It's 2022 (I know - I've been slack).
We've had Tropical Cyclone Seth almost hit Brisbane (something that hasn't happened since the 1950s). Bundaberg and surrounds, up the coast a bit, are in the middle of flooding due to now Ex-Cyclone Seth still wreaking havoc.
We have Omicron here. Covid is killing people again in Queensland. Since we opened our borders in December, we've gone from zero cases to 18000 today. Two deaths yesterday, with more to come. Three this year alone, and it's only the 9th of January.
Too many of my friends all over the country are sick now. I've had both vaccinations and was sick with both of them. I'm not due my booster until about March. Assuming we get through the next couple of months, I'll be ready to go, I guess.
The weather has been wet, then mid 30s but humidity up near 100%, then we get a week of 24, 25, 27, then back up to 34, 35, 32.
I've lost numerous sheep here on the farm due to the produce I use and have been using for decades changing an ingredient in it, that is now toxic to sheep, but not putting a disclaimer on it. Money is tight enough as it is without this!
And we are back to rationing, not because there is a shortage of products, but because there is a shortage of manpower to staff the shops, to ship the loads to and from the dock and supermarkets etc.
We have gone from a Country envied the world over for how we have dealt with the Covid-19 pandemic, to one being pitied.
Our Prime Minister is a fool, and he isn't helping the States, only himself. Our Premier was doing the right thing by keeping our state border closed to the rest of the country, but was pretty much forced to open the borders just before Christmas. So for Christmas this year, everyone got Covid 😒
Life goes on though - as things get harder to source, life will get more difficult. But I just need to find a few extra hours beyond the normal 24 in each day to get a garden going, to repurpose old clothes and bedding into new things for me and the house, to get around to mending the winter dog coats before the great freeze comes (though our winters still aren't at a point of snow just yet, but they are definitely getting colder!).
I did buy myself a super dooper new all in one crock pot thingy though. It even does baking. So Winter meals will be good. Our power hasn't been as disruptive as it once was (though as manpower goes down due to the pandemic, that is scheduled to change apparently), so making meals for the freezer isn't as questionable as it used to be.
We are in lockdown without it actually being called a Lockdown just now. Our Chief Health Officer for Queensland, plus our Premier, have advised that we must stay home unless it is absolutely necessary to go out. If you can work from home, do so. If you can study from home, do so. Only go out for unavoidable things, like getting vaccinations, boosters, or tests, or if you are unable to do your shopping online. And always but always wear a mask. Because I live on a farm, I must leave the property for pretty much everything, but I am always careful and try to get everything done on one or two days each week, where possible. But I will be staying home a lot more where I can, and going without a great deal. Things are hard to get hold of anyway, just at the moment.
People are panic-buying again, because most of the shops are empty, so whatever is left, people are grabbing. It's quite a scary scenario, and this is only the beginning.
I've been stocking up on cheap battery powered string lights and lanterns, plus candles of course, for the inevitable power outages that are to come, most likely this winter. I also have a lot of solar powered lights around the property, which do help (when the sheep and horses don't eat them!).
I'm reorganising my house again too - partly out of boredom, and partly as a fresh start this year, as it's always nice to have a different outlook sometimes. I also have the occasional dog living in my house for various reasons, so making it safe for them is important too.
My chickens are on strike. I'm down to four now. Two I picked up from Facebook Marketplace as local giveaways, the other two were born here on the property - one was Dad's, one is mine who I rescued from the mud when she was 3 days old. They are steadfastly refusing to give me eggs though. I'm going to be building them a new chook enclosure soon, where they can free range much better than they are able in their little temporary (but very sturdy and fox proof) chicken enclosures that they were moved to after the last fox attack took three of Dad's remaining barnevelda hens and both male ducks.
As the pandemic seems set to stay for the time being, it is becoming more and more important that I get to a point where I am as self-sufficient as I can possibly be, it seems. Products are already hard to get hold of and will only get worse, our workforce is halved, with it likely to get much worse before it ever gets better.
But on the good side, I can be a homebody and not feel out of place! I can read and do craft and home studies without the world thinking I am odd. At least I now kind of fit in 😂😂😂
