Bloo's Self Reliance
Self Reliance, Urban Homesteading and Wellness on a rain water budget.
Hi my name is Pam but please do call me Bloo. I am a qualified Chef, Nutritionist, Dietitian, Herbalist and Naturopath. I have always worked towards being as self sufficient as possible and supplying my families food from the ground up. 10 years ago an accident forced me into retirement due to major injury and from there things went kinda pear shaped. This channel is what I am doing to claw my way back to where I was and beyond through natural therapies, and urban homesteading, whilst teaching others to do the same on a very tight budget.
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Bloo's Self Reliance
A week from today and the first round of shipping is being collected.
This week is a big push to get as much done as we can. The last proper book box is now done yup 46 boxes and 43 of them include books and as I look around the room I can see others … le sigh.
All good though definitely worth it. There is definitely light at the end of the tunnel even if our home does look like a box fortress right now lol.
Yes it’s taken weeks and yes it’s been hard going but at the end of the day it’s being done. Don’t let anyone stop you from reaching your goals. It doesn’t matter if you are injured or disabled or lacking in funds. Everything you need will be there if you take the chance and start the work.
I got this, you got this, we got this.
3 hours ago | [YT] | 2
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Bloo's Self Reliance
Today is box weighing day. Only a week until the first load of shipping is picked up.
Tanny is taking each box one at a time and weighing them as I have a weight limit of 1250Kg.
There is no way in the world I would be able to do this without him as my ability to pick these boxes up and then put them to weigh, then restock them all is absolute zero.
I have to admit our little blue parcel scales has to be the best £40 I have ever spent and is a life saver at this time. Especially since we will have 2 more lots of shipping to weigh.
So as he weighs I’m writing them down, adding them up, adding shipping numbers my name and destination on each and every box.
No, I can’t print out labels, there runs a risk of them coming off. And frankly I don’t need customs choosing any old reason to open every box when it arrives thanks. Not that there’s any reason for them to I just do t want to give them one either.
One thing I will say is this. I made a bit of an error and it will bite me on the ass on the other end. I did mixed boxes with books, DVDs and cds. DONT! They all weigh more than you think and I have one box which is 36Kg!
Do a layer of books and find other lighter things to go on top. Plastic weighs a lot more than you think and some of your old cookbooks also do.
Keep it easy and fill in with fabrics and softer lighter items.
Anywhooo back to it we have the second half to go now.
2 days ago | [YT] | 10
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Bloo's Self Reliance
Because of where Tanny works we occasionally order a cake from them. This time Tanny got a cheesecake.
I’m not a huge fan of premade cheesecake but it does mean I can have whatever toppings I feel like at the time.
Tonight it’s raspberry sauce, tomorrow it might be ginger marmalade. Another day it might be cherry jam and chocolate sauce. Whatever we choose it means we can have whatever takes our fancy in the moment. Which might be completely different to each other.
Today was an ouch day, tomorrow is a packing day and we keep going fueled by cheesecake and sheer bluddy mindedness.
6 days ago | [YT] | 14
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Bloo's Self Reliance
I have to say I would never be able to do what I’m doing right now without Tanny.
His support, as much as he hates what I’m doing right now has been my rock.
It’s just over 4 weeks until I leave and packing is painfully slow … and boy do I mean painful.
Right now I have around 4 useable hours every 3 days where I can pack boxes and we get around 2-3 done each time.
I haven’t made any proper meals for weeks as my recovery time is taking longer and longer. My ability to stand safely at the stove is pretty much zero right now so Tanny is coming home from work and making us a meal.
It’s not always fancy, it’s quick, simple and filling but bless him he’s making sure it’s done.
His days off he does the washing, weighs the newly packed shipping boxes and helps me shower. Tonight he stopped by the pharmacy to pick up my prescription. This weekend he plans on doing the shopping.
Like I said … I couldn’t do this without his support.
Is he perfect? Nope. Does he have his demons? Yup. At the end of the day though he has what counts so I owe it to him as well as myself to get over there and get my health back to where it should be and managed so he can join me and we live the next 50 years the best way we can together.
1 week ago | [YT] | 14
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Bloo's Self Reliance
It’s been a balanced weekend.
We rested when we needed to. Ate what we wanted. Did some work. Played games together and tonight neither of us really want much to eat.
Being Sunday we always try to have a decent meal but the way things have been neither of us really want to cook. I needed something to take my meds with so crackers, some cheese and a jar of pickle with a spoon is just perfect while catching up on some chilled YT videos.
A quiet, simple, chilled weekend getting the basic jobs done and a bit more packing whilst also getting much needed rest from the week before ready for the week ahead is really all anyone can ask for.
For me balance is everything right now and taking time away from the chaos of everything and letting my body rest when it wants to is key to me being able to actually making it to my goals.
Tomorrow I hit the ground running again and Tanny is back at work so we’ll be both back to it but for now appreciating the quiet moments and allowing our bodies to lead the way has been such an important part of the process.
2 weeks ago | [YT] | 15
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Bloo's Self Reliance
It’s been really tough trying to get packing done with my leg in as bad shape as it is but today Tanny helped me knock out another 4 boxes.
We got through the infamous box 18 which we’ve been working around for 2 weeks as I couldn’t pack more into it due to it being on a chair and me unable to lift it down. Today though it was finished.
I managed to get box 32 done myself yesterday but needed Tanny’s help to finish it off and seal it.
Once we knocked out boxes 33 and 34. We successfully finished packing all the art books from the office, the Devon pottery ware from the dresser, the last of my clothes from the dresser I’m not taking in my case and most of my off cut fabric box.
We even started taking stuff from the kitchen. My veg prep caddy, some metal food prep containers and my scales. Yah know the fancy yellow ones.
I know 4 boxes doesn’t sound like a lot but not being able to sit with my leg bent for too long makes progress slow, however another 4 boxes is another 4 boxes.
Tomorrow he plans for us to knock out a bunch more starting with my esoteric books and tarot card collection. With more stuff from the main kitchen equipment shelves and the last of my clothes that need to be packed up that aren’t going in the case with me.
Doing the boxes in a mixed way has meant that no one box is so heavy it can’t be managed safely at the other end. Which is really important since I only have an hour to decant the box once it arrives.
I only have 3 weeks more before it all gets picked up so I really do need to get a wriggle on now.
It’s definitely getting there though and as the clock ticks by the big day is coming and I can’t wait!
2 weeks ago | [YT] | 10
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Bloo's Self Reliance
Not gonna lie with everything that’s been going on cooking has not been top of my list the last few weeks and we’ve literally been living off sandwiches, frozen prepared foods and takeout.
Today though Tanny is home so we worked together, I prepped the bacon, onions, cracked the eggs and grated the cheese and he sauted the bacon and onion and mixed the eggs and put it all together, popped it all in the oven and served it up.
Frittata is a very easy, budget friendly, high protein meal that will keep us going for the whole weekend for a fraction of the cost of takeaway that ultimately will let us down.
#budgetfriendly #cheeseygoodness #frittata #bacon
3 weeks ago | [YT] | 16
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Bloo's Self Reliance
Sooooo yesterday I took a major tumble on my way in the front door from an appointment with orthotics and tripped over the packing boxes and landed in a very not fun or elegant way on the floor.
30 minutes later I made it to the bedroom while my left leg felt like it was being torn apart from the inside out and from there it took 7 hours for an ambulance to get me to the hospital.
Once at the hospital it then took 3 hours to get seen by triage and another hour to be seen by the doctor. Doctor organised an xray with promises to be able to other scans afterwards. It took another hour to get the X-rays. At this point it’s 3am and I’d been awake for 28hours.
The whole time I told them I don’t have anything broken it’s all tendons and ligaments so need a CT or ultrasound sound or MRI as they wouldn’t see anything on the xray. I was ignored. I mean what do I know right I just live in my body.
At the end of it I was sitting in the waiting room waiting to see the doctor again and at the very least get some kind of ankle support and yet… in the words of the doctor who thought no one was listening “they weren’t going to waste hospital resources on that.”
Little did the doctor know I was on a call at the time and they heard everything. Along with the refusal to let me see my X-rays, have a copy of the letter to my GP.
Then left in the waiting room unable to walk and unable to get the attention of a nurse or anyone for yet another hour to help me get to a taxi pick up point.
Thankfully I keep a fully stocked first aid kit Tanny this evening wrapped my ankle with a medium dressing bandage to give the ankle some support.
It’s not pretty buts it’s working and for the first time since midday yesterday my ankle feels like it’s not being ripped off my leg.
A couple of day of resting it should help but seriously I am so done with being treated like I don’t matter and only worth less than half the effort by the medical services here in York. It’s genuinely ridiculous and bluddy dangerous.
All good though only 6 more weeks and I’m back in Oz getting the help I need and deserve.
1 month ago | [YT] | 8
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Bloo's Self Reliance
I’m not gonna lie my knee is totally fooked and demanding I stay off it.
This is making packing incredibly slow and I’m starting to be concerned that I won’t get it done in time. No before you ask Tanny can’t help more as his work keeps pulling him in on his days off and when he does finally get a day off he’s so damn exhausted he sleeps most of the day and honestly I do too.
I’m not saying I don’t appreciate the help I’ve had because honestly I wouldn’t be where I’m at if I hadn’t had it but I am properly struggling now and growing increasingly concerned I won’t get it done.
It’s a downer today I know and tomorrow I may feel better but chronic injury and pain doesn’t help a huge job get done and my brain is now looking at it all thinking what the hell are you doing? Let’s just fook it all off and start again.
The thought is tempting and in some regards I am doing so but I have spent a lot of time and money putting together an off grid living start up kit that includes manual kitchen equipment, crafting tools and materials and actual books, DVDs and music that it would cost me more to replace than it would to ship.
I know I will get it done but it is a very hard slog mostly due to written a complete and full inventory of every item in the boxes. It slows things down but it also means I will want a week to fill in the online versions from the written ones sooooo I now have 4 weeks to get it all done and a week on top to get the inventory completed.
I’ll get there … today is just not the day.
1 month ago | [YT] | 17
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Bloo's Self Reliance
It’s been a while but I’m back to it.
Clearing out the electrical kitchen equipment shelves and jars to bring it down and ready to become another wall of box.
Baby steps but it’s actually starting to start looking like it’s getting there.
The pick up has been put back 2 weeks due to the time my passport will take to get here so that’s something.
Box by box. Day by day it’ll all get done.
1 month ago | [YT] | 11
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