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Thread: How is the Virus affecting you?

  1. #1
    SEC Member tomsredstratos's Avatar
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    How is the Virus affecting you?

    Hi,

    Has the virus affected you yet? Workwise or home life?
    The wife of the owner of a bodyshop we use confirmed positive a few weeks ago. They had just returned from Switzerland.

    My work is very quiet. I am sitting at home on a Monday morning and have had quiet a few days off recently.
    There has been a huge downturn in the classic car market last 12 months. Cars are not being restored because of the price drop/market adjustment.

    So great news in early February when DK Engineering called me to be involved in two restorations. A lot of work for me. Many of their customers are above the lower end of the classic market shall we say.

    Car No 1.
    Car was stripped last year and sent to the Ferrari factory for the bodywork and paint as part of the Classiche certification.
    Paint is finished on Fri 21 Feb and would be inspected by us on Tues 25 and probably transported that day. Ferrari calls work on the Monday and informs us the factory is closed to visitors. As we have all seen Italy in lock down now.
    So that car im kind of stuffed on.

    Car No 2.
    We stripped and restored all the mechanicals/loom etc in January. Paint shop stripped the body and chassis ready for Classiche inspection. We cant send the car to Italy and they cannot come here.
    Project is now stuck. DK are looking at the possibility of setting up a video link to the factory and do the inspection that way.

    Last year I booked my Stratos in to the Laon historic rally in France,airb&b house,ferry all sorted. Doesn't look like that event will happen.

    Watching the news almost seems like a Hollywood movie. Now I have a few days off my wife told me to go and do the weekly shop today,find out later whats left in the shops. If anything!

    Myself and my sister look after my mother whos in her 90's. As one of us visits daily we are a bit worried about taking the bug round there. We do the food/bins/cleaning etc but if we dont go somebody else would have to so always a risk.

    Im not making light of this virus by posting this im just wondering how we are all being affected,if at all.

    I have just decided to forget the shopping as its a lovely sunny cold day and im getting my mountain bike out to do a 15 miler.

    So has it affected you?
    Stay healthy and I hope all the events this year wont be cancelled. Hope to see you all this year.

  2. #2
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    Re: How is the Virus affecting you?

    Hi Tom,
    interesting news and good sentiments in there.
    Can tell you are in a reflective mood!
    Your situation shows how easily this thing is going to affect us all.
    We have seen no effects at all so far, managed to do whatever food shopping we needed this morning. Shops were busy but no sign of any panic.
    Amusing scene in Aldi where everything was limited to four of each, including banana's it seems where one lady had to remove one from her bunch of five!
    We are in the joyous position where we dont have to go out to work any more but we understand thats not possible for everyone.
    Shame about the Laon. Frederic has had a few events cancelled on him too, but I guess its a price we all have to pay to help the most vulnerable in our society.
    I don't think the world has yet got to the point where nobody cares for one another.
    Enjoy your ride. Lovely and sunny here too.

  3. #3
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    Re: How is the Virus affecting you?

    Personally, it's not affected me much at all - being a miserable, anti-social git I hardly ever go out anyway

    OK, I'm kidding a bit there, but I'm not one for going to many "mass gatherings" apart from the odd show. Work-wise I already work from home every Monday, so any extension of that won't be a problem. No parents to worry about, so the only real problem is finding something left at the supermarket...went yesterday and there were no onions or carrots (???) and bread (no surprise at that one). But what's with the stockpiling of loo rolls? I can only assume it's cos people are sh*tting themselves...

    As far as the club's concerned, I'm just waiting for the ban on large gatherings which will stop Stoneleigh and the AGM in its tracks, but we're ready for that. But it could be a bit of a quiet year for get-togethers if the ban happens, so the major events will be garage days and the two scheduled drive-outs, as the numbers at these will be below the limit (I hope). But we'll still have the forum so we can still insult each other online!

  4. #4
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    Re: How is the Virus affecting you?

    Pretty badly. Likely to have my job contract prematurely ended in the next 2 months. My company provides engineering services to Rolls-Royce the Jet Engine manufacturer. They are looking to push out my current project and reduce cost by keeping some previously outsourced services in house. Rolls-Royce shares have nearly halved in the last week

  5. #5

    Re: How is the Virus affecting you?

    Carol & I, on our children's instruction, are self isolating!!, which started last Monday, getting bored already. Grand children are looking at us through the window like gold fish.

    We are in the throes of decluttering of at least 45 years accumulation of stuff, never seen the place so tidy, (parts of it) and I managed to fit a towel rail radiator in the second bathroom yesterday, that I should have done 40 years ago!!!!!

  6. #6
    SEC Member Stratos Fear's Avatar
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    Re: How is the Virus affecting you?

    We've not been affected much so far but my wife's parents are both in their 90's and rather fragile so we are having to be very careful with our visits. My daughter works at Rolls Royce Motors and is texting to say how bored she is at work - but at the same time worried about being laid off. They have a scheduled 2-week shutdown at Easter but this seems likely to be extended. A significant part of the RR business is in China and the US and both are now in lock-down so there is an increasing quantity of expensive custom-spec motors building up in the RR car park - but additionally an increasing shortage of parts coming in from China. Sooner or later things will grind to a halt.

    So let's all go to our windows, and join with our neighbours in singing "Always look on the bright side of life"

  7. #7
    SEC Member renmure's Avatar
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    Re: How is the Virus affecting you?

    It hasn't impacted us directly yet. Wendy has worked from home 2 or 3 days / week for years so that side of things is seamless. I only work 6-8 hrs/week so can be pretty flexible about where and when I do it so that helps. We also live in a rural location with only a handful of neighbours within a few miles so are pretty isolated at the best of times. It also helps that I'm an antisocial git. The nearest village shop is 4 miles away and I think the regulars would be too embarrassed to be seen taking all the toilet roll. The only thing I've stocked up on is paint and DIY stuff from B&Q incase I need to go on an enforced DIY blitz.

    Without coming across all "Daily Mail".. we completed the sale on a couple of properties last month, one in the UK and one in the US, and feel jolly lucky that everything went through when they did. I expect buyers might be a bit more nervous and jittery now only a few weeks later. We've certainly stopped any active house hunting or shelved plans for major spending for the moment.

  8. #8
    SEC Member LPH_UK's Avatar
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    Re: How is the Virus affecting you?

    After today's announcement I'm sure it will be about the seriously affect a lot of people.

    I'm self employed and busy at the moment (hence not working on the car) I rent a desk and share a small office with 4 people but may start working from home. Can pretty much do everything remotely anyway. All files on the cloud etc.

    Son (13) still at school but have a feeling they will close schools on Friday. They've already been checking we all have good home internet. Other half works for the NHS and it's business as usual for her. Strange they aren't testing staff t make sure they aren't passing it on to all the elderly ill people she sees.

    My pension pot and a stocks and shares ISA had lost shit loads......but I guess I'll have to ride it out now and wait for the recovery, whenever that comes.

    Worried for my parents though. Mum is 74, dad 86 and various health problems including cancer recently. They live 2 hours away so I'm not around to help.
    Other half's dad is 74 too and has a pacemaker, her mum is a similar age and a diabetic. And on top of that (after today's advice) her sister will have to go into 12 weeks of self-isolation as she's a transplant patient and is on immuno-surpressents. Difficult with a 7 year old.

    So overall a bit shit to be honest. Just hope everyone is OK and we can ride it out. Strange times.

    Bet this scuppers me getting the car on the road this summer too

    Take care and stay well all!
    Last edited by LPH_UK; 17-03-2020 at 01:08.

  9. #9
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    Re: How is the Virus affecting you?

    Leigh, look on the bright side - if you do get the car on the road, you can bung some juice in (pay at the pumps, natch) and go for a drive, knowing you'll have the roads pretty much to yourself...

  10. #10
    Free user Lancialulu's Avatar
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    Re: How is the Virus affecting you?

    Lots of garage time ahead.... I have been self isolating since returning from France 2 weeks ago with a bad cold which I can't seem to shake off. Doesn't stop me putting in 6 hour shifts in my man cave. Luckily I have a lot of projects to keep me occupied (none Stratos but all Lancia). It may mean by the end of it I need a new hobby having got cars out of my system!! So at the minute I am stripping,re-conditioning and rebuilding a 1300cc narrow V Fulvia engine. I have a close ratio gearbox to swap in another car, and I will be refreshing another Fulvia engine for a friend which will involve an engine out/in.

    Oh I might get roped in to to some urgent DIY that has not been able to creep up the priority list for the last 5 years.

    Luckily I am retired......

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