Brace yourself. Joke time. Did you hear the bloke who invented predictive texts has died? They’re holding his funfair next monkey. Okay, I admit it’s not the best gag in the world. But maybe, just maybe, a small chemical reaction took place in your brain as you read the words and led to something unexpected, even pleasurable . . . a wry smile. My children laugh all the time, usually at my expense. But I honestly cannot remember the last time I had a good old belly laugh. And I’m sure I’m not alone. And despite being the best medicine, in one of the more bizarre twists of the pandemic, laughter has been officially banned. No joke! Apparently, Aberdeenshire Council has forbidden its employees from joking around with the public over fears it could exacerbate the transition of Covid.