Plans after the pandemic is over

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Could you get your money refunded should the border remain closed?

I really hope with all my heart that all these wonderful plans come to fruition. Blazingstar being in nature seems to be the safest and most wonderful place to be.

We intended to do some travelling this year and we have an important birthday and a big anniversary coming soon. I don't want to make any significant plans yet since we don't know how long the situation is going to last and what some of the consequences will be.

So I'll get creative and plan something really special for celebrating at home. Once I accepted the situation, I discovered I actually rather enjoy the challenge

I'll want to see my beau and continue our offbeat relationship to see where it leads. I'll also go on a boating holiday if possible, likely in August. Horseback riding would be nice too.

If this extends into autumn, I'll just switch to winter pyjamas and read my autumn books.

Before, during, and after, I try to minimize the impact of climate change and preserve information (especially my own research) for posterity. I had planned to travel this year, but perhaps now I can do my visiting by wire. I'm not even trying to guess what we will have to deal with as the pandemic progresses.

It's kind of hard for me to focus on so far, because I can't imagine the end of the pandemic will be a clear-cut thing, so I think the next phase, which isn't here yet, will be a cautious compromise, and it's hard to know which things will feel safe to do and which won't. I doubt there'll be a Big Bang moment of "Whoopee! We can do this again!"

I would say going back to England for a while, but it might be wiser for me to wait a long time yet before leaving the USA, because Trump is planning to stop immigration, and my green card is so far only temporary status, and it's best that I make sure I'm in the US until it's time to apply for it to be made permanent. It's probably unlikely that he'll get to scupper that process, but he's talking about suspending new green card applications, so until we see exactly how the laws get changed, it's wiser to stay here. And there'll likely be a backlog of cases after they go back to work, so my case might get postponed for some time. I wasn't planning to go back to the UK any time soon in any case, so I don't feel exactly trapped in the US, though that could change if this virus thing drags on for a very long time, which it might if they lift the restrictions too early and it takes off again.

A big one for me will be jamming with my friends and performing again. Again, there might be some compromises when the places reopen - it'd be strange to play in front of people who're sitting 6 feet apart and wearing masks. Maybe we can arrange for a jam session with the musicians at a safe distance from each other out of doors, but the summer's nearly here and the outdoor heat is unbearable, so I don't know how that would happen.

I can't think of much else out there that I enjoy. Certainly not shopping. It was sometimes mildly interesting but barely worth the discomfort of the shops even without a virus threat. I only visit cinemas, churches, relatives, holiday resorts, and restaurants as a concession to friends and family. In my current location, individuals are free to do what they like anyway, and most of the things I like to do outside have always been far from the madding crowd, so apart from feeling safe to visit a very few friends, nothing much will change. It would be nice to see the performance of a good band or a play, but it's very rare I've ever seen one of those without feeling bored and restless by the end, so once again I mostly just do it to fit in. It would be nice to feel it safe to make a toilet stop in a gas station on a long car journey, but I hate long car journeys anyway and I'm hoping I won't have to make one.

In the UK I could be fined if I sat on a park bench even if there was nobody around for miles, went out to buy a luxury item, travelled to any distant place except for "essential purposes," went out for exercise more than once a day, visited friends, basically if I went out at all except for what they see as a valid reason. So it would be nice to do some of those things without half expecting the Boys In Blue to make life difficult for me. One of the problems is that the police have been known to overstep their authority (one bloke was ordered to leave his own garden); they now have a set of detailed guidelines about what they can and can't allow, but the gov doesn't want we ordinary folks to see a full copy of that (I guess they don't want us finding loopholes), so it's rather hard to be sure that it's OK with them to do practically anything. But I'm unlikely to ever experience it, because the restrictions will presumably be over by the time I get to the UK, so it's not really appropriate for me to dream of doing things I was never stopped from doing.

I have a caravan (trailer) that I'm usually in for 5 months each year that I'm paying rent on. Once lockdown eases, I should clear that and sell it and maybe look at getting a van, which could be handy for work.

I wanted to go to India for the winter in 2021 but the politics are getting nasty over there and it's not such a happy place anymore. I guess I'll focus on work and hobbies.

If I can raise enough money I'd like to buy some woodland or land to plant trees on. At some point I'll try to fit on a cycling holiday, probably in the UK or France or maybe go riding in Tunisia where I had planned to go before lockdown and visit friends.

Trailer has been my day dream for a really long time. Unfortunately I don't drive, don't have money to pay for driving classes, nor really do I have money to buy the trailer either. But if I could, I totally would. I don't undersatnd why don't people just sell their houses and live in the trailers. Its so much better: you can literally be anywhere, instead of just being stuck in one place. Isn't it nice to be able to go and explore KNOWING you don't have to come back? I strongly recommend you *don't* sell your trailer and try to take a full advantage of it instead.



I spent 5 years in India: I was in Bangalore in 2009--2011, then in Chennai in 2011--2012 and then in Chandigarh in 2012--2014. Where in India do you want to go? Have you been there before?



I never really paid attention to Indian politics. What happened?



What is "woodland"? Is it like a house in the middle of the woods? If so, that sounds fun too.

^^ Most economical vehicles are inadequate to tow a semi-permanent home, but they are moved so seldom that it should be possible to hire a tow vehicle with driver. Most of them are under-used around here. It can be surprisingly cheap to make a tiny home from recycled material, but the eternal problem with anything affordable is zoning, permits, and such. Near here, it is even illegal to live in a mobile unit on your own 160 acres.

I spent 6 weeks in northern India in '71. Recently, the government has declared war on the poor and/or Islamic. It is awful.

This summer, I will probably be staying in a cabin so surrounded by woods that the firewood supply is just tidying up. It would be my favourite place, except that I'll be there so my friend can travel.

I am not sure I understand what you are saying. The way I understand the word "tow" is that you move the vehicle from outside by some other vehicle. But why would you have to do it if the vehicle is fully functioning? You can just drive that vehicle.



I am not sure we are talking about the same kind of vehicle. What I am referring to is the kind of vehicle that has bed inside and yet it can also drive. So since it "already" has a bed in it, you don't really have to "make" home outo of it -- they already made it for you before you bought it.



How can it be illegal to stay in your own territory? If you bought your territory, it is fully yours, you should be allowed to do whatever you want. And, besides, how would they enforce such laws without prying into what you are doing? And if they do pry into what you do when you are at your own place by yourself -- doesn't it seem like a lack of privacy?



I am not sure what to think about Islamic, that would depend on the level of terrorism over there which I have no idea about. But, as far as the poor, I am on the governments side. I spent 5 years in India, and the poor over there was like the single most annoying thing. The next annoying thing were dirty streets and stray dogs. But I believe that these things are probably closely related. Its quite annoying to go down the street and being harassed by the people that assume that all Whites are American, all Americans are rich, and all rich owe them money. And by the way I am not rich at all so I despise it when they act as if I am. And the worst thing that happened to me -- when I just arrived -- was that I was scammed out of 4000 dollars, and then I lost another 4000 dollars over some stories of how the scammer would supposedly pay them back to me. And its not just my experience. It is awful from quite objective point of view. One thing I heard is that parents purposely dismember their own children to make them better beggers.



That is SOOOO much fun. Its totally how I wish I could spend a summer, too bad I never had such an opportunity.

I'm familiar with Chandigarh, I've spent about 20 months in India in total. Last year I cycled around there for 3000 miles and wanted to return and cycle Mumbai - Kerela and back.

Woodland - forested land, somewhere to sneak the trailer onto. I'd also go for land where I can put up a polytunnel and grow veg/sneak on a trailer.

I'm thinking about fitting a tow bar and towing the trailer off the farm where it's being stored, could be a better option.

I believe you built a bicycle frame and went on a tour. Where did you go?

That's what's putting me off.

I’m wanting to go on my dream trip to Japan when this is all over. Also would like to do some camping with family. And I want to get certified in becoming a postpartum doula and start doing that.

How were you able to cycle that far? My impression of India was that the roads are really bad. Do they even have roads between towns, especially that would stretch that far?



That sounds like quite a project. Have you done it before?



Are you confusing me with somebody else? Or did you misread one of my posts? I don't remember building a bycicle frame, I don't even know how to do it. Can you give me a link to a post that made it look like I did?

By ignoring the pain.



Yes, thousands of roads.





I've done tree work, farming, building.



Oops, that question was meant for dear_one

I went on a bicycle tour in California following some research there, and then settled in a new city to design and build a tricycle frame.