Preparing for Winter V

Frith · 6 October 2016 at 7:33PM

Had the stove lit 4 or 5 times so far (no other form of heating in the house except storage heaters too expensive to run).

My brother brought us about half a tonne of logs and there are branches on the allotment that have been drying out that we'll chop up. On a mild winter, we burn 2 tonnes. On the last cold winter (2010?) we burned 4...

Sons have new, watertight school shoes now. Wellies OK for a bit longer.

Have had the electrician in to fit a new switch for the shower and replace the extractor fan.

Still need to...

Get new/check hats, gloves and scarves.

Give the car its annual clean and change the oil

Pennydropped · 6 October 2016 at 8:01PM

Replaced children's pyjamas that they've outgrown. Asda/George having sale right now 20% with NIGHT20 code, so took advantage of that. Now trying to figure out how to "warm up" the rooms better so we won't have to be running the heater constantly.

pinkypig · 6 October 2016 at 8:56PM

Managed to avoid putting the heating on but I have lit the stove at night for about a week now. I find that half a small bucket of coal keeps it going until I go to bed when it goes onto a really slow burn. I then get the airer around it and it dries a load of washing overnight and by leaving the door to the kitchen open both rooms are still warm in the morning so I think it's pretty economical really.
I changed the beds today as it was a good enough day to get it dry outside and have swapped the summer duvets for the winter goose down ones. I've also put my electric blanket on for a little bit and it was lovely when I hopped in for an early night with my new book. Perfect evening - I'm easily pleased:rotfl:
There's great ideas on here. I'm going to have a catch up on the thread and see what I can learn.
PP x

[Deleted User] · 7 October 2016 at 8:10AM

Isn't it getting nippy in the mornings? and dark!!! here we are at 8.05am and it's still 'gloaming' outside but at least the middle of the day is still warm and golden most of the time so all is not bleak!

We picked the big old apple tree on the front lawn yesterday, we said last year that this would be it's last year if it didn't give us a harvest and all the way through the growing season it's looks sparse with apples. However when we picked yesterday we got a couple of boxes of large and largely unblemished fruit, the past few years it's had 'bitter pit' which makes the apples bitter and gives dark dots right through the flesh. So, having sorted out the ones that won't keep and used some and given some to friends and neighbours I have a large box of beautiful cookers which I'll wrap individually in newspaper today and hopefully they'll keep for a few months in the cool store room and give us many lovely appley puddings!

nicki_2 · 7 October 2016 at 8:53AM

I caved and put the heating on last night. Its only a temporary measure as DD was showering this morning at 6am, I need to shower this morning (just getting some cleaning jobs done first

) and the forecast is drizzle until 10am with a high of 15c. It'll be getting switched off again soon, but I think I'll accept that when the weather is damp it needs to go on.

I need to go and buy some large cup hooks today so I can fix the curtain rail above the front door and get the curtain up. It is the only errand I'm doing today except the grocery shopping tonight. My head is swimming with so many jobs to do its ridiculous. I definitely need a brain dumping session but then my mind goes blank. :rotfl: I'm glad I wrote my list out from here or we'd not get anywhere. Next winter job is demoulding the place. We've gone from none to loads suddenly in the hallway but it's a nasty job that makes me cough due to the smell and I'm bad enough as it is due to a fluey bug. DD can't do it, there's carpet and I can't risk her bleaching it!! :eek:

Pennydropped · 8 October 2016 at 12:53PM

Dug out an older long thick lined curtain to use as a door curtain for our back door. Brilliant. Zero cost. Now I need to put up the fleece linings for the bedroom curtains.

Storage is a dilemma though. I have an oscillating fan that will need to be put away now for the season, and while I have an outside hard rubber plastic shed (one of those that you put patio chairs in, so about half height), I'm wondering if it's okay to put it out there. I was debating putting it in a couple bin bags, taping shut, and hoping for the best. It shouldn't get soaked, but I suppose those kind of sheds are a bit "damp" inside, aren't they?

Nomoonatall · 8 October 2016 at 3:27PM

Pennydropped wrote: »

Dug out an older long thick lined curtain to use as a door curtain for our back door. Brilliant. Zero cost. Now I need to put up the fleece linings for the bedroom curtains.

Storage is a dilemma though. I have an oscillating fan that will need to be put away now for the season, and while I have an outside hard rubber plastic shed (one of those that you put patio chairs in, so about half height), I'm wondering if it's okay to put it out there. I was debating putting it in a couple bin bags, taping shut, and hoping for the best. It shouldn't get soaked, but I suppose those kind of sheds are a bit "damp" inside, aren't they?

Hi Pennydropped,

It might be worth 'lining' your fan with newspaper or similar before covering in plastic. Just to let it breathe.

Pennydropped · 8 October 2016 at 3:47PM

It might be worth 'lining' your fan with newspaper or similar before covering in plastic. Just to let it breathe.

Thanks. That's a good idea. I'll try that.

Pennydropped · 9 October 2016 at 11:18AM

Winter coats have been checked. Hats, gloves, scarves all checked, to be washed today so they're ready to go. Comforters sorted. Considering putting a heavy book on each child's head for awhile, as they keep getting taller, which means new trousers. A few more long sleeve shirts needed too. We generally just get a few plain ones, as they like to wear their long sleeved shirts under their favourite tshirts. I'll have to look at Poundland to see if they have slipper socks out yet, as we always pick up a few pair. Boots/wellies are sorted.

A few UHT milks added to shop, plus some minimal stocking up, as we just don't have the room for much.

Still popping the heating on for a brief time in the morning so far, to take the chill off.

I need to get moving and sell my car. It's an expense we don't need (or use).

Pennydropped · 10 October 2016 at 8:13AM

Urgh. Tons of condensation on the inside of my windows today. Just the ones with the radiators underneath them. They have curtains, and some have fleece liners. But these are all new windows - just installed in the last two months (two of them last week!).

So I can't figure if it's the radiator as the heat has been on here and there, the curtains or just faulty windows? Anyone?

Edited to add: I do have the venting open on the windows at the top.

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Preparing for Winter V

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