Preparing for winter II

Confuzzled

lilme wrote: »

I have 2 trees outside my house which a few weeks ago were laden with berries. They have now been stripped bare by the birds. I'm going to make sure I have extra bird food in this winter because the berries have appeared so early i'm worried the poor things wont have anything to eat this winter. I know many of you already feed the birds but for those who don't please consider putting out a little food if you can as it will make all the difference to them.

my daughters bright red frisbee upturned serves as a bird feeder for us in winter, we put it at the end of our garden near their favourite hedge and watch them all go at it with gusto! i like to chop up small bits of apple and mix in seeds and bread crusts that i allow to dry then break into small pieces for them. that reminds me i shoud buy some more food for them, we have a few bird families we've been watching since spring and we'd hate to see them suffer

Sunnyday

oldMcDonald wrote: »

I have a thick, plain, white t-towel over our letter box as a draught excluder. A strip of the 'furry' side of some sticky back hook and loop is stuck a couple of inches above the letter box and a strip of the 'hook' side is stuck to the t-towel - this way round I can take the t-towel down in the warmer months and the line of furry doest catch on all and sundry! It works really well and does't look odd as our door is white.

We used to have a letter box cage that i draped a towel over, the actual letter box itself was stuffed with microfibre cloths which used to drop into the cage when postie pushed the mail through.

This year the letterbox is taped up and i have one of those metal post boxes on the wall outside - a nice big one to accommodate those larger sized envelopes that we seem to keep getting.

This has made a huge difference to the temperature in the hall so if anyone is considering it i can highly recommend it, i was going to fasten a metal plate over the original hole and remove the letterbox completely but we may manage a new door soon if funds allow as we`ve needed one for a while now.

This wasn`t planned as a winter measure, more to stop a naughty dog who is obsessed with mail and likes to shred it, even learning how to get the mail out of the cage BUT it has made such a huge difference that it is well worth recommending to others.

SD

lilme

rising_from_the_ashes wrote: »

I generally don't feed the birds (don't think it's fair to tempt them to the garden where several cats may be lurking!:eek:

However, when it's really bad and icy/snowy I do put stuff out for them (little 4 legged people don't venture out when it's like that:)).

I normally only feed them during the winter. I feel I owe them as my cat is a fiend though he's never caught anything in the garden. Usually the birds come to feed first thing in the morning and when the cold comes he starts staying in at night so they can eat in peace.

paidinchickens

Our town was fine last year but we could not get off the estate or driveway for a week :rotfl: some people travelled miles to work but we could not get further than the garage :):) The only local shop (sent hubby in wellies) did not have any milk or bread for two weeks :eek::eek: so this year we have gone over the top in preperations...........every inch is storage :rotfl::rotfl::rotfl:

Everyone I know is taking the mick out of my preps so I am quite used to people thinking I am bonkers.

I have not spent loads on prep most items have come from jumble sales at the grand total of 20p an item

paidinchickens

lilme wrote: »

I normally only feed them during the winter. I feel I owe them as my cat is a fiend though he's never caught anything in the garden. Usually the birds come to feed first thing in the morning and when the cold comes he starts staying in at night so they can eat in peace.

Our cats let the birds walk over the lawn to eat what they want I can only assume they are lazy or only like cooked meat :rotfl:

Rainy-Days

paidinchickens wrote: »

Our town was fine last year but we could not get off the estate or driveway for a week :rotfl: some people travelled miles to work but we could not get further than the garage :):)

The problem with last year was that the Highways Agency only gritted main roads such as the motorways or dual carriages which they are responsible for. It was down to local councils if they chose to grit any of the A or B roads because the councils claimed they had "limited supplies". That was the main issue and that was what caused such mayhem. It just seemed to go on for so long, I think thats what caused the biggest of the problems. I remember three days before Christmas and DH drove us into Sainsburys at Duston and the place was not very busy. They had supplies sure enough but compared to previous Christmas's it was moderate! Even Northampton town was hardly bustling with shoppers either. We just got what we needed and got home. I can't tell you how glad I was when we got back either, it was a relief just to get off the trecherous roads, which although were clear by that point were still nasty and icy!! Permafrost - thats the word I am looking for, it was permafrost after the snow!

tugrin

I often wonder what some of the people who have that 'you're all bl******' mental' town-centric attitude expect the rural population to do? Perhap they just think everywhere should be a town or at least an 'interweb' of towns so that everyone can enjoy the joys of urban living! (LOL) - Having been brought up in London and having enjoyed the arts and culture and dinin to th full as a youngster I am glad there are towns, but like living entirely on chocolate, whilst an enticing idea, one would soon be feeling rather ill if you did it.
Anyone who is over 40 and lives on their own, who has had a fall will know WHY yaktrax were actually invented - oh and I wonder if Helenium has ever heard of Scandinavia......

ifonlyitwaseasier

i might not be out in the wilds but considering how bad the last two winters have been i have no guilt whatsoever in preparing for another one,

if it's not as bad, thats fine, means i'll still be snug tho

pollys

ifonlyitwaseasier wrote: »

i might not be out in the wilds but considering how bad the last two winters have been i have no guilt whatsoever in preparing for another one,

if it's not as bad, thats fine, means i'll still be snug tho

I fully agree, plus I'm having fun preparing and have picked up some bargains along the way.

Pollys

tugrin

PS Red Doe
Ive shot off an email to Scottish Fuels querying their payment policy and asking for clarification on methods of payments for residential customers.....might reach the right dept. or at least give someone in Inverness something to puzzle over tomorrow!! Got everything crossed for you sweetheart x