Also, shopping for almost anything ten times easier. Every item arrives on the doorstep within hours. Also communication with family and friends on-line much more frequent. Also – in my case – much MORE participation on-line in Parliamentary discussions and committees than was the norm in the physical past. And on top of all this more time to read and write, so journalistic output up, travel exhaustion down, morale – so far – HIGH.

The bad news is that real social life much curtailed, parties are out, opportunities to get out and about very limited, no theatres or cinema, casual conversations disappear, and all the chance factors that come in life from rubbing shoulders, meeting someone by chance, sharing experiences much reduced. Real, as opposed to virtual contact with all family and close friends more limited (and in full lockdown or quarantine of course cut out altogether). Overseas travel greatly curtailed, whether on tour or business or both.

And just to spice things up, for an oldie there is the constant stream of warnings that you are super-vulnerable, that Covid will knock you off any moment and other cheerful information poured out from a generally badly edited and controlled media, full of disinformation, half-true and ill-informed stories and highly biased opinion-formers  masquerading as interviewers or news informants.