Luke O’Neill charts the way forward out of virus territory calmly. He advises that we will have to learn to take risks safely. Keep going with the masks, learn to socialise outdoors. Accept the limitations for another while. The vaccination programme is going to gather momentum and life will get back to normal. Do I believe him? I do. He’s probably the only one I really believe.

As for the people in all sorts of positions of responsibility demanding that the Government must give us a plan and that we must be told when we can travel again and so on. It is all just playing to the gallery.

How exactly are the Government to make a concrete plan in such a changing volatile situation? I think it’s time for the media to back off and allow people in decision making jobs to get on with it. We’ve made mistakes before and none of us want to see that happen again.

It will pay off to stay the distance. We’ve come so far; it would be a shame to pull the horse up before reaching the final hurdle

The National Public Health Emergency Team (NPHET) have to be allowed to call the shots. It will pay off to stay the distance. We’ve come so far; it would be a shame to pull the horse up before reaching the final hurdle. I want an end to the restrictions but not until I know it’s safe.

A fright

During the week, my son Colm got a call from a close work contact saying that he was ill with fever, coughing and had tummy issues. My blood ran cold. Is this it I wondered? Has someone who comes into our yard finally been infected? Which of us is next? Within 48 hours, negative test results were returned and the patient is on the way to recovery.

Easter is now upon us and it is a time of year for celebration, renewal and rebirth whether you are Christian or not

The episode did refocus our minds on keeping COVID-19 away. We still don’t want to get this virus. We’ve done so much work and made loads of sacrifices. We know that we can do it so let’s keep on going. Easter is now upon us and it is a time of year for celebration, renewal and rebirth whether you are Christian or not. All around us spring unfolds in all its beauty. Our ditches are filled with primroses and pink polyanthuses. White wood anemone carpets our woodland. It is such a delicate wild flower. The odd blue variety is also visible. The young animals are growing. Birds are nesting.

We have no birthday parties or gatherings. Weddings are postponed again. For some that means starting a family is also delayed

Life goes on in every facet despite COVID-19 restrictions. We continue to be at war with the virus. It could still kill someone we love. It could still kill me. Why are we losing sight of that? We have to continue to make sacrifices. We have no birthday parties or gatherings. Weddings are postponed again. For some that means starting a family is also delayed. These are life changing decisions. Our patience is being tried on a daily basis.

Be kind

There are moments when I’m fed up with the restrictions and then something really nice happens. My daughter Julie got a hamper delivered as a surprise for her from her friend Paul. He had added in two bottles of prosecco. There were cocktails, pancakes, waffles and various toppings, yoghurt, granolas and sauces. It came from Dwyer’s Gastropub on Cork’s Washington Street. We had a fine feast.

Another day, the most magical, giant bar of chocolate arrived in a beautiful presentation box. It was to Julie from her friend Lorna. We’re lucky Julie shares! The chocolate came from the Bean and Goose company in Co Wexford.

The nice thing about chocolate is that it can be sent to any part of the country. So if you’re feeling a bit blue; do something nice for a friend or somebody that might need cheering up. You will immediately feel uplifted. Kindness is a gift with two way benefits.

In the interest of safety people are reluctant to help others

I think kindness is one of the things that is being hampered by restrictions. On my last trip to the supermarket, I was coming out with a full trolley and had a big packet of toilet rolls on top. The packet slipped off. There were people passing right and left of me. They looked, but nobody ran to help. In normal times I’ve often seen trolley mishaps and people would have rushed to pick up things or assist.

In the interest of safety people are reluctant to help others. I hope our kind ways will return as COVID-19 infection abates. Be kind, you never know the full story.