It isn`t tough for us. We are OS and we COPE

[Deleted User]

omg netweather forum re yasi cyclone. Its absolutely dire. Thousands have not made it to shelters and 5 hours to eye of storm but already roofs have blown off

http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2011/02/02/3128439.htm

also US expecting massive snow over 1/3 of the country

my stomach is churning with what is happening all over the place. Really scary stuff, including take overs in Egypt, Jordan etc and who or rather what groups will be taking control over time

the_cat

I lurk rather than post most of the time but de-lurking briefly to say I have in the past made up a strong black tea brew for home dying. Mostly I use it to turn white bra's that nude colour (only use a couple of t-bags) but I'm guessing more bags would produce a slightly deeper colour. The colour stays put in the wash too thankfully!

Might be of some use I hope.....

ubamother

the_cat wrote: »

I lurk rather than post most of the time but de-lurking briefly to say I have in the past made up a strong black tea brew for home dying. Mostly I use it to turn white bra's that nude colour (only use a couple of t-bags) but I'm guessing more bags would produce a slightly deeper colour. The colour stays put in the wash too thankfully!

Might be of some use I hope.....

What a good idea - do you just put the bras in hot tea? How long do you leave them for?

the_cat

Yep - I find hot tea works best - I just swirl them around until they are maybe a bit darker than I want to allow for some colour to fade when rinsing (if poss, as synthetic fabric does not always 'take' so well) Max of 5 mins I would guess. Then a quick rinse under the tap, followed by a short wash in the machine

[Deleted User]

stay safe queensland people. You are role models in how to be prepared

food
drink
loo
communications
sleeping bags
medications

We would need surprisingly little for survival

Lavandula

Worrying times indeed...:(

I wish I had enough money to buy a smallholding, have no mortgage, and be self sufficient as possible...in fact my house is for sale as we hope to move to a bigger house with a bigger garden for just that reason...although it will leave me with a big mortgage and much more vunerable if I was made redundant......but I think I will take a chance as I have always dreamed of the 'country cottage' scenario....

mardatha

I do like the queenslanders, they seem very no frills and no nonsense. Not silly or pretentious at all. They've had a lot to put up with this last few months.

maryb

We are very lucky in this country in that we don't tend to have major climate disasters. Wait for long enough and the snow will melt/the floods will subside etc. Our OS preparations are about minimising impact on day to day life rather than saving life and limb. The 1953 East Coast floods are the only comparable thing I can think of. But if we did have a storm surge coinciding with a high tide London would still be at major risk if it were not for the Thames Barrier. (That will need replacing and given how long we faff around in this country before committing to capital infrastructure spending I can see there being a risk of flooding before it gets prioritised). I don't think we could prepare for impending devastation on a scale like the Queensland cyclone in this country - can you imagine trying to evacuate the Thames Estuary?

saveabobortwo

I managed eventually to find an economical small car and bought a dihatsui charade which is 30 pound a year tax low insurance and tank of petrol lasts ages ,for fifteen hundred squid, have nt sold our one yet but using the new motor now . even onthe day of buying the car we had to battle to get it 3 people were booked in to go and view in the afternoon and while we were filling out the documents five people rang up. the sellers couldhavesold it foralot more if they had put theirthinking head on. so happy with purchase. not sure what seedsto sewin ourlittleplastic greenhouse last year did well growing a bean stalk along our fence, strawberries but not loads all sorts of herbs potatoes were a disaster pots were nt large enough will invest in some bigger ones from b and q . tried making my own natural shampoo using soap flakes and lavender essential oil although we did use itall up and it smelt lovely i did nt find it that economical once i had purchased the ingredients compared to buying a cheap bottle of shampoo from the shop but did enjoy making my own product also tried perfume using vodka and essential oil this i thought was economical as you can make a large bottle compared to the expensive prices of shop bought perfume.have been thinking of investing in a solar panel for the garden to power downstairs lights looking into thiswith dearhubby think theres a pack you can buy not to bad priced. will try harder this year to improve my sewing skills haddream this week about cutting out animal shapes to make toys. Cairo not settling that is unfortunate will keep an eye i can see the wholeworld seeking Os money saving tips before long.:o

kezlou

Oh wow greyqueen, your top sounds amazing, you'll have to put up a pic when your finished!

Well my sewing night ended early last night, m eyes went all funny, so gave up. But i did manage to repair my coat. Today i repaired two pairs of trousers, pair of tights and a bra:D.

Really chuffed, as i thought i would have to chuck the bra.

Went to d*uhelm today and caved in, decided to buy 2m of thin wadding and some remnants came to £3.62 in the end. So not too bad. going to have a go at making a bag tonight with it.

The riots are still going on cairo, so scary,who know what will happen next. Never mind queensland the poor b*ggers have been through enough.