Preparing for winter II

kinkyjinks

I don't remember the winter of discontent but I'm not sure it would be the same now as it was then. Electricity and gas has been privatised since then so don't belong to the public service so surely that would mean that these wouldn't be affected by strike action?? Am I missing something I should know?

Penelope_Penguin

Butterfly_Brain wrote: »

I remember the winter of discontent well.

I predict it won't happen Thatcher was determined to emasculate the unions, and one very shrewd way she had of doing that was to encourage poeple, whose families had always rented, to buy their council houses. Her thinking was that once poeple owned something, they wouldn't be able to afford to strike.

Hands up anyone whose family could afford to lose weeks and weeks of wages while the main breadwinner goes on strike this winter.

Pablosmummy

Hello. I've been reading this thread and have noticed alot of people are lining their curtains with fleece and I want to! My curtains are so thin... (yes they were cheap lol) but I dont know how!

The are the kind with the large metal rings where the pole goes through built into them if anyone knows what I'm trying to explain but I cant think how to sew them to the top without it looking realy untidy..although I suppose I wouldnt be able to see it anyway and if the neighbours are offended by my bad sewing I dont really care lol

Justamum

Penelope_Penguin wrote: »

Hands up anyone whose family could afford to lose weeks and weeks of wages while the main breadwinner goes on strike this winter.

Are you assuming that people will follow the 'everybody out' mantra like sheep? Why on earth would people make themselves suffer while the union leaders keep living their cosseted life with guaranteed big salary?

Justamum

Last year I roughly sewed duvets to curtains to hang over the front and back doors. They were effective, but very heavy, so this year I've decided to sew a plastic shower curtain on to a normal curtain as a lining, then put the curtain rail on the outside of the inner doors so the draught can't get through the gap in the first place (held back by the shower curtain!). I just need to get the shower curtains now.

purpleheather2810

Hey pablosmummy, I just safety-pinned the fleeces (cheap ones from asda) to the backs of the curtains at the top. It doesn't show at all - it helps if the fleece is slightly smaller than the curtains. You can easily cut fleece and you don't have to hem it - it won't fray. HTH.

I've just got a door curtain for my inner front door from my local charity shop. The hall gets freezing in the winter time, so I'm hoping this will help. Now I just need to do something about the downstairs loo which is like a fridge - very handy for chilling drinks, not so good when you have to do your business on a freezing cold toilet seat!

pink_numbers

also, if your fleece is larger than the curtain, you can safety pin the edges of fleece about an inch away from the edges of the curtains. This should stop the fleece from showing along the sides of the curtain. It doesn't matter that things are a bit baggy, as the curtains fold anyway

Pablosmummy

oooh safety pins! that would be easier! Thank you, you've saved me alot of trouble trying to sew

Penelope_Penguin

Justamum wrote: »

Are you assuming that people will follow the 'everybody out' mantra like sheep? Why on earth would people make themselves suffer while the union leaders keep living their cosseted life with guaranteed big salary?

No, absolutely not; as I said, I don't think there will be major long-term strikes as in the 1970's "Winter of Discontent" because most people simply can't afford the loss of salary that a strike would entail.

stuckinscotland

I am really not looking forward to this winter. My house is a bit 'out of the way' and I've already had 4 powercuts despite moving in just months ago. Going to buy rugs for the laminate floors in the house, get blankets, keep curtains closed..... etc