The start of a week’s annual leave on Friday evening coincides with finishing three time-consuming but rewarding back-to-back projects. I’m a bit worn out. I’m concerned about what I’m seeing on the news. The enormity of what’s coming dawns and I’m scared.
I’ve been watching things closely – peering between the cracks as well as watching the mainstream news. The most chilling of all, are the first-hand accounts from intensive care doctors in Italy. They are giving impartial matter-of-fact descriptions of what is actually happening and it sounds apocalyptic. Healthcare-wise, Italy is at least as well-equipped and advanced as the UK.
Four days on, and it seems highly likely that we will have a similar situation here, with the associated economic collapse. The curves are readily available. We are 13.5 days behind Italy and the projection is identical. It will affect us all. The NHS isn’t coping with its existing demands, so the added strain of coronavirus will have a knock-on affect on the rest of healthcare. People have been panic buying for weeks – now it’s on the news, it will just increase. Supermarkets are rationing and there will be fewer top-ups to the food chain.
I have 8 gigs booked but public events look like like they might go out of the window if there’s a lock down – I’m not giving up yet.
The ranch, more than ever before becomes a physical and psychological haven. I’ve always believed that transcending capitalism at grass-roots level is the way forward and now it’s coming true. Full absorption in the farmlet is soothing. I’m gearing up to try and sort more infrastructure. It could certainly be a pragmatic place for quarantine.
The third 1000 litre tank is now in place on its newly finished concrete plinth, under the unfinished greenhouse, complete with guttering and an extra upright support for the roof. My initial doubts about the whole design have disappeared. The raised top storey gets uninterrupted light all day and the lower storey can be heated (via chickens and compost if need be). Having somewhere above 10 degrees to germinate seeds is crucial from mid-Feb in order to get a good early start. I’ve already missed out on that one.
Now that all the beds are mulched and ready for planting, I need to make more for food growing and the first candidate is the big native wild flower bed in the main allotment – I’ll move the plants out into the field and plant it all with beans.
I ended up getting bees late last season – I already had a hive that Dewy gave me and someone he knew was selling a healthy swarm, so I splashed out £200. I thought they’d died off in the middle of winter – lots of dead ones round the hive. When I checked, they were still there and now they’re out and about on warm days. They haven’t even spread out to the edges of the brood box, let alone the super.
I’ve been lucky with very little storm & flood damage. Yes, as you say slowly away – nature will plod on regardless of the humans. xx
No panic here – just plodding on sowing veggies as usual and waiting for the storm/rain/showers/deluge (in its many forms) to pass and of course the last frost :). Luckily I’ve had minimal damage to my green house, fencing & gate but unfortunately the bees didn’t survive from what i can tell at the mo (haven’t done an inspection yet so there might just be a small colony hanging on in there?). Think I’ll take a year out of beekeeping this year but will leave the hives for passing swarms to take advantage of – if they stay, happy days, if they don’t, I’m happy they had somewhere to have a quick stopover :). Everything takes time, so, don’t forget to make time for yourself too :) .x.x.x.
Yes – you’re welcome to come and have a look
Love reading you’re blog’s Sage I will have to have a look up. I will be flying back from Australia with my mum a week on Saturday I would love to bring her up. She is a proper bush woman loves everything out door. Be good to catch up after all these year’s. I won’t rant on about what’s going on in the world or it would be an essay,haha