Well here we are. How many weeks into this ‘lockdown’/pandemic? I’m not sure. Some days I even struggle to figure out what day of the week it is!
How are you doing?
I have to admit some days are better than others here. There are days when I feel like I’ve no motivation, and could quite happily just sneak back to bed!!!
Then there are days when we get lots done. So let’s concentrate on the positive, right?
The weather has been glorious since this all started, sunshine for the most part. April was actually warm. We got to dine al fresco quite a bit. May has not been so warm…. dry but actually quite cold.
The pizza/clay oven has been completed…. eight years after the base was originally built!
New clay oven being checked out as a possible nesting site!!!
My social distancing honesty table has put egg sales through the roof! I cannot keep up with sales. Some days there are no eggs for us.
This week we’ve started on a new evening seating area… will keep you posted on progress on that.
I’ve planted so many vegetables, a few outdoors, but mostly in the tunnel. I’ve tons of vegetables waiting patiently in the polytunnel for the weather to warm up a bit, so I can get them outside.
Harvest 2020 has started with rhubarb and radishes. It looks like we should have a huge crop of fruit this year, the trees and bushes are laden with fruit.
We are thankful for our very fully stocked freezers. There is now space in them for the first time in many years, as we work our way through our stock. There have been a few UFOs discovered… Unknown Freezer Objects!
I’ve been taking a photo or video a day to share especially with people who cannot get out into the countryside.
I’ve also been editing our YouTube channel which I set up, probably 10 years ago, loaded videos to and never did anything more. So this too is a learning curve.
We’re also learning lots about Webex and Zoom. There has been a family birthday party via Zoom, as well as a virtual dinner party with friends via Zoom. Maybe Zoom will be the new ‘going out’?
Like so many other small businesses, we’ve had to rethink ways to make an income. We’re not sure when/if the bed and breakfast business will ever return to a semblance of normality. All bookings for this year (which looked like being extremely busy) have been cancelled, every single one!
And because people aren’t allow to travel beyond 5 km from home, or gather with strangers, our courses were hit hard too. However, we decided we can at least see how they would work online. I know, it does seem strange doing ‘free range pig-rearing’ on line. It is working though. We’ve our third group joining us next week. Over 2 sessions we cover all the theory, and because I’ve been working on the YouTube channel, I’ve unearthed videos of pigs to show everyone!
White soda and griddle bread made during online bread making class
We started the online bread making course last week, and so far, it seems folks like the idea of this class on a Sunday morning. We can’t do the complete course on line, but we do share the recipes, and do two of the three breads over the course of an hour and a half.
A Year In Redwood 