Uncertainty
I
t is the beginning of the school holidays and I am fretting. Are they coming or aren't they? At this very moment are they being given a swift turnaround at Brisbane Airport and sent packing before even getting to unpack?
By: Elaine Lutton
I will explain. My son and his family had planned to fly from Melbourne to spend a few days with me before continuing to Noosa for a week before returning to me and then flying home. That, of course, was before the advent of Delta COVID. I have tried to find out what the exact State of Play is as regards Victoria to Moreton Bay Shire, to no avail. My friends here seem to think No Go but my son says it is OK. He has looked into it. Well, I do keep reminding myself that he a “grown-up” now with a family of his own but as his Mother I cannot but feel responsible for my little boy. Will he manage? Has he packed sufficient clean underwear, warm clothes, handkerchiefs? Will he remember the tickets? Whilst typing this I am keeping one eye on the T.V. whilst listening to the News. Oh, a three-day Lock-down. I phone my son's wife Leigh and discover they are still at Melbourne Airport. They have had to do some rearranging and are going to fly directly to Noosa, maybe they will be able to collect me during their time there and I could stay with them. That would be nice if it is possible. The family has at least had some form of entertainment. They have been interviewed by Channel 7, to the great excitement of the children. Apparently, my eldest granddaughter has given me a good rap by saying how much she was looking forward to seeing her Nan. If I do not manage to get up to Noosa at least I will see them briefly on their way back to Brisbane. Not what I had hoped for but better than nothing. Which might yet happen. At least I have been promised another phone call tonight. My son has the most widely travelled golf clubs that I know of. Well travelled, but
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Arrival rarely played with. Between Lock-downs and pouring rain it seems they rarely get to see a Green. The mere sight of Simon with his clubs will end any drought.
A phone call this evening from Simon: the plane was delayed again and we are still travelling North to Noosa. The kids are as you might expect after twelve hours travelling and waiting about. Queensland is in a 3 day Lockdown. If they had stayed in Melbourne, they would be as free as birds as Victoria is about the only State not in Lock-down. This has all the possibilities of being the worst holiday yet! And it continues to rain. I hope, like their Nan, they will see the comic side of it in future days. Another phone call from son and family. They have arrived at their accommodation, finally, and are feeling surprisingly buoyant. Perhaps due to the large trampoline that they have discovered in the yard of the house that they have booked for a week. There is also a spa so they can sit in the spa whilst watching it rain! They can order in meals, exciting dining from Noosa restaurants to keep the local economy ticking over. Is there no end to the pleasures they are free to enjoy? But wait, there is more! Going to the Beach is considered to be exercise and the wearing of masks is not required as long as social distancing is observed. The next day I receive photos of the family enjoying a balmy Queensland Winter. They are not the only ones; the ocean is full of
equally barmy Victorian visitors enjoying an invigorating swim in the briny! See the photos as proof!!! Still, for my little family, there is always the spa to get their circulation going again and compared with Melbourne they feel they have come to the Tropics. I just hope they do not get heat-stroke. Another phone call, another interrogation by an anxious mother. “What will happen when (if) you are allowed to return to Victoria?”. Back comes my son's decisive answer, “That depends”. I just hope it is just a three-day Lockdown with no further outbreaks. In which case the worst that will happen is they might have to get tested and stay home until their results come through. If all goes well, they will pop in on me next week and stay a night before boarding a plane back to chilly Melbourne. They seem in high spirits and say they are very much enjoying the holiday and I am not to worry. Personally speaking, I can only admire their resilience in the face of such adversity. Perhaps they have inherited a little of my True British Grit and Churchill-ian Spirit after all. Issue 144 July 16, 2021
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