It's been a tiring couple of weeks here.
Home.
We have been plagued by sickness, Elsie struggled to get rid of a niggling virus and now Will has tested positive for COVID which throws us all into isolation for goodness knows how long until the virus works its way through our big family. Fortunately, Will remains quite well in himself. I hope and pray that continues for us all.
We have also been on the receiving end of unrelenting rain. I've lost count of how many times we have either been rained in on the farm or bogged this wet season. The little boys have missed more school than ideal, due to my car not being able to get up one of the particularly slippery hills safely or cross flooded creeks. The ongoing access issues since last year's floods have become increasingly problematic and stressful. The track was badly eroded during last year's floods, which created gaping washouts 6ft deep. It was repaired, but this year's heavy rains have continued to damage it on a regular basis.
Poor feverish Elsie, though one is never too sick to wear a skirt. Elsie is obsessed with skirts and dresses.
I'd be lying if I were to say the constant rain wasn't getting all of us down. The goats hate the rain, we have put them in a thick patch of bush with a big tarp strung up for extra shelter, but the poor things have been pretty miserable. We are all fed up.
When it's raining like this, the boys don't want to spend a lot of time outside. They do love sliding in the mud, but there is only so much mud play one can do. It means we have been spending a lot of time inside, which is tricky in a tiny house with a two-year-old who wants to be involved in all the things. Elsie is not a kid that is content just to observe, she has to be touching everything which makes activities like board games hard. Currently, the boys are working on creative writing projects, while Elsie takes a nap. Building a marble run is next on the agenda. That counts as science, right?
Marble run fun
In more positive news, Grant started a jew job this week. Though he enjoyed his last job, it was very poorly paid. They didn't take into account his previous BA Ag or business management experience and with the rising cost of living, our already tight budget quickly slid into deficit. The minimum wage is a real problem in Australia and the concept of the working poor is becoming increasingly common in this day and age. The cost of living in Australia is high and rising fuel prices are sending prices for essential goods and services rocketing. Many industry wages are way behind inflation and token tax cuts do little to offer real help for those battling along. After three years of putting up with crappy pay in various jobs, Grant is finally earning a fair wage for his skill level, while doing work he really enjoys. He is thrilled to be back farming full time, and I am thrilled to see him being valued and happy.
I hope this is the beginning of a fresh start for us. Because I am bone-weary from battling to make ends meet.
The extra money is badly needed. We have both the cars needing repairs, school fees to pay, the bug shed to finish, a generator to repair, wet weather gear for the kids, shelving to finish in the loft to give the boys much-needed space, a bathroom to finish, lighting in the yurt to improve, painting the downstairs bedroom ceilings, repairs to the satellite unit for the TV which broke and fixing/replacing various other tools which would make life significantly easier, like the whipper snipper. Many of these jobs only cost a couple of hundred dollars, but the truth is that we simply haven't had any money spare.
Though his new job doesn't help currently, as we are in isolation for goodness knows how long. *sigh* Though I know we are luckier than so many and I’m deeply thankful for that.
To combat the feelings of 'blah' that are currently invading our lives, we have been trying to go for walks when there is a break in the weather, visit the animals, watch fun movies, read lovely books, cook tasty nourishing meals and create pockets of the day we can all look forward too. GF Chocolate biscuits also help.
A wonderful and thoughtful gift from Katie @loveroflimes on Instagram
Meals we have been particularly enjoying are baked chicken drumsticks with garlic and herbs from the garden, buttery/chicken broth rice and big salads, nachos with fermented salsa, sour cream and guacamole and meatballs with a tangy creamy sauce, homemade oven chips and a big crunchy salad. Not fancy I know, but very budget-friendly, simple and tasty. Even the simplest meal can be delicious if you spend a little time and consideration building flavour throughout the cooking process.
Another thing that cheered me up this past fortnight was a letter and beautiful and generous bundle of seeds from a friend on IG and also some beautiful hand knitted beanies for Elsie and me from my dear friend Nic in SA. I'm always astounded by the generosity of the simple living community. When we read so much negativity about social media, we can forget about the wonderful communities which can be created and the connections built across the miles with like-minded people.
Unfortunately, the heavy rain has caused a lot of diseases and rot in a bunch of my veggies, so I have been clearing the diseased plants and making way for Autumn crops. I'd really love a safe little protected greenhouse/propagation area away from boisterous dogs and curious toddlers, but I'm yet to solve that issue in a budget-friendly manner. It's on the list. But these seeds will be added to my collection and hopefully this week I can sit down and pull out some to prepare for the growing season and rig up some kind of ad hoc propagation area.
I'm sorry today's post is a little flatter than usual, but with the aim of keeping it real, I decided to share anyway. Life here is not all sunshine and encouraging words though I do try to always find them. I am quite simply a little tired and worn out. It's been near impossible to fill my cup in tiny pockets of time between juggling unwell children, heavy financial burdens and managing rural, off-grid family life amidst unrelenting record-breaking rains.
But what I do know is this. The sun will shine again, money comes and goes, and the seasons will turn. Just like they always have. I hope this finds you well dear readers.
Much love,
Emma
xx
Emma
xx
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