OUR social world emerging Rip-Van-Winkle-like from a long sleep is a difficult journey.

After almost four months of partial isolation from our normal pursuits, the need for human interaction becomes more intense, not least for those deprived of inter generational hugging time.

It doesn’t help any that the weather pattern has slipped back into Scottish summer mode.

Somehow it was all much easier when we could feel some warm sun, and have some appropriately distant chats with friends outdoors.

You have to feel for all those people who’ve spent many head scratching hours sorting out table plans and measuring distances for existing or instant beer gardens and cafes only to find that the weather gods have shifted the dial back to dreich.

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Just like the new takeaway services, they’ve often had to entirely re-imagine their offer in order to keep the business afloat.

Yet the scenes from Soho, as England charged ahead with re-opening pubs and restaurants, made it only too clear how easily guidelines can be breached, not least when alcohol is a factor.

What a tragedy – quite literally in some cases – if liberation is swiftly followed by an even more draconian lockdown in the face of new spikes.

So I’m happy to back the slow and steady-as-she-goes school of thought, even if I still have a fortnight before the early Albert Einstein look is attended to by the hairdresser, or I can enjoy a careful restaurant meal with friends again.

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Plus it makes sense to have clearcut instructions in place as to how the new world order can be navigated. Pious hopes of folk acting responsibly after half a dozen pints won’t cut it.

Like most folk, I find face masks a bit cumbersome with an irritating tendency to steam up the spex. But that’s not nearly as cumbersome as sitting at home hoping your online food order is as you meant it to be.

First time round I got three dozen eggs and one banana. I’ve got better, but I honestly can’t remember ordering the two dozen morning rolls which arrived last weekend.

Bacon butty anyone?

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