Hello everyone
It's been many years since I consistently blogged here. I apologise for ending things abruptly, but my excuse is that it could not be helped. I don't know if I mentioned it, but after Mma passed away, I fell sick with a lung condition that was serious enough for my family to fear for my life. By the time I got better, my freelance writing and gardening efforts were in shambles.
So I moved to Johannesburg to kickstart my working life again. But it turns out I was not fully recovered and fell ill again. That episode took more than a year for me to recover somewhat. However, I am better now - at least, well enough to make another attempt at an independent life here in Phokeng. The timing is, of course, horrific, what with COVID-19 sweeping through the world. And lucky me, I fall in with the vulnerable category!
But I am more fortunate than most, and am painfully aware of that fact. I have plenty of space to be able to effect social distancing. Living here in Phokeng and taking care of Mma taught me how to raise a garden-full of fresh produce. I also have plenty of space to walk around and grow some of my produce. For now, I'm settling back in the house, cleaning what needs to be cleaned and unpacking what I had taken with me to Johannesburg. It's a slow job.
The good news is that it's almost winter in the Southern Hemisphere, so it's the perfect time for me to start planting spinach, Chinese cabbage, brassicas and many other foods that I lover. The bad news is that my garden was neglected in my absence and most of it is now overrun by weeds. So I'm starting small, with containers.
Yesterday I started sprouting a batch of chickpeas for my salads and sandwiches. I also started fermenting yoghurt, and am drying some seeds from the fresh produce I brought with me ( tomatoes, butternut and green peppers). This morning I started potato slips to sprout roots so I can start a small potato crop.
I know that every little thing helps, and once I start reclaiming my garden, there will be plenty of volunteer crops. Hopefully, that will happen around Spring.
Anyhoo, I am grateful for this chance to reconnect with you.
Cheers,
Damaria
Damaria, it is so good to hear from you again. We have a forum if you want to join with us and let us know how you are coping. It started up after Rhonda closed her forum down https://thehomemakers.freeforums.net. I am sure everyone would love to see you there. All the best with your veggie planting. These are crazy times with the virus crisis. Stay safe.
ReplyDeleteHi Nana
DeleteThank you for coming back to check on me. I'll check out the forum. I also missed you all. I hope you are all staying safe. We are under a 21-day lockdown, during which government hopes to arrest the spread of the virus. As you say, these are crazy times.
Welcome back. I always wonder what happens when folks stop blogging with no notice to their followers. So glad to hear you are better. Good luck with the garden. Trying to do that where I live is next to impossible with all the creatures roaming around eating what I grow.
ReplyDeleteStay healthy.
Hi Denise
DeleteThank you for the welcome back. I am much better, thank you. Had just interviewed for a fulltime writing job ( for the first time since my illness) mid-February when it dawned on South Africa that this crisis was not going to be confined to Asia. So when we started recording cases, I decided that maybe being in the city was not the best place for me to weather the crisis.
Sorry about the wild creatures. You had previously mentioned that they are an issue, and I suspect, now that the world is quieter, they are probably braver too. Stay healthy, Denise!