Preparedness for when

nuatha

jk0 wrote: »

Regarding starting the car if SHTF, I would put the discharged battery in place in the car, but just connect the positive lead. Then the good battery I just removed would be connected to the car leads with jump leads. As soon as the car started, I would put the negative lead on the dead battery, and immediately disconnect the good one. Then hopefully some driving around, or even idling should recharge the dead one.

My concern is that the discharged battery doesn't charge for any reason and your using the charged battery to power things while you're out in the car. You could end up with no charged battery or at least insufficient charge to start the car. If I was doing this, I'd look at a three battery solution charged, on car, in house.

I only knew the one person who did the Split Relay system, but it did work for him. I've thought about it from the jump starting POV, but prefer portable jump starters these days. Though I'm going to have to re-examine my power options as I've just rehomed my genny and won't be replacing it while we live here.

[Deleted User]

Jeremy Clarkson, GQ and me? well there's a thought to terrify the entire planet, pray it never happens or no one will ever sleep sound again!!! Oh yes I can make cordage and so can GQ both from nettle fibres and flax stems and you can also make cord from nettles that can be spun or knitted, it was done in the shortages of WW2 so not that long ago. DD1 and I did a flint knapping course where we not only learned to make tools and the sharpest knife I've ever handled from raw flint but the cordage too with which we strapped out stone blade to the prepared haft and I've still got mine along with a neolithic style hand axe I made on the same day. DD has also done bronze casting and has made her own sword, I have done stoneage cooking and can wrap fish and meat in clay and chuck them into a fire to cook, we used fire heated pot boiler pebbles to cook a shoulder of lamb that I boned out with a flint flake and made scotch type pancakes cooked on a hot stone and bread cooked in a handmade clay oven. You can still learn old skills if you know where to find the courses. Ours were all at the Weald and Downland Open Air Museum at singleton in Sussex, not far from Chichester. They do many more and they have a working Tudor Kitchen where they teach stillroom skills, ale and bread making (with the barm from the ale), herbal and medicinal skills from a tudor stillroom, butchery, field butchery,how to work wood with a foot propelled pole lathe, net making so many I can't list them all. DD1 is going for a course to learn how to shoot a longbow for her birthday later in the year. They do cruck frame building, they have a working watermill and you can learn how to mill flour, heavy horse husbandry and driving, it's a very useful place to pick up all sorts of things that would be valuable in a SHTF situation.

Reading that list, don't you feel sorry for our neighbours???

Frugalsod

It is looking like 1tonsil needs to get down to the bank tomorrow. It looks like a long bank holiday is looming for Greece.

http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2014-12-29/when-fearmongering-goes-bad-greece-scrambles-prevent-deposit-run-goldman-warned-abou

nuatha

MrsLurcherwalker wrote: »

Reading that list, don't you feel sorry for our neighbours???

No,
I was wishing I lived a lot closer.
I've built several ovens for breadmaking, two of them starting with a flat school field. Pit roasting and using firestones are relatively straightforward (building the fish trap and catching supper was less easy) cordage was tedious but very useful.
Unfortunately there are fewer opportunities for such courses in this neck of the woods - though I've been lucky to have friends willing to share knowledge.

jk0

Frugalsod wrote: »

It is looking like 1tonsil needs to get down to the bank tomorrow. It looks like a long bank holiday is looming for Greece.

http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2014-12-29/when-fearmongering-goes-bad-greece-scrambles-prevent-deposit-run-goldman-warned-abou

Cripe. In view of that, I just paid my income tax that's due at the end of January. I'd hate to still have to pay it after my account was 'bailed-in'.

GreyQueen

I made my rolling pin on Mum's pole lathe, which she built on a course. After several years it was given to a friend of a friend who does re-enactments, so it's hopefully out and about around the land. She still has the power lathe, bit of a brute.

I'd love to go on a bowmaking course, perhaps I shall have to look into that and see if I can find one which is accessible; I'm reliant on public transport unless I hire a car, which is feasible, you just throw money at the problem.

I was talking to a pal who breeds racehorses and one of his is rising three and will be going to the trainer in the New Year. She'll be backed and then ridden out with others. Even young horses of the finest bloodlines are potentially utterly useless as racehorses, you can't tell until they're run against others if they appear to have the makings and will be worth training.

Knowing how to care for horses and ponies would be a useful skill in a world without oil. If you read old newspapers and look at family history, you'll see that fatal accidents involving horses, carts, wagons etc were pretty common. Sometimes the victims were very drunk, but often not; one of my great-grandads was killed in such an accident in the 1930s and it was a horse which shied and went into a ditch with the cart attached - poor GGD was head-kicked.

For the non-horsey, I offer an abbreviated guide; they weigh a tonne, have the mental capacity of a human two year old, are designed to run from danger, one end bites and the other kicks. Oh, and the racehorses can hit 40 mph or so - wheee!

This is being typed by a woman who has patted the famous racehorse Red Rum; he was very well-behaved, I am glad to report.

Oh, and I may have to update my opinion of Jezza, which was that he was a bleedin' moron, if he's actually said something sensible. Or my head may just explode with the contraditions. whichever seems easier tonight.

happydays89

:eek:A case of Ebola just been confirmed in Glasgow.:eek:

ClootiesMum

Thanks HappyDays - just picked this up on our news too. As if Glasgow doesn't have enough to deal with at the moment.....although Sturgeon seems to being pretty pro-active about this.

[Deleted User]

GQ they do a Longbow making course at the Weald and Downland in fact this year they are running two. It's a 3 day course the first is Friday to Sunday the 6th to the 8th of March and the second is Friday the 2nd to Sunday the 4th of November both in 2015. The courses cost £260 and the blurb says 'Learn to make a working bow, based on the great bow of the hundred years war. Starting from a single stave of laminated timber, you will make your own bow and learn to use it. Course times are 9.30 am to 5 pm each day. There is a very nice pub that does B & B at as nearby (walkable) village called Charlton and the pub is The Fox Goes Free and they do a very good breakfast as DD and I stayed there when we did the flint knapping which was a 2 day course. Coursesseem to be the responsibility of Diana Rowsell and the Museums phone number is 01234 811021 and online address courses@wealddown.co.uk should you be even vaguely interested/available.

GreyQueen

Thanks for that info, Lyn.

I couldn't get leave in March due to this hellacious thing called Year End, which means all hands are called to the pumps in LaLa Land - the council tax bills go out that week, arrggghhhh!!!!!!

I shall look at that place and some others, see what I can do. Be fun to have a home-made longbow as well as my swishy flatbow, which gets admiring glances at every archery class, it's dead elegant.