Preparedness for when

Wills106

I think every nurse / A&E Person says the same...
Granted a chainsaw isn't much use after a while in a SHTF thingy.

End of the day using anything sharp, Axe, Chissle, Drill bit etc your going to end up cut. So thought It might be worthwhile getting a bit more info on glueing my self up again!

winterstorage

ScarletRaven wrote: »

Hey preppers Not posted in here for a long time, but been lurking again recently after thinking about getting back into prepping seeing as I got out of the habit after moving house and having a baby last year.

The house we moved into has a sizeable cupboard under the stairs, which is in the dining room, and we were thrilled to find a sturdy wooden standing shelf unit had been left, and 2 large shelves above it on the wall. My partner and I had the same thought - store cupboard! Thankfully we started building up a store of food, toiletries and cleaning supplies, as it all came in very handy last winter. I'd just had a baby, when a few weeks later I came down with TB - lots of time in hospital, with my other half staying every night and just going home in the daytime. He found the built up stores very useful to avoid spending ages shopping and a lot of the stuff we built up was quick and easy things for meals (including batch cooking in the freezer I'd done towards the end of my pregnancy to avoid cooking whilst getting to grips with a newborn). We also hit money troubles unexpectedly about 6 weeks ago that will continue into early next year, so I'm so glad we planned ahead!

Just been replenishing the dwindled stores this past couple of weeks, an extra couple of packs of pasta here and there, an approved food order for cheap but mostly long dated tins and jars, coupons and yellow sticker shopping when we spot useful things, etc.

Our cupboard and freezers are slowly building back up again, even with a smaller shopping budget

We had a power cut late this morning, only lasted for about half an hour thankfully, but as I was part way through making myself and my little one something to eat at the time it was bad timing. With the choice of a toaster, microwave or electric grill/hob/oven to work with, I was stuck to continue! Thankfully the kettle had just boiled 2 mins before, so I still got my much needed cup of coffee, and managed to fill a flask with the remaining hot water to save in case the power cut lasted for hours on end.

It made me realise I've a long way to go on the prepping front. We were pretty much stuck for cooking anything! I had a fleeting thought to go pick up a disposable bbq for dinner if need be, lol. I may put our grab bags on hold for now (though they're coming along nicely) and focus on loss of power - more water, ways to heat/cook things, and with the winter coming in a couple of months, ways to keep warm

Right, back to it then...

The power cuts are a worry, i have had various ideas on heating food in that situation, and the best and safest i have come up with is a boating galley 2 burner paraffin stove, holds about 3 litres each burner and the wicks are a bit hard to find, but you can knit them with cotton in one of those bobbins or round french knitters it takes forever but it can be done, just remember to make the wick a solution of borax to complete the wick process you can get the smell less parafin, also a boat galley stove is so stable, no chance of it getting knocked over
a paraffin heater also running on caldo low odour fuel just remember you do need ventilation with the both

Frugalsod

Wills106 wrote: »

Firstly I am sorry I have not read over the past 1245 pages of posts on this thread...

Has anyone done any of the Saint John's First aid courses?
I'm not after doing it for work or to help out at events etc (Don't mean that in a horrid way)
Just looking into doing a few basic ones to get a better understanding of things. Bit more than the obvious.

Like deep wound cuts (Axe / chain saw etc) Also I am increasingly building up a bigger power tool / workshop collection etc.

Have you considered a resource like Youtube? There are plenty of online resources that could get you the basics.

GreyQueen

Wills106 wrote: »

I think every nurse / A&E Person says the same...
Granted a chainsaw isn't much use after a while in a SHTF thingy.

End of the day using anything sharp, Axe, Chissle, Drill bit etc your going to end up cut. So thought It might be worthwhile getting a bit more info on glueing my self up again!

Yeah, but a ounce of prevention is worth a ton of cure. If you slice into an artery you won't be doing first aid on yourself, you'll be too busy dying in a minute or two.

What you need to know about using tools (said by a woman who chopped firewood even as a girl under ten years old) is where the edge of the axe/ knife/ chisel. drill point will go if it slips/ jumps/ snags etc.

You need to be pre-positioned so that what's in the way of the edge or point isn't your body, or someone else's. Good habits with using tools are something which need to be learned and practised until the become second nature, so you always follow the safe way for that one occasion in a thousand when it all goes badly wrong.

You also need to know that blunt tools are more dangerous than sharp ones and various other wheezes. There's a lot of stuff out there in dead tree format and on the interwebs to assist in good practice for wood-working, wood chopping and other tool-related habits. Happy times.

We're a little unusual in my family; my pensioner Mum has her own workshop with power lathe, circular saw, bandsaw, pillar drill (my 60th birthday present to her) and various other things both powered and unpowered. And lots of lovely sharp chisels...........she won't let me play with the Dremmel, though, to my disappointment.:rotfl:

jk0

Wills106 wrote: »

I think every nurse / A&E Person says the same...
Granted a chainsaw isn't much use after a while in a SHTF thingy.

End of the day using anything sharp, Axe, Chissle, Drill bit etc your going to end up cut. So thought It might be worthwhile getting a bit more info on glueing my self up again!

I read some good advice in an American carpentry book. It said that most hand tools are only used at a speed that you will notice if they are cutting yourself rather than the wood before you've done much damage.

Of course, power tools being much faster, can take bits off you before the pain registers. Think on.

jk0

By the way, anyone know how to catch an enormous spider?

Watching Big Brother last night, I saw one creep out from under my sideboard, see me, then run back in again.

I went in the kitchen and got a beer glass and a feather duster to tickle him out with. I got him out, but b*ggar me, he was too big for the diameter of the beer glass, and got away. About 4" across!

maryb

Bit early in the year but spiders hate horse chestnuts. Leave a few conkers around and they will move on in a huff. Less toxic than insecticide

maryb

GreyQueen wrote: »

Never mind chocolate, what about...........

Liquorice or licorice (/ˈlɪk(ə)rɪʃ/ LIK-(ə-)rish or /ˈlɪk(ə)rɪs/ LIK-(ə-)ris)[2] is the root of Glycyrrhiza glabra from which a somewhat sweet flavor can be extracted. The liquorice plant is a legume that is native to southern Europe and parts of Asia. It is not botanically related to anise, star anise, or fennel, which are sources of similar flavouring compounds. The word liquorice / licorice is derived (via the Old French licoresse) from the Greek γλυκύρριζα (glukurrhiza), meaning "sweet root",[3] from γλυκύς (glukus), "sweet"[4] + ῥίζα (rhiza), "root",[5][6] the name provided by Dioscorides.[7]





Check that out, it says that it's a LEGUME. That's a bean to you non-gardening civilians out there. Beans are good for you. And it was named by a Dead Roman Dude (of Greek extraction) who practised medicine in the time of Emperor Nero. Which must have been kinda interesting, and not in a good way.

Beans, beans they're good for your heart. The more you eat them, the more you......

GreyQueen

:eek: Bliddy hell, jk0, if it won't fit in a beer glass, what the hell kind of spider is it? Not someone's straying tarantula, by any chance?

At that kind of size I'd go for a sharp smack with a rolled up newspaper and call it quits.

I've been trying to get a singing cricket/ cicada out of my flat. It was spotted on the living room floor just after 10 pm yestereve and I think it has escaped from a neighbour who keeps exotic pets. This evening it started singing and I couldn't even see or detect where the sound was coming from, never mind catch it and evict it.

The sounds were speeding up as dusk fell, getting louder and episodes of singing were more frequent. So I had the brainwave of playing an audio clip of cicadas via the computer and it shut it up for about 30 mins. It just started to sing again and I gave it another clip and it shut up.

Gonna put the pooter to bed now and hope the blasted thing is still phased by the online cicadas and stays shut up. I like cicadas. I like them on holiday, from a terrace in a mediterranean country with the balmy night air and good company and a nice drink to hand. Not enjoying them in my tiny sitting-room with me.

Life. My life is always slipping on a banana skin into absurdity.

[Deleted User]

cornishchick wrote: »

Mind you I don't w**k <swear word in my house> as much as I used to ..

Good job too, as it makes you go blind.