So there I was flippantly pondering what effect Brexit would have on the social kiss hello. Would the quasi-Continental both- cheek kiss greeting,  the most commonly observed formality in London,  no longer be palatable post -Brexit? What exactly  did  the pre-EU full English kiss hello consist of? Was it like the current Australian greeting amongst friends ; a shoulder barge followed by a hearty smack on the left cheek (well that’s the way I do it)? Or was it a stiff upper lip air kiss like a haughty hen inhaling the breeze as it lays an egg in a mild November mist?What I think I’m enquiring about is this: will we need to revert to the kissing customs of 20 years ago to honour  the imminent departure from the EU?

But this flippancy has melted into fear at the latest news. It has mostly been possible, up until now, to filter out the background noise of Brexit. The constant news updates and gentle omnipresent Brexit rumble. Since the first giant shock waves created on June 23rd 2016 every day brings fresh considerations. A hard border here, a soft Brexit there, a query as to whether we could ‘ do it Norwegian style’ here or the ghost of a prayer for a second referendum there.Brexit fatigue set in for the majority of us many moons ago but still the PM fronts up, grimacing her way through daily battle,  a fray so overwhelmingly futile and avoidable it defies description. But now the potential devastation of the so called Disorderly or No- Deal Brexit puts my  flippancy in the shade. And under the spectre of this financially- destabilising , civilisation-ruining prediction I have developed symptoms of BAD. (Brexit Anxiety Disorder)

The symptoms of BAD include any and sometimes all of the following. Fear of going outside, a desire to get into bed at 6.30pm, obsessive baking, the sensation of butterflies in the stomach, general grief, head shaking, heavy sighing and the tendency to flinch at the idea of Christmas. Also the inexplicable need to shun social engagements in favour of a night in on the sofa with Strictly and a pack of Revels.

I may need a doctor to properly diagnose these BAD symptoms.

Or could it just be November-itis ?