Preparing for winter III

retepetsir

Received my snow grip shoe attachments yesterday thanks to the tip/advice on this thread

I slipped over badly on the ice last year and hurt my back, so hopefully they will help me this time!

prepareathome

shirleymarye wrote: »

Just read this,I also have an orange Kia Picanto,don't like the colour much but I was looking for an automatic so chose this one as it's small (only me in it usually or with a friend) Mine has an 05 plate on it but it was 18 months old when I got it. It's been very good so far and my garage chap says it's a good little car,only done about 22000 miles so far! It doesn't go very far,usually just shopping. Must admit the small boot drives me mad!:D

Oh ours has 05 plate as well, we just fold down the seats for more room and end up with more space than son with his BMW saloon, the thing we find annoying is only 4 seats - its not often we need more, but if taking grandchildren we can only fit two and now we have 3. Car has stood up to bad weather past few winters very well - apart from the few days when it froze. We have driven up hill and down dale, and handled even quite steep hills very well. One thing we do love is the tiny amount of road tax, at least that is one bill we do not dread

prepareathome

Well I think my problems with not getting goods from Coopers of Stortford might be more to do with Hermes than them. I emailed as mentioned Hermes and today a part delivery. Driver one I see a lot, delivering for many companies - he was at mine yesterday. He told me this morning he had just collected things from depot when he got a call to come back and pick up another parcel, mine. He was told they just had a call to find my parcels and get them delivered, they only found one then, but driver now will be asking where others are. The 4 in 1 car starter still not arrived - and that was the first thing Coopers emailed me to say had gone out on 19th Oct.

So now hubby has his rubber overshoes, my silk lined socks have arrived, but on delivery note inside it states his will be sent separately, so hoping they might arrive before summer. Also got the rubber things with metal grips to go over shoes. Sledge I bought for grandchildren for Christmas missing as well, so will email both Coopers and Hermes about these. Feeling a bit more hopeful but I will not be buying from this firm again. Just not worth the stress, their customer service is awful. I did before parcel was delivered call them at 10am - when queries opens and straight away was in a queue with 51 people ahead of me, so I think that speaks for itself, or it could be a ploy to stop people contacting them, deliberately making it seem you are in a big queue and making you wait and if you do not give up then they will talk to you, as when you phone you are given a choice of choosing whether you want to place an order or speak to them about a query.

At least some more of winter items now here and hubby can work knowing he will not be slipping all over the place - he delivers newspapers to business and homes and can end up in some very isolated places, which in winter can be rather badly iced up. He tells me he has found some of the more isolated homes, down a track very often don't bother clearing the ice even around their homes, can only presume they don't go out front during bad weather so don't see the point.

Still not got that door curtain washed ( it is clean but been away since April), ironed and put up and still not stuffed my draught excluder, must get them done today.

Rainy-Days

It's beautiful and sunny here today. DH has had a final chop back in the garden and just finished mowing the lawns, so the garden bin is full again!

He has drained the outside tap and I have just put it's padded cover round it. I have washed two of my horse jackets. I use them to clean the stables out, do their food and odd bob things with them and they were a tad smelly. So they are on the line drying. It might take a while for them to dry but even so.

I have a dark load in for washing now, but not sure how dry that will get as I came home at lunchtime and realised it was a glorious day to the one that was originally forecast!! We are not going to put the hose away in the shed - not just yet - I have put a bin liner over it to keep the debris off for the time being and when the weather does turn, it will just be a case of opening up the shed and shoving it inside. The snow shovels are up there so when we fetch them down to the garage we can do that in one go.

cosmomo

kittie wrote: »

I finished my winter prep a while ago and am now starting to use what I put by all through summer. That includes the candles, I have dozens :eek: collected over the years and mostly yankee ones. A candle in the snug last night and it was lovely and it added a degree or two so that we were warm enough without extras on.

I managed to get four of the big Yankee candles at half price (love 'em - thanks for the recommendation on this thread:)). I'm nearly down to the end of the first but am now wondering what to do with the jar when it's empty. Any thoughts? It seems a bit fragile for everyday use...but I couldn't possible not re-use it for something...

Have today picked up 3 rubber doormats from Mr T (bought with double points coupon thing) and have laid them across the deck from the gate to the house so that the DC's don't slip over in the rain/ice this year . Also ordered flanelette sheets to replace holey one (thanks again to this thread). Bring on the sub-zero temperatures!

prepareathome

Just received the following from Coopers of Stortford

I have tracked the Car Starter with the courier and it does appear that it has been lost in transit, I have issued a claim with the courier and have requested for a replacement to be despatched urgently for you.

Amazing what the threat of legal action does and mentioning this forum, I told them that I first heard of them on here and now was going to inform the forum how I have been treated and how I will also post to Martin about them......oh I am a bad person, threatening them with Martin, I bet it was his name that got them moving.

Been slowly clearing pots off the ground in back garden - up till now grown everything in pots as back is rather steep, but now will grow in side garden - ready for the fruit bushes when they arrive at end of month or beg Dec so they can be put in straight away before bad weather hits ( although that seems so unlikely at moment, its sunny and very mild at moment, although sky is more a greyish blue than just blue. Fruit in side garden I feel tempting people to much, even with the hedges once they are in, if people walk past and see the bushes ( or even drive past, busy main road into the city and forever having cars, lorries, buses etc., stopped outside due to the traffic lights half a mile away - one long road). So once back is clear then guy who does the heavy work for me can dig it over, then plant hedges in front and apart from putting in the fruit bushes when they arrive that will be it for garden for winter. Do have some veg growing in side garden but I don't think am going to get anything as leaves on potatoes are turning yellow and and not one flower come out, been to warm I think, as actual flowering plants still are giving me a lovely show.

Oh have found snow shovel is great for clearing up after the dogs - no grass in back just soil and path so snow shovel makes it very easy to collect it up to bag. Much easier than the ordinary shovel I was using. So even if no snow I don't feel I have wasted my money.

ifonlyitwaseasier

Prep - nothing wrong with using a little "persuasion" to get a response.

Confuzzled

brrr it's nippy here today, went into town and i was too warm, i'd put on my wool coat and brought gloves because the hall was so cold but outside it was humid so it was too much to have both a jumper and a wool coat, gloves never left my pocket

fast forward 2 hours, opened the door for the tesco delivery and stood outside to let him bring things in and now i can't get warm again! it has cooled drastically and the house feels cold now from the hall door being opened repeatedly

i put on my flannel pjs, my booties and my dressing gown after the tesco man had left and i'd put away the food and i've decided to fast forward my chicken and pumpkin cooking to today vs tomorrow to help take the edge off.

i had promised myself to try and make it til today with no heat and i made it but i'm secretly hoping to last til dec barring any really bad weather so baking seemed a good way to avoid the need for the heat (storage heaters anyway so it's not like i could have heat this moment unless i drag out my space heater i don't like using).

saying that this is really the first time i've been tempted. i think a nice cuppa chai and some biscuits should help take the edge off that temptation nicely


good luck to everyone keeping warm, i have a few last minute things to do like the bathroom window, hall window and front door bubble glazing (waiting til after my flat inspection on the 24th) then i'm totally prepared for winter, and, from the looks of my food stores, a plague/nuclear war/pandemic :rotfl:

Fruball

23rdspiral wrote: »

frugal, when i had a laptop i had the same issue, so i used a little usb plug in mouse - sometimes i used it resting on a book on the arm of the chair! but mostly i used a flat piece of MDF, wrapped in old newspaper and taped so no rough edges, like a lap tray but with no lips round the edge, so the laptop sat on that and i used the spare space alongside for the mouse.

I hadn't thought of making a lap tray for it - brilliant idea, thank you :T

lizzyb1812 wrote: »

A wireless mouse can be used almost anywhere - I sometimes sit on my settee with my laptop on my knee and the mouse on the arm of the settee.

A laptop with a touchpad may not be the solution - my laptop does have a touchpad and resting my hand on the edge of the computer as I used the pad resulted in nerve damage that was just as bad as RSI.

I ended up using something like this:

http://www.return2fitness.co.uk/Supports_and_Braces/Wrist_Supports/carptun454

Mine is not this one, it's not as surgical looking but has the same concept - a tight fitting mitt with a solid, shaped splint from palm to wrist to keep the hand/wrist in a position that does not allow nerve damage, etc. There's no label on mine - think I cut it out - so I can't say where I got it from, but it really did the trick. After a while I was able to go back to not using it and now use it if I notice a bit of ache/tingling.

Brilliant - I am glad I haven't lashed out on a new lappy :eek: when it may not have solved the problem. TY

Lucy5781 wrote: »

OH and I have split up, he's moving out and has been at a friend's since Saturday night. Flat feels sooo much colder..... Been sitting with with my fleeces on the sofa (I also use a USB mouse for my lappie, always have) and have been setting the heater and electric blanket up in the bed room about an hour or so before bed.

Think without Ex's food requirements my shopping bill will drop quite a bit...... Less washing & washing up... Need a lodger for the spare room though........ Oh god :faint:

Best rid, love Had 2 big break ups myself in the last few years and although it wasn't always easy, life has been sooooooo much better and I am happier. The first was getting us into so much debt we nearly lost the house :eek: and the second was a complete !!!!!! in the last few days when my Dad was dying That was awful to go through but if he can do that to me, he certainly isn't worth my time. Glad to be rid of the pair of them tbh.

Certainly don't want a relationship for the time being (if ever as I don't know if I would ever trust another man) although did meet a gorgeous man at work today No harm in looking

OS preps are mostly on hold as busy week at work however I did get my sack of wheat today so will be making wheat bags for all the craft sales I have agreed to do - first one is next week and I haven't made a single thing yet :eek::eek::eek:

So Fru's production line will be set up tonight and I will be working my !!! off after work every evening after the DDs go to bed!!! (in front of the fire, naturally )

Seemed to have burned more wood than expected last couple of nights so I am off outside with my powersaw now to cut up some more :cool:

Catch you all later :A

Katkin_2

Oooo. I need a bag of wheat and dont know where to get one from. Got the last one from a friend who kept chickens. She moved and now doesnt have them. So dont know where to start. Sewing machine fixed so I can make some wheatbags but no wheat to fill em.

Any ideas on where to get some from? I live in the middle of the Black Country - so no countryside or farms to speak of.

Cheers