We were two hours away from home today, in Drenthe province literally hidden in the middle of nowhere such that our trusty Fiesta’s updated navigation couldn’t be programmed to reach it. Ostensibly to go for a walk, with thanks to Google we made it to the naked forests in the rural environment of Elp, as a way of social distancing and stay as far away from other people, and for me to grasp what it’s like being in the outside world once again after a near nonstop week of being quarantined at home. As usual I slept through most of the ride arriving groggily in sun-drenched Drenthe.

The idea of working from home was something I championed for a long while with whoever would listen so when Covid madness started happening and WFH became life-savingly necessary, I was more than open to the idea and embraced it, beautiful warts and all. After over a week I’d have to say it’s harder than I thought – with scenes of a pre-internet, pre-running water and pre-electricity existence invading my mind like a recurring nightmare every so often. Being indoors, and occasionally momentarily outdoors on our still-cold balcony, for an overly-extended period of time is proving to be mentally challenging, and with several more weeks like this in our future it’s going to be a psychological struggle. Crisp, sunny Spring days in an enchanted forest setting aside, two hour drives to empty forest parks can unfortunately only be practical for so long. Covid-free days please come to us soon.