Feather your Nest Friday, 14th August, 2020.

I would love to say it has been a much easier week!  But if I did I would be lying!   On Wednesday night we had news that another batch of new rules are coming into place.  This lot will cut Lucy and her family off from us completely and also cut them off from school, Doctors, hospital, baby weigh ins.... everything.   The minute I found out it was a true head in hands, I am going to be sick moment.  

Since then we have worked to find out if there are any exceptions and what are our options?   The property Lucy lives on had land on both sides of the border but the driveway in Victoria.   As it is turning out many essential workers like nurses and school teachers (and others) will also be now unable to go to work.   So as far as I can see things are collapsing.

The news last night had a headline and when I see some of these I take a photo of the TV with my phone.   It was "Food Shortage and Price Hike Warnings."    And there sure will be.  If people cannot work, goods cannot be moved,  processing plants are shut or cut to minimal productive, even some supermarkets are shut, then yes there are going to be big problems.   Basics may soon become luxuries.

Lucy's neighbours are evacuating.  They cannot live with being cut off from their work, school etc so they are moving and have to be gone by next Friday.   Lucy and family cannot evacuate to here, they won't let them come this far.   Since there are no covid cases in the border community it makes you wonder.   So our time and energy has gone on this and sleep has not been easy.

I have a chance to meet with Lucy on Monday and then when this comes into place next week this may be the last time.  There is a lot of talk that this could last two years.  We are not accepting that.  But it could be my last change to do anything to help for a while so I am baking flat out and taking as many ready frozen meals as I can make.  Today is Lasagne and Spaghetti sauce bulk cooking day.

If you live in Australia you know the situation keeps changing.  It happens fast.  Be ready.
If you are overseas then I am seeing a lot to be concerned about in the USA and the UK just declared a  recession with GDP dropping 21% between April and June, which is a nose dive!

I knew I was preparing for SOMETHING.  I knew SOMETHING was coming.   I still think this is not it.  Another round of businesses will give up because of this and another tsunami of unemployed will be added.  As of next week our state requires Hotels, Cafes etc to employ an additional person to be a Marshal to oversee  social distancing etc.  Most of them are already really struggling. This will finish many more.   You can comply and do all the right things but it still means open, close, open close, lose business, new rules, new expenses...  sometime most will give up.  And another tsunami of job losses.   So I am waiting for the other shoe to drop.  I don't think this will be a recession it will be a depression.  
Obviously this is my opinion and I would be thrilled to be wrong.
Sorry to be so depressing.  Our family is being torn apart but we are going to fight on.

We are not going to give up.  In this time I have seen tremendous kindness.   People from the Doctor to the school teachers have reached out to Lucy in tremendous ways.  I have to say the worse things are the more an act of kindness or offer of help is like a shining star.  
We are beginning to see levels of desperation I have not ever seen in my lifetime.  Nothing new to generations before me.  But we had it very good growing up.  We never knew a shortage of anything. We were never stopped from being with our own family.   If something broke out sick people were quarantined.  Now well people are quarantined.  This is different.

Ok change of subject!   (Then I need to get cooking!)

This week I kept dehydrating and rearranged the pantry so I have a nice cool and dark cupboard to keep my dehydrated goods.   I also ordered a jar vacuum sealer so that I can seal them properly and get the maximum life for the goods inside.

Because it is still winter here the fire is always on.  At all times something is dehydrating.  

I now save the ends of the gluten free bread and dry those. Later they can be GF breadcrumbs or croutons.

This was a whole head of celery.  Once day it filled one medium jar.  

I am a member of a fair few pantry and canning groups.   From these I am seeing a huge number of people struggling to get jars, lids, seals etc.   Canning equipment is the new toilet paper, chickens or freezers!    Dehydrating is a very good alternative!   I still feel Rain Country on You Tube is a good place to learn all about Dehydrating.

I make Lemon Curd and froze it all for future cakes and pie fillings.

I added 94 Australian organic garlic cloves to me dehydrated goods.   I purchased these from a home grown company.

This week I was able to go to two op shops (thrift stores) and I make the most of them.  They were closed for months but now open.   I will never take them for granted again.  I am stocking up on fabrics, cottons, wool yarn.   This time I got two Queen size pure wool (Onkaparinga) blankets for my Dad.  He wants some as he saw mine.   He doesn't like modern quilts.   I prayed to find some since I haven't seen them lately.  There they were, a pair and in Dad's favourite green.  Also one in red and black which is a car blanket.  Beautiful condition.   During the week these have all taken a turn drying in the lounge room after being washed with my homemade wool wash.  They smell beautiful and come up so soft.
The op shop also had a bucket (yes bucket!) full of Fowlers brand new canning lids.   Fowlers is to Australia what Ball is to America in canning goods.    To top it off I got a heap of pure cottons in various florals,  some gingham and a remnant of pure wool   It was my lucky day that is for sure.

I did a stock up shop.   Then I made up 18 ham and cheese rolls and froze those.

Each day there is the normal stuff.  I try and do some weeding, the housework, take greens to the chickens and collect the eggs...  If I get everything done I can do some sewing.

I needed a nice gift for my Uncle. He us unwell so getting the virus would be a disaster.   I made him some face masks.  I covered a box I had.  I used a card I made.  I made the masks from remnants of other projects.  So the whole gift may have cost $2?   But it is a good gift!  (well I think so!)

He likes dogs so he got a Collie mask in there!

I also made extra masks for myself.  I already made some for Mum, Lucy, Chloe and my Aunt.

Now I am attempting to use remnants and make up masks that I can use as gifts and to barter.   I think I made 16 this week.   For gifts and bartering I package them up individually.

Now I am on to some manly ones.

I also finished up making bibs.  I made ten.  

So that is my week.  Veggies are drying on the fire now,  I have masks cut out.  I need to go collect the eggs then get my spaghetti sauce going.  I like it to cook three hours then some will go to lasagne and some will be portioned out to freeze.

It is not an option for Sidney not to see his paediatrician so please pray and we will continue to fight.  We won't be giving up.  To go the other way is a long distance and would put Lucy and the baby right into covid infected areas.  Which would be stupid!

When things get really worrying my nervous system isn't the best.  It would be a fair guess that many people are feeling nervous, stressed, depressed.   But we can't give up, we may have a long way to go.  We might have years to go.  

How did you do this week?  Were you able to add to your pantry or the garden?  Are you harvesting at the moment?   I know lots of the USA ladies are.   The little things we do daily add up to such a lot.   Please be encouraged to keep going and taking every opportunity.xxx