Preparedness for when

GreyQueen

Thanks, DawnW.

It's not an unknown problem as there's a bit of the built environment nearby which has a luvverly echo is a popular warbling point with Homo Intoxicus. One time there were four blokes in there singing You'll Never Walk Alone, each slightly out of sequence with the others and all off-key. I'm not a miserable s0d and I think people should be enjoying themselves, but carolling at 5 am in a residential neighbourhood is a bit much.

And one of my neighbours apparently rocked up the council office once and said wearily I come from Shoebox Towers; twinned with Beirut. SuperGran told me about it.

:cool: It's absurd; Beirut's on the Med, isn't it? And we're not even at the seaside, although the amount of gulls wheeling around the Tower make me question that at times.

Doveling

Wouldn't it be nice if the weather was beautiful during the day but then rained very hard at pub closing time so that everyone raced home without causing any disturbance and everything was well watered at the same time.:D

I only have lettuce, rhubarb in a barrel and plants in pots outside the dining room doors which I water. The rest of the garden generally looks after itself but worryingly the water butt is nearly half empty. We need to get at least one more, which could make use of the rain off the shed roof. On a water meter so very mindful of what we use from the tap!

I've just signed the order form for a new front door. The old one fits where it touches and I've had to have a big curtain up on a portiere rod through the winter to keep the draughts out. Just a bit scared that the door I've chosen might not look right :eek: If it doesn't it's tough as there is only one lot of money saved, changing it will not be an option. This is why it takes me so long to decide on things, I'm scared of choosing the wrong option and being stuck with it:rotfl:Still, we'll be warmer and bills may come down a bit next winter.
Woodburner for dining room is on order so that will be the next lot of money going out. If all the big jobs on the house are done and paid for before redundancy strikes I will feel a bit easier.:)

I have bought some wooden walking sticks from the charity shop which I'm going to try and carve my granchildrens names onto and I want to buy some of the cheap little seaside buckets in different colours. Hey presto! Individual blackberrying kits! Or as my daughter says - offensive weapons with buckets to catch the blood! :rotfl:

Off to visit brother later - puts my world in perspective.
Have a good weekend.

GreyQueen

If you have 4 or 6 pint plastic milk bottles, you can cut them down in such a way that the handle in intact and the rest of the top is gone. These make nifty blackberrying receptacles, and being narrow, you're less likely to catch them and tip the hard-won berries out.

You could personalise them in some way - wind something around the handle? Draw on the bottle? HTH.

Mum always told be that a trad wooden walking stick was the best tool for blackberrying with.

ivyleaf

Oh, yes!!! that would be wonderful. Hard rain at chucking-out time.,

Love the idea for the blackberrying :T

((HUGS)) re your brother, hope he is getting on all right x

Raining here too today. just had to dry an indignant soggy cat but didn't want him getting onto the sofa or our bed unless he was dry.

ETA Tried to quote Doveling, but kept being told my message was too short. Grrr.







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jk0

Oh, I always used to use four pint plastic bottles for blackberrying. I didn't cut them up though. I just popped the blackberries in through the hole.

Thus, if you drop it, you don't lose many.

Then, to wash the blackberries, I just filled up with water, put the top on, and shake, then pour off the water.

Cut open the bottle when you are back indoors.

[Deleted User]

For those who 'sleep hot' under bedding I bought a 2.5 tog duvet from I*ea last year and it's a very good transition weight between this time of year and summer and the end of summer into mid-autumn. When the weather is really warm we just use the quilt cover with nothing in it and that's enough to let us sleep comfortably. For really cold weather though we have duck down 15 tog duvets bought when we lived in Germany all those years ago, still in perfect condition and we keep them vacuum packed while we're not using them and they don't take up too much room in store that way.

I've spent a couple of days going through my food stores and come to the conclusion that I still have 'family' mentality over the amounts we need instead of 2 person mentality. I'm sorting through and discarding things that are a couple of years out of date, particularly packets that have shuffled to the back of shelves unnoticed, not too much but enough to make me feel I bought too much in the first place. I'll think carefully before adding any extras and bear in mind there ARE only two of us when doing replacements for items used.

He Who Knows is in the greenhouse planting out tomato plants this afternoon and the peas in the polytunnel are covered in flowers, it must be spring already!!!

Just had a quick look online for low tog duvets and A*azon have 1 tog, 1&1/2 tog and 2 tog summer duvets for very reasonable prices, might be worth a look if you're interested.

elaine241

Hello All
Just caught up after several SHTF events that almost brought our family to its knees!
I ended up going to hospital as I had an infection in my leg, or so I thought. Got there and was triaged straight to resuss!!!! I had sepsis and cellulitis hi temp, heart racing, dehydrated etc etc I ended up on iv drips fluid and antibiotics for over a week. Caught flu whilst there and ended up on more pills and barrier nursed in a room on my own.:-(
Whilst in hospital my poor mums condition deteriorated and she list her fight for life in a ward just above me. I couldn't see her as I was infectious and on permanent drips.
My partner had to look after my boys, whilst trying to keep the farm and business going. He was suffering from flu and was exhausted by trying to keep everything going.
My preps and stores were literally a lifesaver, my partner lived off what I had stored and frozen only having to buy bread and milk. My organisation of the house helped as it ran itself without my partner thinking about anything. If I hadn't had my preps and organisation developded entirely from this forum I hate to think what would have happened. Just want to say thank you to you all as your advice, info and guidance have helped my family through a totally horrible SHTF period :-)

GreyQueen

:eek: ((((((((((elaine)))))))))))))))) OMG, what a run of ill-fortune and thank goodness you're a prepper.

[Deleted User]

Bless you ELAINE what a heavy burden you've had to carry. I'm so very sorry about your mum and hope that you are going to take your time and get yourself 100% fit before trying to tackle life head on again. Good to know that your partner despite being so poorly himself could manage with the preps and stores that you already had in place pet, it goes to show it's not only world ending situations that are needing to be prepared for. Hope you are feeling so very much better now, Love and hugs, Lyn xxx.

S_Wales_Saver

Oh Elaine!!! (((((Hugs))))) from me my dear. So sorry to hear about your SHTF. Hope things go better soon.