In the UK we’re in lockdown. 

As are some other places, I’m sure you’ll already have noticed.

Just a few weeks ago, we were going about our daily business, shuffling through crowds, getting pissed off at the rather lax approach to queuing for busses, popping into the shops to get chocolate or cheese or toilet roll without a second thought. 

And now things are different.   

And we’re all trying to adjust to an ever fluctuating new normal. A normal that changes day by day, so perhaps normal just ain’t the right word. 

And all of us are worried, either for ourselves, or someone else or both. 

And there’s a level of stress and anxiety that has raised the baseline. 

And it’s ok to feel these things. 

Sometimes it’s hard to concentrate, sometimes we fall into a social media spiral or realise we’ve been watching the same news story on repeat for nine hours, sometimes it’s so surreal it feels like some sort of cheese dream on a bad acid trip (I imagine *ahem*). 

With so many things feeling so uncertain, there’s lots of ways people are coping. Some are diving into new projects, some are finally starting that novel they know is inside them, others are learning a new language. But that doesn’t work for everyone, and that’s ok. It’s enough to just get through these days – if you haven’t completed some sort of Shakespearean style brick of a book, or released a new album, or started a podcast, there ain’t no problem with that. We all cope in our different ways, and we’ll get through this together (maintaining a safe distance at all times). 

And we’re all stressed, and sometimes that comes out in anger or frustration or comedy. So try not to hurt people. 

Be kind. 

Wash your hands. 

Stay at home if you can. 

For me, I’m tinkering with words, some days more than others. My traditional dystopian topics of choice seem a bit more difficult to navigate at the moment. Perhaps I’ll try my hand at something with jokes in, or a bit of romance. PROBABLY NOT THOUGH, RIGHT? I’ll probably just revisit that hideously grotesque and terribly ill-advised zombie porn short story I wrote. If you’re lucky I won’t be able to find it. 

Anyway, this ramble is nothing more than a reminder to be nice to each other. These are strange and surreal times, and emotions are taut. We are all feeling all kindsa ways, so remember this, and help each other. 

Now, back to the writing cave! 

In the meantime, here’s some pictures from a more relaxed time in case this helps at all, a rare holiday last year, sticking to landscape type images because pictures of crowds just seem kinda weird at the moment. *Dreams of sunny vistas and balcony wine*