Well here we are again. Personally, I know that I have played my best ever rounds of golf in the last few days, not being hampered by clubs, balls, swing, weather, temperature, ground conditions and any other distractions you care to think of. I am pleased to inform you that I have won all four majors with thrilling comebacks and epic play-off battles against the best golfers in history, sinking ridiculous putts (on my carpet, much to my wife's disgust) of outlandish length with multiple breaks on glass like greens, to become the first golfer in history to win the grand slam in a single year (& take gold at the Olympics - why not, it's my lockdown induced delerium) Meanwhile, the kids have also won numerous global accolades in various disciplines, sporting and artistic as they do their best to drive their old man round the bend and into an early grave. Hats off to the teachers out there, I've said it before and I'll say it again, you're not paid enough for what you do on a daily basis. Reality is of course, far more mundane: my grass has been mowed; the oven has been cleaned: the kids have been schooled and there has been a fair amount of baking going on; walks taken, groceries purchased (although there was a tiny part of me that wanted to run out of the door with them, the power of a mask to create an odd sense of liberty through faceless anonymity is almost overwhelming...almost, but the thought of being tackled by a sweaty pak'n'save trolley collector was enough to dissuade me). Books are being read and many movies watched, although they do tend toward the family genre in our house. Games are played; meals are cooked, and let me tell you, being judged by a 7 and 9 year old is no joke - I have a very iffy relationship with broccoli at the best of times (in the culinary sense, thank you very much), and heaven help me if I overcook this particular damn vegetable, the fiercest Michelin star reviewer has nothing on my offspring. If I am honest over/under cooking broccoli is a bit of a coin toss with me - anything else, not a problem, but broccoli and I get on very rarely, as far as I am concerned the best option is to just smother the stuff in a cheese sauce and bake it (think cauliflower cheese but with green bits), but I couldn't be bothered this time. Of course the weather, while cold, has been fantastic and perfect for our sport - another sign that god (if they exist) has at least got a sense of humour. Still, it leaves us with the hope and anticipation of glorious days to come when we are allowed out of our state imposed homely prisons and onto the golf course to come to terms with reality versus our hyperactive imaginations (or maybe that's just me?). Naturally, we are all keen to know how long until the world starts to return to normal? This is the 64 million dollar question, and I suspect that the answer is not one that we really want to hear. I suspect that we are heading toward a new normal, and that we will have to learn to live with this disease just as we have learnt to live with other highly infectious diseases like the flu. Vaccines and boosters will become the norm, but until enough of the planet has been vaccinated, the risk of new strains taking hold is going to be ever-present. But as the large parts of the rest of the world open up, we have regressed - admittedly in a valid attempt to avoid turning into Australia, which in my opinion, is fair enough and very hard to argue against (sorry, Pete) The point is, we don't now what is going to happen going forwards, and that has been made abundantly clear to us over the last 18 months (is that all?). All we can do is make the best of the situation that we find ourselves in, be kind to each other and look after our own families and bubbles We will get through this, and we will see each other on the fairways soon enough, so in the meantime, stay safe, and I look forward to seeing you soon Steve |