Talking the talk

In early March 2020 I went to Oban on the west coast of Scotland to talk to the local beekeeping association about Varroa management.At the pre-talk meal {{1}} I said it was probably my last in-person talk as a 'lockdown' would inevitably soon be imposed.I was wrong, but only by three weeks {{2}}.The 'stay-at-home' order, to reduce COVID-19 transmission, was introduced on the 23rd of the month.I was also wrong because during the intervening period I talked (on queen mating and polyandry if I remember correctly) at the SNHBS AGM; attendees were already keeping their distance, not shaking hands and giving a very wide berth to anyone coughing. It was the Covid phony-war period, but everyone knew that seismic changes were imminent.Other than (again) demonstrating that I can be wrong about several things simultaneously, these events were the beginning of a fundamental change to the way society — and, of relevance to this post, societies — work.That first lockdown and the subsequent ~14…