What are people up to during lock down?

earthbound

This lock down hits many people in different ways, I really feel for those in apartments or flats with no space to spread out, to do anything.. I have been travelling Australia for a few years now and recently fitted out a van that I've now been living in for almost 12 months.

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But life can be a bit harsh when you are meant to be locking down and isolating in a small van. I'm exceptionally lucky that I know someone with a property that has a small shack nestled in the forest. So now I have 50 acres of mainly bush, close to quiet beaches, with a simple little shack to self isolate in over this crazy period. But what to do.....? I can't do any aquaponics here, I have to make the most of what available, what is on hand around the property.. So bush poles cut from the forest with an old axe, I managed to find an old roll of ringlock fencing wire, some bits of timber, antique gardening tools which have seen better days..

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Ordered in some compost and straw bales and tried to order in some seeds. Beg, borrow and steal a few cuttings and plants, managed to get some half empty seed packets from my brother that are mostly 5-10 years out of date then get stuck into it... There's a small cleared area in front of the shack that was a useless patch of sand and weeds that I've now transformed into a potentially productive garden.. Damn it feels good to be getting my hands dirty again and the difficulty of trying to get by with what I can find around the property has added an interesting twist.

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The local nursery is stripped of seeds and seedlings and online seed suppliers are swamped so I've been trying to find other ways of getting some plants. I bought lots of locally grown garlic when I was in town, spring onions from the veggie section that I've planted and hopefully I'll be able to get seed from them before too long. Mint has started growing from cuttings, planted 3 different varieties of potatoes, waiting for the sweet potatoes I bought to sprout.

What are others up to in their confined spaces.?

joblow

I love your lifestyle EB, all lookin' good.

Gunagulla

+1

We have a good supply of seeds, and have put down quite a lot to sprout, some of which will go into the AP. I already have a stack of 2 week old peas and a few garlics in one GB. New batch of trout are going well too

Soon we'll start making and freezing pumpkin soup, as there are a stack of various varieties of pumpkins ready to go.
Wife and I have both just put down home brews- her ginger beer, my apricot wheat ale.

Terra

Well done

Amazing what we can put together when we put our mind to it

I have 13 acres of scrub around me so I can wander a bit

Im scratching around in the garden ive been preparing beds , lots to go in I have heaps of seedlings ive grown on to individual advanced seedlings

Helped my youngest plant up her garden beds made from cut down water tanks pleasing to see all the seedlings and seeds being sold

Certainly got people thinking

Positive things will come out of this mess people will learn some patience , learn how to cook properly and realise that we are very vulnerable so have a bit of $$$ in reserve and don't run on vapour

Hoping we don't see a return to insane interest rates that we had in the past .

There will be a big bill to pay

I lecture the young ones on this all the time 20% interest rates are not easy to live with

I have a wheelbarrow full of butternuts ive just harvested and a second crop still going strong so will get a few more .

We had 20mm rain last week wonderful , rain makes everything better

Los Angeles Will

Hello all,
Well here in my part of the states, people panicked hard for the first couple of weeks. Some people are still panic stricken, and rightfully so. Several people who are close to me have lost loved ones due to complications from the virus. A lot of people here, on the other side of the coin, haven't been taking it very seriously at all, hence the rate at which it is spreading here.

As a side note, I find it interesting that seedlings and seeds were still in plentiful supply at my local stores, unlike your situation. I picked up a few of the essential food items, but couldn't get any T.P. I almost joined a few of my friends in ordering a bidet, but don't know if I'm ready for that experience yet...

I am working from home, but all this time at home got the wheels turning. I had an old Japanese style hot tub made from cedar that somebody gave to me. it was in the back yard when they bought the house, and somebody turned it into a planter by drilling holes in the bottom, and it has rot in a few places, but most of the staves are decent. It should hold about 450 gallons. So, I thought about turning it into a fish tank. I had brought it home to reclaim the clear grain cedar wood. But, the allure is there for it house fish. Anyhow, I was thinking:

A) Put it together, and coat the inside with epoxy.
B) try to plastic weld a liner to fit inside.
We,ll, I decided to try option B, since I had the liner, a plastic welder, and most importantly, time.

It only cost me about 30 dollars in liner.

I'm hoping it holds water!!! Only time will tell, but I've got so much of that right now, that the days all blur into one another...

We also have had rain recently, which has been great. I always feel happy when it rains. It rained very hard last night.
I woke up several times from the strong sound of the rain. Today it cleared up.
Like a storm, this situation shall pass. And hopefully it gives us all clarity about what really matters.

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