I have worked from home before in previous roles, but have always preferred being in the office environment with my colleagues; many of whom I have been able to call friends.

Now as I sit in our dining room, with a hastily converted bookcase as a desk and a border terrier assisting me with the numbers or more usually asleep on the floor beside me, I begin to wonder how much this lockdown will actually change the way that businesses operate in the long term and how, when things had to be done in a different way, we adapted and kept operating and continued to providing the best service possible to our clients.

I work part time at Future Life and so the days that I would normally go into the office I have tried to keep as normal as possible; with a 6.30am dog walk, as my daily exercise, in the fields which we are fortunate enough to have on our doorstep and the occasional other dog walker or jogger to shout “good morning” to.

As with many of you, I am really missing the people and things that I took for granted. Visiting my mum and dad for a cuppa with the dog demanding treats, or picking them up to go and support Derby County.  At least, for many us, 3 points on a Saturday will no longer seem like the most important thing in our world.

Obviously, my dress code, like so many others, has reduced into something easy wearing, as after the working day is done it’s watching TV and catching up with all the series of Vikings or cross-stitching a wedding sampler for my brother and sister-in-law, who we are hoping will still be able to tie the knot in October.  Like so many others, plans are completely out the window, and we just hope, like you all do, that our family and friends stay safe until we can come together again.

Sending you my best wishes at this extremely difficult time,

Linda