Another national lockdown? Easy – you just need my personal survival kit

As we head for what could be months of tier 4 restrictions, at least I feel more prepared this time, writes Jenny Eclair. Now, back to my jigsaw puzzle…

Another vital piece of our ‘new year, new lockdown’ kit is a fire pit (Getty/iStock)

So here we are, beginning the new year with a weary sense of déjà vu. But as we head for what could be months of tier 4 restrictions, at least I feel more prepared, because this time I’ve sorted out my very own personal survival kit.

When I was a little girl, and my father went on army manoeuvres in Berlin, he took with him a “kit”, which as far as I can remember consisted of a bivouac, a regulation sleeping bag and tins of food without labels, some of which sat on our pantry shelves for years – custard or sardines? He also had a canteen of pans and cutlery and a selection of tools – lighter, tin opener, knives. Boy’s Own kind of stuff.

My dad’s military training stood him in good stead when he spent the last three years of his life in a nursing home. It was a hard decision to make, as it is for so many families. He was fully compos mentis but physically incapable of doing very much for himself. As he was unable to walk, residential care was the only solution.