Today is a special day for me. On this day in 2016 and 2017, I left Bearhands and my babies to head to Brisbane to have treatment for MS. For those two years I had a form of chemo that wiped out my immune system in the hope that I’d get a break from MS. I’d spent the weeks prior making careful lists for my In Laws about what sandwiches the girls preferred on their lunches, which days were ...
Blog
Day 55 of Distanced Ed
Our last Monday of home learning! I’d have skipped out to the school room save for my bung knee! The Little Sister logged onto her zoom and joined her class in greeting their teacher “Gooood Mooooor-ning Mister Cooooooo-per, and Godddddd blessssss yoooou!” \In another this-Monday-is-better-than-last-Monday, I remembered bin day. It says a lot about me as a person, that in a time when you can ...
Day 54 of Distanced Ed
Woke before everyone. Was quietly typing on my laptop, when my nephew peered around the corner. I asked him if he needed a cuddle and he folded himself onto my lap (a much better fit than my own girls) and we whispered about what the day might hold. He told me about his mates at kindy and his new teacher and what they do during the day. When the girls woke up David migrated to them. Baby Emmett ...
Day 53 of Distanced Ed
Woke early with the kids, who were excited to have the whole day together in front of them. Bearhands and I lay in bed talking about how long our girls seemed to be in cots and nappies and then suddenly they weren’t. When we got up, we had early morning snuggles with Emmett and watched the sun gradually cover the valley. (There’s something seriously sexy about watching your husband snuggle babies. ...
Day 52 of Distanced Ed
How does the harvester always know when we’re in a hurry? The girls did their first lessons in the office while Bearhands waged battle against the glitchy harvester. The girls had finished their school work by the time Bearhands declared defeat - the window for us to inspect a truck we’d arranged to see was closing. Made it to Wacol with minutes to spare and immediately knew the truck was too ...
Day 51 of Distanced Ed
The Little Sister and I had a large difference of opinion before breakfast, but when we headed out to the school room, she settled down and finished her writing task without too much fuss. Afterwards she would write me a little love note and slip it under my keyboard. We turned Bearhands’ PT into PE, then headed back to the school room to try to get ahead of school work we’ll miss tomorrow when ...
Day 50 of Distanced Ed
Every morning the Little Sister rides her bike out to the dam and back. Every morning she asks me to join her. This morning I did. It rained overnight and the track was heavy going, we raced there and back. No prizes for guessing the winner. Made breakfast and set about marshalling the kids through their morning routine. I was concentrating on measuring the yeast for a loaf of bread, when the ...
Day 49 of Distanced Ed
Quick note: yesterday a friend messaged and said how much the girls seem to be enjoying Distanced Ed. This is NOT the case. They hate isolation and wish, more than anything, that they could join the every increasing number of classmates at school. The photos I share are mostly the high points of our day but there are plenty of low points. We have our fair share of tears, anguish and ...
Day 48 of Distanced Ed
After a fun weekend, Monday morning received the welcome it deserved. No one wanted to go to school, including the Principal. I told the girls they had to wear uniform tops, but could wear whatever they wanted on their bottom halves. When we headed out to the school room, the Little Sister sooked and whinged about her writing assessment but eventually knuckled down and gotit done. She and I ...
Day 47 of Distanced Ed
Woke early and was laying awake when I saw the Little Sister stir. I lifted the covers and offered her normal spot for a cuddle, but instead she walked to Bearhands’ side of the bed and whispered something in his ear. I heard him reply “maybe wait five minutes until it’s light” but she couldn’t be dissuaded. Moments later I heard movement in the kitchen and the Big Sister delivered a cup of ...
Day 46 of Distanced Ed
Family trip to Morayfield to do some Mother’s Day shopping. Baulked at the number of cars in the carpark at BCF, so the girls and I sat in the car while Bearhands went inside. Bearhands headed off to golf at lunchtime and the girls and I had a slow afternoon. Tried to have a sleep, was thwarted by Max who barked like he was the first canine to ever discover birds. In the early evening we ...
Day 45 of Distanced Ed
Woke and dressed in blue for May 8 - the day for remembering Australian teen Dolly Everett. High drama in the school room when the internet continually dropped out while the Little Sister’s teacher described how to undertake the maths test. She was borderline meltdown by the time we received her teacher’s reply email explaining the process. The maths test was an non-event by comparison, ...
Day 43 of Distanced Ed
Realised at 2am that Bearhands wasn’t beside me, got up to investigate and found him asleep on the couch watching reruns of vintage golf. Neither of us was ready when his alarm went off early. He set about showering as loudly as physically possible and making such a mess of the floor that I did an impression of Torvill on my way to the toot. The Big Sister’s mood continues. At breakfast she ...
Day 42 of Distanced Ed
No one was pumped to head back to school after the long weekend. The Little Sister struggled to concentrate on her story writing. The Big Sister saved her attitude for her offline teacher and was perfectly perky in her online appearances. I got stuck into work in-between cajoling my students to complete their work. A check of my inbox revealed that the short cruise I had booked for June ...
Day 41 of Distanced Ed
Public holiday here in Queensland, which doesn’t mean much when you’re a farmer. Pulled a pair of jeans on and decided that Maccas probably did me a solid by short-delivering my burger yesterday. Bearhands and I harvested grass at our home farm in the morning. We were on our last pallets when a friend text me a screen shot of news that Queensland schools would be returning it’s youngest and ...
Day 40 of Distanced Ed
Woke early, packed up and headed home before breakfast. Encountered a mob of wild horses on the forestry track and thought again that Bearhands had been right about not driving home last night; only one of them seemed to be teaching her foal road sense. Returned to the farm and packed away the van. Received three messages from the Big Sister while I guided Bearhands into the parking spot a ...
Day 39 of Distanced Ed
Opened my eyes and immediately remembered we have three days off school! Made a coffee and discovered that when I’m not a schoolmarm I’m a forklift driver. Grabbed an apple and got in the cab. Bearhands and I worked until smoko, when the girls received a home donut delivery as a reward for their maths challenge. At lunchtime we loaded the caravan and drove to our friends’ farm. They’d ...
Day 38 of Distanced Ed
Thought I’d brighten my day and wear the opal earrings I bought when the Great Endeavour Rally went through Lightening Ridge. Headed out to the shed early to prepare a space for our newest team member - a young lady we’ve known since we moved to Glass House has found herself at a COVID loose-end and has agreed to come and run the office while I school the girls. She arrived at 7am and slipped ...
Day 37 of Distanced Ed
The morning started innocuously enough. The girls ate the breakfast, the Little Sister heeded nature’s call, then a blood curdling scream!!! The Little Sister’s howls inspired my mind to paint a number of horrifying visuals in the time it took me to reach her and establish she’d dropped a lego figurine down the toilet as it was flushing. Worse still, it wasn’t actually *her* figurine, she’d ...
Day 36 of Distanced Ed
A better day. The Little Sister settled down to work easily. After English we rode our bikes out to the dam for a brain break. The Big Sister completed her work early and headed back to the house to play. I did some work in the office and apparently inspired the Little Sister’s desire to touch type. She found a particularly annoying online typing program and set about practicing a-s-d-a on ...
Day 35 of Distanced Ed
I’ve often reflected that isolation has made me a better mum. I’m been empathetic to their situation, I’ve spent time doing things they want me to do instead of rushing them from one activity to the next. This was not the case this morning. When the Little Sister faffed about with her writing, I cajoled her. When she didn’t want to do the assigned task, I encouraged her to put it aside, move ...
Day 34 of Distanced Ed
Bearhands went to work early. The girls and I reluctantly headed out to ‘school’ to start Monday. Nan and Pop packed up for home, and came out to the office before they left. The girls bid them tearful goodbyes and found it hard to reset back into school work. The Little Sister battled on with her spelling and punctuation; while the Big Sister coasted through music and reading the class text. ...
Day 33 of Distanced Ed
Dad and Bearhands worked at the other farm in the morning. Nan did more crochet and the girls gorged screens while I prepared for week 2 of home learning in the office. Discovered the girls’ teachers had made a wonderful little video praising the home learners for doing such a good job and outlining the things they’re grateful for about their students. Found my eyes a bit wet and felt grateful ...
Day 32 of Distanced Ed
Was lying awake when the alarm went off. Rounded up the troops and we assembled around the flag pole to listen to the last post and sing the National Anthem. The girls laid the wreath that we’d made. Both my parents have served in the Armed Forces. Mum was a WRAN (back when the women had their very own branch of the Navy) and Dad was a pilot in RAAF until he transferred to QANTAS. Later over ...
Day 32 of Distanced Ed
The school day started with an online violin lesson for the Little Sister. The Big Sister moved outside and I found a pressing job in the paddock. Bearhands phoned Dad and asked him for his help with something on the farm. (There are unconfirmed reports the “something” that needed tending was his daughter.) Mum and I agonised about the ethics of turning it into an overnight visit. Finally ...
Day 31 of Distanced Ed
Woke up and checked the shipping status for a few things I’ve been waiting on - specifically the lego we ordered last week which the girls have been asking about five times per day. The Kmart website said it was still packing the lego. Broke the news to the girls over breakfast. Headed out to ‘school’ and tied the new-found-postman-animosity dog up. More hurdles during the first session, more ...
Day 30 of Distanced Ed
The girls climbed into bed with me early and we discussed the exciting news that there had again been no new cases detected in Queensland yesterday. I also explained that NSW are considering sending kids back to school one day per week. We talked about what that might look like if it happened to us. The Big Sister is studying scientific method - a topic I adore. Of course my help is NOT ...
Day 29 of Distanced Ed
Rough night. The Little Sister kicked her toe on the way to the toilet in the middle of the night and needed everyone to know. Then my MS Squeeze climbed into bed and wouldn’t let up. Discovered we were out of milk. Broke out the powdered milk (goodness the smell evokes childhood memories and not the good ones!) The Big Sister slept late so I found myself hunting them toward the office come ...
Day 28 of Distanced Ed
Day 28 of Distanced Ed saw the start of Term 2 and the recommencement of home schooling. The Big Sister was dressed and ready to do battle with her sickly laptop early. I found the Little Sister fully dressed but lingering in the bathroom, accused her of playing (there was a mixture of conditioner and water in a bowl on the sink next to her) and she went to water. Turns out she hadn’t been ...
Day 27 of Distanced Ed
The girls slept late in our our room (the final concession to Yes Day). Then a storm rolled through putting paid to my last hope of going fishing. Sick of t-shirts and shorts, I ironed a shirt and showered ready to feel a bit more stylish for a day. Twenty minutes later Bearhands informed me that his plans for the day featured me on the forklift, so I changed into work kit. The Big ...
Day 26 of Distanced Ed
The girls we a bit down about isolating yesterday, so I woke with the idea of having a “Yes Day.” The premise is that for one day, anything the kids ask of you, you say yes. I figured that being in isolation markedly limited my exposure to things I didn’t want to do, so I broke the news to them at 7am. “Mum, can I have nutella on bread for breakfast?” Yes “Mum, can I watch YouTube kids on my ...
Day 25 of Distanced Ed
Was surprised to learn it was Friday. Only realised when I checked my email and the weekly report was waiting for me. Made the girls space ship eggs for breakfast. The Big Sister played lego and the Little Sister watched TV. When the Little Sister eventually gravitated to the lego they fought and I sent them to different locations outside. After they cooled down I headed down to the ...
Day 24 of Distanced Ed
After breakfast the girls and I walked over to our neighbours’ property to see a poddy calf they have in the house yard. Found it standing precariously in a raised garden bed. Figured that’s the bovine equivalent of what we’ll experience when school goes back next week - kids will do what they’re not supposed to the moment our backs are turned. Walked home and the Big Sister and I had a ...
Day 23 of Distanced Ed
Woke in my swag with a headache. Wandered down to watch the mist rise off the creek. Rolled my swag up and headed home. At smoko I remarked to the Big Sister that a friend’s school were insisting their children wear their sports uniform to home schooling. Much eleven year old eye rolling. Reluctantly made a pallet stencil that Bearhands has been asking me to do for days. Found myself ...
Day 22 of Distance-d Ed
A terrible flatulence has befallen our great house. No one is spared. Luckily its still warm enough to sleep with the windows open. Life lesson #22: cannellini beans are not the friend of the Smyth family. Exercised with Bearhands. Making sure I only did burpees was harder than you’d think. The Postman brought a package from Black Duck Creek. Doesn’t matter how old you are, it’s always nice ...
Day 21 of Distanced Ed
Woke to the news that Tim Brooke-Taylor had died of corona virus in the UK. Felt terribly sad. My best friend and I travelled to Melbourne to meet him in our twenties. I remember him to be genuine, funny and humble and surprised that Australian’s even remembered the Goodies after all this time. The free promotion period for my cookbook finished overnight. It’s been downloaded hundreds of times ...
Day 20 of Distanced Ed
Woke early to heavy footsteps, but didn’t want to risk disturbing the Easter Bunny, so rolled over and went back to sleep. At 6am the girls excitedly unpacked their easter baskets - filled with chocolate bunnies and a giant malteseer egg. They ate chocolate, then dipped chocolate into hot chocolate. Then I made the Big Sister and Bearhands spaceship eggs. The Little Sister, of course, didn’t want ...
Day 19 of Distanced Ed
Slept til 7am and when Bearhands asked me what I’d like to do with the day, I told him I’d like to go fishing in our friends’ creek. Bearhands did some farm work while I broke the news to the girls. Much unhappiness. Packed lunch, biscuits, poppers etc and drove the short trip to the creek. Bearhands got a good whiting pretty early in the piece, then not much. It was hot in the boat and ...
Day 18 of Distanced Ed
Woke before dawn and got up to do some computer work before everyone woke up. Discovered my cookbook had gone to #1 on Amazon Australia and #4 in the UK. The Little Sister woke and we went back to bed for a cuddle. We got up again when she squirmed so much I thought she’d wake Bearhands. Snuck out of the house and drove to a point on the farm where I thought we could watch the sunrise. When we ...
Day 17 of Distanced Ed
Worked in the morning. Then exercised with Bearhands. Still not feeling working out with him is #couplegoals. Gained altogether too much satisfaction from beating my Mum in a game of online scrabble. Am not a good person. In the afternoon, we gave the girls a driving lesson. At the beginning of the year, the Big Sister said learning to drive a manual car was her new years resolution. So ...