Seems like the country is convincing itself that this pandemic is on the way out, next Monday sees a cosmic shift to our incarceration and solitary confinement as pubs allow folk to go inside, bowling alleys open people can get married, and we can venture inside each others houses. So the promise of Thai fish curry from our neighbours in the corner of the close is something really good to look forward to. We’ve booked to go to a very fancy pants restaurant in a couple of weeks, booked a taxi a little too late to leave the restaurant completely sober. Last pick up of the night, I will never learn, its part of the culture I inhabit.

On the other side of the coin, the news of the bestowing of old privileges back to us comes with slight fear, nervousness and trepidation too. I wonder how much people will let their guard down by, will masks become a thing of the past? I remember the end of the first lockdown when the pubs and beauty spots filled up fit to bursting as the drunks spilled out onto the streets and the quelled virus became a swelled virus again, plunging us into the most evil lockdown of all, the winter darkness. Which I think has hardened some to the idea that there isn’t a need to go out, go to work, go to the shops so much anymore. I’ve enjoyed visiting my local record shop once more but the mask wearing and the steamed glasses, the sweaty jaw under a probably hideously dirty cloth covering; well, that’s not comfortable and so the trade off is to buy online.

Genuinely I miss a pint after work at the pub with the crossword, but the weather has been so foul, the gulf stream is causing it and as I look at the long term forecast there doesn’t seem to be any non rainy weather for as far ahead as the BBC decides to make it up. So bring in the sun and maybe the lockdown weary can come out pallid and smiling into the sun feeling that little bit chipper and maybe the high street will recover and maybe we will be able to go on holiday somewhere in the future other than the Falkland Isles.