With people the world over spending more time than usual at home in recent months, it’s only natural to feel nostalgic for the "good old days". So, when the BBC asked readers to share the last “normal” photo they had on their phones, thousands replied – and it wasn’t long before a new social media trend was born.
The images, all posted under the hashtag #LastNormalPhoto on Twitter and Instagram, feature a range of activities – from trips to busy tourist attractions to weddings – that seemed completely normal at the time but are now near impossible. They’re in stark contrast with life at the moment, offering visual proof of how much things have changed over the past few weeks.
Here are some of the best entries, taken before self-isolation became the norm. Warning: the lack of social distancing in these photos is almost anxiety-triggering!
Selling Sunset actress Chrishell Stause shared a video of the Los Angeles Marathon on March 8.
A resident of Newcastle, in the UK, shared a picture of the Szechenyi Baths – a popular tourist attraction in Budapest – with numerous people relaxing in the water. Definitely something we won't be seeing too much of in the near future.
Lucifer showrunner Joe Henderson shared a picture from the show's set right before production stopped. The picture shows stars Tom Ellis and Lauren German enjoying time out on a lush green patch of grass.
Film critic Dan Murrell posted a picture of visitors crowding around the Georgia Aquarium in Atlanta.
A Twitter user posted a picture of the days when we would touch objects without thinking twice.
A nostalgic photo of a packed beach, taken before social distancing became the new normal.
Author Steve Antony shared a sentimental picture of a large family gathering.
Some people in the UAE also shared photos, such as this one showing a busy evening out in Dubai.
Who can resist a sunset picture taken at Kite Beach?
Or just another Dubai skyline view?
Call of Duty: Black Ops 6
Developer: Treyarch, Raven Software
Publisher: Activision
Console: PlayStation 4 & 5, Windows, Xbox One & Series X/S
Rating: 3.5/5
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
The White Lotus: Season three
Creator: Mike White
Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell
Rating: 4.5/5
Six large-scale objects on show
- Concrete wall and windows from the now demolished Robin Hood Gardens housing estate in Poplar
- The 17th Century Agra Colonnade, from the bathhouse of the fort of Agra in India
- A stagecloth for The Ballet Russes that is 10m high – the largest Picasso in the world
- Frank Lloyd Wright’s 1930s Kaufmann Office
- A full-scale Frankfurt Kitchen designed by Margarete Schütte-Lihotzky, which transformed kitchen design in the 20th century
- Torrijos Palace dome
Read more from Aya Iskandarani
Red flags
- Promises of high, fixed or 'guaranteed' returns.
- Unregulated structured products or complex investments often used to bypass traditional safeguards.
- Lack of clear information, vague language, no access to audited financials.
- Overseas companies targeting investors in other jurisdictions - this can make legal recovery difficult.
- Hard-selling tactics - creating urgency, offering 'exclusive' deals.
Courtesy: Carol Glynn, founder of Conscious Finance Coaching
Honeymoonish
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What are the GCSE grade equivalents?
- Grade 9 = above an A*
- Grade 8 = between grades A* and A
- Grade 7 = grade A
- Grade 6 = just above a grade B
- Grade 5 = between grades B and C
- Grade 4 = grade C
- Grade 3 = between grades D and E
- Grade 2 = between grades E and F
- Grade 1 = between grades F and G
Graduated from the American University of Sharjah
She is the eldest of three brothers and two sisters
Has helped solve 15 cases of electric shocks
Enjoys travelling, reading and horse riding
