July 1st - but

[Bearbonesnorm]

Yes, we're into the 7th month of the year but does anyone else feels like they're still waiting for 2021 to begin? It's quite a weird feeling.

[arkay]

Pretty much. I have at least had a couple of things that I booked in 2019 for 2020 happen in the last few weeks, and still have another guided weekend to come in September, 15 months after it should have been.

One good thing is that I paid for several events ages ago and they are finally starting to happen, so it's like getting lots of free stuff

[PaulB2]

My youngest has just been sent home from school for 10 days and 4 out of the 7 year groups have been sent home this week so, yes, I'm still waiting for normality to resume, though I'm not convinced it will for a while yet.

[ScotRoutes]

I reflected on this in my last ride report. For me it's always much the same, though it's been exacerbated this year. Having an event at the end of May (triathlon) maybe helped me as that was postponed from last year so seemed to be a move towards normality.

[fatbikephil]

Blimey well reminded - BB200 entries open up today
Its been like groundhog day for 18 months now, I seem to have lost all perspective with timescales....
It'll all be over by xmas (I think I said that before??)

[faustus]

I've lost sense of time, and normality not really returned here...like PaulB2 my son's nursery room closed today because of a positive case so he's at home for 10 days, yet another week trying to work and juggle kids at home. BB200 - in another year i'd have liked to try and get an entry and do some training for it. Feels almost like another right off year like 2020...

[UnderTheRadars]

Always feel a little blue when July comes around, we’re past the longest day and know that we only have 2* potential months of summer left. Plus I love April/May/June for the blossoms and wildflowers but these months always seem to fly past, not great that most of May was a wash out.

*September can be great weather wise too

[Boab]

Yes, but it's nothing to do with events, it's been the weather. Feels like we're still in April or something, as its just been, and continues to be, dreich.

[AndreR]

I find myself saying something happened last year when it actually happened in 2019 almost as though I have subconsciously written 2020 off as a non event. Apart from one or two things in 2021 like the WRT and a long weekend riding in the Brecon Beacons 2021 has also been a bit of a non event.

It feels like we will never be back to normal and to coin a currently fashionable phrase there will be a "new normal". In the last few weeks the company has issued it's global policy on flexible working and the UK have issued their interpretation of that and how we will change in line with it and everyone will be working from home some of the time. We are currently doing an IT review to make sure all employees will be able to benefit from this. One of many changes brought about by the pandemic that won't be changing back with many more under review and discussion.

The feeling of uncertainty all this generates in people is very unsettling, especially as it is layered on top of an already unsettled and ever changing reality. It doesn't help that it's all following the usual senior management line " we know it's going to be challenging and that things will go wrong but we'll have to make the best of it and address the issues as they come up and fix what we can and cope with what we can't"

You know how you often get a feeling in your gut that something is about to go wrong in your world shortly before it does in fact go wrong? Had that feeling now for about a year!

[RIP]

Nah, but mainly because half the time (*) I've no idea what day it is never mind the month or year.

(*) and the other half of the time I 'know' what day it is but when I check it's a different day altogether

[Bearbonesnorm]

Nah, but mainly because half the time (*) I've no idea what day it is never mind the month or year.

(*) and the other half of the time I 'know' what day it is but when I check it's a different day altogether

I'm exactly the same Reg but this just seems a bit different somehow - can't really explain it.

find myself saying something happened last year when it actually happened in 2019 almost as though I have subconsciously written 2020 off as a non event.

This - in my head, last year doesn't actually exist. I can remember virtually nothing of it at all.

[ScotRoutes]

I perhaps shouldn't admit this but I have some lovely memories of Lockdown One. Everywhere was quiet, no traffic noise, folk were very friendly, it coincided with a long dry spell and the trails were amazing. There was what I'd refer to as a bit of a blitz spirit. A feeling that we were all suffering through it together and helping each other out. I guess that lasted for a couple of months but those are some of my strongest memories of last year.

As that period came to an end, I was isolating as the Missus and I had both got Ill in quick succession. Much of the remainder of the year I was struggling with fitness so those bits are less memorable.

[Richard G]

God, I don't. I didn't ride outside for 6 months.

[voodoo_simon]

Not only have the first 6 months gone past us, the nights are drawing in and daylight is getting shorter

Makes me think that I need to use my time more effectively

[BigdummySteve]

Well I didn’t ride anywhere in the first three months, but since then I’ve ridden over 1000 miles, Tim’s superb spring thing, WRT, Cannock Chase with fellow boners, Jennride with Burty, Wotsits?, Benp1 and Tom. This weekend I’m at the Woods Grand Rando I’ve also done a lot of veloviewer explorer rides and started riding a little in central London to jobs. Definitely making up for lost time

[Verena]

I'll get my coat in a minute....
I nearly wrote something like this last autumn, but thought it would be too soppy...
Me, I've had the best time last year and this, don't think I've ever been happier, or healthier, despite everything.
All that slowing down a bit and staying local and appreciating what really matters has done me a power of good, and it's really last year and this that I've got properly into bikepacking and sleeping outside just for the sheer fun of it, this place, I've even made new friends!

[Bearbonesnorm]

Not soppy at all V. I think it just highlights how different we (collective) and our circumstances are. I suppose my life outside of lockdown isn't too dissimilar to what many have experienced in it, so I think there was less novelty and I noticed the restrictions impeding on the small things I need to do in order to function ... some prisons can be beautiful

Colin mentions that he found people to be generally quite happy and cheery. I found the opposite and many seemed to be fearful, suspicious and often quite aggressive towards anything or anyone they believed might pose a 'threat'. Of course, there was / is the absurd nature of some restrictions which at times defied all reason and logic ... being told what to do is hard enough but being told what to do by someone who's obviously an idiot, is a bitter pill to swallow

[woodsmith]

I've found this year to be far worse than last. In spite of Covid shafting my round the world bike trip only a couple of weeks into it, last spring was glorious. Two months of almost unbroken sunshine and traffic volumes like when I was a kid. Even being knocked off the bike and getting broken ribs by some geriatric twit in a rush to the reopening of the golf club didn't dampen my spirits too much.
This year my life just feels in limbo and I've been hit by bouts of depression which usually only plague me through the winter.
I had to stop watching the news months ago as the daily tally of fuckwittery around the handling of this pandemic and Brexit puts me into apoplectic fits.
None of the plans I made last winter for this year have happened, so in summary, yes, like others I feel like I'm still waiting for the year to begin.

[Bearlegged]

I had to stop watching the news

This has probably had the single most positive effect on my mental health over recent years.

[Dave Barter]

People covering their mouths and turning their backs to me on a walk in the countryside

Being forced to walk in the road if there is one other person on a pavement

The constant drumbeat of fear fear fear bleeding out from my television and radio

Throngs of masked pensioners looking on disapprovingly at any younger person daring to express joy

Signs everywhere telling me to behave, step in line, conform, do this, queue there, do that don't do this or you will KILL. Signs telling me to stay safe and keep others safe. WHY ARE THERE NONE ON THE ROADS? It matters if you die of Covid, but run over by a car, sorry mate that's par for the course.

Fawning news items about local angel XYZ who setup a gnome sanctuary in lockdown whilst the streets are covered in litter

The utter guilt of not being a key worker or NHS nurse

Having to register everywhere, scan this, scan that, give me your number else you cannot sit down and eat

The hypocrisy everywhere. No Dave, you cannot hug your dying mother, you can only see her at a distance in a garden, you might kill her. But Amazon workers in a crowded warehouse..crack on

The continuing narrative that this is all my fault for stepping out of my house. It would all have been OK if we'd all just sat at home and waited in the dark. It's our/your fault for not doing what you were told. The blame left right and centre and the need to pillory and scorn. The sanctimony of the experts, the gossips and the politicians. The stupid reliance upon utter conformance in a society that has never conformed (otherwise why do we have prisons?).

I've mostly hated every single minute of the last 15 months apart from a brief solace in the Scottish wilds.

Glad I got that off my chest.

[pistonbroke]

My take on this FWIW is that it boils down to having certainty on what's happening in the forseeable future. Last year, once everyone had realised the size of the shitstorm, we had extremely tight restrictions on our lives. Here, we couldn't leave the house unless we had written authorisation to go for food or medicine, this was in force for nearly 4 months. We used the time to really get to grips with clearing trees, undergrowth and mess that had been neglected for nearly 20 years. We also dug and installed a new swimming pool and patio area, we finished most days exhausted but happy with the result. My usual preparation for riding my coast to coast trip were firmly on hold. Come June it was a case of racking up the km in training for the Badlands event in Andalucia that had been postponed from June to September. This year the rollercoaster of opening, closing, uncertainty over the rules, has made forward planning impossible. I'm still determined to do a big ride this year, the Spanish Divide is favourite and the September date is looming. I just hope travel restrictions ease so some of you guys can come too.
Edit, Oh and not to forget the mental strain of the end of last year in the run up to the Brexit debacle when we didn't know, despite our best efforts to be legit, whether come January we would get a metaphorical knock on the door and be kicked out of the country and have all our hard work here turned on its head. Thanks Boris, you utter self serving fucktard!

[Bearbonesnorm]

Dave - BANG ON. Consider that nail well and truly hit.

[Verena]

Dave - BANG ON. Consider that nail well and truly hit.

Yep

[fatbikephil]

Dave - BANG ON. Consider that nail well and truly hit.

Yep

Yup +1.
Also with Colin - no fear and loathing here and lots of nice local trails to ride in the dry, this year and last. Work has been a bit trying being public sector but not a hero (so scorned by all it seems). Not listening to the news anymore has been a revelation - never again!

[Bearbonesnorm]

I gave up on the news of any form nearly 20 years ago. Some might say that doing so is akin to burying your head in the sand but on the contrary, it allows you to fully focus your attention on those things you can have a positive effect on rather than worrying about stuff you can do little about.