Preparing for winter II

majjak

toontron, great bit of advice re: spare phone battery for the car, I hadn't thought of that one !

Just quickly, from a 'townies' perspective, we got snowed in last year here too, was really bad down here in the South, definitely not the kind of winter weather we're used to (which I think was half the problem, we're used to tropical temperatures :cool: :rotfl:!)

I had plenty of milk bread etc in but when I did eventually run out, none of the shops had any milk or bread and it was 3 days before the lorries got through. I think we were one of the first local authorities to run out of grit (roll eyes icon thingy-majig) .... I think because people like us got caught out last year, we're making sure the same doesn't happen this year . Being a Girlguide the motto 'be prepared' is ingrained in me I'm afraid

toontron

diddly74 wrote: »

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.

Yep, it is two thirds gain/one third pain, which is why we just get on with it! I forgot to mention earlier - portable gas heaters are a SERIOUS must! Some of the other farms have generators but I have never really seen the point, we get along just fine......... as long as I don't run out of cigarettes!:eek:

toontron

majjak wrote: »

toontron, great bit of advice re: spare phone battery for the car, I hadn't thought of that one !

Just quickly, from a 'townies' perspective, we got snowed in last year here too, was really bad down here in the South, definitely not the kind of winter weather we're used to (which I think was half the problem, we're used to tropical temperatures :cool: :rotfl:!)

I had plenty of milk bread etc in but when I did eventually run out, none of the shops had any milk or bread and it was 3 days before the lorries got through. I think we were one of the first local authorities to run out of grit (roll eyes icon thingy-majig) .... I think because people like us got caught out last year, we're making sure the same doesn't happen this year . Being a Girlguide the motto 'be prepared' is ingrained in me I'm afraid

The mobile phone battery is an absolute must, and could be a life saver, always take mine and I had a meaty 4x4 which got well stuck last year! I always have a spare bag of cat litter in the boot in bad weather too, just incase I need to put it under the wheels if I get stuck!

Mati1968

I love this board, I've mostly been lurking but I've already put a lot of steps in motion.

MY oh and I are both self employed and his business is totally dependant on the weather. So if we have a bad winter he can't work. So being prepared is essential.

We also live at the bottom of a hill which means if there's ice or snow we can be stuck here for days. Last winter we weren't prepared, money was extremely tight and we both got sick from the cold. (storage heaters that cost a small fortune to run).

I'm not taking any chances this time. It would be great if all the preparations were for nothing and it turned out to be a mild winter. But at least we'll be ready if isn't.

richardc1983

toontron wrote: »

The mobile phone battery is an absolute must, and could be a life saver, always take mine and I had a meaty 4x4 which got well stuck last year! I always have a spare bag of cat litter in the boot in bad weather too, just incase I need to put it under the wheels if I get stuck!

You mention about the house phone and mobile phones.

Can you not use a corded house phone one that doesnt need power?

cmazza

Tesco have got several throws in their basic range which are around £10-£25. Also look out for tea-lights on sale from the BBQ season.

cmazza

Has anyone tried one of these? It's for gas hobs, according to them it converts all unburnt gas to heat and energy, allowing you to cook faster and so save on gas.

http://www.allaboutyoushop.com/Gas-Energy-Saver/lid/6696

toontron

richardc1983 wrote: »

You mention about the house phone and mobile phones.

Can you not use a corded house phone one that doesnt need power?

We have tried a corded house phone in all of our BT sockets in the house, but for some reason we get terrible crackling on the line. To be honest, the handhelds have a better reception, but its still really haphazard. A quick call to phonebank to check your bank balance ends with a lot of yelling at the automated service and about a 10 minute call. One engineer even suggested the problem stems from the fact that our line is underground and "tractors have obviously disturbed it". At that point we gave up bothering. Our broadband speed is about the speed of dialup:(

toontron

Regarding the water - you can't stockpile it cos you don't know when the water will go off! I always have big containers of bottled water anyway, its not being able to do the washing that winds me up. Have to go down and take water out of the stream at the bottom of the garden in buckets to be able to flush the loo, and of course the small Toonies love the fact that they cant have a bath!

richardc1983

toontron wrote: »

Regarding the water - you can't stockpile it cos you don't know when the water will go off! I always have big containers of bottled water anyway, its not being able to do the washing that winds me up. Have to go down and take water out of the stream at the bottom of the garden in buckets to be able to flush the loo, and of course the small Toonies love the fact that they cant have a bath!

Do you think were in for a bad winter toontron? Your very rural and must be aware of signs of nature.

I think Autumn has started very early I have also been participating on weather forums Heres some interesting links, its also going to turn wintry the next few days.

http://met-monkey.co.uk/weather.forum/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=11800&p=237974#p237974

http://www.theweatheroutlook.com/twoforecasts/14%20day%20UK%20weather%20forecast.aspx

http://www.theweatheroutlook.com/