Preparedness for when

vanoonoo

re the EDC I popped a bottle of hand sanitiser in today too as it had been moved between bags earlier in the summer on the festival circuit! I am gonna find a spare lighter too. then I might weigh it for a giggle I think I've got a tiny hotel sewing kit somewhere too. no paracord yet tho!

GreyQueen

I've been informed that you can carry small folding knives, such as the Swiss Army type, in public places, but nothing with a longer blade or a blade which locks into position when open. So Swiss Army is OK but a lock knife isn't.

Of course, woe betide you if you try to board a plane's cabin or enter a secure area with metal detectors such as your local court.

If individual places such as schools or nightclubs choose to ban even small pocket knives, they're not doing it because it's against the law, they're doing it because it's against their (sensible) rules. Venues commonly forbid you to carry in food or drink, not because of danger, but so they can charge funny-money for selling their own to a captive market.

If you wanted to get obsessive, you'd ban people from possessing knitting needles and crochet hooks as they can be used to inflict mortal wounds.

My martial arts instructors always cautioned against the carrying of weapons as they can be taken off you and used against you. However, a simple pocket knife isn't a weapon, it's a useful tool and should be treated as such. A pocket knife and a piece of string was standard equipment for tens of millions for generations and the countryside was noticably not awash with the blood of the murdered.

Anyway, the biggest and sharpest and scariest knives in my home are the Sabatiers in my kitchen. There would be no legitimate purpose in taking an 8" filleting knife or a 6" chef's knife out on the streets, but I carry my Swiss Army one fairly often. The world hasn't wobbled off it's axis in shock, yet. And, as you may have noticed, I am still at liberty. I have even taken the SA knife on flights across the world - in checked baggage, of course. And never heard a peep from security about it. Even the Americans.

If people find prepping excessive, my suggestion would be to ignore it. Or ignore the bits you find excessive. I'm not stockpiling guns, ammo, cross-bows, explosives or anything illegal or immoral. I bought some extra batteries for my torch and my bike lights today........ so tar me an extremist.:p

ETA, Vanoonoo, what colour is your paracord?

vanoonoo

GreyQueen wrote: »

ETA, Vanoonoo, what colour is your paracord?

not got any yet but colour of choice would be purple!

2tonsils

Hi all, sorry I have been missing in action for a few days. I had problems with my internet, partially solved by changing to a more secure browser called Opera. But due to my penchant for reading underground Greek sites, mainly about what is going on here.....My internet use is being monitored. Luckily they think this is an innocent site and don't seem to be worried by it LOL.

Had a good weekend making the most of the heatwave we still have! Hottest summer ever and expected to last till October. It's not doing a lot for my prepping for the winter. It's hard to think of open fires and warm jumpers when its 92 in the shade!

I got some money for my birthday on 21st of this month and found some kid leather boxer boots with warm lining ready for the winter. They will be worn on the scooter and comfy enough to run in or go power walking up the mountain away from tsunamis or the like. I have a great hideout bunker in mind at the top of the mountain and it only takes me nine mins power walking to get there.....if I was being chased it would probably take me five with the adrenalin. Its also near all the allotments that the local co operative run which are full of veg and fruit...

Stocked up again at the weekend as things are looking decidedly dodgy here. My partner went to the bank to change some pounds into euros and put it in our euro account...and the teller asked if he was sure he wanted to do that....with the result he took it all out in euros and went and paid the bills with it all. Good thinking! So now the bills are paid and we only have a very small amount of euros, enough to last a few days. But we have good stocks in of things we can drink, eat or burn for fuel.

I read your comments earlier about the books, there are no libraries here and the families with no books are not likely to have internet as its expensive here. I see more and more on pushbikes and scooters now so they are selling their cars to raise money and so they are not subject to luxury tax for having one.

At the moment you have to pay for the doctor and meds in full even if you have health insurance cover as they are owed hundreds of millions by the G. Government (that gets it round the filters that spot key words lol). Luckily we knew it was coming so got stocks of meds in.

I would add that I find it necessary to keep up to date with all that is going on in the world. Someone mentioned the many volcanoes earlier and the food shortages.....its worth getting to know what is happening and plan for it just in case.... don't depend on the tv and press to tell you what is going on.....that is like asking a politician for the truth :rotfl:

GreyQueen

Hi 2tonsils. glad to have you back online. V. interesting what the bank teller hinted to your pardner, hey?

In the news at the mo is that s.tor.ini has a great big magma bubble under it. Have been there, amazing place, villages perched on the edge of caldera. It is now 14cm higher than it was not long ago. It blew it's top 3,600 years ago and ended the Minoan civilisation and I really hope it's not about to blow again. You can read about it in the journal Nature Geoscience.

Very humbling to walk around the excavations of a town smothered in ash like Pompeii but there were very few bodies found so it seems the inhabitants had time to grab and go. It hasn't erupted since 1950 apparently...........

2tonsils

Yes, I read about Santori*i , I heard the report a while ago. I feel sorry for the people there who might want to leave and can't afford to...what with that volcano and two over in Italy we are well in line for ash or tsunami type events. Interestingly, I once spoke to an old local here and they said we had a small tsunami here within living memory....they remember picking up fish in the olive groves half way up the mountain when the waters receded. Glad I live in a mountain village about 1500 feet above sea level! We do get earth tremors sometimes. We have to have earthquake insurance to get our mortgage and it costs us 650 euros a year for the cover.

When we repaired the oak floor upstairs we were stunned to find a modern earthquake protection ring under the floor..the owners had not told us about it when we bought the house lol..the house is dated 1791 but we bought it restored. The walls are a meter thick and we have a huge storage tank of filtered rain water under the house with access from the kitchen. It would be a very good shelter if the SHTF, as its built like a fortress.

Popperwell

MrsLurcherwalker wrote: »

I hope we don't offend anyone else by what we do, I cannot see how it would cause upset. It is our way of helping if anything. I do realise that the thought of preparing for an emergency will be seen as madness by some folks who just don't think that way, but really, is it doing anyone any harm if I have 4 tins of baked beans in my cupboard? I'm not preparing for the end of the world as we know it, just those tiresome events that happed from time to time unexpectedly out of the blue, and could catch out any one of us, however ready or not.

I would hope not and most of us are doing just as you are Mrs LW. The other reason for doing this is as prices rise and incomes reduce, remain static. We can also plan a little for Power cuts and the like but not for the "End of the world scenario!"

ginnyknit

Sorry I got distracted by the kid leather boxer boot..ooh would love some..must google...2tonsils, glad to hear from you, we do worry don't we. It sounds as if you are in a very fragile situation but have plans in place, I do hope you dont need to use the plans.

I have to say knitting needles are pretty dangerous kit, I once got pushed on the bus by some irate woman rushing to get off and I landed on a seat impaled on one of my knitting needles. Goodness it was a mess and it bloo*y hurt.

I do like the way we all seem to pool our ideas and pick out the bits pertinent to what we see as a threat. I definately need to re-stock the car as OH dragged out the emergency box a few weeks ago and its looking bare.

valk_scot

Re knives...I carry my allotment knives up and down to the allotment perfectly legally but once home I make sure they're taken inside. Carrying them around in the car when I'm going shopping to the cinema is not legal on the other hand because I'm not taking it out for a purpose. Similarly carrying a knife along to a party with your 6 year olds birthday cake is fine, carrying it around in your handbag 24/7 isn't.

Scouts carrying knives are an interesting case, they're allowed to carry fixed blade pioneering type knives on Scout land from age ten and a half, eek, as long as they're involved in an activity where use of a knife is necessary. All that whittling! So you get the daft situation where you the parent carry your child's lethal weapon to the camp, hand it over to Scout Master and he dishes them out to the Scouts the minute the parents clear the campsite, probably, for them to go and collect firewood. That and the axes. Then you get the knife back when you pick up your Scout. My lad also took his big Swiss Army knife into school as part of his Duke of Edinburgh kit, he signed it into the office on the way in and out though. It's one of the few times a 15 year old boy can get away with carrying a knife around in the street these days but he certainly wasn't allowed to carry it around into classes.

And my OH carries his sgian dubh quite legally and visibly when he's wearing his kilt, like any good Scotsman should. You're allowed to carry knives as part of national or religious dress.

fuddle

Thanks for all the info about the issue of carrying knives and pointy ended things.

I've given much thought today about carrying more than my purse, keys, and phone. I have been debating whether I need to as I'm only walking around the village or neighbouring villages, mostly with my little ones.

I have decided to hunt out an old bigger bag and have with me:

phone
purse
keys
emergency money (not to be touched)
paper copy of important numbers
DH business card clearly marked In Case of Emergency
a small first aid kit
pen
small notepad
spare glasses
spare phone charger
spare medication
small bottle of water
snack bars

also added edit:
paper bag in case of panic attack (highly likely)
couple of paracetamols
an eye drop
lip balm
tissues

I feel this is probably sensible as we're never too far away but who knows what might prevent us from getting back home.

Thanks for your tips.