Keeping the romance alive during lockdown - sponsored post

My husband and I spent 4 months apart during covid, he lives in Dubai and I am supposed to be setting up ready for our new lives in the UK for when he retires in the next 2-3 years. With a world wide pandemic our plans for me to travel month on month off between the UK and Dubai have been put on hold.

For the past 4 years we've been spending more and more time apart, Peter with his work and travel and me with our growing family in the UK and Australia, visiting our adult children for holidays, marriages and the birth of our first grandchild, sadly there have been deaths also that have caused us to be apart for long periods of time.

We've met up for a holiday in Greece, Egypt and South Africa for a week at a time and travelled back to visit each other when we've been able to.

Sadly living in Dubai has meant expensive phone calls and text messaging due to a ban on voice over internet. It's also difficult to send and receive post, so we've ordered gifts from local companies for each other on line to be delivered directly.

Long distanced relationships are difficult and expensive to maintain, regular contact is important, taking time out during the day to speak with each other about how our day has been, who we've seen and places we've been is vital, to feel part of each others life and not living separate ones. Sending a message before going to bed and waking up to receive one in the morning which you feel valued within the relationship also.

Lockdown has been difficult for most of my friends, some who were dating have seen relationships come to an end, other who have been dating have moved in together during lockdown and I've got friends who are feeling trapped in relationships due to their personal social life coming to a sudden stop and now spending 24/7 with their partner with no respite from an unhappy relationship.

Peter and I have been together for 20 years, neither of us have used online dating, but we have many friends and family who have met their long term partners through free dating sites such as Match Me Happy where you can sign up to meet like minded singles in your area, where at least while covid is around you can still have the opportunity to meet up in restaurants and cafes for social distanced meet ups.

For Peter and I, relying on phone calls and messaging daily has helped keep our relationship alive, but there is something different about spending time together face to face, just to relax and enjoy each other's company.

Peter managed to get over to the UK and I’m currently in Dubai for a few weeks. The testing and quarantine required for our travels cuts time we can spend with family and friends but it does mean we have some good, uninterrupted quality time together.