Preparedness for when

Karmacat

nuatha wrote: »

One thought is a conversion based on a midi bus, though a Strauber incorporating its own car garage for a decent size MPV would be tempting (if I won the lottery)

I've seen one like that on Top Gear

I hate shopping, when I find something that works for me I tend to buy 2-3 years supply. I'll never be a minimalist, but I'll never again be in the situation of spending days trailing round shops for clothes that function well for the way I live and work (my idea of hell)

Minimising the shopping experience can still legitimately be described as minimalist :cool: and I do the same for a few things - I have a pair of trainers sitting waiting for me, and they've already been there a year.

Is it available elsewhere? I spend too much time infront of computer screens to voluntarily read on them, but do use several ereaders but these work on the epub and pdb formats.

Not currently, I'm sorry, I could only cope with working on one format at a time, and kindle have an exclusivity deal for 90 days that you sort of *have* to sign up to - or that I *did* sign up to, anyway. I'll investigate alternatives, and let you know.

MiL update. She's doing well - its going to be a long haul and could still go either way. But was fairly chirpy and able to communicate yesterday. Despite damage to her left side including her mouth she's managed to pass swallow tests - and is allowed to drink and eat under supervision. Which is amazing progress.

That does sound good, I'm pleased for you! Several family members have swallowing issues in everyday life, its unexpectedly hazardous in its own right.

Softstuff

Glad to hear your MIL is making progress Nuatha.

RAS

nuatha wrote: »

There's a lot of twisty narrow roads that would cause you problems .

One of my cousins had a large motor home. Trouble was that it would not go up the roads on which he wanted to travel to see rellies. So he had to pitch up down the dale and the rellies had to visit him or give him a lift because he had no other means of transport.

T'was exasperating.

My other childhood home was on deepest darkest Deb'n and family live there now. A number of bridges on major routes are 15C and 2.3m, 7'6" wide, some approached by right angle bends. The minor roads are single track.

Every so often someone decides to take a coach or artic across the moor! It can take several hours to extract them and in one case they had to extract the trailer and then come back to haul out the traction unit. 25 mile diversion for everyone else.

nuatha wrote: »

I hate shopping, when I find something that works for me I tend to buy 2-3 years supply.

Another who regards shopping with horror. If I see something I like I buy several, sometime in different colours. Bil and ex always bought two identical suit jackets and 4 pairs of trousers if possible.

nuatha wrote: »

MiL update. She's doing well - its going to be a long haul and could still go either way. But was fairly chirpy and able to communicate yesterday. Despite damage to her left side including her mouth she's managed to pass swallow tests - and is allowed to drink and eat under supervision. Which is amazing progress.

Glad to hear this; being in control of your own eating is a real boost for morale.

GreyQueen

Good news about your MIL's progress, and here's hoping for more good news shortly.

I'm so glad I don't appear to be the only woman on here who detests shopping for clothes and footwear. I can feel a bit odd among my female peers and have been accused of 'shopping like a bloke' before now, due to my habit of treating it a bit like a raid; decide what I want, go get it, leave the scene of the crime asap.

What's wrong with shopping like a bloke, I want to know? I feel very comfortable in blokish places like hardware stores.

It's not just the UK where large leisure vehicles can cause problems. I was on the west coast of the south island in NZ, in Fiordland. Roads are snaking around in the mountains and there are a lot of 'cimper vins' being driven badly by inexperienced tourists, to the great annoyance of the locals.

Mind you, if you take you eyes off your cimper vin, vin or regular car in those areas in a car park, the kea parrots will be after yer wiper rubbers and door seals, have seen it done, they're mad for it. They're equal ops vandals and will also total bike saddles and tyres.

nuatha

Karmacat wrote: »

I've seen one like that on Top Gear

Ah, the underslung sports car, at £2.5 million excluding the sports car I'd need a rollover win

Minimising the shopping experience can still legitimately be described as minimalist :cool: and I do the same for a few things - I have a pair of trainers sitting waiting for me, and they've already been there a year.

I'm pleased I'm not the only one.

Not currently, I'm sorry, I could only cope with working on one format at a time, and kindle have an exclusivity deal for 90 days that you sort of *have* to sign up to - or that I *did* sign up to, anyway. I'll investigate alternatives, and let you know.

No worries/pressure, I have other things happening at the moment that leisure reading is taking a back seat. I do know the deal that you've signed up for - and it is remarkably difficult to avoid and find the " standard deal"
You may find Calibre helpful when you get around to looking at other formats. Though I'd still verify them on a couple of ereaders.
Good luck with it.

RAS wrote: »

One of my cousins had a large motor home. Trouble was that it would not go up the roads on which he wanted to travel to see rellies. So he had to pitch up down the dale and the rellies had to visit him or give him a lift because he had no other means of transport.

T'was exasperating.

My other childhood home was on deepest darkest Deb'n and family live there now. A number of bridges on major routes are 15C and 2.3m, 7'6" wide, some approached by right angle bends. The minor roads are single track.



Every so often someone decides to take a coach or artic across the moor! It can take several hours to extract them and in one case they had to extract the trailer and then come back to haul out the traction unit. 25 mile diversion for everyone else.

Funnily enough most of the stuck motorhomes I've seen were in Devon and Cornwall, a couple in Northumberland (where roads can be just as tight) Saw a Humvee with its wheels in the ditches either side of the road

Another who regards shopping with horror. If I see something I like I buy several, sometime in different colours. Bil and ex always bought two identical suit jackets and 4 pairs of trousers if possible.

Glad to hear this; being in control of your own eating is a real boost for morale.

When I wore suits regularly I did the same.
In her case its the ability to drink coffee - a true addict .

Thank you all for the good wishes.

[Deleted User]

I've just remembered something, DD1 had a holiday in Romania bear watching ( I know but the alternative was wolves or polar bears!!!) and there was a campsite in the village that seemed to be entirely populated by couples with a camping conversion of a built in, fold out tent in the boot of Citroen 2 CVs and some of then had a fold out sleeping pod like a folding caravan. I know it's not in the same league as the Winnabagoes that BOB hankers after but might be a more practical and affordable strategy for evacuating in a real hurry and having more shelter than just the car interior?

GreyQueen

Check out the bicycle trailer/ tent combo here:

http://www.happypreppers.com/bug-out-bike.html

Karmacat

nuatha wrote: »

No worries/pressure, I have other things happening at the moment that leisure reading is taking a back seat. I do know the deal that you've signed up for - and it is remarkably difficult to avoid and find the " standard deal"
You may find Calibre helpful when you get around to looking at other formats. Though I'd still verify them on a couple of ereaders.
Good luck with it.

Thanks nuatha, I appreciate it.[/QUOTE]

GreyQueen wrote: »

Check out the bicycle trailer/ tent combo here:

http://www.happypreppers.com/bug-out-bike.html

What a great name :j and how can you not love a page title like "weird survival tools" thats perfect for me!

GreyQueen

I'm quite fond of the Happy Preppers website. I am also reading my way through the Listening to Katrina part of theplacewithnoname website and have thoroughly enjoyed the new-to-me acronym HYST - Having Your S**t Together.

One should be HYST at all times, of course, but one really needs to be HYSTing when up against it.

Very interesting about his difficulty in proving ID and work qualifications to gain fresh employment as a Katrina-refugee dad with a family to support; all the docs were at home, a home which was 350 miles away and possibly hadn't survived. And he had very little money.

I intend to work on some intermediate time lists of Stuff to take if there is more time than just a run-out-the-door-panicking scenario (the mentally ill neighbour threatening arson-with-intent-to-endanger-life is still being overheard ranting about burning us to death and his immediate neighbours are pretty jumpy).

I also know situations where blocks like mine have suffered catastrophe which has caused an evac and a very short-term supervised re-access (15 mins only) to gather essentials before an unspecified amount of time in temporary accomodation. Trying that on for size, what would I need to take with me, assuming I would still be in this city and still be having to go to work?

Karmacat

Thats exactly the thing, isn't it, GQ? I used HYST to get a little notebook going - names, addresses, phone numbers, of relatives, friends, finances, all sorts of things that are in my address book, or in my accounts files, it took weeks to get together, seriously - it never leaves the house, I can tell you that, its too valuable!

I've got the one minute go-bag in case of house fire etc, but recently I found a little over the shoulder bag and packed it up with a sort of portable first aid kit, for a 15 minute type event, as you say. More to come on that, I think.