I worry Boris Johnson will release lockdown too early again | Cheryl Gibbs

I miss having options, even just one or two on what we can do.

I miss ringing my mum randomly to see if she’s available to meet for an impromptu lunch at Stansted House or the Tenth Hole. I miss being able to walk through the door of any family and friends house and sit there and have a natter.

My heart aches for my daughter who, at the age of one, has still never sat in a room with her whole family and I miss that I’ve not been able to witness as she puts the pieces of the puzzle together in her little mind when she realises that this is her family. I miss it all. I don’t think I’ll ever complain again that I’m bored.

However, despite all of this I’m also incredibly worried ahead of Boris Johnson's announcement on Monday that he’s going to lift the restrictions too early, that the inevitable spike in infections will rise again and we’ll have to go through this all again, like Groundhog Day.

I feel like I’ve pretty much been living the same days for a year now and like the rest of the country – or most of the world – I too have had enough.

But we’ve been here before haven’t we?

When we celebrated the decline in infections, by going to the pub and restaurants for a meal out, and just like that we were all told to go back inside. I don’t really know how we’d all cope with that again.

I’ve spoken to so many people who have said they’ve found this lockdown so much harder than the first and I agree with that too.

The first lockdown was hard because Harley wasn’t even six-weeks-old and it hurt so badly that no one got to know our beautiful baby girl. But we were new parents, the sun was shining and it allowed us to breathe and get into a flow of being a new family.

This lockdown has had no positives. The weather’s been awful for almost all of it, there’s literally nothing to do and nowhere to go. I’ll be so grateful when life goes back to some kind of normal, but we must be more sensible. Let’s get it right this time, so lockdown is a thing of the past and not our future.

My aunt and uncle achieved their dream to live on a boat

My aunt and uncle have always lived up the road from us in Clanfield.

They’ve lived there my whole life but this week they’ve moved out and on to a boat.

I’m so proud of them.

It’s been a lifelong ambition of theirs, to pack up and live on a narrowboat, touring the UK waterways (when permissions allow obviously) just the two of them and their dog, Charlie – what an adventure!

Most people spend their whole lives planning things like this.

But few ever do and I find it inspiring that they’ve taken the plunge. Although, selfishly, I’m going to miss them like crazy but I’m so chuffed for them too.

I have failed on Valentine’s Day two years in a row…

Did you all have a good Valentine’s Day?

Did cupid aim that bow and arrow at you on Sunday and did you spend the whole day loved-up?

Or was it, like for most of us, just another day in lockdown?

Last year, Matt and I completely forgot it was Valentine’s Day. Harley was only eight-days-old . Our Valentines to each other was to walk up to the Co-op shop in the village and buy each other a Malteser Bunny.

This year, we were slightly better and got each other lovely cards, Matt bought me a beautiful bouquet of flowers and cooked me a really nice meal. I didn’t get him anything so next year I’m going to have to do much better. Sorry Matt.