“During lockdown both Anna and I were working at home whilst caring for our 3 year-old daughter Emily. Spending time together was lovely, but challenging for us all to manage what we needed and wanted to accomplish on all fronts.

We all desperately missed face-to-face personal contact with family and close friends, and came to realize that online alternatives, although better than nothing, just can’t begin to replace it.

We certainly feel more closely connected with neighbours, through a community WhatsApp group for sharing suggestions, support, and requests, and especially through our series of concerts in the courtyard.

The concerts were a wonderful source of joy and genuine connection even from a distance. I have played Bach, Handel, and Schumann on the oboe, and Anna has sung songs by Andrew Lloyd Webber and Joni Mitchell, all accompanied on the piano by the incomparably wonderful Michael Shak.”