Preparedness for when

mardatha

SWS, we're in our 60s as well and not moving. But I'm in a very good place so it would be daft to move anyway. I cook with Calor gas, buy the big 47kg cylinders and that lasts me over 8 months - and I always keep a spare. If I had to I could cook on the fire as well.
The one thing I took from the news reports re gas is that you can't tell who the hell is lying through their teeth and who is stirring it deliberately, so best to believe that they all are!

[Deleted User]

In our 50s here and not planning to go anywhere as we are in a good place too. Our planning is around having good stores and the means to be more self-reliant. We also cook with bottled gas and keep one bottle in hand. We have a wood burning stove, which we plan to use more and more as the oil central heating is becoming very expensive to run.

We specifically moved here to have greater food security (growing our own).

I believe in trusting my instincts and it certainly feels as though we need to increase our efforts to ensure we have a very good store cupboard - not only of food but also things like sheets, towels and spare pairs of shoes.

I trawl the charity shops to pick up bits and pieces that will be useful in the future. This week I found three good solid tea light holders for a total of 30p. I'm always on the look out for plant pots, kitchen utensils and storage jars. There are days I feel like I'm going to be a living the life very much like "the Waltons". I just need the rocking chair and I'll able to rock backwards and forwards as I sit podding the peas

boultdj

GQ, chocolate muffin's are being done tonight,ready for tomorrow's tearoom.

GreyQueen

Morning all. I was thrown off the forum by a 502 Bad Gateway at 8.40pm last night and couldn't get back on.........eeek! Glad to be back with y'all and even gladder to report (don't frighten it away) that there's sunshine outside.

PP, I caught that on either the PM programme (5-6) or the 6 O'Clock News on Radio 4, I tend to have them on back-to-back in whilst pottering about. Probably PM.

Sir Ian Fells was talking about how they know fine well if the power goes off in cities that the supermarket shelves will be stripped bare in 5 mins. Not sure if he meant looted-bare or panic-shopped bare, but he's a specialist in this field with a string of honours to his name if you google him, so I give credence to his comments. And it was about 18 months ago I heard some other energy specialists being interviewed and they sounded genuinely, but in a quiet and professional way, frightened about their ability to keep the lights on.

It is also becoming more of a problem faster than was anticipated a couple of years ago as electricity generating plants are taken offline before their replacments have even been built. As in, problems of generating capacity will be apparent in the next few months. I don't know if the takedown of existing stations is permanant or effectively a mothballing exercise, and if they could be unwrapped, oiled up and set going again in a crisis. Lots of industrial stuff doesn't work like that.

I'm only a lay person, although I consider myself a reasonably-intelligent woman. To me, if we have X amount of capacity for generating Kwh, and are using it, and some of that capacity goes away, someone is going to be short of electricity, no?

If we start to get into a pattern of brown-outs and erratic supply, there will be runs on alternative methods of lighting. It's easy to predict that anyone thinking of turfing out their unwanted candles to the c.s. or bootsale will hang on to them, and there goes my major source of supply. And that there will be runs on parafin laterns, torches, Sunnen lamps and all sorts of alternative things which are available quite reasonably. Runs on things often translates into price-gouging and re-selling at high rates.

Sooo, the smart money is getting theirs now, and if you have a bit more than you need, you can share with family and friends.

Bob, although I'm 5' 11" and no one in their right mind would ever call me a short-a.rse, we females have proportionally longer legs and shorter backs than men, even men of the same height. My little brother is 3 inches taller than me but his legs are 3 inches shorter than mine; his extra height is in his back, whereas most of my extra height is in my thigh-bones. Which makes airplane and coach seats a major PITA.

Which is why ladies may want to look out for backpacks marketted for women. My favouritist dayhiking 35 l bag is a Deuter woman's bag and it really does make a difference to your comfort.

Random tip of the day; finding compass points without a compass:

If you have an old-style watch with hands (or can sketch one on the ground) hold the watchface horizontally and point the hour hand towards the sun. The position half-way between the hour hand and the 12.00 position on the clockface is due south (unless you're in the southern hemisphere, in which case it's due north).

This isn't as accurate as a proper compass but is a lot better than nothing in a crisis. Mr Mears tells us that if you are in an area of woodland with termite mounds, they build always their nests on the southern sides of the trees. Just in case you encounter any termite mounds in the forests of Hampshire, the Midlands, Wales or wherever it is you rest your head of a night.

PS: if you are sleeping in the woods, please don't rest your head on a termite mound or even a wood ant nest. They will be rather cross about it, I believe.

Hokay, quick browse around the webulator, then saddling the pushbike and heading off for the day. Laters, my lovelies, laters.

ETA. short-bird, was he on You and Yours as well? I don't get to hear that as it is in the middle of my workday.

boult; thanking you already for the choccie muffin.

D&DD

Morning
It's a lovely day here so off out the garden to play catch up. A question for all the GYO'ers here though..
Me and my mum were discussing some of our crops having a distinct lack of roots this year,most have sort of got going now but only just.

I've been browsing around to try and find some info on growing crops in lower light levels as I'm pretty sure its the gloomy skies which are not helping,let alone the cold and hail!

So does anyone have any links,articles or books they could recommend for me?

As you know I already garden in a ditch lol so any light I get is minimal anyway..

Back later to catch up have a great day all XX

PS I did try googling but only came up with growing in the shade and thats what I do already! Its low light levels I'm more interested in thanks X

Hardup_Hester

Definitely a short-ar*e here, I'm 4'11, I'm 61, hubby 4 years younger, our plan in an emergency would be to stay put, apart from flooding, we are close to the Thames, we would move out then.
I am organising 'stuff' over half term, our biggest problem is not having any form of heating apart from GCH.
I'll only prep for short term emergencies, if things went seriously t1ts up, my prep would be painless & final!
Hester

[Deleted User]

GQ I had the same thing happen with the Bad Gateway message, it had been really slow to load any of the OS threads last night for about half an hour before it happened as well. I just turned it all of and shut the computer down and this morning it's all working fine and normal speed, so probably just a glitch in the system. Enjoy the sunshine on the lottie, isn't it nice to just be warm again? Cheers Lyn xxx.

daz378

today i embark on operation rucksack 30-35 litres should do .... and in the light of all this erratic energy supply talk... some more batteries and leds....quite a nice day for a stroll round shops ....went 80 pound over my wages this month(kindle books and celebrating united) so sunann lamps will have to wait for next month.... hope you all enjoy the clement weather

lovefullshelves

You all make me feel like I should have a bug out bag but I would be much better off bugging in. This is my getaway point!
D & DD - I've also noticed alot of my plants have poor root systems this year, I grow alot of plants in little 'blocks' of soil and normally they fill right up with roots, I just presumed it was the fact its so cool and un-sunny!
Back to the greenhouse for me:D next lot of cabbages have just germinated, and the Kale (oh how I dislike it) is coming on too!

short_bird

GreyQueen wrote: »

ETA. short-bird, was he on You and Yours as well? I don't get to hear that as it is in the middle of my workday.

I might be wrong. Problem was, I managed to have 2 meals at the table in the kitchen, with Him Indoors and with the news on. So I can't be entirely sure which news it was :rotfl:

I'm at a funny age.