Nature. There is a lot less traffic about, so we are more conscious of things like bird-song. It is also good weather so there is blossom on the trees, flowers are in bloom, and trees and bushes have those lovely ‘new green’ leaves. How many birds or insects can you spot from your window or […]

Hair. Most of us like to have our hair neat and tidy. For some a trip to get it cut is a necessary chore, for others having it ‘done’ is a social outing. At the moment, unless you have someone at home who is good with scissors or shaver, hair is just growing, and some

Church of Scotland in Dumbarton:Riverside Parish Church, St Andrew’s Parish Church, West Kirk During the coronavirus crisis many bereaved families are finding that the restrictions that are necessarily in place for funerals mean that they cannot arrange a funeral for their loved one as they would have wished (though undertakers are doing a great job

It is always easy to criticise what politicians here or abroad do or don’t do. If we are honest, no matter how good we are as ‘armchair experts’, we couldn’t do their jobs. Maybe they have made mistakes, maybe they should have done things differently – there will be a time for reviewing what was

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