If things get tougher?

katieowl_2

mardatha wrote: »

I used calor gas room heaters but didnt like the damp , also paraffin heaters when I was first married --we used to add patchouli oil to stop it smelling paraffiny. To this day the smell of patchouli reminds me of damp houses..
Owl, I was so glad to read your post , I thought I was the only mad woman cooking on a camping gas stove at the back step !!
Word of warning --I had the Scottish Power guy here today to check we have cavity wall insulation and he says elect is going up 40% in two steps very soon.

The smell of patchouli reminds me of sitting on busses next to young men with long hair wearing afgan coats :rotfl: Remember how much they stank of wet goat??? Patchouli was the only thing that would cover it up!!!

OH says to me when I am an old lady that old ladies will smell of patchouli not lavender LOL!

Yep you are not alone - join the mad woman cooking on camping gas club - now has at least TWO members...tonight we had saltfish and okra stew with boiled rice (Okra and saltfish having been given to us by two seperate people, and needed using up! Creative as well as mad LOL!)

Regards

Kate

ceridwen

kittie wrote: »

but you aren`t a wrinkly Ceridwen. I am not talking about your agegroup. The library used to be full of old men reading the papers and coughing like mad due to all the cigarettes they used to smoke. At least maybe a facility in each area will open up to help the oldies right on the edge of living. It is about choice and possibly some practical help

Well.......there's an invite for coffee any time you want to come and count to see how many wrinkles I have;) You can count my grey hairs if you like whilst sipping the coffee - my hairdresser tells me I havent got that many yet:D

katieowl_2

mardatha wrote: »

We're on about turning sides-to-middle in old sheets, but theyre MUCH more exciting --they're discussing which AK47 to buy and how to dig mantraps !! Oooo we are boring !

LOL! Who's been talking to my son ???

Think we are missing the 'pioneer spirit'! I chat to Americans too...they are really big on stuff like the "Little house on the prairie" books...try reading the one called (I think) "The big winter" Where they get snowed in for months and the food runs out! Love it - terrific books.

Perhaps we could distil our own hootch and call it 'Pioneer Spirit"

Regards

Kate

shewhoguards

ceridwen wrote: »

Vested interests are STILL (for GODS sake!!!!!!) still being allowed to hold sway - take a look at an article in today's "Guardian" newspaper - in which it becomes clear that the British Government has deliberately not started up fuel production from a British windfarm (WHY? WHY? WHY?) and goodness knows why - except it seems to be those darn "vested interests" serving themselves and b.......r the other 99% of the population...apparently that (unused) windfarm would turn out enough power to equal several nuclear power stations ...but the Govt is talking about building some more of them (nuclear.....!!!!!! Dont any of them read anything beyond primary school level about that?????:eek: ).

Um, maybe because windfarms aren't a magic battery?

You need constant control of power on the grid. Old fossil fuel power stations and new nuclear power stations can supply that because it's easy to ramp up and turn down the power. Premier cup final? More power. Earthquake in the middle of the night causing everyone to turn on the TV to check the news in the early hours? More power.

You can't order the wind to blow harder because the footies on, and you can't turn it off in the middle of the night to ramp down power when everyone's in bed either. Too much power on the grid is as bad as too little - it can't be stored for later use!

I agree we need something, but wind is not reliable, and I'd rather go to nuclear than see old people die of cold because we were too stubborn to plan to have enough power for a winter.

mardatha

The endearing thing about americans is that they are so open and enthusiastic, they pull you along. From lasagne gardening to shooting a grizzly. I had a neighbour up here who once did get snowed in for 3 weeks when he was younger. And speaking of hooch, I must add a crate of pernod to my emergency supplies...:)

catznine

My older sister has recently told me of the time my Mum took over a horrible run down army quarter back in the early 1950's just before I was born. They had burst pipes that were not repaired for 6 weeks and during that time she had to cook over the coal fire, she had been a girl guide and knew what to do. Each side of the fire she built up some bricks and balanced a grill over the top. On this she could balance a kettle and at least get some hot water and heat a saucepan. So it is possible though I would be worried about accidents! At a pinch you can heat up a mess tin using another mess turn on its side with 2 candles each side. I will have to find the site where I found that idea. I also remember in Guides cooking mini pancakes over an upturned empty golden syrup tin placed over a night light on a saucer.

Olliebeak

tramps wrote: »

Grew up late 60s/early 70s no heating in bedrooms my dad was a welder he made a metal 'cage' about 2'3' and fitted a light bulb to the inside of it this was connected via an electric cable - put the cage into bed turn on the light leave nice warm bed in half an hour !

My grandad constructed something similar using an old fashioned biscuit tin - the sort that shops sold the biscuits out of. In the base, he cut out a small round hole, big enough to take a lightbulb fitment but left the lid off the other end. Worked a treat - but still not sure how 'safe' it was. Maybe we're still here more by good luck than anything else.

DdraigGoch

Oh dear, my latent backwoodsman is going to start showing in a minute! :rotfl: I don't think I'm up for the mantraps [yet] but I'll confess to re-reading the Little House in the Prarie series last yera. And jolly good books they are too. I don't think they should be lablelled children's books - any more than Harry Potter should have been just kept for children! They're [the little house books, not Harry!] also very good at dropping hints on how to do all sorts of useful tasks.

mardatha

I was looking on the darker side... wondering if I should read some AJ Cronin just to get meself in the mood for starvation & destitution.

pollyanna_21

This is my very first message. Hope I get it right.
Martin this site is FANTASTIC thank you.
Hold a car boot sale on Sunday, help towards increased gas/electricity that went up by 22% and 17%today.Wow this hurts