Preparedness for when

Hard_Up_Hester

I was working during the 3 day week but I worked 5 days a week by candle light with my coat on. I worked a dolls eye switchboard and had to hand crank it when the electric was off. Apart from that life was much as normal, a bit inconvenient but not too bad.
Hester

THIRZAH

I used to carry a torch in my handbag in the '70s. I can remember having to walk down what seemed like miles of staircases in an old building in Liverpool. The electricity was off and we were on the fifth or sixth floor. The staircase went round and round the liftshaft.

When there were shortages some shops reserved supplies for "regular" customers. DH and I were just married and weren't "regular" customers anywhere. We just tended to pick things up at various shops on the way home from work. We didn't go without but I've always tried to keep a good store cupboard since then.

bluebag

mardatha wrote: »

If it happens this winter, head for your nearest wee corner shop. They will be able to take cash over the counter, but the big supermarkets won't.

Very sadly, here in stabsville, the corner shop shutters up really fast in a power cut or all the stock walks out on two legs.

RAS

Hard_Up_Hester wrote: »

I worked a dolls eye switchboard and had to hand crank it when the electric was off.

I learned on one of those but never worked it during a power cut (mainly summer jobs).

I do remember working a till in the supermarket when we had to turn a handle in the power cuts. Think they used to attach on of the lads to tills in rotation to give us a break

bluebag

OMG!! I must remember to stock up me fags, I got all the rest of the stuff but if I don't have me fags I'll be up for muurder within the hour.

The shops will be shut and I will be having a hundred shades of panic attacks.

mardatha

Prob the best thing would be to not have to go out at all.. prep faster ladies!!
My nearest wee corner shop is 10 miles... !

Butterfly_Brain

RAS wrote: »

I learned on one of those but never worked it during a power cut (mainly summer jobs).

I do remember working a till in the supermarket when we had to turn a handle in the power cuts. Think they used to attach on of the lads to tills in rotation to give us a break

The good old SWEDA tills, I remember them well plus torches and candles, the majority of people still had open fires or parkray central heating in those days, but most people especially those in houses built post 1970's would feel it if the power went out now .

I have had trouble logging in all week and have had MSE withdrawal something chronic, the internet really is a blessing and a curse. As for tv we have it on a couple of times a week mainly for Doc Martin, Doctor Who, Downton or a film if there is a decent one on, which is rare these days. I plan on counting the amount of times the same films are broadcast next year, I swear that some have been shown over 10 times.

We could live without power if needs must but I might be classed as a priority user because I have to use a nebuliser, will have to check with the power company on that one.

I concur with porridge and soup plus bread can be made on an open fire if needs be.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yhT-TIy1buw

I will see about getting DH to build me a hay box so that I can quickly bring a meal to the boil and pop it in the hay box to carry on cooking, old fashioned rice pudding is nice done this way.

I would advise getting a kelly kettle or a ghillie kettle, both do the same job but the ghillie kettle has a whistle and you can buy a trivet for them that makes it easy to heat something in a pan on the top and they use very little kindling to boil a kettle of hot water.

I have 18 cannisters of butane for the camping stove and 8 litres of bio-ethanol, but only a small bio-ethanol stove so I think that will look at buying a larger one.
We have discovered that our council insists on having building permission/regs to have our fires opened up and we have to have a defra approved stove which has added to the cost of installing a woodburner in fact it doubles the cost of the stove :mad: so we need to save some more pennies

We have only met two other people foraging this year, which is really sad when so much free food is out there

[Deleted User]

When you say you have a "small bio-ethanol stove", are you referring to a cooking stove, or a fireplace?

jk0

GreyQueen wrote: »

It was fine last night. I reckon it's a conspiracy to keep me from reading about conspiracy theories. Anyone else read ZH and have the same problem today?

Yes, I have the same problem GQ. Very odd. It seems to load the page, then it disappears.

When things like that happen I wonder if TPTB don't want those of us in Blighty to know about something or other.

I read a blogger called 'The Slog'. He said the other day that a number of sites are blocked to him:

http://hat4uk.wordpress.com/2013/10/05/the-saturday-essay-time-for-the-blogosphere-to-fight-the-establishment-on-its-own-terms/

I wonder who GQ & I have offended?

Butterfly_Brain

Bedsit_Bob wrote: »

When you say you have a "small bio-ethanol stove", are you referring to a cooking stove, or a fireplace?

One of each BOB The fire is only a small table top one and I am looking at getting a larger one like this