Preparedness for when

katep23

We've been lucky, power has been on although we have had a few "brown" outs here.

Went to the garden centre today where there was a power cut, apparently the power went off around lunchtime although other properties had been off since early morning.

They were still able to manage transactions using the carbon copy credit card swipe contraption, however the two young girls on the till couldn't manage the calculator between them and managed to over-charge me almost £10 which I worked out in my head .

The store manager had to sort it out in the end but they couldn't understand why they needed to give me the original copy of the transaction so that it didn't get put through as well as the revised transaction.

We had a power cut for a few minutes this evening, were just planning to get the battery powered radio in when it came back on.

Tree down in the front garden, was very lean-y this morning and other half managed to push it over. To be fair, we thought it was dead last year so we were planning on chopping it down this year; it has already been processed into a small amount of fire wood and 7 chicken feed bags of kindling / ghillie kettle fuel

daz378

there is a problem with england being so green , unilaterally, if britain turned all electric and gas off tomorrow, China would make up for it in about 6 months.... it really as to be a worldwide effort....but developing countries say why should we curtail our use....when the west as already enjoyed decades of full industrialisation......that doesnt mean we should stop trying...just realise that TPTB from all over the world will do a cost /benefit analysis and the benefit side of equation will not apply to us...
......rant over stay safe

Charis

GreyQueen wrote: »

:T I like that flood barrier. Is that a cannon on the end to repel boarders or the business end of a pump?

I take it that this is a commercially made product? If it's homemade, it's very tidy and I've love to know how it works. Anyone got any ideas or linkies, please?

Here's a different view. I think it's part of the flood defences that have been developed since the town was really badly flooded in 2007. I live about eleven miles away, thankfully on higher ground.

ETA Flickr pics from the Environment Agency

Charis

metherer wrote: »

Has anyone here any experience with the practicalities of going off grid?

I'm looking at houses at the moment, and the more I see the more I'd rather be able to either build a tiny house (not going to be allowed round here) or convert a van to live in.

My niece in Australia is going off grid and even she needs a back up generator to supplement the solar panels. Mind you she does live in 'three-seasons-in-one-day' Melbourne, which isn't always sunny. She's also off the water supply and will have a septic tank and collect rainwater but will have to have it supplemented by tanker as they have only recently had decent rainfall for the first time in ten years, a problem we might not have.

I have a friend who lives rurally, who has a private water supply, a small 12W electricity back up system via a tiny wind generator, and a wood burning central heating with Rayburn oven. She's on mains electricity. She loves it, especially the Rayburn, although there have been problems with each bit of alternative technology and hauling the logs is hard work. Mind you, the terrain is steep. It's not an easy life, but it keeps you fit if you are a sturdy character. Her one gripe is that she has to pay through the nose for a satellite Internet connection as she is more than the regulation distance away from the telephone exchange.

Have you thought about living on a boat? It is a viable alternative and if you get fed up you can always move it somewhere else. I'm told that once you light the stove, it's very cosy inside. You could get a dongle for the internet connection provided you choose an area with good coverage.

[Deleted User]

Charis wrote: »

a small 12W electricity back up system via a tiny wind generator

Are you sure you mean 12W?

Not 12 Volt?

Or maybe 12KW?

mardatha

sb44 is that snow? or cold?

sb44

mardatha wrote: »

sb44 is that snow? or cold?

I assumed it was cold, however I can't read French so not sure!

It will be bloody cold whatever it is, if a genuine prediction.

COOLTRIKERCHICK

don't know if those figures are/will be right SB, SB, are their predictions normally right????? ....on the national news a day or two ago they did mention that the snow the USA are having will be coming over here. Now I must admit, I am not up to date with these weather chart things etc, and I don't know how they predict which way the weather fronts from else where are going to land on us so far in advance etc....BUT we prob will have some sort of cold snap in the next few weeks....was going to make sure our discovery was legal and on the raod for this winter, BUT will get it taxed and on the road for next week, just incase ( its insured and mot'd and on sorn as it is only an emergency car now... to expensive to run it all the time...)will also stock up with coal, and make some room in the freezer for milk...

COOLTRIKERCHICK

sb44 wrote: »

I assumed it was cold, however I can't read French so not sure!

It will be bloody cold whatever it is, if a genuine prediction.

is there a way of translating it via google???

DawnW

COOLTRIKERCHICK wrote: »

is there a way of translating it via google???

From what is shown in the picture here, it doesn't say cold (froid) or snow (neige). Gives the time, date etc. Or am I missing something? I can read French but am rubbish at maps