Preparedness for when

thriftwizard

Back again from senior care duties; Mum doing well now. Have realised that I now need to update my drop-everything-and-look-after-seniors bag; what was appropriate to a sudden airport dash & an unknown length of time on the Costa Blanca doesn't work so well in deepest darkest Dorset. Specifically not the Euros... luckily the magic handbag held enough other resources to get by with! And they are only feet from the nearest charity shop, so acquiring some slightly warmer clothes wasn't a problem. Mind you their flat is hot enough to roast a chicken in anyway.

Sorted out some medical muddle whilst I was there; they'd been soldiering on, waiting for the cavalry in the shape of some concrete help to arrive following my stepfather's terminal diagnosis. However, it emerged after some digging that the relevant email had not yet been sent from the hospital to their surgery; although one of the GPs had been told by phone, no paperwork had yet appeared & she hadn't put it on his notes. This had resulted in my mother wondering whether it was all a figment of their imagination, and trying to cope by herself with his care; she's 88 & not brilliantly well herself, but another GP had told them there was nothing wrong, he was perfectly fit and to pull themselves together & stop mollycoddling him. It's one of those things where the relevant information had just fallen into the cracks between the systems and no one person is to blame. I think I'd like to warn anyone with elderly parents to check that the Ts have been crossed and the Is have been dotted, in similar situations; don't assume that "the system" will cope because it's more than one system & the communications between them aren't too good.

Frugalsod

Nargleblast wrote: »

Don't forget you can also use dandelion flowers to make a very potent wine - might as well have something to anaesthetise ourselves with if the zombies invade!

What other preparations have you made for the Zombie Apocalypse?

siegemode

Today has been a busy one for us and OH went to a centre and I enjoyed the space and occupied myself by listening to our wind up radio. twas a bit of a worry at first as my winding took some time to get it working. at one point I thought it was completely deceased:eek: However eventually it crackled to life and I was able to search through stations and relax:). It also has a small solar panel so once placed in the sun it continued to charge as I listened.
This raised a few thoughts and proved how important it is to check all kit is in working order periodically rather than find something doesn't work or charge when a shtf moment occurs.
Next I decided to have a ciggie and discovered I'd lost my lighter :eek: (yes I know it's a bad wasteful habit, but I always feel too stressed to give up. on the occasions I've tried a shtf moment quickly follows) Luckily in my magic bag, well backpack (Thanks thriftwizard, love that phrase:)) I have some waterproof matches that came in handy. This has prompted me to add a few packs of lighters to my shopping list. First time I've used these matches and I'm lucky to still have a full head of hair. My do they burn and quite ferociously, I'll be prepared next time.

When we got home the post had been and a copy of Afterlight was by the door waiting for me. Trying really hard to resist looking at it until OH has his next activity afternoon,
but it's difficult.

Another lovely day here and another due tomorrow.

thriftwizard glad you seem to have sorted things out for your mum and dad.
nuatha, hope the hospital apt went well Mrs nuatha.

Nargleblast

Frugalsod wrote: »

What other preparations have you made for the Zombie Apocalypse?

Several tins of potatoes in the cupboard, a few jars of homemade marmalade and crab apple jelly, enough warm clothes to dress an army....not a lot, actually, but I suppose you have to start somewhere....

D&DD

themarsbargirl wrote: »

D&DD i've made hm jerky before! lovely! so much better than shop stuff-totally differbt flavour and texture. wouldn't like to guarentee how long it keeps for as i alwys ate it allat once!

Thanks very much hun will have to give it a whirl then


Nuatha..I failed miserably and came home with 2 more lemon thymes,3 bags of large gravel stoney bits,and they forced us to take home some free bulbs...ooh and some knocked down shallots lol theres really no hope for me but at least I didn't succumb to any more trees!!! (yet shhh)


So sorry to hear MrsNuatha is still not too well but hoping her diagnosis will lead to a better quality of life finally for her XX


I spread the pasta sauce onto a leather sheet,you just have to make sure you make a pretty gloopy reduced sauce 'tis easy
I blitz mine down to powder and just reconstitute with boiled water slowly but surely til it reaches desired consistency.
Some people prefer to make a tomato leather I'll post recipes I promise but my hands are suffering a bit tonight due to him indoors slave driving me lol at least we're going to the shops tomorrow for a rest!!!!


What was it I wanted from the 99p shop..will have to read back it was something Bob suggested I think??

nuatha

thriftwizard wrote: »

Back again from senior care duties; Mum doing well now.

Pleased to read Mum doing better.
If memory serves, you had phone issues at the time? Currently we're getting a pile of sales calls, so know the phone is working. In happier times. I'd phone the landline with my mobile to verify the phone was working (seriously poorly parents at the time, when parent was more poorly we did a daily check-in call and if unsuccessful for an hour, one of us would detour and "drop in for tea")

Have realised that I now need to update my drop-everything-and-look-after-seniors bag; what was appropriate to a sudden airport dash & an unknown length of time on the Costa Blanca doesn't work so well in deepest darkest Dorset. Specifically not the Euros... luckily the magic handbag held enough other resources to get by with!

I'm convinced that no-one ever has the right kit with them, but equally having some kit and the ability to think and adapt is what makes things work.

Sorted out some medical muddle whilst I was there;

Is there anyone local who could go with your parents to appointments and act as a note taker. A friend down South has someone from their local church who does this (the church organises this service which is staffed by a semi retired nurse).

siegemode wrote: »

This raised a few thoughts and proved how important it is to check all kit is in working order periodically rather than find something doesn't work or charge when a shtf moment occurs.

Not too mention keeping familiar with how the kit works.
Its very nice to have new shiny kit, but its no use it it doesn't work or you don't know how to use it - Anyway I like excuses to play with my toys

nuatha, hope the hospital apt went well Mrs nuatha.

She got the go ahead for the diagnostic procedure (thankfully)

D&DD wrote:

Nuatha..I failed miserably and came home with 2 more lemon thymes,3 bags of large gravel stoney bits,and they forced us to take home some free bulbs...ooh and some knocked down shallots lol theres really no hope for me but at least I didn't succumb to any more trees!!! (yet shhh)

Got to admit, I'm not surprised.
I've never made it out of a garden centre without unintended purchases. I've even made detour coffee stops to browse for "un-needed" plants

So sorry to hear MrsNuatha is still not too well but hoping her diagnosis will lead to a better quality of life finally for her XX

Thank you

I spread the pasta sauce onto a leather sheet,you just have to make sure you make a pretty gloopy reduced sauce 'tis easy
I blitz mine down to powder and just reconstitute with boiled water slowly but surely til it reaches desired consistency.
Some people prefer to make a tomato leather I'll post recipes I promise but my hands are suffering a bit tonight due to him indoors slave driving me lol at least we're going to the shops tomorrow for a rest!!!!

Thank you, no rush.
It'll be another few weeks before I replace my dehydrator. (Excalibur had to go back end of last year along with some other kit to make mortgage payments)

jk0

Remember the other day we were discussing how odd it was that it was announced that Brits were to have their bank accounts raided by the tax man, just after they made the same rule in America?

It's happened again!

You remember last week it was announced that anyone holding money abroad would have to prove they weren't evading tax on it? I just read the following on Zerohedge:

http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2014-04-15/americans-how-free-you-really-are

If you are a US taxpayer with foreign financial accounts (such as a bank, brokerage, or potentially even a gold storage account overseas), there’s a fairly new disclosure form that you must file to the IRS today along with your 1040.

It’s called form 8938. And if you’ve never heard about it, I definitely recommed you speak to your tax advisor pronto.

Like all of these other tax forms, they threaten you with all sorts of fees, interest, penalties, and of course, jail time.

Now are we just doing Uncle Sam's bidding, or are both countries getting instructions from a higher authority?

Edit: Oh, silly me, I just listened to Osborne's interview here.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-26998208

Right at the end he mentions the instruction came from the IMF.

Frugalsod

jk0 wrote: »

Remember the other day we were discussing how odd it was that it was announced that Brits were to have their bank accounts raided by the tax man, just after they made the same rule in America?

It's happened again!

You remember last week it was announced that anyone holding money abroad would have to prove they weren't evading tax on it? I just read the following on Zerohedge:

http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2014-04-15/americans-how-free-you-really-are



Now are we just doing Uncle Sam's bidding, or are both countries getting instructions from a higher authority?

Edit: Oh, silly me, I just listened to Osborne's interview here.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-26998208

Right at the end he mentions the instruction came from the IMF.

The US is unique in that it taxes its citizens on their worldwide earnings though there are double taxation treaties with some nations. So for American citizens it is why this law is in place. It is no different if brits hid money in a bank in Peckham and then did not declare it. So for a Brit to become a tax exile they simply have to move offshore for a period. For an American they have to renounce their citizenship.

RAS

dandy-candy wrote: »

I have read about this a while ago. A woman was prosecuted for having something like 30lbs of sugar, hard to pass that off as your average use. I believe there were other things too, maybe tea?

Anything home bottled wouldn't be a problem as that's just preserving your own produce.

This made me think of a book I was given; one of the Persephone range (Around a £1 a week etc).

The Country Housewife's Book suggests the "following list of condiments to give some idea of what a Storeroom should hold where a fair supply of preserves and pickles is likely to be made:"

Whole and ground peppers 1/4lb each
Salt 1/2 stone
Brown Sugar 1/2 stone
Preserving Sugar 1cwt
Whole and Ground ginger 1/2lb each

And so on..........

She is rather keen on fuelless cookers like hayboxes as a way of reducing the time needed to watch and stoke a fire.

Si_Clist

Just been talking to the bloke who delivers our logs, who tells me that for the first time in over 20 years, he's no idea at all how much round timber is going to be available next year and what price it's likely to be.

Apparently the main problem down here in the southeast is that the new power station near Heathrow is taking thousands of tons of timber a month now. People who own woodland have cottoned on to that, so a lot of it's now being sold to the highest bidder, which of course is the power station, on account of the damned fool gubment has a vested interest in making it seem like it's both environmentally friendly and sensible to make electricity from wood, much of which is imported.

And when I suggested that people will stop buying logs for their woodstoves once the price goes much above what they're paying now, I was disabused of that notion PDQ. I'd forgotten about all the trendies who've bought designer woodburners in the last year or two, and who love getting a load of logs for it because they can play at being eco. Or country folk. Or their ancestors.

Or something ...