What a lovely month we are having. I hear the birds singing and the breeze rustling through the trees and shrubbery. There are badgers and foxes playfully roaming the streets where people once ruled.

People have started emerging from their COVID hibernation and are beginning to reclaim the city. As the shops and pubs open again, clients are busy making hair appointments, desperate to shed their lockdown styles before venturing to the pubs and restaurants. Slowly and surely the city awakens.

But I think many of us are still concerned about safety, weighing up risk against the yearning for the familiar bustle we once took for granted. Yet at the same time repulsed by the sight of gathering crowds on the beaches and in our open spaces.

Liz and I went to the Garden Centre recently where we enjoyed the chance to sit down and have a hot
drink at a table in the café. There was something really comforting about being with others, being in a
group, all there together yet separated by two metres. It was a hint of normality. We had a good look
around exploring the grounds for potted herbs and plants to introduce to our homes. We took our time to browse the store, ensuring we observed social distancing. As I waved goodbye to Liz, I and felt a sense of accomplishment as we parted ways. It had been a most enjoyable adventure. My first away from home

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I think many of us are still concerned about safety, weighing up risk against the yearning for the familiar bustle we once took for granted.

Soraya and I have been messaging each other although we haven’t met up in a while and friends are happy to sit in the courtyard with a socially distanced flask of coffee or a glass of something cold on the warmer days. I notice there is more traffic on the roads now and people heading out to work, school or just to get a change of scene. It is lovely to see those eagerly awaited families now relaxing in family’s gardens or on balconies. Cherished moments – memories at last made.

As England unlocks, as people try to find their way through the new normal and venture further afield, I worry that like before, we who are lonely and isolated are thought of less. I fear we are going to be
forgotten again as those who became familiar to us abandon us. Sometimes society is stagnant. People
cling on to what makes them feel safe. In lockdown we had no choice and people wanted to help out.

But as life restarts, I fear we will be left behind once more.