Feather your Nest Friday, 7th February, 2025.

Well,  I can't say it has been a good week.   I won't say it's been a bad week though as last time I said that was January last year.   The following week Andy died.  It is like giving the first person in a talent show 10/10 then the next person that performs is better and you have no where to go.  I dare not say too much other than it was not a stellar week. 

I should have known because Saturday morning it began.  I have heard you do not smell smoke when asleep.  This is true because when I woke up I could smell smoke.   I gasped and flew out of bed and as I walked along the passage way to the lounge room the smoke was strong.   As you know for weeks I have been preparing and worrying about fires.  As I got to the lounge room there are windows on both sides of the room and outside was just a thick blanket of smoke in both directions.  I cannot describe other than I felt my heart/soul leave my body.  Immediate complete panic.  Then I thought why hasn't the phone been ringing?   And I checked my phone and I had messages telling me no to worry all this smoke was from our neighbour state and the wind had brought it to us.  It was widespread over hundreds of kilometres.   Road visibility was terrible.  So I had to calm down and what a way to wake up!  

That morning Chloe took this photo on her phone, before the smoke set in.

This is the sun coming up and just as it looked.   Like you know trouble was coming with a sky like that.  Also that evening the sunset was deep red with an eerie glow.  

This smoke has lasted most of the week but has been less severe.   Mum and I took a trip to see Scarlett for her birthday and it was safe to drive but we both coughed all the way home.... (2 hours.)  

Anyway it was worth it!  Scarlett had a beautiful birthday.

Mum baked little cakes and took boiled eggs and beetroot to add to a big green salad I made.  Plus I made a tray of sausages, zucchini and halloumi that could just go in the oven for dinner and hopefully left over salad would complete it.   I made Honey Gingerbread for the school lunch boxes...

So that was a good day! 

The not so good followed.  We had some very hot days.   I lost three hens to the heat.  Things are so dry. 

I had a blow and a shock that I did't see coming at all.  The rug pulled from under my feet.   What followed was I was clumsy and bruised pretty much every limb,  I collected a dozen eggs and dropped them all.  I opened a tub of yoghurt and dropped that.  It must have contained explosives as it splattered so far and wide.   Then I had an injured cow.  I tried to save it on my own and could not.   My helpers came and we hatched a plan which we put into action and successful!  We all jumped for joy then the cow got up and her leg was broken.  We all put our heads in our hands.   I will spare you the details on both horrible incidents.   The cow was put down quickly so it didn't suffer anymore.  I felt GUTTED x 10. 

Somewhere in there I injured my leg and didn't even notice.  When the end of the day came and I went to have a bath my sock and boot didn't want to come off because blood had glued my leg, sock and boot together and I had a mighty cut and bruise.  How I did not feel this I have no idea.

I surely have a "For such a time as this" post brewing.  For several days this went on and everything I touched turn to poop.  I felt "what have I done?"  So I did some deep self examination and consideration.

Now I have done plenty of bad and wrong things in my life and more mistakes than stars in the sky.  But in this instance I found I had done nothing wrong.   As with confessing our sins it is good to sometimes say I am sorry for x, y and z but also I am sorry for the things I don't even remember and or didn't realise were wrong at that time.   Like a blanket - cover -everything -sorry.   Just in case.  Also surely we all hurt or offend others at times without knowing it,  a joke that was not funny,  doing something or even not doing something... overlooking something, failing to notice something...   and we all fall short.

After this what came to me was blessed are those who mourn.  The Lord is close to the broken hearted.  We do not fit into the world nor are we meant to.  

Then I realised I was not doomed,  I was having accidents and messing things up because I was shaken up and shocked.  My nerves are not the greatest.  Even my hand writing was wobbly.  

Then it came to me "do not let anyone seal your joy."   Do not give up.   Keep trying to please God. 

So finally today I feel a lot better.  I was blessed during the week to receive two beautiful letters. What nice timing!

A friend sent me huge wooden spoons and a rolling pin...

I just love them!  She also sent me soap making supplies including Green Clay, Cocoa and Olive butter.  I will make the most of them all.  Her uncanny ability to know what I like is impressive!  These kindnesses just make such a difference.  

I still have produce coming in.

I had dinner guests ... it was impromptu and I was able to throw together a lovely dinner and send them home with a cake.

I attempted a hard to me crochet pattern and now I've made all the mistakes the next one will be better...

Today I went to two thrift stores.   Amazingly I got all of this pure Australian wool for $1.  (Plus the flower.) 

In op shops I look in the "dog bedding" box.   Mainly I do this because I often find pure wool blankets that might have a worn edge or small hole... yet they are 100% wool.  If I do I buy them and wash them up to fill pot holders etc.  Usually they will be between $2 and $5.  You can not beat pure wool.  

Today I found a Mini Jumbuck (famous brand) Queen pure wool underlay.  It was $5.  I googled when I got home... the label said 

"Mini Jumbuck Sleep therapy wool mattress topper"  and the recommended retail prices is.... het ready for it..... $799.99 which is the polite way of saying $800.   😃  This makes it up there with my best ever thrift store buys.   It is in the machine with my hand made wool wash that smells gorgeous as we speak!  

Then I found... beautiful puzzles for the kids, two books for Mum and this fireplace screen....

It had my name all over it.  😊

Speaking of... it dawned on me that there is no reason I can't have pink linen,  florals,  ruffles and so on and that as I browsed dreamy linen online (for sewing ideas)  I remembered I have collected gorgeous florals for years.   I am changing my bed over to all of it.  Over the top of a super plush wool topper that was added today.  

I made a drying mat.  This is quite large and as I wash and sterilise jars they will drain away.   I have a few more cut out.

My cactus decided to flower again.

I ordered a pattern to make Lily some winter dresses.  I realised that my vintage velvets would make beautiful pinafore dresses.  I wanted a pattern with angel flutter sleeves.   I cant wait to use my retro velvets for these!  

Because of the heat I made two giant salads and gave Chloe one of them too.  This came in handy and was delicious.  Heaps was from the garden. 

I picked a bag of road size apples.  

And I checked the pears and apples on my trees thinking they were ready to pick.  But they have more time... which is good as I can pour water onto them and maybe they will get a bit bigger!   I think the pears will only be a week or so longer.   This gives me time to finish using the zucchini.   I bought cream cheese so I can make zucchini cakes with cream cheese topping.   

Tomorrow is meant to be mild but more heat is coming.  I am going to make trays of chicken enchiladas and see how many I can get.  

Now I am aware while we have smoke others are in terrible fires. And further north others are in shocking floods.  Do you read Jenny of Elefantz?  She is on my blog list.  Her last posts have been hand over your mouth close call accounts of her family getting through the flooding.  Yes as for me God was with them.  

So the week was no walk in the park but it still ended up full of goodness.   And let us not grow weary of doing good for in due season we will reap if we do not give up!xxx