Preparedness for when

Frugalsod

jk0 wrote: »

My uncle told my mum he just booked a holiday in Turkey because it's cheaper than last year. Uncle doesn't read the papers so has no idea about the civil unrest there. I bet it's cheaper still in Ukraine!

I still think that most of Turkey will be quiet. If you avoid the South East of the country where Turkey has been acting like an army of occupation it is relatively quiet. The real political protests are in the capital and big cities. I guess the best way to describe it is like the UK during the recent riots. Only a real problem in a very few areas and if you were well away from big cities then there was nothing at all.

Butterfly_Brain

Lovely to see you back 2tonsils.

nuatha

Good to see you 2T.
The advantages of BOB's and EDC's
We were just on our way to bed when the phone rang - MIL could she drop SIL's kids off as she was taking SIL to hospital. Within minutes we'd decided Herself would take the kids home and stay overnight, I'd accompany Mil and Sil to the hospital as moral support/gopher/spare driver or whatever was needed.
Because our BOBs double as weekend bags, Herself was covered for an overnight stay and office clothes for tomorrow after the kids are at school.
I dropped a clanger, my EDC should have half a litre of water, I'd used that earlier today and forgot to replace it - hospital waiting rooms are far too warm for my comfort. (A folding cup and the toilet tap to the rescue, the alternative being three varieties of coke). Both of us being ready to go out of the door within minutes of the phone call.
Its rarely the emergency you plan for that happens.

GreyQueen

Frugalsod wrote: »

I still think that most of Turkey will be quiet. If you avoid the South East of the country where Turkey has been acting like an army of occupation it is relatively quiet. The real political protests are in the capital and big cities. I guess the best way to describe it is like the UK during the recent riots. Only a real problem in a very few areas and if you were well away from big cities then there was nothing at all.

My cousin and his family came back from their annual Turkish holiday this past Saturday night, they've been going there every year for 20 years, absolutely love it.

2tonsils, lovely to 'see' you again, not so lovely that your OH is ill and that your former employer reneged on promises. I admit I did think of you out in Thailand when the news of the coup broke and hoped you were OK. Are you back in the house you used to live in?

nuatha, we also had some family SHTF this weekend when my Nan, one week shy of her 91st birthday, had a stroke. My part of the family got the message just before midnight on Friday but there was nothing we could do until visiting time the following afternoon, so four additional adults had no sleep and were strung-out as a result, and had to make a series of drives totalling 70 miles.

Visted Nan yesterday with parents on Saturday, parents, brother and aunt last night, aunt tomorrow daytime and folks tomorrow daytime. Burning through diesel like nobody's business, so emphasising the importance of keeping your tank topped up.

Nan also had a hospital bag already packed from another trip, so that was able to go with her in the ambulance, which was helpful. She can speak with difficulty, all marbles fully present, but we don't know how things will pan out, so it's day by day, really.

Meanwhile, we keep on with the usual stuff. I weeded the beetroot and flowerbeds in her garden and Dad transplanted the runners and courgettes and mowed the lawn.

I'm poorly with a stinker of a cold, plus crashing into bed at 7.30 pm last night as was beyond exhausted, but will be heading out to work as per usual and trying to focus on the job instead of wondering how the physios are getting on with Nan. Ach well, that's life.

[Deleted User]

Hi 2T, lovely to see you on the thread again but could wish for you to be here under better circumstances. Hopefully Mr 2T is better now and not still having problems. I'm sad for you that the Thailand move didn't work out long term and glad you have the greek house to return to well done on getting through what must have been a traumatic time and coming out the other side still prepping. Did your little statuette survive the journey? I hope it is now in pride of place on the mantlepiece again, Lyn xxx.

jk0

GreyQueen wrote: »

My cousin and his family came back from their annual Turkish holiday this past Saturday night, they've been going there every year for 20 years, absolutely love it.

2tonsils, lovely to 'see' you again, not so lovely that your OH is ill and that your former employer reneged on promises. I admit I did think of you out in Thailand when the news of the coup broke and hoped you were OK. Are you back in the house you used to live in?

nuatha, we also had some family SHTF this weekend when my Nan, one week shy of her 91st birthday, had a stroke. My part of the family got the message just before midnight on Friday but there was nothing we could do until visiting time the following afternoon, so four additional adults had no sleep and were strung-out as a result, and had to make a series of drives totalling 70 miles.

Visted Nan yesterday with parents on Saturday, parents, brother and aunt last night, aunt tomorrow daytime and folks tomorrow daytime. Burning through diesel like nobody's business, so emphasising the importance of keeping your tank topped up.

Nan also had a hospital bag already packed from another trip, so that was able to go with her in the ambulance, which was helpful. She can speak with difficulty, all marbles fully present, but we don't know how things will pan out, so it's day by day, really.

Meanwhile, we keep on with the usual stuff. I weeded the beetroot and flowerbeds in her garden and Dad transplanted the runners and courgettes and mowed the lawn.

I'm poorly with a stinker of a cold, plus crashing into bed at 7.30 pm last night as was beyond exhausted, but will be heading out to work as per usual and trying to focus on the job instead of wondering how the physios are getting on with Nan. Ach well, that's life.

Hugs to you and your Nan GQ.

Possession

Hope your Nan is OK GQ. My grandma had a stroke a couple of years ago and is pretty much recovered to her generally stroppy self now at the age of 92.

2tonsils

Thank you for all the messages saying welcome back. Although things went pear shaped we both loved our time in Thailand and we are glad we went. Yes we are back in the same house, we got rid of lots of surplus stuff by giving it away to people who needed it in the village where we live. It was much appreciated. Ironically, when we left Thailand we did the same thing, and gave it to the people living nearby who had almost nothing. It was a good feeling to do that!

Mr 2T is much better. He was still ill when we returned home and came through the airports in a wheelchair. It would have been a great help if I hadn't been forced to carry all our luggage, both is and mine! When we got home he went to the doctor for treatment and it helped a little, but what helped most was realising he was suffering horrendous side effects from the meds he had been prescribed for over two years.

Yes, the memory problems, blurred vision, muscle cramps and high blood pressure were all from his prescription meds. We stopped them and within two days he was feeling much better and his blood pressure was normal! Since then we have gone onto a very healthy diet and supplements of coconut oil (great for storing, very healthy and can fry food in it ) hemp protein powder (great for all kinds of ailments and very good for general health) and Maca powder which is doing wonders for my energy and my thyroid. I mix them in my breakfast smoothie, I make it with Greek yogurt, fruit and local honey. I feel amazing since I changed what I eat. I have to eat gluten free of course as I am Celiac.

We are happy to be back and the villagers are thrilled we came back. We have been doing repairs and updating the house and it looks terrific. I have made the upstairs patio into a little peace garden with Buddha statues and plants and its now a lovely place to sit instead of somewhere I just dried washing .
I have loads of containers planted up with herbs, spring onions, medicinal herbs and lots of other things growing. I think my French beans came from a Jack and the Beanstalk show as they are growing so fast I can't keep up with them. My friends have also started giving me organic veggies and we were given 2 litres of wine this morning. I don't drink, so our visitors are in for a treat ! Locally produced as well.

I don't think the military coup is such a bad thing in Thailand, people are seeing it as positive and they are cracking down on corruption. They have paid the poor rice farmers all the money they were owed by the government for three years crops. They have stopped the violence by the protestors , so that is a good thing.

When I was in Thailand I had to go through the demonstrations to get our emergency passports (the rules had changes so it couldn't be done by post). I ended up being escorted through the camp by two armed men who took me to my mini bus. I managed to stay calm somehow but it was very alarming for John who was at home worrying about me. Luckily he did not know what happened till I got safely back to him. What happened was that they cut off the exits to the sky train, so I had to go through the camp. I was being stared at so bowed and showed respect to the leader, who asked me where I wanted to go and gave me the guard. The day before there had been people killed when hand grenades were thrown in that area, which was the place to change buses and the sky train. People were being shot as well during the demonstrations, so at least the military coup is having a positive effect on the violence.

nuatha

GreyQueen wrote: »

nuatha, we also had some family SHTF this weekend when my Nan, one week shy of her 91st birthday, had a stroke. My part of the family got the message just before midnight on Friday but there was nothing we could do until visiting time the following afternoon, so four additional adults had no sleep and were strung-out as a result, and had to make a series of drives totalling 70 miles.

Visted Nan yesterday with parents on Saturday, parents, brother and aunt last night, aunt tomorrow daytime and folks tomorrow daytime. Burning through diesel like nobody's business, so emphasising the importance of keeping your tank topped up.

Nan also had a hospital bag already packed from another trip, so that was able to go with her in the ambulance, which was helpful. She can speak with difficulty, all marbles fully present, but we don't know how things will pan out, so it's day by day, really.

Meanwhile, we keep on with the usual stuff. I weeded the beetroot and flowerbeds in her garden and Dad transplanted the runners and courgettes and mowed the lawn.

I'm poorly with a stinker of a cold, plus crashing into bed at 7.30 pm last night as was beyond exhausted, but will be heading out to work as per usual and trying to focus on the job instead of wondering how the physios are getting on with Nan. Ach well, that's life.

Hope you get shot of the cold and your Nan makes a speedy recovery.
To me prepping is at least as much about these sort of emergencies as TEOTWAWKI stuff.

the_cake

Welcome back 2T! I was thinking about you the other day when the results of the European elections came through. Always enjoyed your very interesting posts from the Greek 'front line' .... glad your OH is better.
GQ, so sorry to hear about your Nan, do hope she makes a swift and full recovery - warm wishes to you all.
Good luck to anybody trying to grow veggies - I think the only thing we could easily be self sufficient in would be garlic, as with a good application of wood ash in the Spring it grows brilliantly, and the slugs don't touch it. With everything else, it seems a constant battle against weeds and predators: having almost won the couch grass battle, it's now the blithering bindweed, which enthusiastically regenerates from the tiniest bit of root. I will be Nemaslugging this afternoon, and look forward to slug free beds and pots - oh, I wish. If I work in the garden for more than about an hour I get hideous backache, and then the hay fever season is about to start. Joy. Ah well, battle on. I am trying cucamelons for the first time this year - not exactly a filling meal, but could be a tasty snacklet....