As I sit in the yurt before first light with little Elsie grunting away in her rocker next to me, the birds singing and the creek babbling in the distance, it is hard to comprehend what kind of Australia we are waking up too. What I do know is the Australia which awaits us is a very different from what many of us have ever known. The weight of the PM’s stage one and now stage two announcements about the closure of non-essential business has settled upon me and I am unsure for how much longer Grant will have work. The company he drives trucks for is in the recycling sector and they mostly deal with building waste. So far the building industry sounds to be staying open but as thousands of people face losing their jobs along with a plummeting stock market we have no idea just how badly the building industry will be affected, or if it too will be shut down over the coming weeks or months.
We have gone through tough times before and the skills we learnt will no doubt help us navigate these uncertain times. This week our children are home from school until further notice. Henry has started his preventor again and as a household of asthmatics viruses usually mean acute and sometimes severe asthma flair ups. I also worry about little Elsie, so we are playing it as safely as we possible can. As a full-time parent and home maker I'm aware of my immense privilege to be able to keep our family at home and socially isolate. I feel it is my responsibility to do our bit to maximise social distancing. It is essential we each do what we can as individuals to flatten the curve and slow the spread of this damn virus, whilst doing our best to support the local economy and preparing our families for a tough time ahead.
So our days here will consist of pottering about, online learning, reading books, doing the washing, playing games and doing yard work in preparation for vegetable planting and some hopefully getting some goats and chickens in the coming months. I’m not too fussed about formal learning for now. These are uncertain times and our focus will be on rest and connection.
What I do know is this - division weakens us. We are stronger together. Physically distancing ourselves to reduce the spread of Covid 19 does not need to mean social isolation. Don't forget to utilize this amazing technology at our finger tips to reach out to those you care about. Post on your local Facebook page, drop a note into the neighbours letterbox offering to pick things up for them if they need. Try to find things to chat and even laugh about when you can. Be inventive. Have skype coffee dates with friends, let the kids facetime their friends. If your feeling alone, reach out. We are all in this together, and together we will get through it.
Elsie sends you all a cuddle.
Below I have included a couple of links about cloth nappies and family cloth for those wanting to save money or who are struggling to source nappies and toilet paper.
Sending love and gentle hugs dear readers. Go gently in these uncertain times and I will always try to respond here, though sometimes it may take me a little while I usually get there.
Much love,
Emma
xx
YouTube: Family cloth 101
Finding yourself out of toilet paper? Here is a families cloth toilet paper system. We don’t use family cloth, but have not been able to get toilet paper for weeks. It may well come to this, but it’s not such a big leap as cloth nappy users.
Cloth Nappies: The story of a converted mama!
