I have been reading beautiful comments on our Year of Goodness post. There are so many heart warming memories! I am endeavouring to reply as well. The girls were here until Wednesday and I am catching up...
So it was a good and busy week. We are already a week into the new year! I am glad to stop and review. Usually I make a little list of events plus going through my photos is a reminder as well. I sure took a lot of photos and I shared them around so that the whole family saw Harper's horse ride! Scarlett also had a very rapid sit on but it is just not her cup of tea. She is two years younger though. She thinks she might ride a rose when she is six. :)
This week I just tried to keep the show on the road!
My chickens have grown a lot. The girls loved them.
They are the funniest chickens of all time because their little tails are like Pom Poms.
The Mother is beautiful and I hope to give her another change to hatch more eggs. If not for the fox incident we would have fifteen chicks but I am lucky with the eight.
I boxed up rose buds ready for gifts. It is a joy to play with flowers, even dried ones.
In the orchard I have three trees covered in fruit. Two pears and one apple...
The pears will be ready first. They are growing rapidly at this point...
We are on track for good pears I think.
I knitted a very soft baby wash cloth and really like it. Knitting takes years longer than crochet though, for me anyway!
When the girls arrived we had to watch closely as I had no idea if Zackie knew about kids. The girls understood we had a new dog who had needed a home, that she was an older dog and maybe she didn't like kids or even know about them. They are around working dogs so they were good with this.
When we all jumped out of the car Zackie turned into a couple goose and was all dreamy and "I love you" "I love you" and all smiles. So she likes kids.
At one stage I had Harper and Scarlett in their car seats as we were heading off to go over the back track to Nan Nan Pat's house. I was about to get in and Zackie bolted past me into the drivers seat and straight over the back to sit between the car seats. She apparently thought her spot was right between the girls. She was quite happy to invite herself.
Anyway it all went well and everyone loved each other.
Also... I have to report that Zackie is getting some shine to her coat. There is great improvement.
Our little horse rider was on cloud nine and hasn't stopped talking about it.
There was a lot of goodness in my week!
Like everyone else and every area Covid is here. Everywhere. We just got word the local hospital has closed.
Our nearby town has a very large meat works. They are on 50% production and looking at closing also. Many staff sick could mean the supermarkets close. I say it every week but here we go again... take every opportunity to prepare and stock your pantry.
How was your week? Were you able to build up your home, garden or supplies in some way? I hope so. We love to hear! xxx
I admire Harper for getting so close to the horse, I am terrified of them due to an incident when I was about the same age as Harper.
ReplyDeleteI cheated with a meat stock up - first time ever that I have used a bulk butcher who delivers. I opted to do mix and match x 2 and now the freezer is full again. Had a little bit of room for some muffins I made yesterday - blueberry with a sneaky 1/2 teaspoon of home made lemon butter in a dollop and then covered over. Must say they are my new favourite.
My husband was back at work this week (well working from home due to the unfolding Covid situation) - he has been told that no one is to go into the office unless they have special permission and they will not be looking at going back into the office until the end of February.
Today I had my booster shot, I parked in the Aldi carpark across the road from where I had to go and then did a shop afterwards. Lots of empty spaces but I managed to get everything that was on my small list. I have been topping up every couple of weeks because I could see the writing on the wall. Now we have been told that if we have medical conditions that we need to stay home for 6 weeks - well that may be a problem because I have some appointments that I need to keep so this time I am double masking as well as following all of the regular rules.
My husband will do the fruit and vegetable shopping on Sunday, I need to do a list or he will not bring everything home that I normally pick up.
I have quite a bit I would like to do during this 6 weeks, learn how to use my 'new' sewing machine. Start working on one of my husband's lines. Then I have my knitting and crocheting not to mention the garden. So plenty to do.
Lynette
Dear Lynette,
DeleteI think the bulk butcher who delivers is a great thing! Today in town the store that has meat we really love... but it was about 1/3 stocked and the prices had gone up so much in four weeks... I could not bring myself to pay for most of it and changed my cooking plans drastically.
I think you are really wise to top up. I know you will have plenty of home projects and knitting to keep you happy and busy, this is the good thing about needlework etc. I didnt know you also crochet!! I need to find out more about this! I know since you wrote this a thousand more things happened! With love Annabel.xxx
I love that Zackie loved the girls! Is it always so windy there like in the video? What a happy girl Harper was! We have not seen any closures due to Covid but it is everywhere. The thing that really is disconcerting is that if you have a sick child your doctor will tell you not to bring them there but to the emergency room and we all know how that wait is and how bad to take children there. The world has turned upside down and nothing is as it should be and it is one surprise after the next.
ReplyDeleteWe have a new grandbaby on the way today! Just waiting to hear that he has been born! This makes eight for us.
Dear Lana,
DeleteNo it was just a windy afternoon. Not idea but we managed. Yes things are upside down. All our work towards preparedness ... I dont know what to say yesterday the hospital closed now one town has lost its chemist as well. Things are not great.
Oh congratulations on the new Grand baby!! That is wonderful ... I hope he has arrived safely! With love Annabel.xxx
A friend was transported by ambulance to the hospital today and has been in the waiting room for over 7 hours and has not been seen. This is not America!
DeleteOur new little grandson was born at 4:27 this morning and is our first little red head for which I am thrilled and was hoping for since his Mama is a red head. We are so blessed!
Loved reading your post again. Glad to read Zackie loves the kids! Below zero here this morning and covid is very bad in Northwest IN. Another family member contacted it b ut thankfully we could all be togather for Christmas and all made it safely home from afar. Love the edging on the knitted dish cloth. Makes it so special. Which stitch would that be? I am still struggling to crochet around a wash cloth but I will get it done. Also working on another baby quilt. Will look forward to reading what you do with all your supplies and what the other Bluebirds do! Nancy
ReplyDeleteNancy the edge is my standard edge I seem to always do. It is five single crochets in a row into five crochet spaces below... then five double crochets into the next space and repeat so very simple. But I love an edge. I do an edge on basically everything. I am so glad you were able to be with your family for Christmas! With love Annabel.xxx
DeleteDear Annabel,
ReplyDeleteYour chickens are just lovely with their pom pom tails. Love the dried roses. Even dried flowers are wonderful in the wintertime especially as we are in bitter cold of 20 degrees F now. We do go colder, but hopefully not this year. I'm already ready for spring.
Zackie is a sweetheart and so glad to hear she thought her place was between Harper and Scarlett protecting them. Can't get over Harper's delight with the horse, so sweet.
The knitted washcloth looks nice. I'm with you, I can crochet quickly, but avoid knitting. i find it too difficult.
A quick grocery trip for me this week and another order from Vitacost to take advantage of the 12% off coupon. Then I rearranged a couple of pantry shelves and did the usual after grocery shopping of moving the new to the bottom of the deep freeze and putting the older on top. Blessings, Laura
This week has been filled with some of the biggest heartbreaks of my life. My husband says, 'I think this is the hardest thing we have ever faced.' & our life has had it's share of hard things.
ReplyDeleteIt wasn't all bad, it never is but today I'm struggling to get through to the good. So your post brought some balm to the hurt. Thank you for sharing your sweet week.
Dear Jenny,
DeleteI am so sorry for your heart break. Hurt is a difficult thing. I pray that you can find comfort. Also that there is hope that what ever it is could change over time. With love and hugs, Annabel.xxx
I've been away from the blog and the computer for awhile. It felt good to rest my brain! We were exposed to COVID when we found out our daughter-in-law (just going into her 9th month of pregnancy) tested positive and our son did a couple days later. The family had been at our house and had no idea that they had been exposed by out of town company who became ill the day after they had visited. We isolated at home but we hadn't planned going anyplace that week, anyway. They were sick for awhile but are much better now. I LOVE seeing your photos! The world is icy and cold where I live.
ReplyDeleteLovely photos of the girls and Zackie! Such a beautiful, friendly companion :)
ReplyDeleteWe are still on summer holidays, but the devastating storms have taken away a lot of our garden crops. I still have hopes for my potatoes, even though the tops have been broken. I think I might try and plant a few more tomato and lettuce seeds, just because everything else was so damaged. COVID is here too, but what can we do? Stay safe and stay prepared.
Blessings,
Kirsty x
Annabel,
ReplyDeleteYour chickens are so cute! They would be so fun to watch. And Zackie is pretty. Lol she may be your car ride buddy if you go get the girls again. And horse rides for the girls is a wonderful thing to see. Em has a horse named Patriot and I love seeing the photos of her riding.
So far the year has started off with a mix of both good and not so good things, but I choose not to dwell on the bad. Each day is a new day to begin again. But I am keeping lots busy and productive. I am trying to take time to do a little sewing and to keep small crocheting projects by my chair to work on in the evenings.
We are getting what we can to stay ahead of any shortages , but the pantry and freezers are still full. I try to keep plenty of cheese and butter on hand so will be sure to get more of those.
It's getting cold here now so we are burning wood and keeping the house toasty warm. As you know we traded eggs for more wood yay! We are still getting plenty of eggs daily from our chickens. More dumplings and noodles for me haha!
XOXO
Vicky
I went to Costco yesterday and they were very low on rice.
ReplyDeleteMight be sensible to grab a big bag of it while you can...
I just don't understand covid sometimes!! Just returnee from a family wedding in Adelaide. There were around 200 guests at the wedding. No masks worn and no social distancing! can someone explain that to me please???
ReplyDeleteNo I cannot explain it. No singing no dancing... now some are losing their jobs because of no vax and others have covid and testing positive and have clearance to work in this state, with others no less. So if you can explain it to me then I might know too. So in my opinion it is a mess. When we first were into the virus the minster for health wrote on his FB page his advice was to go have lunch at China town. I took a screen shot as I thought well this isn't going to age well! I think we have to accept we are led by some dim wits and we are going to have to find out own way and try and be discerning, research and keep our eyes and ears open.xxx
DeleteThanks for sharing the lovely photos. And how precious of Harper and that beautiful horse!
ReplyDeleteMy heart and prayers go out to those who are suffering due to the new variant.
After 2 years and several exposures to Covid, our family succumbed to the omnicron. All but my husband have recovered. He decided to check into the hospital because he couldn't sleep well. We are waiting for him to return home as he has other health issues that are affected. Thankfully they have only given him steroids to ease his lungs. This treatment has helped him to sleep deeper.
Blessings to all you Bluebirds!
Dear Annabel
ReplyDeleteWhat beautiful photo's in your recent posts. The Grandchildren are certainly growing up very fast and are so adorable.
How wonderful of your dear Niece to take Harper on a horse ride and show her the ropes. This would have been so exciting for her. Such kindness still exists.
Kindness I witnessed this week was a post on Facebook in our local area. In our area there are lots of families with partners/husbands who work away and a lady put out there that if anyone should fall ill with Covid that she is willing to do things such as deliver groceries and meals if need be. This spurred lots of others to say they were willing to help. We have not been in this predicament before as we had hardly any cases in our area during the early part of the pandemic but now we have well over 1500 local cases. It truly is amazing to witness the generosity of others.
Zackie looks so happy and healthy. What an amazing dog and how quickly she is fitting in with the family.
We have been keeping ourselves busy here with board games, jigsaw puzzles and movies so far. Most of the school items have been done on line with only a few things that need to be done in store and we are lucky that we have been picking the right time to go in store. Sunday afternoons are so quiet and we went last week and picked shoes. The shopping center was so quiet with barely anyone around. Feel for the shop owners.
Freight here has once again been hampered not only due to Covid (like the rest of Australia) but also with roads damaged and flooded in the recent storms further down. We have been fairly prepared, not only from reading your recent posts but we are usually prepared for cyclone season well in advance. It i so sad to see the state of affairs that we are in all over the country. I think that sometimes fighting within the Political parties is more of the agenda that running this country, as instead of agreeing to disagree there seems to be more name calling and blaming.
Hope everyone is having a wonderful week
Take Care
Aly xxx