Over the months I have become a master practitioner in assembling the little cardboard box, the container chosen to safely convey my swab sample by Royal Mail each Wednesday. This is one of the skills I have developed as a result of being one of the 24,000 volunteers from the UK, Brazil and South Africa involved in the phase 3 trial of the Oxford/Astra Zeneca covid-19 vaccine. We all feel very proud of the achievement of this dedicated team. Certainly I was impressed by

“When difficult times are past and periods of growth and flourishing have come – when the wilderness seems far away – what do we do with those difficult experiences and memories?” I’ve only just read these words, written by my daughter as it happens, in her day-by-day commentary of the Old Testament book of Hosea for the BRF. She could have been writing about our experience today of the Covid pandemic. For many it has been a truly disturbing time, not least because of the