Whatever television station you watch or newspaper you read, you can't fail to avoid the emerging 'cost of living crisis' unfolding before our very eyes. I can't remember a time when I have been so aware of rising prices, soaring inflation and dramatic hikes in the cost of utility bills. Using the word 'crisis' has been criticised for its dramatic, frightening cogitations, but when one looks at the economic uncertainty across the globe, it is clear this is appropriate for the times we are living though. These are momentous months for many reasons, not just the cost of living, but when looks at the different factors at play in this 'new World order,' it is clear there has been a significant shift, creating the most unstable economic conditions for over forty years or more. These are difficult days for everyone, and we need to understand just how serious this situation is. This isn't something that can be solved quickly, all of us will have to battle to keep our heads above water.

The seeds of this current crisis were sown in 2016, after Britain voted to leave the European Union. No one really expected the UK to remain the economic power house it was after we voted to leave, and if they did, they were seriously deluded. I was someone who envisaged a time of upheaval and hardship, but like most people, I believed it would be a temporary blip, and we would overcome the problems relatively quickly. Brits are a hardy bunch, and we have lived through worse periods in history. With fortitude, faith, and backbone, it wouldn't be too long before we were back on track again.

At the time of the vote, I was living in Spain with Darrell. We lived a relatively frugal existence; with my husband flying back to Australia regularly, I learnt to live on a small budget of 30 Euro a week. Life was hard, but the sun was shining and life was good. I loved my new Spanish home and believed I would remain an expat for many years to come.

Of course nothing lasts forever and in 2018 I moved back to the UK for family reasons, as Darrell continued to commute From Europe to Australia, caring for his Mother after her cancer diagnosis. These were arduous years for us, as we tried to restructure our  life to suit our changing circumstances. Darrell would fly to Britain when he could, and I would travel to Asia once a year; it was an arrangement that worked well until the pandemic crashed head long into all our lives in 2020.

The biggest factor in the current 'cost of living crisis is of course COVID-19. The money spent by Governments all over the World propping up ailing economies throughout the worst of this virus was huge, unlike anything any of us had ever seen. Locking down a country isn't a cheap option. The British Government alone spent hundreds of billions of pounds paying staff to stay at home, as businesses remained closed for months on end. Even I was paid a wage, even though the pub where I worked was closed. At the time it was great, but all that money has to eventually be paid back.

The pandemic still rages on, although as a nation, Britain is learning to live with it. It is unlikely we will ever be locked down again, but we will be living with the consequences of COVID for many years to come. The vast sums spent keeping families afloat, while they languished at home is shocking to contemplate, but the hangover from this strange period is only just beginning today, two years later. After Brexit, no one expected a public health crisis, and the British economy has suffered untold amounts of damage. Through mismanagement, waste of public money and falling tax receipts, it was only a matter of time before we started to feel the pinch; from 1 April that process of 'paying back' began.

They say bad things come in threes, well there is yet another catastrophe looming on the horizon, with war in Europe looking ever more likely! After Brexit and a global pandemic, the World is now on the brink of World War III, as Russia invades Ukraine. Yet another disaster of incalculable magnitude, after a series of bad choices and unforeseen circumstances; conflict is now unfolding on the continent, as the daily news reports, uncompromising rhetoric and threats from Russian President, Vladimir Putin become increasingly worrying and venomous. The death and destruction, economic sanctions and refugee crisis has started to reverberate across the planet; all of us have begun to suffer the knock on effects of the war in Ukraine.

The cost of everything is going up. As the fighting intensifies, oil prices have skyrocketed, causing massive increases in the cost of oil. Gas, electric, and petrol are all significantly higher than they were and people, already feeling strapped for cash, are now feeling the squeeze tightened further. Inflation is creeping up and looks likely to top ten percent by the end of the year. As sure as night follows day, interest rates will undoubtedly rise, causing a drastic increase in mortgages. Food prices are exploding; as someone who shops in a supermarket daily, I am well aware of the increases. The new European war has curtailed the flow of trade between Ukraine and the rest of the World, making resources scarcer. The breadbasket of Europe is no longer exporting wheat, and the rest of us will have to pay sharply more for a loaf of bread and other products once transported from Ukraine.

I am well aware of the cost of the things I buy; I have seen my shopping bill nearly double since the pandemic, and it isn't going to change anytime soon. When the price cap on gas and electric was abandoned yesterday, utility bills rose by 54% immediately. I am luckier than most, because I do not pay bills where I am living, but will contribute more in other ways, helping to alleviate the costs involved. With higher tax and many of the measures introduced during the pandemic coming to an end, ordinary people are feeling the economic pressure. The cost of living crisis is causing the biggest drain on incomes since the 1950s, and none of us are fully aware of the consequences of circumstances, that are compounding the intensity of this dangerous crossroads. Whether or not families survive the next few years very much depends on the different factors at play. The biggest concern for everyone now is the Ukrainian war and just how long it goes on for, affecting all our lives.

For now, Darrell and I are fine. However, we don't have a home to keep and can save money relatively easily. My goals and aspirations still remain on track, with the possibility of early retirement in four years time, funding a new life in Portugal or somewhere a little more conventional. My future plans are very dependent on how well my pension does and my scope to save the maximum amount of money in order to buy a home. I can only rely on my own frugal abilities, rather like I did when I lived in Spain, but ultimately remain at the mercy of events beyond my control. As usual, being the realist I am, I expect the worst but hope for the best; lets pray the World returns to normal soon and all of us can finally breathe a sigh of relief, restarting where we left off in 2019!

It has been nearly eighty years since the end of the Second World War and during that time, Europe has enjoyed relative peace, free from conflict and tyrannical dictators, that really defined the last century. I suppose my generation was the first to enjoy life, without the prospect of having to go to war. On Thursday 24 February 2022, all that calm and tranquillity was shattered, as one man's dream, to build an empire after the fall of the Soviet Union, came to fruition. The increasingly dictatorial President Putin of Russia, invaded his neighbour Ukraine and began a fight to restore the old communist satellite states to Russian control; while the World was distracted, Putin prepared for invasion on a scale that no one has seen since the 1930s.

I am like everyone, every sane, normal person that is; I am appalled and shocked by the blatant criminal act against a sovereign state. This is 2022 for God’s sake, have we really learnt nothing over the last eight decades; we are at a terrible crossroads in history, that none of us thought possible. The evil dictator in Russia has crossed a line, and it feels like there is no going back. Once you let the beast out of its box, it's very difficult to put it safely back in. This tyrant has unleashed a war on the continent that could be the catalyst for something far worse, the consequences of which, don't bare thinking about. There are never any winners in armed conflict, just the casualties left behind; lives broken, homes and livelihoods destroyed and a nation in mourning for its dead. I don't mind admitting, I cried on the day I heard the news and I have a feeling, many more tears will yet be shed!

It feels that Putin has taken advantage of a terrible situation and used it to prepare for war. I am of course talking about the pandemic. While countries fought hard to save their citizens during the worldwide Coronavirus outbreak of 2020-2022, this psychopathic mad man spent the time building up resources, capital and military supplies, in order to unleash his inhuman fighting machine on Ukraine. In some respects you could almost, yes almost believe, that the last two years were a smoke screen, staged by communist China as a catalyst for the ushering in of the new World order. One has to remember just how much nations were preoccupied with COVID-19; yes, they did take their eye off the ball and didn't think for one minute that Russia would launch an attack in the heart of Europe. Of course this is just speculation and whatever the circumstances behind this new war, the fact is, the west allowed it to happen, and the consequences will live with us for generations to come.

Watching the scenes unfold from Ukraine on our television screens, I was as shocked as anyone at what I was witnessing. The sirens sounding across the city of Kyiv, people running for cover to underground shelters in the city's metro system, echoing the scenes from London during the Blitz in the 1940s, a bygone era. Cruise missile hitting civilian areas, blocks of flats and refugees heading west on trains out of urban areas. Carrying a few belongings, children in hand, pets in carry cases with a single suitcase would not have looked out of place in Hitlers Germany, as Jews were transported to concentration camps. The emotions I feel now, as I write this, are real and bring yet more tears to my eyes; this is a war like no other and a fight all of us will have to endure.

These last few years have been traumatic for all of us living through the pandemic. We have all had to make sacrifices for the greater good of our friends and neighbours, each of us protecting one another living through lockdowns, restrictions and draconian measures, designed to stem the tide of COVID-19. As we move out of this terrible period in history, it seems we are now entering yet another even more agonizing, anxiety inducing time, with the beginnings of a European war. These dangerous days herald the start of what could be a World destroying event, that will result in catastrophic loss of life and the end of our planet as we know it. This is probably the most perilous period in modern history, and none of us know where it will end.

My biggest fear is a wider world war, as Russia crosses the boarder into NATO territory. Part of the NATO charter states that any action against one NATO nation will result in a swift, decisive action against Russia from the other NATO members. If President Putin is as mad as we are told, then he will not think twice about launching attacks against other states bordering Russia. The word unhinged is being used to describe this egotistical maniac, and after the events of the last few days, it is easy to see why. The attack on Ukraine has clearly been planned for a long time and constitutes war crimes not seen in Europe since the late 1990s. With his finger firmly on the nuclear trigger, Putin could single-handedly destroy the World whenever he wants. This would of course be a worse case scenario, but alarm bells are already ringing. Mr Putin wants the old USSR back, and it seems he will stop at nothing to achieve it.

These are indeed dark days for the World, as all of us hold our breath. Sadly I don't have a crystal ball, but I am aware of my own anxiety and that of friends, family and colleagues. The next few weeks and months are going to get bumpy; I am scared for the future, but just like I did in the pandemic, I will carry on, doing what I have to, to survive. At the moment there is no hint of what's to come, so like the rest of the World, I pray for a positive outcome and continue to look forward to a future that may or may not exist. All of us have to do our best to support our Ukrainian friends, donate to charities in the region and keep the message of hope alive. At this fork in the road, it's time to stand up and be counted, don't bury your head in the sand, wake up to what's happening on our doorstep. Evil exists in the World, it's time to confront it head on!

With Storm Eunice causing havoc across the UK today, I have decided to stay inside with Darrell. Each year I have a 'personal day,' time off from work, over and above my normal holiday, and it just so happened to fall on the day, the biggest storm in a generation hit the south coast of England. To be honest, it has just given me the opportunity to relax, chill and take some much-needed time for myself. I am mindful of just how bad this storm could be, however. Looking outside the window, the strong winds are clear to see; rubbish and debris is blowing in the air during strong gusts and walls and fences have collapsed in the street.

Sitting, reflecting on today's storm force winds, I am left wondering just what is going on, in this chaotic World we are living in. If you could transport me back to 2019, I would gladly leave tomorrow. The last few years, since the loss of my Mother, have been terrible in every respect. The Pandemic emphasises just how awful the planet has become. The scenes on our television sets, recording mounting deaths daily, brought home the scale of mother nature. I have suffered from low mood and depression for quite a number of months now; with more and more bad news, from every part of the planet, highlighted on our television screens daily, there are times, I just want to hide away and forget this time exists.

As a child, I was always fearful of war. Growing up in the 1980s, during the height of the Cold War, I was always aware of what could happen. I would spend night after night worrying about nuclear war, especially after watching the film 'Threads.' This film documented a fictional nuclear attack on the city of Sheffield; its powerful imagery has always remained with me. As communism collapsed, so the Cold War ended and the World seemed a much safer place to live. The threat of war quickly receded and the nightmares I had as a child disappeared; finally, I could breathe a sigh of relief.

Nothing is forever, as they say; with a despot like Putin in charge of Russia, it looks like we are heading into another Cold War. Tensions are high in Ukraine and Western nations have warned we could even be on the cusp of a dangerous European war, at the end of the COVID-19 pandemic. This is a time in history that appears to be the most dangerous in my lifetime. 2022, isn't a great time to be alive, I have never felt so uneasy. I believe we are heading into a period of great turmoil, but more importantly, change; a crossroads in all our lives.

If I was a religious man, I would say that it really does feel like the 'end of days' at the moment. The World seems chaotic, directionless and, with the rise of dictators like Putin, without moral compass. The pandemic has highlighted just how vulnerable we are and how easy it is to upset the delicate environmental balance that keeps us in check. I have never understood the inhumane nature of people. Whether a tyrant ruling a country or a sociopath at the top of Oxfam, these individuals exist, to the detriment of the rest of us. There is very little we can do on the surface to rid ourselves of cretinous leaders who lord over us, but we can distance ourselves from the worst influences in our own lives.

I have tried very hard to change my life for the better, especially during this pandemic. The last two years reminds me very much of my own struggles in life. Just as you think you have turned a corner for the better, something else comes along to push you right back to where you started. The next few years will more than likely be more of the same, so it looks like we will have to batten down the hatches and make the most of what we have. I very much look forward to a time, when we can live in peace and normality, but until then, we can always remember the good times… Times that will most certainly return once again!

It's been nearly four years since I returned to the UK from Spain, and during that time I haven't stopped working. The busiest period for me was always on the weekends, especially a Saturday night. I would often go from job to job, starting early in the supermarket and finishing at midnight in the pub. Fifteen-hour days were all well and good when I was living in Britain on my own, but now Darrell is home, my busy lifestyle has had to change. No one can keep working at such a fast pace, without burning out. A few weeks ago I made the decision to stop working at the Newcome Arms on a Saturday night and the reality is, it has been just the tonic I have needed to finally relax and unwind once again.

I have found it particularly difficult to chill and take time out since arriving back home; with so much on my mind, it hasn't been easy to forget my woes, especially with Darrell being in Australia. Of course, I have never been a person to do nothing, I have to keep busy, which usually involves blogging or going out for a long walk. Having at least part of the weekend free can only be a good thing, as I finally take a step back and enjoy the time I have to myself.  I work more than enough hours to pay for Darrell and me now, and the last thing I want to do is get ready to go out and work on a bustling Saturday night.

Last weekend, for the first time in years, we went out for a meal at what has become my favourite Chinese restaurant, Yan Woo in North End. This small unassuming establishment, set back from the road, offers amazing home cooked food, in an authentic setting, The staff are always friendly and welcoming, making this a great place to unwind after a long day. It did feel good to be sat quietly talking with Darrell, as we always used to, and not having to worry about rushing home to get ready for work. This first Saturday off was a great introduction to normal life once again, and I thoroughly enjoyed being free.

I do use the word free loosely; I never felt trapped working at the Newcome, but rarely having time out on a weekend became a burden towards the end. I haven't needed to work in the pub, in a monetary sense, having enough income to survive, but it was a part of my life I enjoyed. Socially, working in a pub was a wonderful experience, especially on a Saturday, which is usually football day here in Portsmouth. Meeting some incredible people, I cherish some amazing memories, made over many years. I am also still beavering away behind the bar on a Wednesday evening, not wanting to give up bar work just yet. I want and need to keep that contact with a pub I regard as my own and a group of people I have a remarkable bond with. In time, I may decide to knock it on the head completely, but until then, I am happy to be a part of the Newcome team, looking forward to a productive year ahead!

This weekend I was able to spend time with family, going out for the day, eating lunch out and enjoying a home cooked meal in the evening. It was great to do 'normal' things on a Saturday, which I wouldn't have usually done otherwise. It is more important for me now, to have this time to myself, especially with Darrell home from Australia. As 'normal' service resumes, I hope to continue to scale back the amount of shifts I do in the coming months. By the time we approach the end of the year I want to be in a position, where I can pick and choose when I work, without pushing myself too hard. One has to remember, I have had a lot of health concerns over the last four years and after suffering from COVID recently this month, it is time to take stock and realise, life isn't just about working. It is also about spending quality time with the people I love and enjoying life once again.

It's been a few weeks since I was diagnosed with COVID-19 and I have started to get back to normal. Looking back at the ten days I had this wretched disease, I can confidently say, It was, in the main, quite mild. When I compare my symptoms with other peoples, I am fully aware of how lucky I was, to recover relatively unscathed, with mostly no enduring issues. However, I am left with a few annoying problems, that just won't go away.

I still have a cough, that just lingers and lingers. I'm not coughing constantly, but enough to cause concern. All of us cough for a reason, it's usually because we have an irritant in our throat, that just will not go away, and I suppose that is the case with me. During my bout of Coronavirus, I was given antibiotics to help clear, what the Doctor thought was a bacterial chest infection. Apparently, according to him, coughing up dark green phlegm was the key to this diagnosis. Having finished the medication, although much better, I am told I have 'post COVID-19 bronchitis,' which could take a while to shift.  I am still bringing up mucus, just not the thick substance I was earlier.

One of the biggest ailments, for want of a better word, I am left with, is fatigue and tiredness, as well as constant dizzy spells that just will not go away. I have never been someone who sleeps particularly well, waking up numerous times during the night, but since COVID, my sleep is far worse. I am tired every day and often feel nauseous and disorientated. My joints ache far more than usual, making it difficult to carry out tasks I would usually find easy. These are not life limiting manifestations, but they do make my activities a lot harder than they already were.

There is very little I can do about the niggling post COVID symptoms I am suffering from, but they are a reminder of how bad things could have been. After explaining my brush with Coronavirus with my Doctor, he told me, how I had got off lightly. For me, this virus went straight to my chest, but luckily no further. Had I not had the vaccinations, I may well have been in trouble, COVID could have moved further and deeper into the lungs, causing extensive damage and my outcome could have been very different.

I didn't suffer from classic Coronavirus symptoms; I had no temperature, could breathe absolutely fine and experienced only mild traits. Other people were not so lucky and are racked with lasting pain. In many respects I am glad I have had the disease, as I now have many more antibodies than before. I would hope not to get it again, but there are no guarantees. None of us really know where this virus will go, and it is likely many more variants will be discovered over the following months. I am still trying to take greater care around people and will always wear a mask in public places to differing degrees, but for me, it's time to move on, and live life once again. Coronavirus will be with us for a long-time yet and as it becomes endemic within our boarders, all of us will have to learn to live alongside it. The only thing to fear, is fear itself; COVID isn't the killer it used to be!

It has been a little over four years since Darrell was granted his Spanish residency in December 2017, and my God, a lot has happened since. In 2017, we were very much looking forward to our new life in Gran Alacant, enjoying living on the continent and the Spanish way of life. Today in 2022, we are firmly but in many respects reluctantly committed to settling in Britain; not what we planned, but at least we are together.

Today, Darrell received his UK settlement status for a second time, after what has been the most turbulent five years in our life. Darrell was originally given 'Indefinite Leave to Remain' in 2001, but after changes to immigration law, the introduction of a new biometrics card and dramatic changes to our circumstances, he was forced to reapply for the same status yet again. Living outside Australia for nearly two years, caring for Mum, only complicated our situation further. When one adds Brexit and a Worldwide pandemic into the mix, you can see, just how precarious our situation was.

Since his return to the UK in September, we have both been living under a cloud, not knowing if he would be allowed to live here permanently or not. However, after consulting a solicitor at great expense, we were able to establish a legal basis for settlement, and he was finally given back his right of abode. It has been a long, difficult journey getting here; despite our current situation, we are both determined to make the most of our life together and forge a future at least in part based in the UK.

Being around family has been amazing over the last four years, especially whilst living through a pandemic, it has given us both a reason to stay in this part of the World. We have grown close to our cousins and family in a way we haven't before and for that reason, I couldn't be happier. There is nevertheless a profound sense of disappointment that we couldn't continue our journey in Spain, and I will forever wonder what could have been. Despite the sadness we feel, we are both well aware of just how much the World has changed over the last two years in particular, and believe our life in Spain would have been cut short in any eventuality.

Today we both have the luxury of planning for yet another new future, whether on the south coast, or further afield in Lancashire, an area we know well. Neither of us know where life will take us from now, but we are determined to make the most of the opportunities we have and hope the next five years will be a little easier than the last!

Well it was only a matter of time before I caught COVID once again, and today I am self-isolating, after testing positive for Coronavirus. I had been suffering from a tickly throat for a couple of days, just a niggly annoyance if I am honest, but due to the nature of my work, I was testing daily; each time, my lateral flow test was coming back negative. Not feeling too unwell, I carried on as normal, bought a tickly throat medicine and ate copious amounts of lozenges. Oddly, nothing was helping, and the mild symptoms just lingered and lingered. All the time, I continued to test every day, just to be sure, there was nothing going on.

This week, on Saturday, I was due to have a procedure in hospital, so it was important that I remained as safe as I could, constantly testing, social distancing and wearing a mask. Every time, the results came back negative, and I felt confident to prepare for hospital. However, on Monday this week, Darrell tested positive for COVID and I instinctively knew there was something wrong.

The new lateral flow kits only have swabs long enough for the nasal cavity. After quickly looking online and taking advice, I was told to try and swab the back of my throat as well as my nose, even though this isn't standard practice. Low and behold, I tested positive within seconds and immediately informed work.

The rules on self-isolation have changed recently and despite my COVID-19 app initially telling me to quarantine for eleven days, it was only a guide to how long I would have to separate myself from the World. The new rules state that if I take a lateral flow test on day five and six, and they are both negative, I can return to work. I would need two negative results over two consecutive days, then my period of isolation would end immediately.

Today is my fifth day, according to 'Track and Trace' who phoned me this morning, informing me I probably caught COVID between the 14th and 18th of January. My guess is, they determined this after I did a PCR test yesterday, but I can't be certain. The gentleman on the phone asked me all the standard questions about whom I had been in contact with. He assured me, that even if I am still testing positive on the day I return to work, it would be safe to do so, since I would no longer be infectious.

I am aware that a PCR investigation is no longer required, if you test positive on a lateral flow. However, in order to make sure I was actually infected with the virus, I wanted to do the more reliable laboratory analysis, especially after registering negative LFT's.

Yesterday morning I walked the short distance to the testing site and the temporary Portakabins, erected in the old Sainsbury car park on Commercial Road, Portsmouth, and did the test. Last night I received the news, I was positive and should continue to stay at home.

Tuesday was a particularly busy day, as I had to rearrange hospital appointments, thankfully with only a week delay. The lady on the phone was extremely helpful, even informing me I would not have to do a PCR test before attending my appointment. Initially, confused, I questioned this, only to be told, it wasn't necessary. Apparently, even though I would be free of Coronavirus on the day of my admission, I would still probably test positive on a PCR test. I would be able to bypass this element of my hospital stay and just attend at the new appointment time.

With both Darrell and I self-isolating together, we are catching up on some much-needed sleep and rest. I am unsure which strain of Coronavirus I have, but the symptoms are extremely mild. I suppose I feel a little more tired than usual, and I have a tickly throat, coughing on occasion, but nothing more than that. If I am honest, I have had worse colds; the way I feel at the moment, is like nothing I have experienced before. In many respects I feel like a charlatan having to self-isolate, but I do understand the reasons why.

If I hadn't had my vaccinations and booster, I can guarantee I would be feeling a lot worse. Yes, I do feel out of sorts, but nothing bad or unable to cope with. By staying away from  people I am protecting others, but I am not sure it is entirely appropriate to quarantine for such a long time, especially when, like most people, I have to work for a living. Nevertheless, all of us do need to support the most vulnerable in society; if anyone in an at risk category caught Coronavirus, they may not be as lucky as me.

Today, I feel completely different to the first time I had to self-isolate with COVID symptoms, back in March 2020. Back then I lost my sense of taste and smell and isolated for seven days. I did have a few days when I wasn't feeling great, but nothing too concerning; this time, I feel like I have a very mild cold! Also, the anxiety, worry, and stress I suffered with back in 2020 is no longer there, as I just wait for the day I am able to return to work.

All being well, I should be out and about again on 31st January and in hospital on 8th February for my rescheduled appointment. Darrell and I are at least able to spend some valuable time together, despite being ill. As Coronavirus becomes endemic in Britain, there will be more times I will have to self-isolate I'm sure, unless, of course, the rules are changed once again. The hope is, life will return to normal and all of us will just have to live with the virus, making our own personal judgements on who to be in close contact with. The only concern I have, is the possible discovery of yet another new variant, that is more dangerous than Delta or Omicron, and we return to lockdowns and shutdowns. If things remain as they are, then hopefully we can learn to live alongside COVID and use our own common sense, showing respect for friends, family, and colleagues when we have to and enjoying life as we did in 2018. I pray it's the beginning of the end for self-isolation and I never, never have to do it again!

Last week I went out for a meal and a few drinks with colleagues. This was the first time I had been out with people from work in a long time, just before the start of the pandemic. This was a nice, chilled and relaxing evening, and it felt good to be socialising on this kind of level once again. Of course, it still wasn't the same as it was before COVID, with fewer customers than I remember, but at least the restaurant was open and there were customers, enjoying each other's company. Laughing and joking, deep in conversation, everyone was happy to be out, without a care in the World, living life like it was 2018.

Could this really be a taste of the future, I ask myself? Are we finally coming out of this pandemic? Well, from what the experts are saying, Britain, ahead of much of the World, is moving back towards normality, as we enter a new phase, living with COVID-19. All of us will have to live alongside it and get used to being far more cautious around others, in a personal, measured way, continuing to protect ourselves on a daily basis. I, for one, will continue to wear my mask in a work and professional setting. That is a personal choice and I don't need the Government to give me guidance, especially since they haven't followed rules themselves.

The latest news conference from the Government made it clear, that restrictions will now be lifted and by March of this year, there will be no more controls in place. It is a scary thought, living in a World without limitations, as it was before 2019, but as disconcerting as that feels, I am well aware of the importance of living my life to the full. I want to start travelling, picking up from where I left off, surrounding myself with friends and family in the same way I used to. Most importantly, I want to stop being afraid of a virus that I can't do anything about.

As Britain returns to normal, it is important we remain aware of Coronavirus, because it will be around for a very long time yet. We shouldn't, however, let it impact on our lives negatively any longer. Everyone I know wants to move forwards, all of us have wasted too many precious months, living under the constraints of COVID-19. It may well be time to throw the masks in the bin, but it is also a period to remain aware of just what could happen again in the future. Taking responsibility for our own actions should be our overriding priority, as we navigate the new World COVID has left behind!