Meg is 23

There are a few followers of this blog who I suspect only really come and visit for news of my daughter, Meg.

As it's her 23rd birthday today, perhaps it's time for a wee update on her life.

I think quite early on in the pandemic, watching Meg I came to realise the truth of the notion that we might all be in the same storm, but we're all having a different experience.

This time last year, she was trying to come to terms with finishing her time at The Usual Place, where she'd been training for the previous 3½ years, and was gearing up to starting her gluten-free baking business, Megalicious.

The whole country went into Lockdown 5 days before the official launch.

Even though it took until October before Meg was officially put into a high-risk category (a report was released at that time showing people Down's Syndrome are 10 times more likely to die if they contract Covid-19), we had strong suspicions she would be particularly vulnerable if she got it, so went into shielding mode from the start, and have been in it ever since.

While some people have talked about the 2nd or 3rd Lockdown, we have just had a continual one since March last year.

In some ways, Meg has a stronger immunity than most against the mental health impact of the situation, because she very much lives in the present – something Zen Masters train for decades to be able to achieve.

So she does not spend her time obsessing about the past and what she might have done differently, nor does she often get anxious about the future. For the most part, if the now is OK, then she's OK.

However, she is an extraordinarily social person. She loves people; she loves being with people; she loves making other people feel special.

The eventual plan of Meg having her own cafe – whether pop-up, mobile, or bricks & mortar – is one which would suit her personality down to the ground.

But not being able to even meet with friends for a coffee, or hug her siblings, nephews and niece, has had its impact.

A couple of days ago she had her first vaccine. She was fine while she had it, then broke down in tears on the walk home, experiencing one of those "reality attacks" that have become all too common for most of us.

Maggie has an appointment for her first vaccine, and while I haven't heard yet, I have been told that because of my haemochromatosis, I have been nudged up the priority list.

It will then be about 12 weeks before the 2nd vaccine, and a further 21 days to be sure it will have maximum effect.

So it could easily still be the end of June before we are able to take our first tentative steps back into the world of socialising and meeting up for coffees and hot chocolates with friends and family.

And once we have a good sense of the lay of the land, then we can start looking to launch Megalicious, and hopefully start moving towards a brighter future.

Meanwhile, she was desperate to get her hair dyed by her birthday.

For those who remember the shoot we did last year where she appeared on the front of Dumfries & Galloway Life magazine, she had not long dyed her hair a beautiful, vivid red in preparation for the launch of her business.

Most of it had grown out, although the ends still had some faded red to them, so yesterday Maggie helped her re-dye her hair.

Today our little Valentine's baby turns 23.

Hair Dye: before and after