Preparedness for when

daz378

just finished an early ... went in indoor market butchers 4 small lamb chops 6.40 its good quality but seems bit over the top the other cheaper butcher had packed up ...damm.... on the otherhand my local farfoods is doing fray bentos pies for a pound bought 4..... good luck out there stay safe

GreyQueen

Afternoon all.

Welcome to The Land of the Bat. AOT , and anyone else who's wandered in.

Re what your council tax pays for; police, fire brigade, schools, libraries, streetlights, pavements, roads, street trees, public parks, public loos, leisure facilities and myriad of other things. Your waste collection costs about 10p a week of your council tax.

I live in a city and work for a LA. I also pay council tax which takes one month a year net income. I pay more council tax than I pay income tax, which I imagine must be quite common for low-income workers.

I've future-proofed my life to a degree; I live and work in a city centre and don't have to spend what little I have on running a car to get to essential services. My tiny flat is very warm and well insulated. Day to day, everything I need is walkable or bikeable.

I work constantly on making my allotment out in the burbs as fertile and productive as possible. A lot of people will probably try to start veggie gardening for the first time when supply or affordability issues for fresh produce bite so strongly that they can no longer ignore this option. It's suboptimal to attempt to learn something which takes a lifetime when you're right up against it.

Soil isn't an inert mass, it's a complex world of it's own. It needs to be nurtured and improved and this is the work of years not months. In the five years I've had my present lottie, it's gone from total dereclition to 4/5th under cultivation. I'm eyeing up "The Rough" as my autumn project.

None of this is easy to do with hand-tools and chronic health problems, but it gets a bit easier every year. I've only been gardening for 45 years (started in toddlerdom and have pix to proveit) so still have lots to learn.

I figure a lot of people have no concept that the way we live now, our levels of comfort and ease, are historical anomalies which will be looked back on with a sense of disbelief by the generations coming up behind us. Cheap flights? Almost universal car ownership? Chucking out good stuff because we're "bored" with it?

They'll think we were spoiled and silly and didn't know we were onto a good thing.

For my own part, I think that the promises which have been made to people in respect of their state retirement pensions in this country and other western countries will be undeliverable. I've had my pension age stuck 6 years forward from that of my mother, and expect to see it advanced forward again. I can very easily see the government being in a position where they cannot afford universal state retirement pensions and you will be expected to work until you are certified medically unfit, and then you will get a pittance.

Right, have to run as food is cooked and will spoil if I don't get to it.

Laters, GQ xx

maryb

BessieBooBoo wrote: »

Hello Pineapple

Thanks for this. Also, did you see the other article mentioned at the bottom of this one? About fool's paradise? By RBS personage?

Eek, eek and eek again.....

BBB

(now off to scan the web for a farm....)

Sorry BBB, can't see the other article you are referring to, any chance of a linkie please?

ArthriticOldThing

Thanks forthe welcome everyone.

WCS I too have PsAthroughout my body but it’s the hands and feet/legs that give me the worstproblems. Am struggling to type just now because of it. Agree that we have tomake what preps we can – I just know I’m lucky to be able to manage some thingsright now that probably won’t be able to in the future – as you say.

Practicalcommon sense is what I need LYNN as I don’t have much of that to start with.

I hope to beable to start following your very helpful post BBB but will only be able tomanage £5 a month – but at least it’s a start.

I live in asmallish flat and my big problem will be finding storage space. Its somethingto work on for now.

I do have ametal colander but has huge saucepan handle – am I still welcome if I look abit like a Dalek?

BessieBooBoo

maryb wrote: »

Sorry BBB, can't see the other article you are referring to, any chance of a linkie please?

Will try:

http://http://insight.rbs.com/articles/why-printing-money-is-a-fool-s-paradise.html

Hope that works!

BBB

maryb

great, thanks

[Deleted User]

AOT it's the height of fashion, mine only has two little handles at the sides, ear guards!!!!!

fuddle

GQ I'm panicking about getting my stores in a flat... You manage don't you?

We've a divan base and is just material round a wooden frame. I'm thinking if cutting the material off (using a valance to hide) and storing under the bed. I'm worried about critter attacks though. Will plastic lidded boxes be enough to protect?

Allotments are something that is annoying me a the moment. I've been added to our list a few months ago. I decided to contact my council about estimate for waiting times... 9 years! It's pot growing for me only at the moment and even then I don't think I can seriously expect to live for even a week off the produce - I certainly won't begin to learn any skills. If only I owned my own home. I remember my dad dug up the top of the lawn to grow leeks. Not for a survival initiative but to show them. Über fat specimens. Goes to show that with knowledge and the opportunity to practise you can do anything!

[Deleted User]

Perplexed_Pineapple wrote: »

They burnt books to keep warm but it didn't seem to occur to them to use the books to insulate the walls.

They'd have been better off, burning the bookshelves and tables.

BessieBooBoo

fuddle wrote: »

GQ I'm panicking about getting my stores in a flat... You manage don't you?

We've a divan base and is just material round a wooden frame. I'm thinking if cutting the material off (using a valance to hide) and storing under the bed. I'm worried about critter attacks though. Will plastic lidded boxes be enough to protect?

Allotments are something that is annoying me a the moment. I've been added to our list a few months ago. I decided to contact my council about estimate for waiting times... 9 years! It's pot growing for me only at the moment and even then I don't think I can seriously expect to live for even a week off the produce - I certainly won't begin to learn any skills. If only I owned my own home. I remember my dad dug up the top of the lawn to grow leeks. Not for a survival initiative but to show them. Über fat specimens. Goes to show that with knowledge and the opportunity to practise you can do anything!

Fuddle

We were told not to even bother applying as our waiting list is so long!

We are lucky to have our own garden. Are there any family/friends willing to let you farm their little patch? Our neighbour agreed to us using his garden as an allotment, as he isn't capable of looking after it. Great for us both. He gets garden weeded, enjoys watching it grow, and shares the produce as 'rent'...

Or, have you tried guerrilla gardening? Find waste ground, plant a few perennial veg or fruit or herbs, surreptiously water it/weed it, until harvest time...

HTH

BBB