Preparedness for when

[Deleted User]

I'm up and have been for several hours not with the lark but with the bloke next door slamming his van door at stupid O clock and then sitting listening to the radio in it turned up very loud, it's a good job we like them or he might have had something very heavy land on his roof!!!!! Ne'mind it's a lovely morning, I've done the housework, the washing is nearly ready to go on the line and He Who Knows is out with his boy before it gets just tooooooo hot!!!

D&DD super news, glad you're home safe and sound, hope Little Mr D&DD is making good progress and not too uncomfortable, when will he be able to come home? or does that depend on the recovery rate after the op?

VJsMUM isn't it amazing that when the water dissapears like that no one knows anything about it? whilst when there isn't enough water in a heatwave it's always the consumers fault for using too much!!! Hope it comes back on very quickly but glad you have your supplies in to use in the meantime. Its a salutory lesson that it doesn't need to be a SHTF situation to need preps for but something as mundane as a water problem, do you feel just a teeny bit smug? You should you know, Cheers Lyn xxx.

VJsmum

DDD - glad it went well

Our water came back on late last night :T I did feel a bit chuffed that we had the emergency supply but I also realise that there isn't enough so will be buying in some more.

Beautiful day out there - I will be gardening and then we're off to friends for a barbie.

Cheapskate

Morning preppers, and it's the second day of 'scorchio' weather here in God's own county

Another early riser here, very noisy avian fraternity in these parts, very nice during the day, but NOT at 5 am on a Saturday morning! Off to get DS new trainers (need, not want, as he can't even get them on his feet any more!), pick up a few more bits to add to preps and buy some Astonish after all the rave reviews here and on t'other thread. I have a see-through oven door, but you can't any more, so hope the Astonish can do its stuff!

I have spuds growing in my front garden, they look fairly tidy and not one person has commented, so hope they stay until they're ready! Our Sainbugs has started selling basics corned beef again, so am going to avail them of several tins for the stores. Tastes just the same as the regular stuff that's over 40 pence dearer, so no contest!

Have a good morning all.

A xo

[Deleted User]

You should be ok with the spuds CHEAPY most people these days don't know what the plants look like anyway!!! Did you know that in elizabethan england carrot tops were worn as decoration in hats and ladies hair and that when the runner bean was first introduced they were grown for thier flowers only because people didn't know you could eat the pods? Strange old world isn't it ? Cheers Lyn xxx.

GreyQueen

Good on ya, Cheapskate.

Sometimes, the home in oriented in such a way that it's the front garden which gets the light. In which case, that's where to put the veggies. I've seen it done.

I applaud frugality and resourcefulness. Darned sight better than growing old sofas in your garden, heh?

Gosh, it's getting hot hot hot. Would this be that legendary season the old people recall, the one they called "Summer"?

Ahhh, I remember 75 and 76, those were proper summers, they were. I was a semi-aquatic life form, spent sooo much time in the river.

Perplexed_Pineapple

I'm growing an old car in my front garden currently. I'm pretty sure that in an oil crisis I can run it on vegetable oil (cheaper than diesel anyway) and I don't think it has any electronics sophisticated enough that it would be susceptible to an EMP event.:rotfl::rotfl::rotfl:
In the spirit of neighbourhood harmony I should go and give it a wash though...:D

the_cake

VJsmum wrote: »

Ooh, ooh, we are experiencing widespread loss of water. No warning, it's just..... gone.

GQ - I am reliving your scenario :eek:

OH is saying "I need a glass of water"

So I calmly tell him there are bottles of the stuff under the stairs

No-ones to flush a loo unless they have to!

Haha - ours has just gone now!! Rang the watery people, and apparently the fire brigade are using it, and should be back to normal "soon" .... I can't see any smoke anywhere, b*gger of a day to have a fire, gorgeously hot and not a cloud in the sky. Luckily all horse water buckets are full (and clean!) but if it goes on I shall have to break into tomorrow's party stores of wine and beer, won't I?
The party preps. have sent Jeeves into overdrive, he seems to think he is feeding everyone on voles .... and we are not even having vol(e) au vents. Have a gorgeous weekend everyone, 'see' you on Monday! xx
PS D&DD, such good news, very happy for you all.

elaine241

Hello everyone! Been catching up with all the varied posts! My veg patch is now taking off finally! although it looks like a good year for the fruit bushes. Thank you for whoever said use duck pooey water for feeding the veg patch although I tripped when carrying two buckets full today and smell bl**dy awful!!! Had to hose my legs down as I stunk myself out!!
"Quack Pack" as they are now known are really settling in and laying eggs every day, OH even quite likes them although they are banned from the garden, only allowed in the fields.

On the subject of livestock my two "freezer fodder!" lambs are growing well. I usually end up with the late lambs who are the poorest looking as the others are worth too much in market. We get a slaughter man to dispatch them at the farm and my FIL cuts them up as he used to be a butcher. I found out I can chop one up as I practiced this year on a mutton ewe (dead already BB!) cutting it up on my kitchen table!!!
As for chickens/rabbit/pheasants etc I am OK to pluck and dress those. We did have a cockerel that kept attacking my friend, in the end she got so mad at it she bashed it with a broom knocking it dead!! I quickly grabbed it, made sure it was dead, plucked and dressed it ready for dinner!
I am hoping to try to preserve veg/fruit without freezing it all. I already make chutney etc and fruit/sloe vodkas/brandy. Anyone good at bottling? or canning? I got a good book from the library "A green guide to traditional country foods" which shows basic curing, smoking etc, decided to buy one from Am**on as it was quite cheap 2nd hand.

Lovefullshelves are you still here? If you want a partner in crime for any of your foraging trips I would love to come along. I find when I'm on my own I get stared at!! Chavs probably wondering what I am up to! Do you know of any fruit trees that are "available", I would love to find a damson tree locally.

Prep wise I havent increased much except CS candles, BS bits and bobs and a nice Laura Ashley padded bed throw for when winter sets in (from a CS)
My house is over 500 yrs old with walls 1.3m thick, with a huge inglenook and log burner. I find it great for drying clothes in the winter, I have two airers in the fireplace either side of the log burner. We have added insulation everywhere and it is cosy in the winter and cool in the summer, bit like a cave! Come to think of it probably built just after we moved out of caves!! We took up the flagstones, insulated then replaced and even they are not freezin.g to walk on.

Im definately going to buy those stack a cans as it is a dangerous operation opening some of my cupboards. I am going to inventory all of my preps as they are stashed all round the house and Im not sure what Ive got! Already started with my three freezers, all inventoried and sorted with every day bits in the kitchen one, bargains in the second and home produced meat in the third. All have room for vegetables and fruit.

Just realised I have rambled on so I better sign off! Keep safe everyone,

[Deleted User]

VJsmum wrote: »

No-ones to flush a loo unless they have to!

Don't you mean:-

No-ones to flush a loo unless they have a number 2.

Perplexed_Pineapple

For all who are into home preserving, canning and the like, a cautionary tale:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/howaboutthat/1!!!!!47/Exploding-rhubarb-chutney-wrecks-retirement-flat.html
Just as I was looking into getting some Kilner type jars for bottling some of the autumn harvest too

Bah, can't fix this broken link, keeps changing the 1!!!!!47 sequence in the URL..:(
Seems it really doesn't like the numbers !!!!! :mad:
ok, on the Telegraph website under the news "weird" subsection.