With summer just around the corner and the prospect of garden drinks, barbecues and the end of restrictions in sight I woke up today feeling particulary contented. And what was it that gave me this unusual feeling on this day other than any other?

For the last couple of years there has only been two news stories. Brexit stretches back into to distant past or so it seems (although it was only December 2019 that the blonde bombshell was elected to govern our fine country and get Brexit done. I would switch on the radio while the coffee machine gurgled away producing my idea of the perfect cup, and would hear the inevitable talk of ruin if we leave the EU, how it really was going to be the end of the world (for the uk). There would be more loss of Parliament if we stay in the EU, The veiled threat of an EU Army and the apparent collapse and financial ruin of the City and inevitable the UK.

So whilst sipping my coffee a few months later in 2020 . .

This major story was then eclipsed by the second story which blew the first story off the court. A virus apparently contracted from a bat in a little wet market in the (at the time) unknown town of Wuhan, in China.

News broke of a so-called Pandemic. At first we chatted about it down the Pub, spoke about the start of having to queue at the supermarket, no loo rolls, empty shelves, and then!  “Blimey” we might have to wear a mask like they were doing in some other countries.

Then everything stopped. No more shopping, no work, no driving, no talking to anyone other than people sharing your home, no holidays or travel of any kind, (apart from Mr Cummings), no visiting relatives in care homes, no hugging, no shaking hands . . but, it was warm, and the sun was shone and the wine flowed, and the rumour that the government might help us out financially came into being. We reluctantly started to accept regular handouts. After a while it became no longer taboo to admit you were receiving benefits from the government; it now became a badge of honour. (Only for some of course, before you think about put pen to paper, Mr, Ms, Angry)

We learnt a plethora of new words and terminology. Furlough, Zoom, Social Distancing, Lockdown, binge watch.

So, where are we now, what’s happening . .

This morning I switched on the Radio, coffee gurgling away as usual (Starbucks House blend), and something hit me, there was other news! No more mention of Brexit, of pandemic, it seems likely that Germany are probably going to  elect a Green Chancellor; Annalena Baerbock,   the newsreader then went on to tell me that our former European colleagues aka France were on the cusp of a coupe d’état!

I poured my second cup of coffee, leaned back on my kitchen chair and thought to myself . . “looks like things are getting back to normal”