It’s an utterly glorious Spring day here, today. You know, the sort that starts with a with a twinkly, thick covering of frost hard enough to necessitate the breaking the ice on the water troughs and speed feeding because everyone is famished but, once finished, is lovely to linger in because the sun feels fantastic – as long as you’re wearing enough layers.
It wasn’t until I sat down to morning coffee that I heard what was happening in Auckland.
Here, along with everyone south of Auckland, we are looking at moving down a Lock Down level at 11.59pm tonight with not one case of the Delta variant making it over Cook Strait. It all just seems very unfair for our largest city to have the weather deal this out on top of everything else.
I’m almost embarrassed to report on the Homestead Lock Down, which is very laid back, relatively easy, and no real hardship. Farm Girl is now a pro at Zoom lessons and submitting her work on time and to the right person, The Resident Engineer just gets on with the job at hand whatever bedlam is unfolding around her, and The Farmer has downloaded a train simulator so he’s keeping himself busy driving the Bakerloo Line and/or ferrying pretend folk around rural Germany. With the drop in levels, he should be needed back at his day job in the near future; it just wont be the same around here without the hiss, swish, beep, and clatter of virtual rail travel.
Having a little extra time has allowed us to get a jump on the demands of expected new Homesteaders.
Felicity, our remaining duck, has defied all naysayers and retired to Duckingham Palace to deliver her one-egg-every-18-hours in peace – just as she has every other year. Not a spring chicken (if you get my drift), she is still set on the whole lay an egg, defend it with my life deal which makes collecting them not a job for the faint hearted. I am faint hearted when it comes to an enraged Felicity, but I am also a fan of duck eggs; so far – touch wood – my combination distract and swoop method is working and, when all else fails, I can be surprisingly fleet of foot.
So we continue to hunker down, mask up, socially distance, and wait it out. I hope the gamble pays off and we squash that curve again.
I also hope that, where ever you are in this world, you are safe, happy and well.
Union Homestead 
Good news for the South Island indeed! Poor old Auckland, they really are getting it in the neck. I somehow did not know you had ducks anymore. Felicity sounds like a terror. We have a broody hen at present and my Egg Collector tells me she uses the feed scoop over the hens head whllst using the other hand to whisk eggs out from under very effectively. This household as are most around our circle of acquaintances, double vaccinated, but still pretty cautious. Delta is holding sway here and after 2 months of masks being optional in most settings, we are back to masks in public places indoors. Vaccine cards are the hot topic, being instituted in a week or two, and one will need the card to enter restaurants, theatres, and events (retail, government and health places all accessible without). It’s causing a Fuss, needless to say. Forest fires are still raging but are dropping slowly off the “fires of note” list…I think we’re down to 150 or so, with 5 still very large and out of control. But no more heat waves – yay! and the fair (like an A&P show) is happening this weekend in a very watered down sort of way. School starts back next week (masks for age 9 and up)and life marches ever onward.
There is nothing as scary as a broody hen! Felicity is our only duck now but we’re keen to add a couple more as duck eggs are wonderful. She can be scary but at least you get a warning that shes peeved as she has to do a little dance. A hen is staring into space one moment, launching itself the next.
We’re all double vaccinated (as we are household contacts of The Farmer, a border worker) except FG who is booked ib for later kn this month. It is scary that the virus doesn’t always pay heed to the jab, though.
I have learnt that everything is capable of causing a fuss…Im almost scared to voice an opinion as there is always compelling arguments for the other side.
Really glad the fires are abating. Life definitely matches on…through it all. Love to you all x
Well done for weathering the lock down in such a satisfactory way, I do hope it all works out, the infections diminish and finally die out.
Thanks, Susan. Me, too.
I like the rudimentary compost station. What more could you need? Good luck with keeping the delta variant at bay. Our cases are rocketing up.
I am ridiculously flattered that my ramshackle compost bins have The Compost King tick 😁
Compost is as compost does. Looks are not everything.
I love those frosty, icy but sunny early spring days! Poor Auckland! It never seems fair when things like this happen during times like these. So many people here suffered flooding last Christmas, including my mother, and because of the pandemic and ‘brexit’ the recovery and repairs needed to be done are taking much longer than they should do. I hope Auckland recovers quickly.
It’s good to see all the work that’s been done on the Homestead and to know that FG is coping brilliantly. Take care! xx
Something we on the Homestead learnt from the earthquakes was the importance of a robust lifestyle. It’s something we are always working towards…what if we cant get to the shops or the power goes out or there’s no fuel or the internet goes down…flood…fire…civil chaos… Yesterday Auckland suffered another broadside – a terror attack. Im hoping as a country we continue to concentrate on being robust and dont get pulled down into the mire of all this.
I am so sorry about what happened in Auckland and after the flooding too!
I can’t compare our potential difficulties with your earthquakes but living as we do some miles from a town, 35 miles from the nearest hospital and having frequent power cuts we are always prepared for the worst. We were snowed in for a few days last winter but had enough of everything to keep going comfortably. We try not to worry about the small things and know we’ll probably get through anything major without too much difficulty. Having a buffoon for a prime minister is not something I like but as long as we try to do the right thing for ourselves, our community, our country and for others less fortunate than ourselves we should be okay. Take care xxx