I recently had a lovely day out.

It involved a fairly long drive, with lots of motorway miles and some nice A roads through picturesque British countryside. The traffic was remarkably light and the weather pretty decent considering the recent storms and that it was only February. I listened to a podcast, some music and the radio and it occurred to me that I haven’t done much of that over the last couple of years because I haven’t spent as much time in the car.

The point of my trip was a good old fashioned client meeting. It’s not the first face-to-face meeting I’ve had since the pandemic started – far from it – but it did seem like a watershed moment. Yes, we sat socially distanced around the table and we didn’t shake hands (which still feels strange), but the trip and the meeting felt pretty normal, all things considered.

The whole day reminded me how much I enjoy what I do and that talking to people in person is really good fun. The pandemic has proven that our advice can be given over the telephone or via Teams and this has added a new string to our bow. It’s a great option to have and how we work will never be quite the same again but nothing really beats that personal connection you get from sitting round a table and sharing some biscuits.

There’s no big message behind this blog, just thoughts on how, at a time of such uncertainty in the wider world, I’m very lucky to have a job I really enjoy. And I’m even luckier to be supported by such a fabulous team in Vicky and Emma, alongside a variety of hugely competent external helpers.

Take care everyone and happy spring!

Dave