can.

Bat Macdui wrote: ↑Wed Feb 24, 2021 3:43 pm I've not been to a festival in 20 years now but when I just saw the announcement that Reading and Leeds are planned to go ahead this year I got a genuine pang of wanting to be in a sweaty crowd, off my face on class As and miles from the bog. Pandemic has broken us all.

Yes! This this this!

Goat

Mountain Goat wrote: ↑Wed Feb 24, 2021 4:06 pm As if the kids hadn't had a tough enough pandemic with not being able to go out and have fun, now they have to contend with finally getting some fun but having to share it with a load of drunk elderlies. Finally you get to go clubbing and when you get there, turns out it's not full of hot young men, it's full of your mum and Auntie Noreen from number 42 requesting Walking On Sunshine and doing the can can.

Auntie Noreen and I prefer to dance the Twist, I'll have you know

Goat. . I really want to be in a massive crowd of people. Like at a concert when the best song comes on and there is that huge wave of energy from all of you together feeling it and singing. Or an exciting sports event. I miss people.