We watched Queen Elizabeth’s sad and solemn funeral programmes last Monday and must say that seeing someone from Worcester, Bishop John, so closely associated with proceedings gave me a much more direct connection. It can often surprise how quickly things move on after someone leaves, work or life, and perhaps never more so than in the passing of an hereditary monarch. Times have indeed changed.

For one reason or another, it has felt that the actual interregnum has been so much longer than the reality. But now, cost of living, war in Europe, energy bills, jobs, relationships, mundanities loom again.

Also, fun of course – don’t hold back if there is excitement and enjoyment to be had. It’s not all doom and gloom, but there are serious issues to be dealt with.

One feature of the last couple of weeks that has been high on everyone’s list is that of community and coming together. I was at an award ceremony this week for people in ‘grass roots cricket’ across the county. Volunteers, from coaches to grounds staff, from young to the lifetime achievers, celebrating their love of cricket in countless towns and villages across Worcestershire, with a backdrop of the County side giving Nottinghamshire a bit of a pasting.

This was not so much about cricket, but a celebration of the value of sport and volunteering to any local community. And it was great to see a new award committed to environmental sustainability this year too.

My class from school hits 60 this year. As this coincides with these recent momentous events, it serves as a time of reflection to see what we can learn from our history and how we can change things for the better in the future, personally and institutionally.

Many mayoral engagements, cancelled out of respect, are now being rearranged if they can be, and the calendar is filling up. I still hope to see Warriors this weekend though.

Anyway, “Strictly” is back. Must be time to look forward again.