Going back a bit, I thought it may be useful to fill in why we’ve made the decision to move to Braidwood. Of course, in the background, COVID-19 is ultimately to blame: my work in Canberra came to an end. The ‘deadly virus’ wasn’t mentioned and management had no complaints until revenues tanked and I suspect some sneaky savings needed to be made.

Anyway, whatever their reasons, my former employers’ decision meant we experienced a sudden drop in income which made our Kingston Foreshore rent unaffordable. It was dumb luck that the cottage in Braidwood, let for the last year to a commercial tenant, had just become free. And it needs some work if it’s to become the retirement bolthole we’d always dreamed it would be.

The decision was obvious: if we are to practice social distancing, save money, and work on house and garden, moving to Braidwood was a no-brainer. So many people around the world don’t have such an attractive option — we’re really lucky.

We’d long dreamed of growing our own veg, cultivating a pretty garden, keeping bees . . . living the good life, healthy, simple and stress-free. And for me, the opportunity to try my hand at writing something other than corporate guff.

Let’s see how that goes.