Preparedness for when

[Deleted User]

MrsMH so sorry you've got problems with flooding and hoping very much that you have had time to get your valued things up to a safe level and that the flooding doesn't do too much damage. Keep us in on the loop of how you're getting on if you're able to. Thinking of you and thank heavens for your friends and neighbours helping in adversity, Lyn xxx.

GreyQueen

Hi craigyw, well done on the garden. Your weather this week sounds like what we had here until about Tues; I'd forgotten what the s-u-n looked like.

Re planting now, I'm shortly sowing some more beetroots. The ones sown earlier are ready to eat now and a goodly size. Should be able to get a smallish-calber crop off before the nights draw in too much, but don't know if that would be feasible in your neck of the woods. I shall also be sowing late carrots, and in mid-Oct the broad beans to overwinter. Some peas can go in now, they're not frost tender.

I've got leeks transplanted 2 days ago, but they were sown months back, so unless you can get some seedlings, it's too late for them. Could you look at winter cabbages? I don't bother with these myself as it's too much effort to keep the woodpigeons off them, but they stand overwinter. Possibly some perpetual spinach? I'm sure there are other things out there which I don't know about.

Have just got a volcanic pot of chili con carne on the stove. So sultry here that the last thing I feel like doing is cooking, but it'll make the next few days easier.

Weather has lightened to a dull overcast and the car park which was a lake is drying out. The humidity is horrible. Here's hoping it's dry tomorrow as it's my first day back at work after my holibobs. Allotment holibobs, the cheapest and the best.:cool:

[Deleted User]

Purple Sprouting Broccoli and Kale will stand the winter and be there for the 'hungry gap' if you don't have a pigeon problem.

Frugalsod

GreyQueen wrote: »

My floors are tile-over-concrete, no carpet or laminate, so would be the work of seconds to grab my three rugs off the floor and sling them up onto the furniture. I had a migraine attempt to grab hold of me about 3 hours ago, must have had my pressure head on. Nixed it with paracetamol but still feeling a bit fragile.

I saw SG come into the block in her car about 45 mins before all this kicked off, so at least she's safe at home (and one floor above ground, unlike moi).

The rainwater gullies won't be coping with this in all parts of the city, so there will be some trouble afoot. Have even known rain like this to ram water into the vents in uPVC double-glazing; the frames fill up with water and then it comes indoors.............whee, it's a whole ball of wax.

I'm keeping an eye on it............there are markers on the streets around this neighbourhood where flood levels in previous centuries and decades came up to; last time it was really bad the river came over and they were boating in the street outside. I've seen the photies.

ETA; have about 4 feet dry(ish) ground on the level and then about 4 inches up on the doorstep before it'd come in. Hopefully gonna be OK, especially for the large black beetle which is cowering against my doorstep to get out of the water.

A chance convo with a BT engineer revealed that at the time these flats were built (late 1970s) copper was in very scarce supply and our wiring reflects that.

Maybe you need to add sand bags to your specific preps. You could then at least block the lower doors from the outside and so be able to give yourself a few more hours respite.

I am looking at getting 150 L of water storage and was wondering if that was too much? It would be in 25L barrels so could use just two but would still need to store the rest.

mardatha

I've got kale in, it does keep all through winter.

GreyQueen

mardatha wrote: »

I've got kale in, it does keep all through winter.

It keeps on account of nothing, not even caterpillars and pigeons, being daft enough to eat it............:rotfl:

SuperGran has just left. They've had morons s**ftaced on legal highs flaked out over on the Far Side - at least that's what the paramedics told her they were on. Lovely when you try to walk up a flight of stairs and find not one but two men lying semi-comatose across the stairwell. The paramedics tried to get the Polis out here to them but they're too rushed off their feet with flooding-related issues to attend.

These legal highs are becoming a bliddy nuisance - we have two shops nearby which sell them - and the ninnies get off their faces and loll around here, or they're residents and get off their faces and blast their music at obscene decibellage because they don't know or care what they're doing.

One of my pals has water from a flooded road advancing up his (very short) drive towards his back door as we speak...........I think sandbags all round, don't you?

craigywv

hi gq I was thinking cabbages what sort or name should I get. I don't like broad beans but will put more beetroots in deffo.thanks for that

greenbee

I can do you a deal on sandbags GQ... mine are stacked up round the back

GreyQueen

greenbee wrote: »

I can do you a deal on sandbags GQ... mine are stacked up round the back

Awright, del-boy, I'll have a dozen.

[Deleted User]

twiglet98 wrote: »

I wondered if one of these would at least run a freezer (or two).

Even if it would, you would need a heck of a lot of petrol, for anything but a brief power cut.