It was rather chilly overnight. So much so that the added quilt and autumn weight PJs were nearly insufficient to my needs. But we survived and it was at least 11am before I lit the fire, haha.

I had been informed, informally, by my JSP that I would be having a phone interview today but as I had no phone signal I rang him. Turns out he is no longer my JSP as the decision to make Sorell my reporting point has been revoked in the face of Covid19 and I now have no clue whatsoever who I am supposed to report to (or indeed contact in need). Never mind. He freely answered the questions I needed a response to so I am fairly happy all is well in paradise.

More clearance of surplus materials from the kitchen  - at this rate I should be able to reorganise some of the furnishings and (perhaps I err in the side of Optimism), tile the backsplash at last. And that, of course, provided an opportunity to play (albeit briefly) with the new machine. Two short seams, but beautifully neat and the problem I have had with both Berninas (the top fabric migrating as I sew so that that I end up with uneven seams) is now where in sight! I have also discovered the one flaw to the machine - you can not adjust stitch length. Otherwise it's perfect, and I can do that on the treadly so no problem really.

Mainly sunny today so I had one load of washing through the machine - planned to do more but noticed massing clouds (which produced nothing) on the southern horizon and decided against.

Tomorrow I will be heading into the wilds of the Northern Suburbs to get supplies as my one transport this week coincides with a service for the office car and I will therefore not have access to free transport for my own use. I will go to Office Works while I wait and take a bit of a wander around the streets.

I think I feel better knowing you are also having focusing difficulties. You always to seem to serenely pass through life doing lovely things and creating preposterous amounts of quilts. I actually did manage to remain focussed for much of the day - not doing what I had planned to do, but being productive for all of that. I am removing all the clutter in the kitchen that has accumulated and provided an excellent excuse not to progress the return of the cupboards to their proper places. But I am now only three major obstacles away from being able to do something productive in there which will be great, as i would quite like to do some advanced cooking amongst other things.

Apart from the kitchen I had the bank to clean, and only just remembered that in addition to the increased rate of sanitisation involved (which is giving me a cough as it's highly perfumed), I had to take the bin home to clean it thoroughly so my sanitisation of that is not simply smearing fingerprints. It is now back in its proper place and in the process I realised it had become so cold that snow seems imminent.

Nice to have ready access to firewood, and it seems to burn well (slow and hot), so lasts well. And it's nice and cosy in the house (yay).

The end of daylight savings has my body clock awry, so I am following it's promptings given that time is not really all that relevant at the moment and have already eaten dinner. Going to bed a bit 'earlier' that usual as I am rather tired from the unaccustomed exertions of housework, haha.

Shortly after I logged off yesterday the wood man arrived with five tonne of wood. The plan was I would start stacking it today and that sort of worked, but due to another 17.5mm arriving it was a fairly piecemeal and uncommitted effort. I did pop some in the trolley and take it up to the back door where it has a better chance of drying out.

It's a huge mound in the back yard. You might remember I once ordered a load from a chap who insisted on only doing 8 tonne loads - same bloke, but he has downsized. It's still an enormous and overwhelming pile to deal with, but if I do it a bit at a time it should be fine. He is not as good as my usual wood man in that he seems to lose interest half way through cutting the wood, so there's several rather long bits with a cut three quarters of the way through. Those and other odd lengths will be set aside for an afternoon playing with the chainsaw when I am in the mood.

I seem to be struggling to committing to doing anything, so the sewing machine has been admired and stroked again, the fabric stash inspected, the counter top cleared and the oven top cleaned, but nothing really effectual has happened. I did cook some chow mein from a rather sad half cabbage in the fridge so that is sitting aging overnight with a view to portioning up for freezing tomorrow.

And that's about the sum total of my day, haha. This isolation business is supposed to provide me with an opportunity to be productive. I wonder when that will start?

Yay - I have finally sorted out the raffle and funds for the Hall, and now my only job is to call one of the nine winners because no-one knows who they are. I suspect they may be the bikies who I browbeat into buying a ticket at the last market.

The down side of this is that the only current time-critical commitment I now have is cleaning the bank. The result is that I spent much of this afternoon convinced that Daylight savings had ended. Doh.

The raffle draw was supposed to be filmed, but my limited skills means that we have two still photos and a brief few minutes at the end when the General Manager and I are discussing my technical incompetence. Fortunately I took the time to pan over to my written record of the draw in that one bit of moving picture.

Results are now posted on the FB page, the Southern Midlands Regional News FB page, and will presumably get posted or reported on 97.1FM radio to ensure everyone knows.

My arch nemesis on the committee remains recalcitrant. I rather hope she will resign during the lockdown since she is unable to get down here, but given the tone of her recent communications I guess I am out of luck. The good news is that despite her consistent obstructive behaviour we are going into this crisis with sufficient funds for the bills over the next three quarters (which I suspect is perceived as showing her up and the cause of much angst.

Whatever, there is more to life that her pettiness.

I keep on playing with the edges of doing something with the Machine but having read the various instructions for face masks have concluded I will wait till I can order some Hepa vacuum cleaner bags.

Rain yesterday produced 30mm which was a nice change, but after all the running around about the raffle I am afraid gardening is not on the list of proposed activities.

Despite the fact it is grey and raining today it is not all that cold, so I have deferred lighting the fire till I need to. Wood is at a premium at present as the phone has been out of order for two days (and continuing) and my message to the wood man has not hit a window of vague signal to be transmitted.

The actual Treasurer of the Hall committee called around this morning to make plans for how we organise the raffle as the information has been being relayed to her via the President who tends to get things muddled. We sorted that out and agreed to catch up later this afternoon to finalise the bits we needed to.

On her way out I checked the letter box and found a parcel notification - astonishingly enough Spotlight, who I had phoned at lunch time yesterday re the machine, had managed to get it delivered today! Now all I need to do is find a flat surface so I can unpack it.

That's next on the list.

This afternoon the Treasurer turned up again and we counted money (which she is banking along with the contents of the Float Tin), screwed up raffle tickets for the draw, all at a suitable distance from each other and were spotted parting company outside the Hall by the local police, haha.

I am keen to get on and cook some chow mein now, so that I can freeze it too, and then I can sort through my fabric stash for the makings of masks.

My $750 economic booster arrived today. It didn't last long - $550 to the woodman, $99.00 to Spotlight for a sewing machine to make masks and toilet squares, and $100 at the supermarket (but I now own 24 new rolls of toilet paper!). The woodman has been advised I am solvent so I await his advice as to when he will be delivering.  The Sewing Machine is somewhere in transit with Australia Post, but should be here in a week or so. It will be good if I can find time to settle down and do some more precise quilting in the days to come.

It was a day of getting used to not being able to get in the car and set off into town as I willed, so the shopping was done on line or as part of my trip to clean the bank. I was going to do a bit more gardening but there was a chook roaming my yard, so I decided against it. It comes from across the road and there's no chance that bozo will keep it under control.

Ran into Josie who runs the post office and she has sold all the raffle tickets so I will collect them tomorrow.

So, some knitting done, some messing around arguing with people on FB and generally gathering my scattered thoughts as I adjust to this new and exciting world. Hope you are all well where you are.

Well extreme times call for extreme measures, so I am resuscitating this blog to see me through the rigours of social isolation. Actually I am rather enjoying it as I have the time to be at home long enough to get something done. I am the sort of person who takes time to disengage from whatever it was I was doing, before I can move on to the next thing I want to do, so rather than being bored, I am taking the time to increase my fibre skills, tidy up the house, whatever. Possibly even manage to finish off some of the work that remains undone, and generally regather my thoughts.

My voluntary driving is slowing down as patients' appointments are cancelled as non-critical, so I have put up my hand to continue driving by volunteering with CTST. This is going to increasingly be more a case of home deliveries rather than carting people around.

I hope some of you are still out there, but if not I will happily burble away to myself and keep you updated on progress here at the mad house.

Meanwhile a quick and sad update - Sebastian had to be euthanised on Christmas Eve due to a sudden onset paralysis which appears to have been the result of losing his footing as he leapt of the bed to bark at something. I have not replaced him, but am a bit torn at present as the presence of a dog in the house would be reassuring if things get a bit nastier. I have the offer of a greyhound, but need to take the time to work out what is happening first.

I did not plant a vege patch but have just turned over the garden and acquired some seeds for root veges and brassicas. I suspect that, like last  year, the winter will be relatively mild and I have a portable plastic tunnel that can go over things if it gets too chilly. At least I have plenty of water.