There are no traffic jams on my lockdown commute

Those ghost roads, devoid of vehicles didn’t last long – not least because of the constant convoy of Amazon delivery drivers beating a path to my door with yet another parcel.

Apparently, it was vital for us to keep supporting the British economy while shops were shut by ‘doing our bit’ through on-line purchases.

Since the easing of lockdown and people starting to edge back towards normality, it’s obvious there is more traffic on our roads.

But we still haven’t gone back to the days when our highways are transformed into car parks twice a day – at least, not yet.

And personally, I hope we never do.

Lockdown has been difficult and painful for many, forcing friends and families apart when they needed them most.

But it has had some, perhaps unexpected, beneficial side effects.

We’ve spent a lot more time together as a family, for one.

It’s not always been easy and sharing a space that’s doubling as a virtual office, as well as a virtual classroom has not been without stresses and strains.

Tempers have, on occasion, frayed – though I’ve been pleasantly surprised how much O-level German I can still call upon when needed, despite the passing of the decades.

The best part for me is that home working has shaved hours of my weekly commute to and from various offices.

Getting to work now is no more difficult than negotiating the staircase.

I’m actually more productive too, as much of the time I would have spent getting to and from my desk I’m actually spent sitting at it.

But the beauty of finishing a shift and literally stepping into the next room to be away from the world of work and back with the family is priceless.

The Prime Minister is keen that we all get back to normal shortly and get back to the office too.

However, lockdown has given us the chance to shift the balance of our working lives and I hope we don’t throw that away along with the facemasks and hand sanitisers when we no longer need them to fight off coronavirus.