The world feels very noisy right now. The news, the radio, even Woman’s Hour, it is all endless speculation and rehashing of the few facts about coronavirus. I worry about adding to that noise here, and I will post some ‘normal’ posts which are nothing to do with corona, but for now, I find it helps to spill my thoughts on to the page.
I told Jessica that school might break up early for Easter this year, and it might be a while before she can go back. She is elated! She loves school but she loves home too. I’ve explained that we’ll not be able to go out and about or have sleepovers which she was a bit disappointed by…but hopefully we’ll muddle through ok. I’ve told her that her teacher is going to give us lots of ideas for lovely activities to do, as that sounds more exciting than ‘set work’.
As nobody knows how long this could go on for, I am worried that we will run out of her learning to read books. I am going to go to the library tomorrow and see what I can find to borrow.
Alice has a new word! She said tea! She loves stealing little sips from my cup of tea, and this morning she pointed to my cup and said ‘hiya tea!’ It is so exciting as she learns more words.
I have made a huge pan of chilli for the freezer for Carl and I (the girls won’t eat it). I have managed to fill my large saucepan using only 500g of mince. I used celery, onion, a pepper, a tin each of mixed beans and kidney beans, two tins of tomatoes, and a diced sweet potato.
I truly worry about feeding my family. While hopefully the panic buying will ease, I fear the food supply chains will be disrupted for some time. I have two small freezers and I am currently trying to batch cook things the girls will eat, and some things for Carl and I. I am trying to think of recipes which are nutritious and easy to bulk cook, and use mainly storecupboard ingredients. If I can eat that, it means the other food will last longer for the girls and Carl. I am thinking porridge for breakfast, lentil soup for lunch, and maybe a veggie or lentil curry for tea.
I hate every time I wash my hands watching the soap get a bit smaller. Every time I make a cup of tea I am mentally wondering how long the teabags will last. I am even more hesitant with the calpol than ever.
I am trying hard to think of ways to keep life ‘normal’ and cheerful for the girls. I hope the government takes action very soon to sort things out a bit.
I’d love to do some cooking and baking with the girls while they are off, but I worry about the scarcity of ingredients.
I found myself in tears trying to write my Mum’s mother’s day card. Everything feels so wrong, and I don’t know how we got here.
But ruminating on it won’t help. So time to try and put it to one side, for a little while at least.
Little Sips of Tea 
In your veins runs the blood of all the women of your family who marched down the centuries .We know they made it though plague , pestilence and wars merely by the fact that you are here . It’s in our genes , we are hot wired for it , if they could do it ,we can do it .
You have a garden to plant and you have the wit and the skills to hunt out all those war time recipes that are good : egg less or fat less cakes and biscuits and you can make soup out of anything .
Do what I am going to do , put your apron on . xxx