With restrictions easing I was so excited to get out with my little boy and meet my friends and their toddlers. It was as if the weather was conspiring against us as we eventually gave up the prospect of meeting up outside and waited for the impending changes on May 17. Surely, we would, at least, be able to share a coffee indoors?

As my son and I waited for the weather to improve my husband decided to buy me some much-needed leggings as a surprise present. I was very excited to see what it could be and when the parcel came I ripped open the packaging to find a new pair of legging!

He was so excited to see my reaction, I tried my best to smile as I was really grateful for a new pair but it may not be something I could wear in public or at home around the kids. If you have ever seen the advert where a young women, who is clearly not sleep deprived by a toddler, parades around wiggling her bottom in leggings that look like they have given you a wedgy. Then you’ll get an idea of what my husband just bought me.

He was so excited to see me in them I quickly got changed. However, the effect that the ‘wiggly bottom lady’ has on her man is not the same as the effect on my husband.

Luckily, I wore something a little more sensible when I met up with my dad, in a park, last weekend. I had not spoken to him face-to-face since February 2019. We are so used to seeing each other every couple of months but we have felt torn apart by pandemic, with the distance between us feeling greater than ever.

As I travelled up to meet him, with him coming down from Yorkshire, I felt giddy with excitement and my accent broadened to a more northernly twang. As soon as we saw each other, I ran up to him, paused two meters apart and asked if I could hug him.

Upon his agreement we both donned masks and hugged. I shed a little tear as I retreated back to my two meters, so I could remove my mask and chat to him. Meeting him felt like things are slowly changing back to normality. I don’t know if I will be comfortable with closer interactions when the restrictions ease, but at least I can finally see my dad.