Lockdown in winter

 
We're still in a national lockdown and the terms are harsh.

Unless you must travel for work, you're not allowed to go more than 7 miles from where you live, and are allowed outside for exercise only. No meeting people except in a few cases, no going out and only essential shops and services are open. 

January and February are always the toughest months of the year for me. Christmas is long gone, the days are short, the weather cold and/or rainy. Outside the countryside is dead and the paths muddy and slippery.

At least the vaccination program seems to be succeeding - Britain has managed to inoculate about 10 million people, including my father (84) and mother (82) who were among the very first people to get vaccinated before and after Christmas. There's talk of myself and M, the over 50s, getting vaccinated between now and May. 

The one big worry is the so-called South African variant of the disease. This one seems resistant to the current vaccines, although the scientists are confident that they can tweak existing vaccines and make them effective against that one as well. 

Let's hope they're right. This pandemic thing is getting very tiresome.