FOR people across Scotland, this was a weekend worth waiting for. The sun shone and up and down the country, many families and friends were seeing each other, if only at a distance, for the first time in more than two months.

Visiting her daughter and granddaughter in their garden on Friday was a bittersweet moment for Glenda Meek. Though she lives only minutes away from Hannah and seven-year-old Jasmine, it was the first time she had visited since lockdown began in March.

And while the 66-year-old was delighted to be reunited, she found it hard to repress her instinct to give them a good, long hug. “I just wanted to give them a cuddle,” she admitted. “But Jasmine has been very good and knows not to come too close so it was all ‘granny watch me do this’ and ‘granny watch me do that’. It was lovely.”

While Hannah, a key worker, and Jasmine have been round to her garden to speak to her through the window, it has been a huge change for the family as Glenda normally helps out with childcare when her daughter and her partner Tony are working.

“A fortnight ago I had a really bad day – it was horrible,” she says. “I told myself not to be stupid as it was not forever and I am lucky enough to have a garden and a beautiful view. But not being able to hug anyone for all that time is strange.”

For Alexander Pollock, Friday was also a special day – not only was it his 67th birthday, but he was reunited with two of his grandchildren after more than 10 weeks apart.

Alexander, who lives in Bannockburn with his wife Patricia, was delighted to be able to celebrate with Deia (12) and Reuben (8) – even if it was only possible at two metres apart. “Seeing the grandkids has been the best birthday present ever,” he says. “I’ve missed them so much and I can’t believe how much they’ve grown.”

In Glasgow, 33-year-old Lauren Wards, who lives alone and has struggled at times with the isolation of lockdown, was finally meeting her 23-year-old sister Rosie, along with her dog Hollie. Though both girls were desperate to see their mum, she lives 100miles away in Aberdeenshire.

“Lockdown has been really tough, as I live alone,” says Lauren. “I have anxiety and when all this started it made my anxiety much worse. I was constantly worried about my friends and family, the increasing number of deaths, just everything.”

Starting to work from home and taking part in lots of Zoom calls and quizzes has helped, she says, but a face-to-face meet-up felt like a real treat.

She adds: “The day before we met, when I was watching Nicola’s [Sturgeon] briefing, I had a wee cry just thinking of seeing Rosie the next day, but I didn’t actually cry when I spotted her in the park.

“The dog did a big bit of running around and when she finally saw Rosie – she was so excited. Although I couldn’t hug her, it felt like the dog was doing a great job for me.”

Rosie, who is currently furloughed from her hospitality job, adds: “It was super good just to see someone in the flesh.

“We’re definitely planning to meet up again soon.”

Like many she feels the first meet has put her mind at ease. “Now we understand that being this distant isn’t quite so emotionally draining, I’m also planning to meet up with other people on other days and start to see some of my friends again, especially with such good weather.”

But not everyone is lucky enough to be meeting up with loved ones yet. Lynn Williams and her husband, who is paraplegic, are shielding and as yet have no update on when it will be safe for them to make visits at a distance. “It’s been pretty brutal,” she says of the experience of being an unpaid carer during a pandemic. “I’ve spoken to carers who cannot see terminally ill relatives, carers themselves who are disabled and who should be shielding but who can’t because public services have failed them.

“And I miss my family ... my mum in particular. We urgently need a conversation about the balance of risks.”