Preparing for winter III

Dmouse_2

I would like to say a huge thank you to you all on this thread. I am a long time lurker and have picked up some fabulous tips from you all. The weather here in the midlands is awful, i really feel for those of you further north!

abwsco

Hope everyone stays safe. Still very windy here but it's dropped in comparison to overnight/this morning. Suns out as well now instead of the torrential rain. Kept waking DH and I up overnight which is unusual as we tend to sleep through everything. My chucks are out and about just taking cover when it's gets really blowy. Touch wood we've no damage although a tree in the bottom of next doors garden does look like some of it is going to come off soon.

I haven't put any washing out as the pegs I have are carp (even though they're allegedly good ones and shouldn't shift in the wind) and the washing will just get blown along the line into the wall.

Gettingtherequickly

I was in the Life Museum in Ireland over the Christmas (it is a museum of how things were done in the country years ago and reminded me of things I saw when I was a kid). Anyway, one thing they apparently did was to have straw doors, these were woven and hung over the relevent doors. They looked stunning and were obviously effective, I'm sure they would be very good in remote places now and would have the advantage of moving with the door as against having to move curtains. Not sure they would pass fire regs though, although the weave looked very tight and any burn would be slow.

abwsco

OK, we've now got a hailstorm though the sun is still out. So are my chickens as they like to eat hail.

[Deleted User]

:eek: scary re the fallen chimney shirleym. Phew you were very lucky

We went 7 miles to the supermarket and there was a great big rain cloud and yes it was raining almost all the way. Washing was all out and I have been out to take it in, dressing gown lost 3 pegs and was hanging on 1 but it is almost dry, all of it including towels. 2 hours did it and just needs finishing off on a rack

I have no washing plans tomorrow but will strip the beds and change all the flannel bedding, ready for thursday and/or friday. Duvet covers in first. What a nightmare if you have children or disabled to wash for

There are 2 major storms potentially due this month and this isn`t one of them. Watch towards middle and towards the end

I am stocked up again with fresh fruit and some veg but will be living off stuff I dehydrated, brined and bottled. The brined tomatoes are incredible and so so easy. Supermarket was a bit dire on fresh foods today which brings in mind the coming `hungry gap`. If you have the will, then sprouted alfalfa seeds are a very good stop gap. I`ll be sprouting in a few days as they are great in sandwiches and as a salad food

edit: we had to turn back and take another route out of the village as the lane was thoroughly flooded

rain today by meteogroup is very helpful re spotting a 2 hour drying window

[Deleted User]

flood warning link

http://www.floodwarn.co.uk/flood_warnings.htm

shegar

Frugal wrote: »

Shegar! What a fabulous idea - I am going to do one too - what sorts of things do you put in it? x

I put the contents of the tumble dryer filter all the fluff, pieces of cotton from my sewing box, moss from the garden, and loads of chicken feathers that I find in the hens house, etc etc,:T I put them in to a old hanging basket and hang them on the line, the birds will soon find them when they start to build their new nests in the coming weeks........Our wildlife need all the help they can get, food ,water etc, to help keep them warm for winter.........:D

Rainy-Days

What a howler of a night and day it has been!

It has also been freezing cold, the rain lashed down followed swiftly by a hail storm! I have made a hearty stew tonight. I was going to do something different but as I had the root veg in anyway I just picked up some stewing beef from the supermarket and I have it bubbling away on the stove as I type.

I managed to nip up to the town to return something to Monsoon and the wind was so bitingly cold I was so glad to get back to the car. I was not in the mood for wandering and pondering around the shops at all.

DH was at home today on his rest days so thankfully he was there to help me unload and pack away the food shop. At one point the wind racheted up and it sounded like a deep throaty roaring sound. Fire is lit and we are staying in for the night. This is a horrible day for even thinking about going out in!

prepareathome

Well wind has been howling here and rain has been on and off - did I tell you we actually went all daylight hours without rain yesterday, yes actually dry, am totally shocked, did pour down most the night to make up for it. I am actually going out this evening, something very, very rare for me so think it will be boots and warm clothes - am actually going to join SW as got to do something to get my fat carcass down to manageable size again. So once got the books to help me will sort out shopping list for Thursday ( although might just pop into Mr S after it as hubby will be waiting in the car in the car park there, although trying to get him to take his book in the pub where SW is held rather than sit out there with the wind howling round him as car park is rather exposed. So far we have got off very lightly with nothing falling down except a few small branches that were obviously ready to drop anyway and no harm done.

Right hubby eating, me don't feel hungry so will have something after SW so better go and get dressed, sitting in towelling robe still and had shower over an hour ago.

Stay warm, safe and upright everyone

Hugs

rising_from_the_ashes

shirleymarye wrote: »

I heard this strange rolling noise above me and I thought the ceiling was going to cave in! I stayed in the hall with the cats and waited about an hour for it to calm down down a bit,as soon as it started to get light I was looking out the window and I saw something on the grass below and as it got lighter I realised it was the chimney pot!

Oh my .....:eek: thank goodness it went away from the flats...... hope the HA get it made safe / watertight ASAP.

The wind here did drop slightly for a short time after lunch but still to much to go anywhere - and it's right back up again. Have had to recover the bins several times but have nowhere to put them inside with the car being in the garage.

My cats haven't been out for about 3 days now - not good as they only tolerate each other at the best of times and are starting to get grumpy with each other which is usually the prelude to a fight:(

kittie wrote: »

There are 2 major storms potentially due this month and this isn`t one of them.

:eek::eek::eek:

Re stuff for birds nesting .... if you've got pets, then any hair gathered after they've been brushed is usually gratefully snapped up too!