Today is the Queen’s birthday. I don’t know if she will get cake, but she won’t be celebrating it with the family, except on the phone or online. Many people will be having birthdays or anniversaries during the lockdown, and won’t be able to celebrate them as they would have wished. At the end of […]

Secondary Schools Summer term is usually a very stressful time for many secondary school pupils, with exams, worries about grades, about what will happen when they leave school. There will be no exams this year – grades will be worked out from a mixture of Prelim results and teachers’ expectations. It is hard for all

For many families, being together all day, especially during the school holidays, has been a new experience – a time for bonding, for doing things together as a family. Though in some cases the novelty is wearing off! In other families, however, being in lockdown with other members of the family is a very hard

It has been a lovely warm and sunny afternoon in Dumbarton. It would be easy to think ‘I wish we weren’t in lockdown. I wish we could have gone to…’ But we can’t, so there’s no point in grumbling! Let’s appreciate a nice sunny afternoon, let’s reflect on how lucky we are that so many

The Earl and Countess of Strathearn (William and Kate) were interviewed on the radio today expressing their concern for the effects of responding to the Covid-19 crisis on the mental health of healthcare and social care workers. Long hours, intense concentration, many sad experiences and worry about their own health and whether they could be

I’ve heard various people remark on how fortunate we are that if Covid-19 had to strike the world (and we all wish it hadn’t!), it chose to come in 2020, not 2010, or 1990 or 1980. We now have the internet, the capacity for on-line shopping, internet banking, mobile phones, social media, video-conferencing, etc that

We hear on the News of tens, or hundreds, or maybe even thousands, who seem to be ignoring the guidelines on social distancing and not travelling. What we don’t hear so often is thanks and appreciation to the other 64 million (or whatever) people who are: doing it, not because someone in authority told them

How did you get on with decorating your Easter eggs? What about showing them to the rest of us? Take a photo upload it to Facebook or e-mail it to the minister or one of the communications team. Last date for entries to the competition Wednesday 15 April (23.59 hrs)