Preparedness for when

2tonsils

I don't have a garden...my OH with his three slipped discs could not face watching me dig one again LOL... so we have window boxes, lots of balcony plants and an upstairs patio where I can dry my washing and leave plants to grow without fear of getting them interfered with.

I once had a big mint plant growing next to my window boxes which are full of geraniums and money trees........it was pinched by a passing Brit at Easter time......how do I know it was a Brit? They are the only ones here who eat lamb with mint sauce and you can't get it in the shops.....

Planted my tubs before I went to the UK for 3 weeks but they died in a heatwave....now its rained they are springing back to life again....but I took all the labels out when they died off.....so hope to identify them when they are a couple of inches high....at least I know all the ones I put in were edible!!!!

Good news on the thread....bet the admin had a laugh reading some of the funny stuff on here. But I do think we are OS at heart...in this day and age you can't afford to be anything else can you ? I really enjoy reading your posts and hearing of your latest finds and inventions. I have no doubt at all that my posts are going to become more desperate and more inventive as we get further into the winter months here.....and that is not counting any invasion by Greys or Zombie attacks.

I started watching Doomsday the movie on tv last night...once the virus got hold of them it got too much for me and I went back to my computer instead leaving my OH to watch it on his own....if it gets that gruesome in real life I am off up into the mountains...or round to my neighbours as they all own shotguns!

maryb

If you can heat water on the gas then I really recommend one of those garden sprays that you pump to pressurise. You can get a good shower out of less than 1 kettle per person. Mixing 1/3 boiling to 2/3 cold gives a really nice temperature. The more you pump, the better the spray

Popperwell

GreyQueen wrote: »

Mum had to give CPR to a neighbour's OH when called on in an emergency.

A prime example of how a sleepy Sunday afternoon in suburbia can suddenly turn into a life-and-death fight with no warning. I couldn't do first aid back then so I dried the dishes and put them away, feeling sad and frankly a bit useless.

How true, I did a first aid course and passed it but have probably forgotten most of it now but I could read up about it again in many of the books I have or look on the internet just to refresh my knowledge. I have a reasonably good first aid kit/medicine cupboard.

meme30 wrote: »

Hi, for me it was stocking up on prescription medicines...it had not occurred to me, and both of us are on life saving medication. Also carrying the repeat prescription in case of a situation where we had to prove what medication we had been prescribed and therefore needed./QUOTE]

I'm on drugs that are life saving or to stop my health getting worse so I am trying to get ahead on what I have so I have extra in stock and the dates are ok so far ahead.

2tonsils

Grimbal, that is an excellent idea...I can actually buy one cheap at the Marina boat chandlers ........going to get one next week.After all, we have more solar power than we need, even in the winter we get glorious sunny days.

Going to go power walking tomorrow so time to suss out the pickings on the bushes and pick up some pine cones and needles to light the fire in the winter. Likely to find some nice ripe figs, walnuts, almonds, prickly pears and other goodies if I take a bag with me to carry them home in. Plus the locals will give me wine grapes if I pass by..

Which reminds me..the Greek government were promoting solar power for houses and then suddenly announced they were going to make people buy an expensive license to use it.....I complained to the EU about it as some of their funds were used in the promotion of solar usage. My complaint was upheld and the EU are going to stop them enforcing the new unfair license!!! Great news!

valk_scot

ginnyknit wrote: »

Wow that looks amazing too, and how high is your house to get a pic like that? Its so tidy, so that where Im going wrong I need more organisation and a re think about layout. Am off to put pencil to paper!

I take pictures of it out my bedroom window which is over the utility room, and the ceiling in the utility room is twenty feet high. (Was an old stairwell.) It's a weird house and very high!

I didn't actually plan it on paper, I had a vague idea then stuck a lot of canes in the ground and made the beds as I went so as to fit round the width of the paths, which are one 40cm slab wide. The beds are anything from 90cm to 100cm wide, it just depends on how they fitted. It's also on a slope, you can't see this bit but it's like a series of little terraces. I like beds for vegetable gardening, they're easy to keep tidy and weeded and you can just cover them in winter to protect the soil. It's mostly made of scrap and seconds decking planks out of B&Q, the slabs came from a neighbours garden, the sink was in a corner of the garden when we arrived, the wallhouse is 14 years old now and falling to bits. So it's hardly designer, it's more scrap yard!

GreyQueen

Flying visit as am struck dumb by garden envy; well done both!

2tonsils, a pal who used to live on a shoestring in Greece used to have a length of black hosepipe in the garden with the end stoppered up. Used to run it off the tap til the hose filled and leave it sitting all day in the sun, whereupon by evening he had hottish water for a late shower (of sorts). Would this be an idea ameniable to tweaking for your circs, at least whilst the sun is still powerful?

Hi Mrs Doom, bet all those losers who did away with their Anderson Shelters are kicking themselves now, eh?!

Popperwell

Dippypud wrote: »

I know it's a bit late, but they had gilets in 'Peacocks'...

2 types, 1 with hood and 1 without about £15.

Never too late unless they sell out...thanks...I have a feeling that the Peacocks on my town has reorganised their stock and have stopped selling mens wear but a gilet is kind of unisex so that would not matter so much...

For a new one that isn't bad, the fleece on in Aldi's was approx £10. Who knows if any are still in Aldi's and I manage another visit perhaps they'll reduce them.

Or fingers crossed something will turn up in a CS.

2tonsils

Greyqueen that would work for us as we have a hose connection to the water supply on the patio upstairs...they sell the black pipe as its what they used to use for fresh water supplies to houses here (its blue now, so might be able to get some cheap)..I will look into it. We have an agricultural suppliers near us that seems to sell everything so will have a look in there when I am passing...they love my 'creative' Greek communications!

If the pumps are off we have a good supply of water, as we keep four 15 litre containers of fresh mountain spring water for drinking in the house anyway (our mains is for cleaning/washing/boiling only and needs the electric on). We have soft filtered rain water in a huge tank under the house...its as big as a swimming pool but has sediment at the bottom where it has settled. If the pumps are off with the electric I can scoop it up from the hatch by the bucket full to wash with etc. So cold water is not a problem for us in any shape or form. I have supplies of water purifier should I ever be desperate enough to have to drink it!

Glad I bought my olive oil lamps and wind up/solar torch now..it looks like I am going to need them sooner than I imagined.

tru

2tonsils wrote: »

a giant jar only contains ONE hazelnut LOL...

Nope, there's about 50.

2tonsils

the one tested in Greece contained only one...it was manufactured here under license... but not any more..