As things rapidly change here in Australia, and life for us all will be quite different. I know I am so very fortunate.
The weather during the day time has been really lovely sunny with puffs of cloud and gentle breezes. I love using my solar powered clothes dryer. And sat reading a book having a cup of coffee before I headed out to do one or two things. This was on Monday 23/03/2020 Australia.
The photos above are of my drive to some friends, a lovely couples who live about 13 kms from my home. They grow wonderful vegetables and fruit for their stall at the Cygnet markets.
Unfortunately the market has been closed due to the Covid-19 virus. It is not just our local market Fanklin, Geeveston, Cygnet the Wonderful Salamanca Markets an institution that commenced operating 48 years ago, and the Farmers Market in Hobart, have also closed as all markets across Australia have.
Leaving many growers, producers, and artisans with no customers and a lot of produce.
This wonderful couple work so hard and are pretty savvy. They just got on to the local community pages on facebook and were inundated with people who wanted to buy their organic tomatoes. I have bought 3kgs/6.16lbs at $4AUS/$2.39USA/2.03 poundsUK a kg for my own bottling. They were red in colour (but picked for eating as I had forgotten to say I wanted to bottle them). It was lovely that they had picked the tomatoes in various stages of ripening for me.
My dilema was how to ripen them all so I could bottle them. My solution is leaving them in my car. A easy and cheap green house. Problem solved.
The above photos are of their house and gardens, no one is currently allowed in their vegetable growing area. They had also staggered the time people were to come and pick up their ordered tomatoes. They had tried to meet all the current hygiene and social distancing guidelines. Your tomatoes were packed ready to go.
The other photo graphs are of the drive home. On the way I wanted to check to see if there was any mushroom compost from the mushroom farm. They grow oyster mushrooms and other oriental style mushrooms. When they no longer use their bags, they put them in the old apple crates below and sell them on the side of the road. They really just ask for a gold coin donation to cover the cost of moving them with the tractor and driver to the side of the road. I had been keeping an eye out for a few weeks. I was thrilled when I saw them and that they were full. I got out and rummaged through the crates, looking for the ones I hoped would keep growing mushrooms for me for some time to come. I have grown from some over the years several kgs/lbs of basically free mushrooms. Once no more mushrooms grow, the leftover compost, gets added to my vegetable garden. Win:win.
Cygnet Mushroom Farm uses a zero waste model. They even have bags on the side of the apple crates to put the plastic the mushroom compost comes in can be left behind. More information at the site below.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/rural/2016-10-06/cygnet-mushroom-farm-success-tasmania/7907960
The drive back home was pleasant and grey clouds were moving in. All in all it was a very enjoyable day.
As the pace of life is slowing and closing down on many of us due to being perhaps not able to work, to being unemployed suddenly and unexpectedly. To having your children home all the time and your partner, to those in share accommodation. Be kind to each other and thankful to have each other. Everyone of us is under more and more strain and stress and worry. Remember these feelings are appropriate for the situation.
What many of us may be feeling is grief. The sudden loss of our jobs, studies, being able to do things that make us happy and feel connected. The loss of social life and sports life. Going out and chatting over a coffee with friend or to a restaurant.
Weddings now in Australia can only occur if no more than 5 people including bridal party are present. Funerals can have 10 people.
We here in Australia are being told to stay at home (not enforced as yet) and to only go out for essential things, groceries chemist/pharmacy, petrol, work, taking children to school and picking them up. Nail and beauty shops are closed, general massage are closed but ones for medical reasons can go ahead. Hair dressers are still open as long as appointment is less than 30 minutes. Food courts are closed. The list is long.
Queues around the Centrelink offices (benefits) grow each day and their phone and computer services seem to be not able to handle it.
This changed overnight. I imagine that tomorrow we will see more changes. The change has happened so fast. No time for anyone to catch his or her breath.
I know I am one of the most fortunate people in Australia. I will still have to deal with changes and uncertainty.
I can only know how it was for me in the 90s interest rates went so high unemployment back then was extreme, stress, anxiety were extreme. As hard as it was to try to keep me going I would look for anything that made me smile, and make me see the beauty about me while my world was crashing around me. No control no money, lost my home, and almost homeless, but for the kindness of a friend of a friend.
I am thankful that Australia has had so few deaths, I am thankful for the financial assistance I and many other Australians are being given to assist us. I am thankful that it seems the Federal and State Governments are working more cohesively. I am thankful that ultimately I am so fortunate if one can be with a mental illness. Having CPTSD sees my life basically the way it has been for the last three years. I was working on being more social as both my psychologist and the psychiatrist I saw recently were concerned I was becoming agoraphobic. I am thankful that I am really aware of this now and am making a concentrated efffort to leave my home and go for a walk about my acre. I am working up to get back to taking my dogs for a walk everyday. We are allowed to do this as long as we keep social distance. As I live in a rural area this should be no problem for me.
I am thankful to have access to such great local producers and services. I am thankful to be able to make some tomato sauce base for over winter. I only had two jars left from my sauce from last year.
I am thankful for being able to dry my clothes in the sunshine and breeze. I am thankful for the rain that fell over night filling my rain water tanks and watering my gardens. I am thankful for all I have especially my dogs who have seen me through and have been my company constantly. They make me laugh and give me something to hug. I am also thankful for having commenced this blog, and found so many other interesting bloggers out there whom I have connected with.
Keep safe everyone,blessings to you all Tazzie
Echidna Home 
……and that’s the most important way to think……being thankful for what we DO have, not pining and resentful for what we DON’T have 🙂
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so many people who are on Centrelink are complaining about who is getting money and why arent pensioners…I have had to give up helping some people it is just horrible.
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I feel for the people who’ve lost their jobs and have families to support. The old newstart allowance is way below what families need to live on.
I think the Government is really trying to spread the load and help people in these difficult circumstances. People will just have to tighten their belts and start to live a little simpler and cut some of their extravagent habits until the virus ends and things get back to ‘normal’ . I suspect there will be a new normal far into the future.
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I feel for the government what a really difficult time to be in power. Mind you they are really finding out how much they have let the Public Hospital System deteriorate. I am leaving that I do feel for them. I have had enough of people winge because they are not getting any financial help and its not fair. Sigh. what they do not get is that once the virus is officially managed. when ever that will be the economy is not going to be anywhere near where it was. plus all the money that is being handed out will have to be put back in somehow. People do not seem to understand this either. Yes I keep hearing or reading when the virus is over …. I am not sure a lot of people on Centrelink Jobsearch seem to be thinking of anything except what they can spend the money on. I just have to breathe, and I have left that group as it is just horrifying.
I went into get mytomatoes as I wrote and I stopped to get my antdepressant medication so I did not need to be out again for a two weeks. My local Chemist said I could not have it until thursday as I had renewed it only two weeks ago. I was at a loss. So I am trying to stay home as advised, but the essential service is making me leave my home in two days to get my script filled. Arrrgh. Problem is I now do not have enough money so I will have to wait until next Thursday any way. I will try and get two scripts filled at the bigger chemist in Huonville. Id like to get bones for the dogs next week if I can. It is out of my control, and I realised my anxiety was a little up as I have eaten 1kg of chocolate in the last four days.. but I am aware of that. How are you doing Vicki?
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You are lucky indeed to have access to such great produce 😉 What a beautiful place to live in! Stay safe and enjoy it Tazzie!
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I am thank You. blessing to you
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World events may be dark, but nature is still beautiful.
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It is and we need to find it where ever we are living especially in these days.
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Absolutely.
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Stay blessed Tazzie.
I am so gald you shared the information and the photos.
We really want positivity in these periods of uncertainity.
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