Preparedness for when

thriftwizard

Morning all! Back from my festival now and just about caught up on sleep... actually I'd almost forgotten how well I sleep outdoors! On my brother's advice we took earplugs this year & it made a huge difference; even the thunder was just a background murmur. And curiously all my background aches & pains seemed much better "out there" but are returning now I'm back in "civilisation" which seems to be the wrong way round - surely they should be worse sleeping on a camp-bed in the cool, with just about 6 hours sleep a night and very little control over what I'm eating?

We coped with a special guest appearance from an impromptu river which sprang up underneath our feet in the marquee during one particularly monsoon-like shower; hereabouts they're known as "winterbournes" but this one decided to visit summer! I have now conceded that wellies might be a good idea next year, if it's not so warm; I was fine with the mud squelching between my toes & it soon dried out & fell off, but the kids were horrified.

BUT the food prices have skyrocketed; up to now, because we're working for 14 hours a day, we've only catered for breakfast and have bought our lunch & supper from the food stalls. (Which adds hugely to the sense of being on holiday even whilst working!) But the average cost has gone from about £4 to about £7 in a year; talking to the vendors, their costs have skyrocketed too so it's not just profiteering, but it made quite a dent in my profits as there were 4 of us. So next year I will have to take more food & equipment & somehow carve out the time to cook.

The one time I did insist on escaping whilst the girls ran the stall, I went to listen to Mark Boyle, the Moneyless Man, speak. Interesting & inspiring stuff, but just as interesting was the reaction of some of his audience, who had evidently just turned up to sneer & nitpick. You could see them getting uncomfortable & shifting around in their expensive camp-chairs as he detailed why it's possible that things may not always continue as they have been; I hope his sincerity & humility will have got through to a few of them, but can't help doubting it.

Off now to inspect my spuds & toms!

pineapple

Bedsit_Bob wrote: »

Be careful if you, or your neighbours, have cats.

Jeyes fluid is poisonous to cats.

I cleaned a bit round the back door recently and was probably OTT about diluting and rinsing and letting dry before the family dog was allowed to place one paw outside. You would think it would be obvious to most folks - that said the article hints it may have been done deliberately.
Ditto with bleach. One year we were walking up past the house of a neighbour who is obsessive about scrubbing her patio and found ourselves trawling through a strong bleach smelling run off. In the 'dialogue' that followed, it then occurred to the lady concerned that this might be the cause of her cat's poorly paws.
Some people - if they'd been born with brains - they'd be dangerous. :mad:

mrsmortenharket

All cats are ok so far...

[Deleted User]

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it says different computers tried to log on to your account and multiple password faliures occured. It offers a link to download a form to resolve the problem or 'help' link. Absolutely sure this is dodgy, HWK.

pineapple

Yet another argument for 'growing your own'! (or turning veggie)
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/jul/23/-sp-revealed-dirty-secret-uk-poultry-industry-chicken-campylobacter

GreyQueen

Glad you are safely back from the festival, thriftwizard. I confess myself rather envious that you heard Mark Boyle, the Moneyless Man, speak.

I read his book and was very favourably impressed with him. He comes across as a genuine individual, sincere and unassuming. I admire him. I do hope that the seeds of something may have been planted in even the most unpromising minds among the wannabee hecklers.....one never knows what can be the random event which changes a life's direction.

I've had great fun disassembling and reassembling a plastic-covered greenhouse which was a freebie (never again for plastic, for me) and have repaired a glass one, was always struggling to keep a hold of thos little 'W' shaped springy wire clips you used to hold the panes into the frame. Where are the double-yous?! was a wailing frequently heard upon that shared lottie - the greenhouse was someone elses's, not mine.

Archery went fabulously last night and I may just have sourced a ride to an out-of-town archery range next week, fingers crossed that it will come to pass. Me wiv pointy fings in the open air, go me. I knew it was a good night when the first shot of the evening was smack-dab in the middle of the gold (the bullseye).

This evening is for relaxing as it's very hot and I'm a bit weary from being oot last night, oot and ME-ers doesn't go marvellously well, but you can't be a total hermit, can you?

Well you could, but you do need to go out for archery, there's no blessed room indoors.

[Deleted User]

mrsmortenharket wrote: »

Oh sh/t I had no idea. I've got a cat. As have me neighbours :eek:

paidinchickens wrote: »

I had no idea Bob, I have used it (having four dogs) but I also have cats.

You should also be aware, it isn't necessary for a cat to ingest it, to be poisoned.

It can be absorbed through the skin, if the cat lays in it.

Frugalsod

pineapple wrote: »

Yet another argument for 'growing your own'! (or turning veggie)
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/jul/23/-sp-revealed-dirty-secret-uk-poultry-industry-chicken-campylobacter

And washing it spreads the germs around. Personally I prefer to get my chicken from a local butcher. Also if I get food poisoning I have had it so often it barely slows me down now.

jk0

GreyQueen wrote: »

This evening is for relaxing as it's very hot

Phew, tell me about it GQ.

It's 9pm here in Reading and still 24 degrees outside. I just mowed the grass thinking it would be cooler, but I'm sweating again. I think I'll go and have a cool shower before Big Brother.

GreyQueen

Morning all.

Hope we all managed to get some shut-eye despite the temps. SG rang me last evening, in her usual droll way, starting the call with an announcement - THIS IS THE NEWS - to which I respond with a parody of the Big Ben bongs............:rotfl:Lots of irritating outdoor-nuisance stuff over there.

I can top that, as had the Polis here in the wee small hours after hoodlums passing by my home were overheard talking about guns - dunno if they found them after leaving me, but a big chunk of the Polis were looking for them, I imagine. Comes to something when having your window ajar causes you to overhear stuff like that.

As is usually the case, I merely had to mention the name of the Towers to the regional control room and they needed no more than that, not even which city, never mind a blinking postcode. We're famous, I tell you, famous.:p

Trying to kick-start a rather under-slept brain with a gallon of tea before w*rk right now, urghh.