A Year Ago ...

 Today marks a year since my last real trip out - to Manchester to see my youngest daughter.  We went out for lunch to Grub street-food market but the city seemed to have already entered lockdown with the streets strangely quiet.

We all knew a pandemic was coming, but rather hoped that the three week lockdown would see the end of it. Obviously that was far too hopeful an idea.

It's hard to believe how suddenly life changed completely, and how this change has become 'normal'. The actual lockdown didn't start till the 23rd but (apart from an evening trip to Locko Park) from this point we stayed home, just to be on the safe side. Being somewhat older we've erred on the side of caution, so since then I haven't eaten out anywhere, haven't been inside a shop or to the pub, even though over summer these things were possible. I could count on the fingers of one hand the number of times I've seen my two daughters, though at least we had video get-togethers. How would we have managed without modern tech? I did go walking a lot - but only to pay-to-enter places, such as National Trust estates, where the numbers of visitors were limited. Looking back, I think I could have been a little more daring, but it didn't feel that way at the time. 

I've been luckier than many - I have a garden to sit/potter in, husband to watch tv with at night, all of my family are still well - but I've really envied those who live in the countryside or, even more so, by the sea.

I'm really hoping now that we're putting covid behind us, and that things will be slowly getting back to normal after Easter. I'm not quite convinced about it though yet