Preparedness for when

ALIBOBSY

herbily wrote: »

FairyPrincess, I normally keep some cough sweets and/or cough mixture - even if it's really only sugary flavoured water, psychologically I feel better! Don't know if they still make Vick's inhalers, but I've still got an ancient one for emergencies.

(And speaking of sugary water, I normally keep something along the lines of 7up for cases of dehydration after throwing up. An old trick from the Middle East for heat stroke was a bag of crisps and a fizzy drink - the combination of salt and sugar was about right for rehydration.)

Otherwise, can I recommend growing a rosemary bush within easy reach of the front door? A few rosemary leaves doused in boiling water, so you can inhale the steam, does wonders for wintery sinuses,

Interesting about rosemary, I have 2 bushes at the mo. Can go one better with a eucalyptus bush/tree :rotfl:. The leaves can be crushed and used in the same way and its smells just like vicks lol.

Ali x

thriftwizard

Elona here is the recipe I use, though I'll happily use any old vinegar (including unsuccessful HM wine) nutmeg instead of allspice & leave out the salt. Lovely on toast or in porridge, it's a bit like mincemeat without the extra fruit & the fat.

Might just ask whether I can scrump some windfalls from the allotments down the road; there are a lot of windfalls gathered around the base of one tree on a plot which looks to be currently untended. I brought back a bag from my brother's orchard at the weekend too - that's not quite as posh as it sounds, he's a vicar & the big garden (for holding fetes in & keeping impecunious parishioners supplied with eggs & veg) often goes with the job, if you're lucky enough to have a semi-rural parish. Hard work though as it isn't yours, you are just custodian of it for 7 years or so, & you do have to keep it up to scratch!

[Deleted User]

GreyQueen wrote: »

I've often wondered what it would be like to live through a reprise of a 1918 type flu pandemic. About whether is would be viable to try to self-quarantine.

Self quarantine alone, wouldn't be enough.

You would also need to treat all water coming into the property.

For drinking water, either boiling or chemical treatment would be the way to go (not forgetting to wear protection against aerosol transmission from a running tap), but how would you go about treating large quantities, for bathing, clothes washing etc.?

pineapple

the_cake wrote: »

In the light of how it helped get rid of a very long-standing bout of bronchitis I had last winter, I will also be keeping a small pot of 12+ or 15+ manuka honey - expensive but really good, in my experience. Can be used either internally or externally, and is also effective for animals.

Unfortunately it doesn't seem to have made one iota of difference to my dog's chronic bronchitis. There again - I am not to know if it would have been worse without it. :huh:
PS 'cake' is one of my weaknesses. Can you not change your username to 'carrot' or something healthy and less tormenting? :rotfl:

jk0

Bedsit_Bob wrote: »

Self quarantine alone, wouldn't be enough.

You would also need to treat all water coming into the property.

For drinking water, either boiling or chemical treatment would be the way to go (not forgetting to wear protection against aerosol transmission from a running tap), but how would you go about treating large quantities, for bathing, clothes washing etc.?

BB, do you mean we could get flu from tap water? I thought UK water was one of the most filtered and chlorinated in the world?

[Deleted User]

I've just looked up the WHO site for advice on water borne viruses and yes, the avian influenza virus can exist for protracted periods of time in water, even treated drinking water.Extra chlorination or other disinfectant measures are recommended before using water that is contaminated. I like to hope that TPTB would take measures to do just that to the water supply but it might be worth having some extra supplies of something suitable just in case they don't! Thanks BOB for flagging that one up as a potential problem, grateful. Lyn x.

BessieBooBoo

Hey all

Slightly disturbing news...

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-23843656

BBB

[Deleted User]

I'm not talking about unemployment or EMP attack.

I was thinking, what if the banking system suffered a massive (albeit temporary) system crash.

In such a situation, you wouldn't be able to draw money from a bank or ATM, nor use Credit/Debit Cards.

It's also questionable, whether shops would be able to sell you anything, for the cash in your wallet/purse, and, even if they could, I doubt they'd have anything left to sell, within a few hours of the system crash.

nuatha

Bedsit_Bob wrote: »

I'm not talking about unemployment or EMP attack.

I was thinking, what if the banking system suffered a massive (albeit temporary) system crash.

In such a situation, you wouldn't be able to draw money from a bank or ATM, nor use Credit/Debit Cards.

It's also questionable, whether shops would be able to sell you anything, for the cash in your wallet/purse, and, even if they could, I doubt they'd have anything left to sell, within a few hours of the system crash.

Rely on the store cupboard and freezers.
I agree there might be major panic if the banking system went down, but whether that would translate to panic buying - it amazes me how many people carry very little or no cash. I've seen the ATM network go down in my town and supermarkets not being able to process cards, lots of shoppers who couldn't even pay for a hand basket shop.

Speaking of banking system failures, the US government are heading towards another credit crisis

[Deleted User]

nuatha wrote: »

Rely on the store cupboard and freezers.

What about vehicle fuel?