Preparedness for when

thriftwizard

In the village I grew up in, there were still heavy horses working well into the 70s, because the slopes are so steep that tractors rolled alarmingly easily. Now it's all sheep round there; I think everyone just gave up trying to plough once the horses were gone. Shame, really, as the small mixed farms gave the area much more character and probably more food, too.

One or two of my farming friends hereabouts are somewhat alarmed at the size as well as the price of the tractors they're being urged to buy now; monstrous creatures that cost as much as a small house (here - a big house in many other areas!) and will compact your land utterly, although of course they're powerful enough to plough it up again anyway. You can't see much from the cab, either; if an animal - or, God forbid, a child - is too close, you have no idea and you can't hear a thing in the insulated cab either. They're downright scary; Jeremy C. would love them though as they can go well over 50 on the open road. Which, given a fairly high centre of balance, is a bit of a recipe for disaster on our narrow, winding, liberally-potholed roads...

nuatha

ALIBOBSY wrote: »

On a different subject-The more I think about the post peak oil future the more I think it will be those that can adapt and roll with the punches that will cope the best. I hope as my kids are growing up with chickens in the garden and growing veggies etc as well as baking, preserving and foraging that they will be well set to at least have the sort of mindset to deal with the new future.

It certainly helped me.
From my POV, you couldn't do better by your kids.

I still don't see the big crashes many prepper sites talk about, but envision a future with alot less power around so people will have to do more stuff themselves, but hopefully some of the best of technology can carry over to this new world and people learn to make the best of what we can have and not keep trying to hang onto a world which will fast disappear. Knowledge, self reliance and adaptability will be the keys to success. Those that choose to sit there and wait for stuff to come to them will be those worst off.

I do worry that it will be those in real need of help, the elderly, the disabled etc who may struggle as the new economies will have to contract and the current benefit payments will be unaffordable for the country and what will health care look like with slashed budgets?

Ali x

I think the graduated decline is the most likely. I suspect that some of the steps will be quite big bumps - when a resource is running out there is only so much rationing you can do before there is no sense in distribution.
I agree that relying on central government payouts is unlikely to continue and those in need of expensive healthcare are likely to be severely hit.

RAS wrote: »

I remember going back to the village where my father grew up at the point where the last farmer was converting to motor power in the late sixties. He would have shifted sooner had he been able to afford the expense.

My granddad stayed with steam because a large part of his income was supplying services to other farms, some of which were too wet to cope with 50/60s tractors, but could be planted and harvested using a portable engine which stood on concrete pads at the field ends.
I can remember calls for the rescue of stuck tractors coming in for years after he'd retired the horses. He was fairly scathing of farmers who wouldn't learn and kept repeating the same mistakes.

And with regard to dialect; I recall much excitement when one of the local farmers was interviewed on TV. We watched at home, looked at one another and noted that whilst we understood, the chances of the rest of the population making it out were slim.

Despite GF being dead half a century, I expect to be introduced as GF's grand-daughter when I go this weekend.

My granddad used dialect, born in the Hebrides, he taught himself a Northumbrian accent because it meant he was better paid for working on farms. he also taught himself RP because that was useful for people taking him seriously when it came to engineering jobs (and the Officers Mess in WWII).

jk0

jk0 wrote: »

I just tried to check my balance twice on internet banking, and it won't let me in after log in. It says:

Anyone else got a similar message?

Okay, seems to be back to normal now.

Interestingly though, I can't move the money from a deposit account that had cheques credited today into my current account.

I've never had that happen before with this bank.

[Deleted User]

GreyQueen wrote: »

Is this One Second After which people are reading the one by William Forstchen?

That's the one.

Charis

thriftwizard wrote: »

One or two of my farming friends hereabouts are somewhat alarmed at the size as well as the price of the tractors they're being urged to buy now....

They're downright scary; Jeremy C. would love them though as they can go well over 50 on the open road. Which, given a fairly high centre of balance, is a bit of a recipe for disaster on our narrow, winding, liberally-potholed roads...

Currently the legal limit for most tractors is 20mph. There are exceptions for some, allowed to travel up to 40mph:

The maximum speed limit for conventional tractors with or without a trailer is currently 40mph, as set out in the Road Traffic Regulation Act2. However, the Road Vehicles (Construction and Use) Regulations 19863 (the “C&U Regs”) set out certain technical requirements for tractors and requires those that are driven above 20mph to meet certain requirements, including the fitment of brakes meeting truck standards, including Anti-lock Braking System (ABS). Most tractors do not comply with these requirements so legally can only be used at speeds up to and including 20mph.

Consultation document

Charis

Has anyone read The Knowledge, 'how to rebuild our world from scratch', by Lewis Dartnell? Unusually, it's written by a British Author. It's a book which tells, in a fairly simplistic way, what we would need rebuild some kind of civilisation, using the knowledge and tools that we have now, or their pre industrial forbears in some cases. It's a kind of snapshot of how we got where we are and what to salvage to keep us going till we can make something better. A friend has lent me her copy and I'm working my way through it. I'm finding it interesting and not too complex. Interestingly he includes Oral Rehydration Therapy (mentioned earlier in this thread). A litre of clean water with a tablespoon of salt (!) and three tablespoons of water. According to Wikipedia it should be nearer one TEASPOON of salt and three teaspoons of sugar. I hope his other info is more accurate. I was told years ago that the solution should be no more salty than tears. Maybe I will email the publisher to alert them.

The Knowledge website

GreyQueen

That looks very interesting, Charis, thank you. I have bookmarked it for detailed perusal.

Spent an hour on the lottie putting dried weeds and handfuls of freshly-pulled long grass over my potatoes. What were immaculate baulks with flawless green spud plants in them now look like particularly untidy windrows in one of the poorer farms in olden times.

Met a fellow plotholder who was leaving as I arrived and he'd been frost-wrapping, and another came down whilst I was there. It's blinking perishing outside, I could have done with my fleece hat. Typical weather; been clouded and spitting rain all day, starts to clear late afternoon, then gets clearer and clearer as the evening goes on.

I just bet there'll be a frost. My darling spuddies are as wrapped as I can get them with the resources available. Current plans are to uncover them on Sunday as the frost risk is predicted to be tonight and tomorrow night. Although I could be playing this game a few more times before May is out and the risk is past.

I also scowled at my 2 week old seedbed of carrots, leeks and beetroots. I can recognise these in their tiniest stages. I can also recognise any number of other things and can tell that what's germinated thus far is; marigolds, hairy bittercress, horsetail, bindweed, chickweed, fat hen and docks.:rotfl:

Tell ya, if we can find a useful veggie with the vigour of those aforementioned weeds, we'd be onto a winner.

DawnW

I have just covered my spuds as well GQ. My garden is only little, so some fleece weighted down with a few bricks did the job. Also had to wrap the dwarf quince tree on the patio, as it is just coming into bloom. We made a sort of tent for it out of fleece and clothes pegs :rotfl:

I wish it would warm up - my seeds aren't germinating in a hurry either, though the weeds are :mad:

thriftwizard

Not very clear here, there's still a lot of cloud. Nothing's covered, I've been too busy, and I suspect crossed fingers won't be much help to my plant babies!

Charis, that's very interesting about the speed limits; I wonder if the tractor sales people know? My friend was horrified to be told how fast the one they've just bought can go; it is enormous, extremely high off the ground (the tyres are taller than most people) and undoubtedly has ABS etc. She's really not sure they need it; might be more appropriate for a Norfolk barley baron, was her phrase, but her son has taken the farm a long way into debt for it, because "you've got to move with the times, Mum!" and it can take all the various booms, tanks, trailers and things he seems to think they need.

D&DD

It looks like its been snowing in my garden lol yep fleece and pegs here too I'll be throttled in the morning though if I've knocked any of his nectarines off!!!


Quick q I have net cloche thingies over my first early spuds on one of the raised beds should I fleece them as well on top or will they be ok do you reckon???


Its reading 9 degrees already in the greenhouse that's with the heater on since 6pm brrrr my poor planties


JK martin had something on his twitter earlier about a bank glitch he said he was investigating it around 5pm I think?