A Strange New World

We are entering a strange new world due to the COVID-19 pandemic.  I’m sure even after things settle down we will not be going back to how things used to be.  I believe God works all things together for His good purpose and although we may not see it or understand the reasons behind things, we know it is not God who has brought this pandemic upon us.  We live in a fallen world which one day will be restored to order, but only in His time.  The earth groans under the weight of our wrong doing, waiting for God’s intervention. His judgement will come but He is patiently waiting for the sons of man to return to Him. 2 Peter 3:9 “The Lord is not slow in keeping His promise, as some understand slowness. Instead He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.”

Just after writing the last update, there was a dramatic change of events.  As the severity of the health risk in travel escalated, Qantas cancelled all international flights.  Just the day before receiving an email from Qantas, I was praying with one of our pastors and we asked the Lord to close the door if I was not to go to Phuket at this time.  We asked that either the flight would be cancelled or the visa not issued.  What a speedy answer to prayer.  I must admit I was rather relieved.  Later that week I heard that the NGO I was to work with was closing their doors to the school and sending all the volunteers home.

Before all this happened, while my friends in Phuket were packing up to move permanently back to Queensland, I arranged to buy some of their belongings.  These are now stored with the NGO waiting for my arrival.  Only the Lord knows when that will be.  I tried to cancel my Thai visa but was told it had already been sent.  I discussed the possibility of having the visa reissued in the future, as usually it must be used within three months of it being issued.  I was told this may be possible as there were others in a similar situation.

My friends returning to Queensland had been planning to leave early April but brought their flight forward twice.  Then two flights were cancelled due to lack of passengers. Eventually, at great expense, they were able to board a flight to Bangkok with connecting flight to Brisbane.  Another friend in the US had similar problems, and while at the LA airport check-in with his wife, a US citizen, not an Australian resident, was nearly not granted permission to leave until she was able to show her marriage certificate, which she had only brought with her as she had been applying for a new visa to return to China!

Friends Elaine and Steve, working in Bahrain came home too.  Elaine came in from New Zealand having visited family there for a wedding, Steve had returned to Bahrain.  Both returned to spend two weeks in isolation.  They are staying in their holiday home in Mandurah but with their family all up in Perth, it was difficult to get fresh fruit and vegetables.  I decided to help them out by driving down to not only deliver their printer, as Steve is working from home, but also to bring them some much needed fresh produce.

Another friend visiting Nigeria is having trouble returning to Perth.  Friends in Cebu, Philippines were also trapped with the lockdown, and a friend in Spain, selling her home and moving back to Australia is stranded till her possessions and house sale goes through.

I’m sure you will know other stories of people trying to get back home with similar challenges.

On the home front, I’ve been busy as usual.  Rains mid-March helped with the filling of my water tank.  I was so grateful for lovely fresh rain water to drink instead of filtering Perth’s terrible-tasting tap water. I know I should be grateful to actually have running tap water, which I am, but I really can’t stomach it for drinking.

On the 19^th of March I visited the dentist.  It wasn’t a day I was looking forward to as it was stage two of my implant.  My surgeon drilled into my new cow-bone jaw to implant the base of the surgical implant for the final stage – the tooth.  Unfortunately the jaw was still a little soft so although the implant was inserted a screw top had to be applied and the skin sutured over to keep it all clean. I kept my eyes closed and prayed through the whole procedure.  It’s the sound of all the drilling that sets my teeth on edge (pun intended).  I couldn’t eat for the rest of the day and took pain killers as the anaesthetic wore off, leaving me in severe pain and with a headache!

That afternoon I had also booked to see a chiropractor, as my lower back and left hip were getting worse.  X-rays showed a scoliosis and deterioration of the lower spine.  No wonder I haven’t been able to stand or walk for extended periods of time.  What’s more, I wasn’t able to jog for a week after my surgery.  Jogging has always helped with knee, back and hip pain.

The last weeks of March have been very busy at home too.  I’ve been wanting to put up a pergola for my wisteria and grapevine, which will eventually shade the cement paved patio which gets scorching hot over summer.  The guy who bought Mum’s home does patios and pergolas, so I asked him to give me a quote and draw up some rough plans.  These plans changed about 4 times before we settled on a simple structure over which the vines could grow.  My neighbours have commented how it has really made a difference.  I think it looks very Tuscany.  Next summer I will cover with a shade cloth till the vines take over but during the winter it will let the sun in.  Since it’s erection, I have also strung up wires between the beams to help train the vines over the spaces.

I had six large bucket loads of yellow sand from the holes dug for the pergola posts and decided to advertise them for free on Gumtree and Marketplace.  There were three people who inquired, two didn’t get back to me till after I promised it to the last person who inquired.  All was picked up early Saturday morning.  As I chatted to the lady she told me she was a music teacher.  Oh I said, I have my sister’s cello I’m trying to sell.  “What are the odds?” she said “I’m a cello teacher!”  I was so excited I brought out the cello for her to look at.  She tapped on it saying that was the way to test if it was solid and the glue wasn’t coming loose from the edges.  She asked the price and said with the hard case and bow it was worth what I was asking and would ask if any of her students wanted to buy it as those she was teaching had to provide their own instruments. I’m praying she will find a buyer for me.

Having not planted any summer veggies in my garden beds this summer, due to my plans to go to Thailand, I now wanted to get some veggies in so that I could be more self-sufficient.  I started to think I’d better see what edibles I could grow in case we went into lockdown.  In the past, my enthusiasm had been dampened because these raised garden beds, constructed especially to be used for veggies, are not ideal, being too hot in summer and shaded all winter.  I have decided this needs to be rectified so I’m looking into putting up a summer shade sail.  I’ll need it high enough for me to walk under with 70% shade to protect but not block out the useful sun rays.

My immediate job was to go through my old veggie seeds to see if there were any viable ones.  I tried buying seedlings, but they have all sold out just like some products in many shops.  I looked through the old seed packets from Mum’s supply, chose those for autumn planting, soaking them to see what would sprout before planting.  I made up a mixture of compost, worm castings, and soil improver, then planted my babies into this with a small amount of seed raising mix.  My raised garden bed still has a small area on one side that receives some sun.  I’m hoping the peas will sprout, racing up the wire mesh, chasing the sun’s rays as the winter sun slowly recedes from the bed leaving it in full shade.  The English spinach and silver beet I have put in pots so I can move them as the sun diminishes from my patio area.  I then remembered that all the plastic bottles which I had previously saved to protect growing seedlings, I had thrown out as I cleaned my shed in preparations for going overseas.  This sent me scrounging through the recycle bin to rescue some that my neighbour had recently thrown out.  I cut the bottoms out of these, cut them in half and tried to remember where the pea seeds were planted.  The bottles would help stop the slaters eating the seedlings as they emerged from the soil.  For the next few days I asked neighbours for their discarded bottles and as the pea seeds poked their little green shoots above the soil I placed a protective barrier over them.  Over the potted seeds I placed an old perplex sheet and a glass top that had come from one of Mum’s tables.  These will help keep the seedlings safe from predators, warm and moist, promoting healthy growth.  After planting them it took another two days before the little seedlings started popping through the soil.

The rains have germinated the mushrooms that frequently pop up throughout my garden.  I think this if from past use of mushroom mulch. It’s really quite a treat but I have to be fast in picking them otherwise the slaters have destroyed them with their gnawing, leaving them pitted and hole ridden.

I have also been delighted to see my pawpaws have finally produced fruit.  Last year they were three small plants which I had grown from seed.  They were all the same height but one has shot up much faster than the others, which made me suspect it was a male plant, but I was pleasantly surprised when it began to produce female flowers.  But like the passionfruit vine, which died last year after prolific growth and lots of flowers, it too began to drop its flowers without producing fruit.  The horticulturist at Bunnings suggested I give it potash once a week for three weeks.  I wish I had done this to the passionfruit as there was a great improvement and not only did the fruit begin to develop but thus far there is a stack of them!

I’ve been planting the seeds from my pumpkins, cantaloupe and honeydew, all of which are also sprouting. I have two large pumpkins and some butternut on the way.  What a shame I won’t be able to eat them because of the FODMAP diet.  Anyone want to swap some veggies?

I’m not supposed to eat figs, but I’m going to give them a try as I have made some lovely fig jam from the figs off my tree.  This year I’ve collected another crop of olives off the street trees, washing and soaking them in sea water before I bottle them in vinegar and oil.

Due to my dietary restrictions, I am no longer supposed to eat, amongst many things, gluten or lactose.  I have stopped eating the milk kefir yogurt and started making a water based kefir drink instead.  I’m not sure if this is ok either as the diet suggests no fermented products, including kimchi which I also used to make.  I’m finding this diet is very restrictive, especially now that the supermarket shelves have been stripped bare or they have increased their prices.  I wonder if we will ever get back to normal shopping again?

Over the past few weeks I’ve slowly stocked up my shelves with long life items which are permitted on the FODMAP diet.  On one of my visits to the local supermarket I was chatting to one of the guys who works there who has helped me in the past. He suggested if I’m unable to come down for a shop, just to call him and he can do a small shop for me and gave me his personal mobile number.  How blessed am I!  There are some wonderfully kind people in this world.  Lord bless him for his kindness.

There are lots of thing I have been doing and thinking of doing due to the social distancing and the possible future total self-isolation. I have two sheds to clean out, boxes of Mum’s things to sort through, friends’ mending to do as well as cushions covers to make for an outside bench. I have a chest full of knitting wool, tapestry, painting and drawing equipment all of which will help keep me busy. That doesn’t include cleaning my filing cabinet, my computer files and sorting through all the photos on my computer.  I’m also thinking of making face masks from the scraps of fabric Mum had collected.  I can then give them out to those who haven’t been able to buy them.  I’m sure you have a similar list of ‘things to do while in isolation’.

I’m grateful to still be able to go for my morning jogs and to the beach, sometimes twice a day while the warm weather has lasted.  Despite the fact that we are to keep the 2mt distance rules.  This is very difficult in the supermarkets.  At a few places, I’ve suggested they implement one-way isles so that we can keep our distance.  This seems far more sensible than trying to squeeze past people leaving a 2mt gap.  I’ve started walking on the opposite side of the road to all the pedestrians walking along the bike and walk way beside the sea.  People just don’t seem to take this seriously!  When shopping, I started to wear disposable gloves and a mask.  Every little bit counts.  You don’t know who might be carrying it or even if you might have picked up the virus and unintentionally be spreading it around.  If we all acted as though we might have it then we might be a little more cautious and preventative.

Church and all gatherings have been cancelled for some time now, with services posted online. Our church Growth Group has now gone digital.  I have set up a WhatsApp group where we can encourage and pray for each other.  All other church activities have also been cancelled till further notice.  All non-essential community activities are on hold.  The whole world seems to be coming to a grinding halt!

On Sunday the 29^th March at 7am, Spud arrived to assemble my built-in-wardrobe.  I had inquired with several businesses before being told a guy from church was a cabinet maker.  After contacting Spud, he suggested I go through the company that employed him, as they would send someone out to do the measurements and put the order in.  I did this mid-February, discussing a few changes along the way, then waiting for the construction.  I wanted it in before Aimee moved in as I needed to empty the wardrobe in her room and needed somewhere to put all my things.  Spud was very efficient. I had moved most of the smaller things out of my room and with his help moved my bed, which he later fixed as some of the screws and support boards were loose. It took him seven hours, with two short coffee breaks, to complete the work.  It looks huge and with my king-single bed and a large chest of draws (inherited from Mum) my room has shrunk enormously!  And thus the reason for one of the sliding doors to be a mirror.  The outer door I now have a towel rail attached so that when I have visitors I can keep my towel out of the way.

While Spud was working, I asked where he got his nickname.  He said he was the second son, the first being called by their father ‘buddy’ so when he came along he was ‘second buddy’ which being shortened sounded like spud – ‘second-bud’ and so it stuck!

So now I have another job to add to the list of things to be done – fill my new wardrobe.  I’m sure it will not take me long either!  And when the time comes around again I, God willing, will be more prepared to leave, knowing the spare room is available and all my belongings stored out of the way.

Since January I have been thinking of getting a garden shredder.  The gardener who put in my retic had mentioned how useful it would be with all my vegetation that needed trimming. I had been eyeing one off every time I went to Bunnings but had not bought it due to the price.  There were two in the range, one much cheaper but still expensive, so I rang the manufacture to find out what the difference was.  I was told they were basically the same but the more expensive one was silent and heavier.  I didn’t need silent but did need lighter, so the next visit to Bunnings Innaloo, which was to get more screws with eyes for the wires on the pergola, I took another look at the shredders.  Unfortunately they only had the silent one left.  Bother!  Never mind, I decided I’d try at the other Bunnings, as I knew last time I was there they had a few of both.  Sure enough, they had the one I wanted in stock and what’s more there was a note on one saying instead of $165 it was reduced to $60 as it had been returned after one use – the previous customer had wanted to cut palm fronds.  I had already done my homework and knew from the reviews it didn’t cut fronds.  I only want it for small shrubbery so it should be ok.  Still I checked with the attendant, who reassured me that if I had a problem I could always return it for a refund.  What a bargain!  Once again I have been blessed in abundance!  Thanks you Jesus!

There are many wonderful things that have already begun to be seen during this time of great unrest.  People have not only shown their selfish nature but others have gone above and beyond to show their kindness.  People are buying more local products and looking to how to be more self-sufficient.  A friend mentioned that the earth seems to be having a time of cleansing from all the pollution.  Not only in the atmosphere, but also the waterways throughout the world have been running clean for the first time in decades.  Let’s pray and believe we will learn from these times and work together as guardians and custodians of this wonderful creation the Lord has given us.

Photos:  1. Pawpaw flowers and fruit 2. Visa 3. Patio without pergola 4. New pergola 5. Grape and wisteria vines 6. Plastic bottles over pea seedlings 7. Pumpkins and citrus 8. Fig 9. Pergola 10. Spud at work 11. New wardrobe 12. He has the whole world in His hands

Prayer & Praise Points:
Please continue to pray with me for all our health care workers, the scientists working on a vaccine and for those working on fighting this plague.

Praise the Lord for His protection, peace, wisdom and strength during these uncertain times. Psalm 91.

Praise Him for answered prayer concerning my departure and subsequent home assignment.

Praise Him for all those who have returned home safely from overseas and for the health of those who are in isolation. Please pray for those who have either chosen to stay in the country they are working in or are unable to return home.

Pray also for the elderly who are missing their families due to lockdown, for parents and grandparents entertaining children at home, for businesses and individuals affected by the economic situation.

Pray especially for our heads of state and politicians; may they put their difference aside and work together for the good of the country and her people.

Pray that those who don’t yet know the Lord Jesus will have their eyes opened to His love, peace and saving grace.

Thank you to all my supportive friends and prayer partners; this journey would certainly be a lonely one without you.  It’s also reassuring and encouraging to know you are standing with me in prayer.