Preparedness for when

D&DD

GQ I think what worries me most is the housing changes which are coming in here from next year..we had the head honcho down from the housing assoc to one of our residents meetings and amongst the changes here,as well as the underoccupancy and suchlike, they are upping the rents to 90% of the current market rent for ALL new tenancies (I live in south london so you can imagine how much this will be!) This will affect mutual exchanges too and another change is no more lifetime tenancies,they are going to be reviewed every 5 years..I came home from that meeting speechless which doesn't happen very often!!

Next year is going to be very interesting indeed and I do hope your superiors are prepared to support you frontline staff XX

GreyQueen

D&DD wrote: »

GQ I think what worries me most is the housing changes which are coming in here from next year..we had the head honcho down from the housing assoc to one of our residents meetings and amongst the changes here,as well as the underoccupancy and suchlike, they are upping the rents to 90% of the current market rent for ALL new tenancies (I live in south london so you can imagine how much this will be!) This will affect mutual exchanges too and another change is no more lifetime tenancies,they are going to be reviewed every 5 years..I came home from that meeting speechless which doesn't happen very often!!

Next year is going to be very interesting indeed and I do hope your superiors are prepared to support you frontline staff XX

Ye gods and little fishes, how the hell do they think people are going to be able to afford that? And the review, what will be their criteria for ending a tenancy? That you currently have a good job (and that can change in a moment) so should move into the private -sector? Or that you've been an anti-social so-and-so, hence hit the road, Jack?

Our managers are good but some of the people we deal with have anger management issues and things get fraught enough already without adding something like this into the equation. Times past have included a gunman and an axeman as well as fisticuffs and vandalism to our premises so heaven knows what will happen. The security shutters are described as probably bullet-proof.

As I remarked to my brother, is that against handguns, sawn-offs, AK47s or BB guns? Not too happy about us punting our lives on a probably............ local goverment service is rather more exciting than outsiders may believe - and not in a good way.

Well, my local government pension will only be in the low hundreds per annum but my death-in-service grant is £33k and rising.........Brother is my nominated heir but has told me without missing a beat that he'd rather have me alive. Thus narrowly avoiding being disinherited in favour of the cat sanctuary............:rotfl:

she_who_can_not_cook

drinkupretty wrote: »

On doomsday preppers a lady was extending the shelf life of eggs with mineral oil (rubbing on the shell). I have read up more on extending the shelf life of eggs and apparently baby oil is mineral oil with fragrance and will work well. Has anyone tried this ?

http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/channel/doomsday-preppers/videos/food-preservation/?videoDetect=t%252Cf

the egg lady is on here said "9 months shelf life"

D&DD

GQ I asked him directly that very question and also added 'are tenants going to be paying this or are you doing it so that technically the government will be paying you via housing benefit' he wasn't very impressed.. but basically that is what they are doing.
Central guberment is cutting their money they get, so this is their way of getting it back.More people will qualify for housing benefits as the rents will be higher and as you say if they check you every 5 years just what will there be to aspire too???
Very dodgy ground methinks but I do apologise I'm taking the thread waaay off topic.:o:o

Preppingwise I have sorted out all the bits to have a go at making the doggiebackpack for Rosie so will be attempting that this week,have also ordered a bulk lot of dogfood and catfood for the winter and have a list for Petsathome tomorrow for their other bits.

I need a couple of bags of sugar to top up what I've used preserving but hopefully MrT still have the giant bags in stock.

GreyQueen

I shall be ambling into a Lidl in pursuit of the Branston baked beans. I think 4 for £1 is about all I'm prepared to pay and have stocked up previously at that price in Iceland but they are now 3 for £1 so they can keep 'em.

I was making a shopping list the other day and started chuckling to realise that all my regular haunts have Pound in their name or are Something Land. Cheap and cheerful, that's me.;) Oh, or they have something like Saver........

This doggy pack thingy, is it to a pattern or are you creating one to your own design? The native Americans on the plains used to use their camp dogs to carry packs, and even to pull dog-travois sometimes. If your pooch gets whingy about her pack, perhaps you could remind her it could've been so much worse..............:rotfl:

katep23

GreyQueen wrote: »

Well, on the preparedness front, I have been cultivating my gardem as Voltaire's quote has it. I have self-sown chard over about a third of my potato patch but am not really sure how to eat it.

Well, you know what I mean. Cooked, and if so, how and with what accompaniment? All advice gratefully recieved.

Chard omlette is good - soften an onion in a frying pan and add a couple of garlic cloves. Shred several chard leaves (not stems) then steam for 5 minutes or so until wilted. Squeeze out as much liquid as possible; mix the chard with the onion and 3 eggs, season as required and fry off. Lovely and the only use I have ever found for chard

valk_scot

she_who_can_not_cook wrote: »

http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/channel/doomsday-preppers/videos/food-preservation/?videoDetect=t%252Cf

the egg lady is on here said "9 months shelf life"

I think I will stick to dried eggs.

Though up till the early 70's it was still fairly common to preserve eggs in isinglass. It works by excluding the air, gas exchange can take place through the shell of an egg and this is what causes some of the chemical changes. Eggs in isinglass last for six months after the date of lay though they went a bit syrupy, according to my mum.

As I said, dried eggs....

valk_scot

GreyQueen, if you think of chard as rather stalky spinach you won't go wrong. The midribs can be steamed on their own and served with butter and pepper etc or in cheese sauce as they're a bit tasteless otherwise. The green bit can be used in any spinach recipe.

D&DD

Storecupboard veggie lasagne (using spinach or chard)

Dried onions
Dried garlic
tin of tomatoes
couple of handfuls of either fresh chard/spinach or about 4oz of frozen or around 3 tablepoons dried
lasagne sheets
packet of cheese sauce mix

Soak onions and garlic in boiling water to reconstitute then fry lightly add in chopped tomatoes heat for a couple of minutes.
Layer tomato mix,lasagne sheets then make up packet of sauce and add in chopped chard/spinach and layer on top.
Repeat and bake for approx 25 minutes on 180 til golden brown

Chard stalks are nice as a side dish fried with garlic,onions and chilli <- dribbling

GQ the backpack link is on here somewhere will add it on here again for those who may not have seen it although mine will not look half as good lol

http://www.craftster.org/forum/index.php?topic=309913.0

rhiwfield

katep23 wrote: »

Chard omlette is good - soften an onion in a frying pan and add a couple of garlic cloves. Shred several chard leaves (not stems) then steam for 5 minutes or so until wilted. Squeeze out as much liquid as possible; mix the chard with the onion and 3 eggs, season as required and fry off. Lovely and the only use I have ever found for chard

Chard, steamed until it wilts, pressed/drained and served lightly salted with butter. Lovely

On the SHTF preparedness theme, what about ill health/old age/accident/injury (all of which are likley/inevitable). How do you open your cans of beans with one hand or get in the bath with knee joints gone or manage the garden without grab rails by the steps. When the Zombies have mauled you a bit, or the medics have finished rearranging your bones, making a bracelet out of para cord is unlikely to be top of your priorities

Not trolling, honest!!, just think its worthwile preparing for the known and probable before preparing for the unlikely/improbable.