Preparedness for when

Butterfly_Brain

Bought another apple tree today, it is a ballerina tree called Samba so it can be grown in a large pot and all the apples grow up the stem.
Might get another variety when our budget allows.
Oh for a bigger garden..........................

1Tonsil

I have just caught up with all your posts again:D Something always seems to stop me coming on then I have days to catch up with you all.

Have been fighting nasty sinus pains , most of it due to the African red dust that is hanging in our damp air at the moment. It is usually brought down by the rain , but none forecast at the moment for us.

There is a real nasty storm out in the Atlantic that could make the weather in the UK very interesting around the weekend,so keep an eye on the forecasts. It will stay warm though, despite the risk of very heavy thundery downpours and high winds.

We had a surprise phone call this afternoon, telling us the team are coming to install our solar heating and solar hot water system tomorrow. We didn't expect it done for a couple more weeks, but they must be making the most of the calm weather we have at the moment. With the cost of electric and heating oil so high here, it will be a big help with our bills in the future.:T

maryb

I think ZTD made some good points despite what appeared to be a dismissive tone. And it's true, we won't forget the germ theory of disease. It was public sanitation that brought about a huge increase in life expectancy, much more than modern medicine invaluable though that is. I remember watching the Ascent of Man by Jacob Brunowski and I was struck by the programme about the Industrial Revolution when he said that cheap coal (meaning plenty of hot water) cheap cotton underwear and sheets (easy to wash) and cheap iron bedsteads (much more hygienic) transformed the health of the urban working classes.

Sadly, if you look at Russia after the collapse of the USSR, life expectancy can take a nosedive. But it stopped well short of an Olduvai Theory scenario

kezlou

Sorry can't find the link for the hurricane lights in Wilkinson's. I saw them in store you see.

GreyQueen

:T Excellent news about the solar, 1tonsil, looking forward to hearing updates on how it works out.

I must say that prior to your regularly posting here, if I thought about weather in your neck of the woods at all, I would have imagined it a lot more settled and benign than it actually is. Shows that the mental images which we may have of a place often aren't rooted in facts.

Have been to archery, dodging 4 lanes of fast-moving traffic successfully once more *buffs fingernails* and have had big fun as always. May well go to an additional class on Thurs if I can muster the energy, could do with more practice than currently getting to really improve.

To me, the weather here feels unseasonably warm. I don't really expect it to be shirt-sleeve weather outside after dark at this time of the year, but it is. If it doesn't cool down in a hurry, those allotment weeds will contunue to grow.

I shall be looking to plant broad beans again in the next couple of weeks, to overwinter as small plants and thus give an earlier crop than the spring-sown ones. I like broad beans, they're very little trouble and bear heavily, and their blossoms are beloved of the bees. So nice to have something growing when all else is underground, too.

Plus my overwintered broad beans from 2013 were the talk of the allotments, one lady told me in confidence that a particular old boy was very envious of my beans. You know you're middle-aged when being admired for your gardening is very gratifying.:rotfl:

Doveling

I enjoy reading all the posts and try to make good use of all your collective knowledge, thank you.
But... because there are differences of opinion this thread is great.
It throws up alternative ways of thinking and coping, and that can only be a good thing can't it?
Some people do not come across well in type (I'm sure I'm one) but I thought some of ZTD's comments were quite positive.

[Deleted User]

ZTD wrote: »

Bedsit Bob (IIRC) has a few posts where he could run a house off one

Running a house is a bit of an exaggeration.

A CFL/LED bulb, my laptop, and my mobile phone, is about all I can reasonably run off it.

MrsChristmas

Good evening all... just thought I'd share my thoughts, day & bargains with you...
seigemodeI have to admit to letting myself think too hard & fast over the last couple of days about all the possibilities & outcomes of an "Ebola Apocalypse" & felt it better to just 'do something' rather than nothing to ease my anxiety levels... so I took a trip to Aldee & Lidal to stock up
I was going to do it in 2 weeks time as I'd been running down the 'preps' the last few months as they were mostly 2/3yrs old & didn't want them to go to waste so had been incorporating them into our meal plan but I'm not sure my nerves would have held out that long. Especially when it was reported on the news earlier about the number of rising cases, the number of possible future cases & the death rate going from 50-70%.
I tend to think along the lines of 'your cards are written when you're born' ect but for me there comes a piece of mind knowing I'm as prepared as I could be should the SHTF. In my present circumstances there really is little more this housewife & mother can do than ensure the house is clean, has a good stockpile of food, water, alternative sources of heat & cooking & has some good olde wisdom & knowledge to pass on. It's scary being a parent at the best of times but this situation really has got my brain working overtime. Maybe it's only natural for me to be thinking of all the worst possible scenarios as I'm the mom, a stay at home mom at that (which gives me a lot of time to think/over think!) & I do all the thinking, planning, organising & worrying for everybody else so that they can get on with life or maybe I'm just a natural born worrier?!! :rotfl:
Questions like 'At what point do you not allow your children to attend school?' When there's a case in the capital or the next town? We all know how great they are at sharing nits & worms :eek:
'Can the school prevent you keeping the children at home?'

I've always been a believer in hot soapy water to get the job done but have a few months supply of bleach under the sink now, if nothing else, the house can have an autumn 'spring' clean over the half term & will be replaced once used.
The tins & pasta cupboard is full. Only brought what we like this time but again, half term with extra hungry mouths with hollow legs to feed means it won't go to waste replaced ASAP.
In Lidal (Devizes) today I found 33p shower gel which I'm sure wasn't there last week?! Going to use a squirt in the morning & if its any good will go back and get a yrs worth at that price! Oh & their baked beans are 4 for a £1 making them 25p each...:j ...Aldee had really cheap packs of pasta & rice (between 20p & 40p) & was the cheapest of the two shops for tinned fruit.

[Deleted User]

There is no point in worrying about what might happen in the future because it equally well might not. Live life, don't exist worried and scared, be aware, do all you feel will keep you and yours safer in the future you perceive but LIVE and enjoy the time you are alive to the full. Life isn't a dress rehearsal it's the only one you've got so Live, Live Live and don't waste it through fear of what might happen in the future, enjoy NOW!!!

[Deleted User]

Both my Rolson 72 LED lamp, and my Aldi LED lantern, are both still lit. :eek: