Preparing for winter III

lizzyb1812

Yep - I've got a bit of blossom on my apple tree and quite a lot of the wildflowers round here are blooming again. My neighbour has a rose with buds that are starting to open on it!

Mar, Tugrin is right about the windows - they should be less noisy not more. By very busy roads properties sometimes have triple glazing to reduce noise. Whistling could be due to the vents and it would be worth getting your HA onto it - do your neighbours have the same issue?

Lofts - must look at mine. I know there is some insulation and it is part boarded and loaded up with stuff that must have an insulating effect as well. But the stuff is all carp and needs to go in one way or another. A former next door neighbour - a very pretty young woman - was convinced her next door neighbour's teenage son used to go into the loft to spy on her as there was no wall between her loft and theirs :eek: Her dad checked for holes in her bedroom ceiling and put a bolt on the house side of the loft hatch to calm her down

mcjordi

currently blowing a gale here.. so im snuggled up in my duvet watching entrapment on the box..

greenbee

Blowing a gale here too and the stove really doesn't like it...

singlestep

I spent a big part of today outside and I have to say that the knee-length heat-generating socks I was wearing were great. They were a bit pricier than I'd have liked, though! I'd have to wear other pairs of socks over them in extreme cold My slanket and I have been inseperable when I've been at home and not in my bed. I put the flannel bedding on and I really struggle to get up in the mornings!

Toonie, sorry, no real advice. Do you need a bed that gives you any more space for storage? I suppose there will be sales on soonish, though and you'll have a chance to try some beds that might suit you.

I'm not liking the sound of that wind - think I'm going to have an earlyish night!

artichoke

its blowing a gale here tonight and the power went off for a while, but has come back now.... I have just checked the weather forcast and we have snow forcast from next thursday - we are in Peak District so do expect snow


I am so glad that when the power goes off i know exactly where the camping lanterns, candles, matches are...

thank you everyone for sharing tips and advice, this winter has not been bad yet, but tonight i was grateful for being prepared..

log store full, freezer full, pantry full - just need to buy fresh milk, yeast and veg as soon as the forcast snow becomes more reliably forcast and then stay home until it is over..

take care everyone

art

shirleymarye

I will be 73 in January and I live alone in a small flat,one of 8 in a block,one neighbour I can always ask for help if needed but the other 6 tenants are all young people and have never helped me with anything.They can't even put their own rubbish out! It's been quite wild here today and tonight,west coast of Scotland but I have been lovely warm (24 degrees) with my little cats for company. Apparently on the 10th of December my HA want to rip my central heating out and replace it with a new boiler and radiators,I am a bit concerned what the weather may be like then! Not sure I want to go ahead with it as I have so much stuff to pack up,carpets have to come up as well and they say over 10 days to do it!
Not sure I trust them as when they did my kitchen and bathroom they took 6 weeks. My gas fire will also be removed so no back up then if heating goes off. Not sure I want it doing right now! Do you think I am daft?

prepareathome

No I don't think you are daft, if you can I would at least ask for it to be done after Christmas - if they take longer you could find yourself with no heat or hot water over the holidays, most likely unlikely but if I were you I would be unwilling to take the chance. I know technically they are not legally allowed to leave you with no heat and hot water BUT if they go off and do what they usually do saying 'oh don't worry we will be back tomorrow and don't come back trying to phone and get something sorted could be stressful to say the least. Why do so many HAs want to do these things in the middle of winter, it seems a favourite trick for them, I guess the can get a reduction for the firms they use as they are not as busy in private properties then. If they insist i would say well you want not only it in writing, but also in writing an amount they will pay you ( to cover costs of buying and installing electric heater and running them as well as extra kettles for heating up water plus of course for all the stress) I know they will never agree to it, or very unlikely but might just make sure if they insist they must do the work then that they will finish on time. DO though get a proper signed letter stating when work will start and finish, not just a letter all printed with no signature. I would use the holidays coming up as a reason why you do not want it done then, family coming etc, so you have to have your home all sorted by then and you cannot manage that on you own. I know January won't be any better weather wise but at least they will not be taking a couple of weeks off then. I grew up in Glasgow I know how cold the winters can be.

Eliza_2

No I think they're daft for wanting to do a job like this in the middle of the winter - why on earth couldn't they do it in summer?

I agree, I would ask for the work to be postponed - it's crazy.

I'm in the Peak Park too, artichoke. I really thought it was going to snow yesterday, the sky looked to be full of it. Only a matter of time now. Power cuts are normal here aren't they (but in this day and age, should they be?) and I'm very glad of my little campervan so I can brew up. I also know the value of having different sources of heat/, light and hot water. The open fire can be used to cook on (though the van is easier) and heats me and the hot water. There's the oil heating and there's electricity. As long as they all don't die at once!!! I've decided after last year when things were really dire and the heating stopped working and no-one could deliver oil, logs or anything else, and I couldn't get out to work to earn any money anyway, that I'm not going to scrimp and contrary to what this site preaches, sod the credit cards!!!

Liz

[Deleted User]

[QUOTE=Eliza;48981063_contrary to what this site preaches sod the credit cards!!!

Liz[/QUOTE]

Oh Liz. be careful. It was people with heavy debt on credit cards who had the most struggle to survive and many didn`t, it creeps up little by little. The start of the tough threads in 2006 gave people lots of warning and it is no way over, in fact a long way to go and so easy to slip. That is why the existance of this valuable thread and so many others. No-one preaches anything but we do try and support each other

CH27

My cupboard is so stocked with tins for winter that when I opened it they all fell out on me :embarasse