Feather your Nest Friday, 16th July, 2021.

 It is pouring with rain so I am sitting inside near the fire.   It was a good week.   As always I am glad to take out a little time consider how the week went!

It is school holidays so Harper and Scarlett came to stay.  The minute I got them home here we hit the ground running with jobs to do.   They loved the goats and took over their feeding.

I always aim to teach them all I can.   So each step I show them what to do.   Scarlett was in charge of feeding Billie as he had not been drinking so well.   But we got him back on track!

They loved how the pet sheep brought their lambs up close too ay hello!

Chloe brought baby Thomas over to see the girls and the goats.   It was a good photo opportunity but crazy trying to get any of them to be still for one second! 

We also went over to Chloe and Luke's.    The best photo was this one as Scarlett is wearing her crown, subtle earrings and feeding the Alpaca!  As you do. 

This visit I started the girls on crochet.   We began by learning chain stitch.   

Harper is six.  Her stitches were pretty good.   Scarlet is only 4 but she still got it!

We took our crochet and went and visited Great Grandma (Mum) and she found them sparkly wool and shiny buttons.   These combined to make necklaces and bracelets.   They loved it!    A step towards a new skill.

So it was a bit busy and I am behind on reading comments and replies.  After I took them home on Tuesday it hit me how tired I was!  

I did a trade.  It was a really good one!  We allowed a man we know to holiday in the cabin.    He needed somewhere to have a break in the country.  In return he shot some foxes... and one of them was right near my lambs in the paddock!    He also arrived with a huge box of beautiful fresh produce.   

I was thrilled with this trade!  He also brought chews for Scout and biscuits for the sheep and cows.  He remembered from a visit here what biscuits they eat!  I was impressed!    

So now I have begun working through all of this.  It is amazing!  

With this I remember the state of the cottage when we started out.  Yikes.  It is really good now and I re named it the cabin as my target group is really guys who want to camp,  shoot foxes and so on.   Cabin sounds more manly.    But now all the work we put into that is beginning to pay off.  We have an asset! 

A few side gigs are a good thing.    Our country is in a big mess with shut downs.   Businesses that have been in families and been through so much have reached their fifth lock down in some cases.  There is only so much any business can survive.  Even worse than this are the families who can't reach a sick loved one.   I feel really grateful we are all close together.  

On Wednesday Luke rang me and asked me if I want a lamb?   Of course I said yes.  This little lamb arrived in bad shape.  His mother had died.  A fox attacked him.   He was really dehydrated and his eyes were dull.   I thought oh, no,  this lamb is not going to make it. 

Because of my animal pantry I had everything I needed ready before Luke arrived.   I got a small amount of warm milk into him and sat him in a basket near the fire.    Later I gave some more.  It seemed pretty grim.   Then the phone rang and his little head popped up and his eyes looked bright!  

Well, we are still going.   

I am doing my best.  The very hard way I have found that sometimes an orphan has been too long without a

 drink and slipped too far.  But then I have revived them from worse than this! 

At the thrift shop I found a beautiful summer skirt for one of the girls and some fine pure wool yarn.  Also some lovely chickens books and some cards of pretty buttons. 

Over the weekend it is set to keep raining.  I think I will get some soup on, work on some of the produce and sew.  (IF all goes to plan!)

I hope you had opportunities to further your pantry,  preparedness, gift cupboard, garden or any other area! 

Given everything (and I just heard about the floods in Germany and am trying to find out if a friend is ok...) how can we be the light of the World and encouraging while also encouraging each other to be prepared and watchful?   That is tough!   At the end of the day we need to do our best,  keep the home fires burning and be helpful and encouraging to the people around us.    I was chatting to a lady in the supermarket  carpark.   Our supermarket is on a hill.  The car park is on a deep slope.  This means if you let go of your trolley for a second it ends up in Tasmania.  Anyway I held the trolley for an older lady and then we were chatting.   Then I put her trolley back for her.  She said "thank you for talking to me."   This is what is has come to.    When things are really dim a small light seems bright.    

I remember how Mother Teresa would nurse and touch the people with Leprosy at a time when it was feared so much.   Later Princess Diana also held the hand of a Leprosy patient.  These both had an impact on me.   Both acted as shining lights.   

 Stay with me I know the comparison is not the same...  but I hoped that I would have bravery if I was ever in a situation like that.   When the girls were in primary school I taught a little childrens Bible class after school.   It was like a little club.  One little girl that came had nits in her hair.  She came from a home where everyone had nits and worse and the Mother would just shave their heads now and then and that was it.    This little girl took to me like no tomorrow.  I loved her too.   So from the start I decided to suck it up and brave out the lice.  She sat on my knee, ran to me, held my hand and stayed close.  I am proud to say I never wavered even with my two and their long hair!   I know it's not much,  and not like being unafraid of Leprosy by any means, but now I am not wanting to stop talking to people and helping them in the carpark.   I also am not going to stop singing.  They told us not to sing.  As I drove the girls home we sang all the way.   They sang and screeched with laughter all the way home.    

Put on the whole armour of God and encourage each other. xxx