Preparing for winter II

ChocClare

toontron wrote: »

Nope, indeed they are not, I agree, not everyone lives eight miles from the nearest shop (which is a post office), not everyone lives at the top of a mountain that is never gritted, and not everyone has a private water supply (because there are no mains), which runs off the electricity, and of course not forgetting that the supermarkets don't deliver here in any weather. We tend to have five feet of drifting snow here when we get it heavy. I shall from now on count my blessings.

But because of your situation, you say "Maybe I find it odd because, as I said, I live in a seriously isolated spot, so its "normal" for us to have emergency things in place."

As you say, your situation means that you are prepared for being snowed in. Which implies you have a store of food, alternative water/fuel supplies, medication etc. Maybe not enough to last a year, but I expect you have them to get you through the period where you have to rely only on yourself.

I am not at the top of a mountain, but I am a good four miles from my nearest shop (also a post office), down country lanes which are never gritted. Because of where I am, I have things in place so that if the power goes out or we get snowed in (as we did last year), we can get through a few days without "having" to go out.

I don't think that is a siege mentality, and that's all that people on here are preparing for - it's not some massive survivalist discussion here!

When we lived in Canada (which is ALWAYS snowed in everywhere, LOL), we noticed that the authorities were really on the ball about clearing roads, keeping deliveries going etc. In England, everything seems to grind to a halt! Your situation is probably similar, on a smaller scale: you're used to it, so can't see what the fuss is about - but many of the people who were snowed in for the first time last year WERE completely unprepared for it and don't want to go through the same thing again. And you - like me - probably don't have to rely on electricity for heating whereas people in towns are (oddly enough) possibly worse affected when the power goes off as they shiver in their town-centre flat without the possibility of chucking a log on the fire or stove.

Also, a lot of this is about keeping warm without resorting to the heating (ie moneysaving) rather than any kind of siege mentality.

As you're probably more experienced than many, could you perhaps post what you would say is the most useful thing to have on hand "just in case"?

ChocClare

Great minds think alike, rosieben

Sorry, toontron, don't think we're all trying to pick on you at once!

diddly74

toontron wrote: »

Nope, indeed they are not, I agree, not everyone lives eight miles from the nearest shop (which is a post office), not everyone lives at the top of a mountain that is never gritted, and not everyone has a private water supply (because there are no mains), which runs off the electricity, and of course not forgetting that the supermarkets don't deliver here in any weather. We tend to have five feet of drifting snow here when we get it heavy. I shall from now on count my blessings.

Agreed but did you not choose to live where you do? Do you not like it? Why do you still live there if you find it so inconvenient? You have your reasons, but while other people do not live with your constraints they may have their own - no one chooses to be disabled or ill or grow old or infirm.

And personally I think everyone should live in a "prepared" way - live ready to act and I like confuzzled's terminology "a food savings account" and if we all try to save a little bit of money by using less fuel to heat our homes and cook our food (I have been reading the pressure cooker and slow cooker threads too lol :T) we are in our own little way saving the planet! OOOOOO I do feel :A:A. pmsl.

JulieGeorgiana

Toontron,

I thought the whole point of these boards is that everyone helps and is tolerant of others. It's unfair that because you find yourself in the middle of nowhere which is your choice that you judge others for their choices!

ChocClair is right though, you have experience.

I believe a little less judging of others you could help and advise those who want to prepare for the worst, even if by your standards they might not be very good reasons, and you deal with it all the time.

Again your choice!

It's not my choice However, to end back up in hospital because someone told me not to stockpile a little in preparation of the winter!

toontron

ChocClare wrote: »

Great minds think alike, rosieben

Sorry, toontron, don't think we're all trying to pick on you at once!

I never thought you were! 'Tis a debating forum after all!

In response to an earlier poster, our heating IS all electric, the electricity supply also powers and pumps our water system, so when we are out of electricity we are without water too, as I said earlier, this can go on for a good week or so at a time. Just after Christmas we were snowed in for three weeks with not even the tractors getting through. This is probably the reason that I can't really sypathise with people who stock up because it took them three hours to travel a couple of miles. Believe me, a couple of weeks cut off with no heat or light and you would treat that as a day out! I think people panic unnecessarily, but I would agree that it probably is beneficial that some people are starting to prepare for what they believe is coming weatherwise, last year I had to collect a birthday present just before a heavy snow was forecast and head up to the house quickly, I was certainly slowed down by the town dwellers stockpiling for what usually turns out to be 2 days in the house!

My life savers are batteries for the radio and a little portable tv that we have, gas bottles for the camping stoves, plus we have a huge supply of wind up camping lanters rather than torches - I don't take the candle approach, basically because I have a clumsy 7 and 10 year old, and a dog with a very wayward strong waggy tail. Because the phones go off with the electricity I have quite a number of disposal mobile phone batteries too (these are not much good in heavy snow because although we are at the top of a mountain, there is no mobile signal) :mad:, and would suggest they are an absolute MUST for anybodys "car survival kit".

smileyt_2

Please, a call for peace ....

We are all wise old owls (or young owls/middle-aged owls) on this thread and we should be proud of that and our ability to think ahead to make the winter easier for ourselves and our families.

ETA just read toontron's post above, would like to add that if we are all preparing now, we are not going to be the ones panic buying when the snow comes and we can just sit snug as bugs in rugs at home. Waiting for enough snow to get out there and build a snowman!

toontron

diddly74 wrote: »

Agreed but did you not choose to live where you do? Do you not like it? Why do you still live there if you find it so inconvenient? You have your reasons, but while other people do not live with your constraints they may have their own - no one chooses to be disabled or ill or grow old or infirm.

And personally I think everyone should live in a "prepared" way - live ready to act and I like confuzzled's terminology "a food savings account" and if we all try to save a little bit of money by using less fuel to heat our homes and cook our food (I have been reading the pressure cooker and slow cooker threads too lol :T) we are in our own little way saving the planet! OOOOOO I do feel :A:A. pmsl.

I live there because for about 8 months of the year it is the most beautiful tranquil place in the world:D and the little Toonies have 70 acres to run around in!

diddly74

toontron wrote: »

I live there because for about 8 months of the year it is the most beautiful tranquil place in the world:D and the little Toonies have 70 acres to run around in!

For that I envy you. I live in the town I grew up in (there has never been a reason to move away) I personally would love to live in a place like yours - even if there were downsides.

JulieGeorgiana

smileyt wrote: »

ETA just read toontron's post above, would like to add that if we are all preparing now, we are not going to be the ones panic buying when the snow comes and we can just sit snug as bugs in rugs at home. Waiting for enough snow to get out there and build a snowman!

That's a very good point

My son loves snowmen!!!!!

rosieben

toontron wrote: »

I live there because for about 8 months of the year it is the most beautiful tranquil place in the world:D and the little Toonies have 70 acres to run around in!

sounds idyllic, what a great place for kids to grow up; how do you manage for heat though if the electric goes off? do you not have an open fire or something? If I had all that space outside I'd fire up the barbecue in a field and cook on that!

I know what you mean about mobile phone signals, the last place I lived we had to go into the field at the back of the garden to get waht was never better than a very crackly signal. Orange is the best one in this area, most don't work at all, so its worth trying other networks

and sorry, forgot to ask, how do you store water for emergencies, just thinking about how much you'd need to keep for 2 weeks :eek: