Now to finish all those UFOs

Now that we all have to stay home for the foreseeable future there really is no excuse for many of us who don't have children at home to finish off all those UFOs that we have promised ourselves we would get around to 'one day'. Well...I told myself a few days ago...today is the day! I had started ripping up strips of fabric months ago in preparation to make some scrap fabric bunting but something came along that needed my attention urgently so the fabric was packed away in a drawer.

Silly me thought this method would be quicker and easier to make use than the bunting which our talented presenters had sewn in our first Simple Living Toowoomba workshop of the year which was about Bunting and Bucket Hats . I admit I was wrong as measuring and ripping all those strips was time consuming and in the end I cut some with my rotary cutter. Thankfully it is nearly finished. It is very long as the window I am draping it across is an internal window which used to be on the outside of this old house before the enclosed back 'verandah' was built on. Hanging a curtain there makes the rooms too dark.

As it was looking a little messy due to the ripped strips I finished off the bottom of them with my rounded pinking shears which I used for the first time.

I had a Spotlight voucher a few years ago which paid for them so I was happy with that but have never had occasion to use them before now. They do make for a nice edge though and I kind of wish I had cut all the strips with the shears as well but that would have been an even bigger job. So that is one UFO almost out of the way. The next job is to finish off a loom knitted beanie that I started a couple of weeks ago as it is going to get cool here soon and will come in handy to give to one of our charities that looks after homeless people. 

Unlike several other countries we have been very fortunate here in Australia that our death rate of 63 didn't change for a number of days but I read today that sadly 65 people have now lost their lives. So much sadness for their families. Also, due to the social distancing rules now in place there are a lot of grandparents out there who aren't able to hug their new grandchild or visit their grandchildren which must be so difficult for them. I rarely see my grandchildren anyway as they live so far away but I know a lot of grandparents see theirs each week.

Also only 10 people are allowed at a funeral which is another hardship and the limit of only 5 people at a wedding has resulted in many being cancelled until after restrictions have been lifted.

TV shows like Jamie Oliver's Keep Cooking and Carry On have become very popular here in Australia as many households now seem to be eating meals cooked from scratch which can only be a good thing. I found his recipes on his website Keep Cooking and Carry On and will try some of them out as I tend to cook the same meals all the time. I must have other talents as cooking is not my forte unlike talented cooks like Pauline from Happy Retiree's Kitchen.

As Term 2 approaches next week Queensland students will be studying from home via remote learning apart from vulnerable children and children of essential workers. Of course not all schools are equal and I know that my grandchildren in the Outback don't have a device each to do school work at home nor the internet capability and data that is required for them to study online so I think they will be having hard copies of their classes printed out.

It is beyond me how people are supposed to work online from home and have their children in the house at the same time trying to do school work without being interrupted. Perhaps it would work if  all the children were older but throw into the mix a two year old like my  grandson who is not a school student and the mind boggles. 

While my lifestyle as a retiree hasn't changed all that much since the self isolation guidelines came in, I do miss being able to go out and meet my friends, go to church as well as teach English to my Yazidi student. I hate to think how much English she is forgetting as she knew practically no English when I started teaching her. I can't even ring and talk to her as she wouldn't understand anything I said as she had just started being able to write her name and address and learn the alphabet and numbers when volunteer teachers were told to cancel lessons. I daresay face to face lessons won't resume next term and there is no way she could learn online. 

So we just take it day by day and try to be careful when going out to buy groceries and anything else that is essential. I do miss the library being open though as I only have two books left to read. I should have borrowed more than 15 before they closed as I did have the CEO's library card to use but I couldn't carry any more :-) 

Enjoy what is left of the weekend everyone!