Being “stuck” in Australia is my situation right now and probably will be for the remainder of this year. It’s only a bad thing because I can’t easily get back to the U.S.A. to see my family & friends and handle American business. I’ve actually got a pretty good place to be “stuck.”
For the past few months, Adrian and I have been staying home in Daylesford. We’ve built a greenhouse and started growing vegetables and strawberries.
We’ve adopted/rescued chickens and have enjoyed a daily supply of fresh eggs since early May. The eggs have been thoroughly enjoyed, as I have used them in baking lemon tarts, creme caramels, and coffee cakes and Adrian has cooked up delicious omelettes and egg pies. The daily egg hunt is keeping me amused, as each day I enjoy seeing where the chooks decided to lay their eggs in the hay.
I’ve also had the joy of watching the chickens lay eggs. It’s an amazing thing, seeing the chickens lay eggs for my breakfast! Without lockdown and isolation, I really don’t know if I would have ever experienced these things.
Besides raising chickens for the first time in my life, during lock down I have begun to sew again in the past few months. When I was a teenager I started sewing clothes for myself, and in my 30’s I sewed a few clothes and toys for my daughter. My sewing stopped as I got busier over the years, but I have enjoyed the use of my old-fashioned sewing skills as I have been making masks for Adrian and myself. Some of these masks I have made out of scraps of fabric and painted and other masks I have sewn out of recycled clothing. A dress I had that wasn’t too flattering on me, to say the least, came in handy to make a few artsy-looking tie-dye masks. A few old t-shirts from The Holy Moly in Clarksdale, Mississippi, have a new life as COVID-19 prevention masks in Australia.
Along with the sewing, I’ve continued my daily knitting routine. I’ve finished a few hats, gloves, mittens, and cardigans. It seems like I have quite a few things to do in my daily routine, but some days it also seems like I do nothing at all, as Adrian and I have slowed down so much (along with the rest of the world) in things related to our Australian business. We’re doing what needs to be done (and changing some aspects of our accommodation business), hoping that people will be allowed to travel soon. We’re developing our ideas for events and programs at Tasma House, including projects that were just about to launch as lockdown began last March.
On August 29, 2020, we participated in Play Music on the Porch Day, as we enjoyed a springy day in the garden in Daylesford. Here are a couple of little selfie-videos:
We’re so looking forward to being out and about playing music again! Until then, we’ll try not to over indulge in the luxury and delicious use of the chooks’ daily egg gifts…..I’m thinking of the lemon tarts, in particular. And, I’ll try not to buy ALL the wool from Bendigo Woollen Mills in Victoria, Australia!
Carla Maxwell 