Sunday, November 15, 2020

"The Great Sickness"

 I was reading a blog yesterday that referred to the Pandemic as "The Great Sickness". Rather apt, I guess.

Life continues on in what is now the new normal. We no longer hug, shake hands, slap each other on the backs, instead we nod (from a distance of 1.5m or so, depending on the State you live in and what the levels of lockdown are). We talk online. We ring each other. We send parcels and letters. We alienate ourselves from the world for the sake of the world. It's an odd place to be right now.

One thing that seems to be happening a very great deal over here is everyone, because they are home a whole lot more than they used to be, are renovating! Bunnings is doing a wild trade.

We had a vicious storm go through a week ago. Serious amounts of hail and thousands of dollars worth of damage. We as a country are cash-strapped as it is, without this extra level of dramas, but it is getting into our storm season here in Queensland, with Summer less than a month away, so I guess it is to be expected. We are already dealing with extreme heats of 37-39 degrees Celsius, and it's not even Summer yet!

Recently our Reject Shop (a nice affordable cheap shop that seems to stock every mortal thing) went into an agreement with Britain's Tesco's. I'm loving it! We have been told that other stores (Coles I think, although it could also be Woolworths) will soon be stocking ASDA and Marks & Spencer products soon as well. About 7 years ago there was an incident when Coles stocked Waitrose Christmas Puddings as they did a deal with Heston Blumethal, who did the Christmas Puddings for Waitrose. I'm definitely not against our trading with our Motherland!

As it gets hotter here, and closer to Christmas, I always think of my time spent in England during the Winters, and of the snow and the cold, which still makes much more sense to me for a Christmas setting than sun, and surf and excess heat ever did.

As seems to be the normal at the moment, I have spent time these last few extremely hot days, browsing the libraries of the world, and came across this lovely little video of sleighing in New York in 1898. The video comes from the Library of Congress, and reminds one of simpler times, don't you think?

https://www.loc.gov/item/00694381/


Friday, March 20, 2020

Rationing

Coles is slightly less stringent on what you are allowed to buy and now much. For Woolies, it's pretty much only ONE of everything, which is why all the checkouts are now open at Woolworths, instead of forcing everyone to go through the self checkout, so they can take away any multiples of anything you might have.

Here's the list from a local Coles that I was in today:


It's truly odd to be living in a time of Rationing. We are literally seeing History being made though, as well. 

It seems that those of us who are happy in our own skins, living alone and not going out huge amounts are doing better than the extroverts in the world, who like to flit from place to place. Thankfully lots of places are giving the world access for free to museums and palaces, to space stations, to opera halls. The list goes on. And it's cool. Seriously cool. While we are all self quarantining, and administering "social distancing", we are coming together with the help of the internet, and sharing our experiences and our lives with people all over the planet. Now, more than ever, we can travel the world from our own houses, for free. Something to be said for the scary times we are currently living in, I guess!

Saturday, March 14, 2020

Pandemic update

Yesterday our PM, Scott Morrison, officially banned all gatherings over 500 people. While Schools and Universities will continue for now (subject to review), any other place where 500+ people are likely to gather will be banned as of Monday. 

Italy has today gone into total shut down. The only travel allowed is for medical (health) and work. All Schools and Universities are shut down until April 3rd.

England is facing the same shortages as us now in their shops, with rationing returning to the Mother Country for the first time since it ended in the 1950s.

America has closed its borders to the rest of the world, pretty much.

Spain looks set to be hit as badly as Italy has.

Life is getting very scary out there!


Films watched - The Blues Brothers


Thursday, March 12, 2020

It's Official

Last night the World Health Organisation (WHO) formally, and finally, announced that we are in a state of Pandemic.

Italy has closed its doors and is in a state of total quarantine. The only way to visit now is virtually - via the web.

Iran is a complete mess. The virus is spreading madly over there.

Australia will be announcing a few new protocols fairly soon, with an overnight increase form 65 to 77 cases in NSW alone.

Panic buying and hoarding continue unabated here in the Great Southern Land.

- - - - - 

Autumn arrived with a bang this week. Last week we were 36+ degrees Celsius. This week we are lucky to see 27 degrees C.

With the help of a friend and their ride on mower, I am slowly getting on top of the sudden growth of grass and weeds here on the farm, while also dealing with sick sheep.

We have a cyclone off the coast, so these few days of sunshine are a nice respite from the rain that is due to arrive once again this weekend.

I am starting my veggie patch today in my small greenhouse, as well as some cottage garden flowers for one small corner of my little enclosed garden, now that I have a safe haven away from the farm animals and prying eyes of neighbours. 

With all the dramas going on in the world, I am very glad I have this little square garden, with its tall colourbond fencing, off my back verandah. My little bit of private oasis away from the world. 

Monday, March 09, 2020

Restrictions and Rationing

Our Supermarket Giants have today released revised restrictions on the purchase of some products as people continue to panic-buy.

WOOLWORTHS:

TOILET PAPER                               1 PACKET PER PERSON
RICE                                                 1 LARGE 2KG PACK PER PERSON
HAND SANITISER                         2 BOTTLES PER PERSON

COLES:

TOILET PAPER                              1 PACKET PER PERSON

ALDI:

TOILET PAPER                              1 PACKET PER PERSON  

COSTCO:

TOILET PAPER                            MAX OF 2 X 48 PACK PER CUSTOMER
EGGS                                            2 CARTONS PER CUSTOMER
A2 MILK (3.5L LITE)                  2 BOTTLES PER CUSTOMER 
FULL CREAM MILK                  2 BOTTLES PER CUSTOMER  
TISSUES                                      2 BOXES PER CUSTOMER

It is starting to get serious out there now. There are 400 dead in Italy from the Coronavirus. Australia has 3 confirmed dead. Every country except for Antarctica now has the virus in some form or another. It is spreading like wildfire and we are close to the WHO announcing a worldwide Pandemic. Scary times we live in!   

Sunday, March 08, 2020

Pandemic, Doomsday Prepper

My day to day life these days is one in which I live on a farm, complete with sheep and chickens and ducks and a horse, plus my dogs (all inherited from Dad when he died). The reality of my life is that as I don't drive, I don't get off the farm much, and when I do, I must rush around and get what I can, where I can.

Before the bushfires, and then the floods, I was able to get the food for the animals delivered. Now, because of those two events, I am more often than not having to go out looking for food for the animals, picking it up in weird and wonderful places, and paying top odds for it as some foods are quite scarce here in Australia just at the moment.

With the recent arrival of the "pandemic without being called a pandemic" Coronavirus, we are now officially in a Rationing scenario. Whereas during the last world war, it was the government that decided who got what and where, at the moment it is the supermarkets enforcing their own limits on how much you may buy of a particular product, with promises that more is to come. Depending on where you shop, depends on how much you are allowed to buy of a particular product, though nearly all of the various shops we have - Coles, Woolworths, Aldi, IGA - have all set a standard of no more than 4 packs of toilet paper per trolley. To be honest, even that is too much, especially since loo paper is one of the remaining items that Australia still produces, and which doesn't need to be imported from China, who have seemingly bought out about 90% of all Australian lands, goods, and way of life!

Because of my somewhat unique (but not totally unique because I know I am not the only person in this country to be living this sort of life) situation, I have a fairly decent store cupboard with a lot of the basics they are telling us we need to stock up on for a minimum of 14 days. There are a couple of things I would like to get a few more of (like frozen veg, tinned veg, as well as some cous cous), but other than that, I could survive for possibly a month here if I were stranded. The animals, however, would still need a weekly supply of food coming in.

I am very glad that over the years I have had a habit of collecting war time receipes, and hints and tips, as they are all very much becoming handy, as the supermarket shelves get emptier and emptier, and items become hard to obtain. I've been saying for a good few years that I really need to get my vegetable patch going again, and now it seems that I really will have to! Life is rather more expensive right now than it was pre-bushfire days! Plus with meat and fresh fruit and vegetables disappearing almost as fast as loo paper from the supermarkets, I may not have much choice soon.

When I'm not turning into a Doomsday Prepper (which I'm not, by the way!) (waiting for the Zombie Apocalypse, as is joked about here in Australia with all the fools getting into fights and pulling knives and such on people over TOILET PAPER), I am learning to live my life more and more from home.

I am back studying again, as a break from reality. I won't gain anything out of it, unless I wish to pay $70 for a certificate at the end of the course, but the courses themselves won't help me along in life. They are merely for interest's sake. 

I am learning to crochet (badly). This may not pay off, but it would be nice to be able to make some things with crochet, as wool is much cheaper right now than blankets and socks and the like, in the lead up to Winter. I am also learning to use my nearly 96 year old Grandma's sewing machine that she bought in the 1960s. Grandma is still kicking along, though sleeping much of the time these days. Sewing is a very handy ability to have.

I recently bought myself a battery-powered push mower. I inherited two petrol-powered push mowers off Dad that were here on the property, but I am not strong enough for the rip cord start, nor can I easily get petrol for them when they run out, plus I am unable to sharpen the blades on them. Mine is as big as a normal mower, but has a rechargeable battery (that is huge!) and a quick charge charger plus spare battery. I have started to learn to mow, as the sheep have gone on strike due to lantana poisoning among their number, and the loss of a few of them as a result. A friend of Dad's has been coming and helping me mow and cut back the lantana, which has been a bonus, and an impetus to get back into it, now that we are finally starting to get below 30 degrees each day. I have a track here that I walk the dogs on, which until yesterday had been very overgrown - easily 6 foot high in grass - and which is now almost all mowed, thanks to Dad's friend and his ride on mower. There are still trees to remove, and bits to cut back along the sides, plus the marshy bit right down the very end of the track which is currently too wet to mow due to recent rains, but it is now at least safe once more to take my dogs for a walk each day on leads.

Other things that I am doing at the moment is travelling the world via Street View and Google Earth. It is not that safe to travel at the moment, at least not physically, nor can I afford it just now, so this is the next best thing, and allows me to spend 5 minutes or 5 hours exploring a city at my own pace. It's not the same thing as physically going there and experiencing life there, but it is, at least, something.

Out of interest's sake, and for posterity, here is the list that has been published in the news about what we should be stocking up on, along with part of the article it has come from:

"To help you stay organised, a leading Australian charity has shared a shopping list revealing the foods worth stocking up on should you find yourself under lockdown.

According to the charity, those stockpiling will need to have a selection of dry goods available which will form the basis of several meals.

These include pasta, two-minute noodles and rice. If you are a single person, purchase 2kg of each. A family of four is advised to buy 8kg of pasta, 5kg of rice and a 6-pack of noodles.

Additionally, pasta sauce needs to be included. Two jars for a single person or eight jars for a family of four.

A range of spreads will ensure there is some variety. The charity recommends Vegemite, Nutella, peanut butter and jam. For a single person, half a jar, for a family of four, one jar.
Cheese slices, frozen fish, meat (pork, beef, mince, chicken) canned tuna or salmon and eggs will ensure a good supply of protein.

Shopping list to survive 14 days in quarantine for a family of 4
Protein
Cheese slices: 4 packs
Frozen fish: 4 boxes
Meat: Selection of pork, beef, mince
Chicken: 15 chicken breasts
Canned tuna/fish: 14 tins
Eggs: 3 dozen
Non perishables
Pasta: 8kg
Pasta sauce: 8 jars
Rice: 5kg
Noodles: 4 pack
Spreads: Vegemite, Nutella, peanut butter, jam
Tinned soup: 14 tins
Frozen vegetables: 3kg
Tinned vegetables: 15 tins
Long life milk: 1 person = 3 ltr, 4 people = 12 ltr
Pantry Staples
Bread (freeze): 6 to 8 loaves
Sugar: 1kg
Cereal: 3 boxes
Cup of Soup: 12 packs
Extras: salt and pepper, powdered milk


Other items that need to be included are tinned soup, seven tins for one person, 14 tins for four people, bread for the freezer, two loaves for a single person, six to eight loaves for four people and long-life milk, three litres, for a single, and 12 litres for four.
Additional extras are frozen vegetables, tinned vegetables, sugar, cereal, Cup-A-Soup sachets, and salt and pepper.

Shopping list to survive 14 days in quarantine - for 1 person
Protein
Cheese slices: 500g
Frozen fish: 1 box
Meat: Selection of pork, beef, mince
Chicken: 5 chicken breasts
Canned tuna/fish: 7 tins
Eggs: 1 dozen
Non perishables
Pasta: 2kg
Pasta sauce: 2 jars
Rice: 2kg
Noodles: (Two-minute): 2 pack
Spreads: Vegemite, Nutella, peanut butter, jam
Tinned soup: 7 tins
Frozen vegetables: 1kg
Tinned vegetables: 5 tins
Long life milk: 3 ltr
Pantry Staples
Bread (freeze): 2 loaves
Sugar: 1/2 kg
Cereal: 1 box
Cup of Soup: 3 packs
Extras: salt and pepper, powdered milk

...people should focus on steadily building up a two-week supply of non-perishable fibre, carbohydrate and protein foods.

Only if “severe” pandemic hits should you start stocking up on perishable foods as it could mean those supplies run out.

When that occurs, .... buy up bread, meat which you can freeze, dairy products like milk and yoghurt, eggs, fruit and vegetables.

“In a more severe pandemic, supply chain issues may mean fresh food becomes harder to get."

Additionally, it pays to ensure you have adequate supplies of a range of medication, include any you regularly take."

Tuesday, February 18, 2020

Films and stuff


Life has been hard here on the farm. I have lived through bushfires and floods all in a period of four months. I have watched my sheep die of starvation as there is no food to be found, despite all I do for them. Grain just isn't enough to keep them alive. I have had to part ways with the majority of Dad's chickens and all of his roosters for much the same reason - as there isn't any food to be found, especially since the bushfires wiped out most of the country.

I am over the endless heat that never seems to end. I am over the extreme changes in temperature and weather. I am over it all.

I miss my Dad more than I could ever imagine. My life feels very empty and ever so much more difficult without him in it.

- - - - - - - - - - 

As it's February and we've just had Valentine's Day (spent on my own again), I've been watching films with a French flavour.

Film 1 - Paris Blues (1961) - a really lovely film to watch. Has an incredibly gorgeous and rather young Paul Newman in it along side Sidney Poitier (also quite young, and before his rather more famous 'To Sir With Love' film a few years later), and an older, but still very amazing, one and only 'Satchmo'. To see Louis Armstrong in any film makes it instant watching for me. He's been a favourite of mine since I was a child and first discovered jazz and dixieland swing, and Rhythm 'n Blues. Most of the music was written by another favourite of mine - Duke Ellington.

Film 2 - The Rage of Paris (1938) - French in so much as one of the main characters is french, but still a very fun little film to watch. It has a young Douglas Fairbanks Jnr in it, along with an equally young Louis Hayward, as well as Helen Broderick being her usual talented self. 

While Paris Blues was darker in nature, touching on various subjects (including that of racism), it was the music that drew me in. With The Rage of Paris, it was the fun nature of the film that kept me watching it. It literally is a romp of a film, very much of its era, the storyline lacking a whole lot, but fun nevertheless.

Today's film is going to be The Last Time I Saw Paris (1954). This one I have seen more than once before, and is an old favourite of mine. It will also be the first of my French films to be in colour. It has an all-star cast with many famous actors and actresses in it, so I am looking forward once again to a visit to this lovely film.