Dear Reader on what happens when 'new normal' hits 'old normal'

When I first saw sight of the deep clean technicians hard at work in Harrogate town centre earlier in the week I confess I nearly broke into a “whoop.”

I couldn’t have been more excited if I’d turned the corner from Cross James Street into Cambridge Street and spotted Gabriel Byrne, one of my favourite actors of The Usual Suspects fame, standing there in front of me as, in fact, once happened a few years ago one Saturday afternoon in front of WH Smith’s.

For what I saw on Tuesday wasn’t so much a bunch of men in yellow and orange high vis jackets wielding high pressure water jets but a clear-cut sign that Harrogate town centre was finally about to reawaken from the slumber of lockdown.

Roll on Monday and the reopening of ‘non-essential’ shops - so long as it’s done safely.

I’d popped into town to take the temperature of the ‘new normal’ in my role as features editor or, in other words, to get a few grocery items I’d run out of from M&S.

I have to say it was a pleasant experience despite the taped-off bits and social distancing floor and window stickers.

There were no temper tantrums. No one edged too close to you for comfort.

So civilised, in fact, it was the exact opposite of the recent scenes at one or two seaside resorts on the south coast of England on a sunny bank holiday weekend.

My little visit to the shops did, however, take longer than usual and there weren’t even that many customers.

And therein lies one of the dilemmas of easing partially out of lockdown after all these weeks.

What happens if we all turn up in Harrogate town centre on Monday?

What happens when the ‘new normal’ of social distancing restrictions meet the ‘old normal’ of significant numbers of customers?

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My little jaunt into Harrogate town centre was actually my second visit in almost as many days.

On the Sunday I’d walked all the way there in an effort to clear the cobwebs.

It was either that or drive to St James Retail Park in Knaresborough where I’d heard what the national press were describing as “MacMadness” had broken out after McDonalds reopened their drive-thru fast food restaurants across the UK.

Wandering the empty streets I got a distincy feeling of deja vu from a long time ago.

Boring Sundays on family holidays at the likes of Bridlington and Whitley Bay and Morecambe at the tail-end of the golden age of British seaside resorts when flights abroad weren’t cheap.

In the days of three TV channels and strict rules prohibiting opening on Sundays, it really was a slow day - even while on holiday.

The limited options of Scrabble or a jigsaw made the idea of window shopping on lonely streets with lights out and doors locked seem almost appealing.

Now, decades later, looking back to those wanderings as a young boy with my mum, dad, brother and sister, it felt just like lockdown.

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