Preparedness for when

Witless

I have one. And two cylinders.:)

ETA As outlined in t'other post - the camping stove is for short term emergencies; the large semi portable stove/grill (a lot more expensive than that when I purchased it) is for longer term SHTF scenarios. I rotate the two cylinders with a friend who uses them when spraying cars.

Another point to note if going down the regulator / hose route is to remember that the hoses perish with age and need replaced (the cost is minimal but you can't put a price on safety), I'm on my third hose in approx 20 years - I tend to replace at the first sign of damage (I check & 'test fire' at least annually). The regulator shouldn't need replacement but it's worth getting it checked; our local gas supplier (family hardware store we've used for years) gives it a regular one over & 'yea or nay' it: so far it's been 'yea'.

I may increase my stock of the small cylinders - purely from the inflation POV, consumption wise I'm well covered: I'm considering increasing the quantity of the large cylinders but storage is an issue; and, consumption wise, two is certainly adequate.

[Deleted User]

Witless wrote: »

I have one. And two cylinders.:)

A double burner and grill?

I can see the attraction, but I can also see the downsides, such as:-

The high weight of stove and cylinder, should it be necessary to bug out in a hurry.

Availability of refills, in a SHTF situation.

While stores carry large stocks of the disposable canisters, they tend to only carry fairly small stocks of the refillable ones.

Also, more types of stores carry the disposable canisters (camping stores, DIY stores, B&M, Poundstretcher, Asda etc.), than the refillable ones, which are mostly only carried by camping stores, DIY stores (eg. B&Q), and petrol stations.

My ultralight pocket stove, which is one of my backups.

will run on pretty much any butane or butane/propane mix canister with a screw fitting, from the squat, large diameter Coleman type

to the taller and/or narrower Parasene and Calor Primus types.

pineapple

MrsLurcherwalker wrote: »

I've been scathing about out youngsters not wanting to work in the past but I can't find it in my heart to begrudge him his £25 an hour for his efforts,I said so and I think he understood!!!

Wow that would count as a good wage hereabouts! But no I wouldn't begrudge it either. I would do the same in their shoes. I think the issues come where particular areas have been inundated with immigrants. It's not as if they are 'evenly spread'. Don't know if there is an answer to that

Frugalsod

MrsLurcherwalker wrote: »

We were discussing EU workers in the UK a little while ago and I had an interesting experience today when I was at the bus stop waiting to come home from the shops. A very pleasant foreign man in his late 30s early 40s asked in heavily accented english if the busses running into the city went from the stop and when did the next one go please? I showed him the timetable and how to find the bus he nbeeded and he started chatting. He was from Bulgaria and said his english was small and it was good to try and talk so I chatted. Lovely guy, over here picking broccoli and asparagus for the season, wife and family back in Bulgaria and he was missing them like crazy but comes here to work because in his words 'All day work in Bulgaria gets £25, hard work here for me is £25 an hour... is why I come, Bulgaria is hard, here is hard work but pay is enough for my family to live well. I go home tomorrow but come back in December for cutting flowers. He also said he'd lost 30 kilos since he came, so I guess the work is hard in hothouses and long hours mean lots of exercise. I waved him off as I think he was a bit lost and he waved back. I know I've been scathing about out youngsters not wanting to work in the past but I can't find it in my heart to begrudge him his £25 an hour for his efforts,I said so and I think he understood!!!

I have no issue with immigrants because it could be us trying to learn another language and having to work abroad. There has been mass migration all around Europe as local economies have been devastated by austerity. I have met lots of Greeks, Spaniards and Latvians working here to make ends meet. If we had not been lucky it would be millions of Brits trying to find work abroad instead. Also would many brits be willing to do some of the jobs that the migrants are doing now?

Frugalsod

pineapple wrote: »

Wow that would count as a good wage hereabouts! But no I wouldn't begrudge it either. I would do the same in their shoes. I think the issues come where particular areas have been inundated with immigrants. It's not as if they are 'evenly spread'. Don't know if there is an answer to that

It is a good wage here as well. Though I would imagine it is very hard work. As for the distribution if you look anywhere the same effect happens. When people were buying holiday homes in Florida and Spain they did congregate where there were fellow citizens. Parts of Spain have large numbers of Russians and others lots of Germans.

[Deleted User]

It absolutely flung it down earlier, while I was down town, shopping.

As a result, I got soaked.

On the up side, it meant there were no chuggers about.

jk0

GreyQueen wrote: »

:T Oooh, interesting. So we're nearly on capacity draw at 11.51 am on a Saturday (times on the site are GMT and we're GMT+1 hour atm)?

I wonder what the daily fluctuations in electricity consumption are across the country? Anyone got a good linkie? I guess people are running their washers now, some are online (waves), some may be cooking, hoovering, playing, ironing.........

That 1996 MW wasn't at 11.51am GQ. It was at 11.51pm last night.

(And I don't think many of us were charging our storage heaters at the moment. )

This link might be what you were asking about:

http://www2.nationalgrid.com/UK/Industry-information/Electricity-transmission-operational-data/Data-explorer/

GreyQueen

:eek: Using so much just before midnight?! That's scary - so there's no slack on that system, no spare at all. Y'know, the more I learn about the precariousness of our power supplies, the more I have concerns. We're positively sleepwalking into a crisis, just a matter of when, not if.

Have been out and about this afternoon, hitting up the charity shops. I have a very nice Cott*n Tr*ders heavy shirt/ light jacket thingy which will be perfect for gardening in, come the cooler weather. Lotsa pockets. And only 50 fine english pennies.

Thanks for that additional linkie, too.

[Deleted User]

If we do run out of capacity we'll have to take advantage of power when it is available and use things like Thermal Bags and Hayboxes to cook food after an initial small time on the hob. If we get used to starting things off when the power is there to use even if we only cook porridge for breakfast it will give hot food if the power is off in the morning and if we can get organised enough to start off food in the morning before work when the power is available there will be hot food to come home to in the evenings even if we have no lights. It wouldn't be too difficult to get a routine going like that, I think we'll have to play the system as it were and become opportunists doing things when we can. It will give a semblance of normality to an otherwise disrupted lifestyle. Also maybe boil a kettle first and last thing and fill a big flask. Do this all the time and get it to be routine and there will always be the wherewithall to have a hot drink or cuppasoup if the power is out and the homes are cold. Not the best way to have to live but a bit of organisation at the right time will give us some small comforts and make lives less bleak!

We'll have to get used to recharging mobile phones and other gadgets when the power is available, and go back to using hot water bottles in bed on those bitter days in the depths of winter, another reason for those pre boiled water flasks too!

westlothianlass

Hi all,
I've been on leave for the last couple of weeks. Managed to get a few days in Glencoe which was wonderful (I do love it up there) also spent lots of hours in the garden playing.
Worrying stuff going on just now (but then there always seems to be something to shake my head at:( )
Having a look through my books (especially cookery books) I seem to have gathered rather a lot that I never look at or even like, however on a positive note if I recycle via the charity shop I can purchase some more :T (that's the rule isn't it:D).
Right I'm off to catch up on posts and bung a pie in the oven,
WLL X