(Cover Image: Suicasmo from Wikimedia Commons)

Positive news doesn’t shine any brighter at the moment than when we hear about any form of normality returning to this chaotic planet, so this week’s announcement of lockdown rules easing in Scotland in May felt incredible.

You will most likely have your own glorious fantasy of what you’re excited to be doing as of May under the new rules, but, just in case you had forgotten, here are some of Edinburgh’s biggest highlights to look forward to...

Meeting groups of mates in the Meadows...

You can just see it now, vast swathes of students all sunning, drinking, and jokingly reminiscing of that time, only a few months before, where they weren’t even allowed to sit on a public bench.

The sweet, smoky smell of £5 Meadowbank Sainsbury’s disposable BBQs will fill the air and life will, at last, be at peace...

Pub gardens will be open...

Thats right - no more making ‘cocktails’ out of that practically empty bottle of Glen’s you found behind the sofa. Instead, you’ll be sipping on a perfectly crafted pornstar martini, as nature intended.

Whether you’re the kind of person that nurses a crisp chardonnay for the evening, or dunks their head into a Three Sisters fishbowl, one things for sure, there’s not long now!

The return of the coffee shop...

Library vibes just not hitting anymore? Give it a few more weeks and you can get yourself back to your favourite cafe, entranced in your world of dissertation writing whilst pretending to be interested in where your coffee beans were grown.

It’s important to remember that some people will have really struggled with the past few months, and this will be perfect time to reach out to old friends for a coffee and a chat. It does a world of good!

The full timetable for expected lockdown easing in Scotland is available on the Scottish Government website...