On my first day of working from home during the Covid 19 pandemic, Monday 23rd March, I received a text from my husband informing me that they were closing the Queensland borders on Wednesday night at midnight. "How quickly can you pack?" he asked. With t

On my first day of working from home during the Covid 19 pandemic, Monday 23rd March, I received a text from my husband informing me that they were closing the Queensland borders on Wednesday night at midnight. "How quickly can you pack?" he asked. With the news of many deaths overseas, the seriousness of the pandemic made me think, well if we are all going to die then where do I want to spend my last days. Our two adult daughters, new granddaughter (1 month old) and extended family were all in Brisbane. My parents were also driving down from Cairns to Brisbane for a critical eye operation and were needing care and chauffeuring around the big city. So we fled the state of New South Wales for Queensland the very next day. Throwing a suitcase of clothes together, wondering how long we would be away and what seasons to pack for, emptying the fridge and cupboards of perishable foods and packing the necessary tech equipment to work from home.

Justifying to myself, well home could be anywhere, couldn't it? We drove off with a sense of panic, foreboding, seriousness, fear, adventure and a touch of excitement.

I write this 8 weeks later. We didn't die. Working from home happened. I was able to support my parents for five of those weeks before they set off once again to the cleaner air of the cane fields of Far North Queensland. I got to support my daughter and bond with our new grandchild. I basked in the sun ... and I returned to New South Wales.