Thank you for this thread, OP. We know that so many people have had a really tough time of it, so have tended to keep quiet about how lucky we have been. Both closer to retirement than not, DC all grown up with their own DC.
We both had jobs where overseas travel was commonplace. In our 30 year relationship, 20 years married, this is the longest we have ever been able to spend time under the same roof together.
DH is getting on a bit and has for some time had some physical constraints. He had been increasingly complaining about how he hated the travelling. It's taken actually being together for me to realise what he actually meant and why it had become too much. It was mega fortunate that this realisation came when travel has not been possible for a while so there was no chance of him continuing to travel.
I dread to think how much longer he might have continued to travel, without the wider disruption brought on by covid.
DM died at the end of 2019, the last few months spent in a care home. We could only be relieved to know that she had not had to live through a time when we couldn't visit her.
And on a trivial point, as someone who never seems to have any cash, it seems that pretty much everyone now accepts payment by cards/contactless/phone Apple Pay etc, with no minimum payment.
Even places who used to insist on cash.
Can't remember the last time I needed cash for parking, or anything else. We were at Burnham Beeches today, all their parking meters now accept Ringo, result.
It took a pandemic ...