As lockdown restrictions begin to ease over the coming weeks, for us it still seems like we are a long way off our return to office life as we knew it.

While we have adapted well and we are in the fortunate position of quite easily being able to solely work from home, here are just some of the things we have missed the most during lockdown.

Professional photography: Whilst user generated content has become a profound part of our content strategies and offers a raw way of engaging audiences, there is nothing quite like sharing the love and appreciation for beautifully composed shots.

Phone calls: Has anyone else found that they just miss a good chinwag over the phone? While we have all shared excited thrills discovering the ‘who-knew’ functions of video conferencing tools, we used to spend hours on the phone to clients, associates and of course the media. Now a traditional phone call seems novel as we have adapted to conversing over e-mail, messaging platforms and video calls as standard.

Our local print mag culture fix: Since print production of some of our all-time favourite mags went on hold, we have massively missed a good flick through for the latest what’s on, arts and culture news – yes, we’re looking at your B24/7 and Bristol Life!

The joy of a proper flat white: While our cafetieres and Nespresso machines have come into their own during lockdown, there is nothing that compares to that first sip of a barista-made coffee. Convoy Espresso we miss you!

Friday afternoon camaraderie: Friday afternoons used to mean cheeky treats, wine chilling, radio turned up a few notches and that sense of school playground mischief as we deliberated how soon was too soon to crack open the bottle and head to BocaBar.

Our fellow Paintworkers: Working in a creative bubble at Paintworks, meant always bumping into fellow creative businesses, especially since we started the Paintworks Creative Meet-Ups at the beginning of the year. The sharing of insight, knowledge and inspiration was always just available on tap in the community. Maybe we will need to make a social distanced Paintworks BBQ an early priority when regulations allow.