Preparedness for when

GreyQueen

nuatha wrote: »

The article reads like business as usual is the only desirable outcome/

That might be a tad optimistic round here- if you hit my house, there's a decent range of tools (and someone waiting to ensure they stay available to me) but it appears that is no longer very common - there's a local freecycle group where someone has just given away a paste table, bought to decorate one room. Quite a few people clamouring for the loan of a drill and a person who can use it to put some pictures up.

There's a quote in the header "Fewer than half of Londoners know how to make chemical substances like fuel"
I'd be surprised if 50% of Londoners (or people from anywhere else, including Aberdeen, or even just employees of Esso) knew how to make refined fuel. Actually I'd be surprised if 50 % of people could lay and light a wood or coal fire.


That's me up the creek then, though not as far up it as a politician might be - thanking goodness for small mercies.

I'd vote to have you join any post-apolcalypic tribe on grounds of having many non-IT skills. A good cook is worth his keep, a politician could always be fed to the pigs.

And yes, a surprising amount of people can't lay a fire. I still chuckle at the memory of watching a young man, a fellow student, trying to start a fire by holding a match flame to a tree trunk about 8 inches in diameter, and not understanding why it didn't work. Proof-positive that being among the cleverer people in the general population isn't the same as knowing anything useful.

I'd grown up with coal fires and lit many a bonfire so am no stranger to the arts of fire-starting. I shall be indulging my love of pyromania on the allotment tomorrow, the second of the two conflagrations of the 6 month long burning season. Wouldn't be necessary if other bu88ers didn't have brambles on their allotments which grow into mine.

I know how to dismantle a pigeon (works on any birdie except waterfowl) barehanded in about 60 seconds, from fully feathered to bare meat. Have posted about it before, interested parties can PM me for the info if they like.

I'm pretty laid-back about scars. Have got some on my legs which tell the story of an adventerous childhood, and some small facial scars which tell the tale of some minor medical procedures.

Was in hospital for the latter and the doc drew me a diagram, explaining the one under my eye would have to go a particular way, because of what was being taken out, but the other scar, across the middle of my cheek, could run on either diagonal, which way did I prefer?

Told him to slant it the same way that the wrinkles would eventually go. It was quite fun having a 2 inch scar across my cheek with 5 sutures in it, I told interested parties it was a duelling scar............ tells you a lot about me that some people believed I was serious.:rotfl:

Most disappointingly, it healed so well you can't even see it.

Frugalsod

mardatha wrote: »

That's a good idea frugalsod ta

Thanks, I did just what I suggested. So by setting up an account in advance I can switch everything across when things get wobbly. If things go down really fast I could transfer most of my money away from a wobbly bank to a much safer bank even if there is a bank holiday, I can do it online or over the phone. You probably would not be able to open a new account while the banks were closed.

craigywv

hi all been so busy in work recently cant even come on here for a read,well I am taking time to catch up this morning. this week has had me thinking hard about what we would do without if we left the EU,is there anything that would immedediatley be in short supply? son aged 12 said to me what does rabbit taste like? I queried why? he said his teacher is teaching them basic shtf if Eu leaving happens. and alternative food sources. I would like to have been able to tell him a more detailed description of what will be in short supply so here I am asking you knoledgable folk. not just food but what else please xxx

pineapple

craigywv wrote: »

this week has had me thinking hard about what we would do without if we left the EU,is there anything that would immedediatley be in short supply?

I think traders will just source from elsewhere while a new trade agreement is negotiated. The price of some fresh products might go up till things settle though longer term we could benefit as new markets open up. It might be a bit tricky currency wise however so best keep an eye on the financial markets. There might even be some opportunities for those in a position to play them.

thriftwizard

son aged 12 said to me what does rabbit taste like? I queried why? he said his teacher is teaching them basic shtf if Eu leaving happens. and alternative food sources.

What a wonderful teacher! Your son is lucky, craigywv.

Had an interesting discussion with one of the financiers in the family yesterday; though it was tangential to the matter in hand, I left with a very clear impression that they're expecting trouble for the "new" banks (i.e. ex-building societies & internet banks) before too long. This isn't one on the "inside", mind you, but close enough to see which way the wind is blowing. Duly noted; if I had any investments I'd do something about it!

Having a lot of trouble staying off the seed companys' websites just now; it's still too early, even down here in the Deep South, but instinct is telling me to get planting!

[Deleted User]

I think trying to guess how life would be out of the EU is fairly pointless, no one knows what the end result would be and certainly no one knows how the rest of the world would act should we vote to do so. Things would be different for sure, potentially everything will cost more than it does now because subsidies will be withdrawn if we no longer qualify for them and inevitably there must be shortages in all sorts of areas if industry and agriculture can't then produce all we need. If there is then a lessening of trade with the world outside the UK we might find imports being smaller and costing much more if they WILL trade with us at all. Having said that the UK did manage before we joined the Common Market, life didn't contain all the 'luxuries' that we take for granted as part of life nowadays like constant new clothes, furniture, exotic holidays, food choices from the sublime to the ridiculous, being able to indulge ourselves in every whim 'because we're worth it' but it wasn't subsistence living either and going back a little might just be good for the citizens of the UK and make us healthier and less acquisitive even if in the first instance it does make most folks VERY resentful. It might be the thing we need to change society back to being responsible for it's own wellbeing and not any longer thinking that someone else has the responsibility to provide for their every need??? We'll have to wait and see and if it happens judge the change as it happens.

NewShadow

craigywv wrote: »

I would like to have been able to tell him a more detailed description of what will be in short supply so here I am asking you knoledgable folk. not just food but what else please xxx

Morning,

I came across this website the other day: https://fullfact.org

They're a charity that 'fact checks' political statements - I really like their bbc question time ones (but I am quite sad )

This may help address some questions regards trade after a (possible) brexit:

https://fullfact.org/europe/tariffs-and-barriers-trade-between-britain-and-eu/

https://fullfact.org/europe/where-does-eu-export/

craigywv

thank you for replies I tend to over think things like ...........ok what do I use that comes from so and so country,what would go up in price/hard to get etc... and then buy lots /hoard. went through sugar shortage a while back in my head end result shelf under stairs groaning with the stuff now,i don't use it too much either just for baking and to be honest I so busy in work now that's taken a by ball. I can keep it as its stored correctly infinatley well for a good while anyway.so I am not going to over think this situation until I see what happens all I can do as other poster says is get my garden planted for coming veg/fruit and hold on tight to what I have and thanks again xxx

calicocat

Hi folks...still in the land of the living, just been mad busy. Hope everyone is good.

Popping in very quickly before going to bed after work.

On the raw feeding the cat thing, I discussed this with my then vet years ago, he said you have to feed the whole animal bones and all to get all the right nutrients. I could see her killing herself on some bone so didn't even try it. Plus, she won't touch anything without a vile amount of processing or additives other than a mouthful of fresh fish if she's in the mood. Had I given her a dead chicken, I think she would have carried it up to the litter tray...:D.


I have several bank accounts so I can move stuff around if needed......eggs in basket comes to mind, I also have it spread out amongst them all, just in case. Plus, cash may be king for a while, so I keep that too. I have ditched the pound coin jars as thay will be phased out, and have moved onto the two pound coin as far as coins go.


I have already started some seeds off !!!, even though early.....couldnt wait when it was a nice day a week ago . I'm a novice at the whole thing to be fair, but have seeded earlier than this the first year I tried and it worked out ok. They are in the conservatory though and put a heater on every now and again to keep the heat up a bit. Probably not very MSE....but should mean I have food.

The seed potatoes from last year in the dining room may be a disaster, they have turned into triffids already without being planted, will look at them in a couple of weeks when on hols time as just too busy right now.

Trying a few new things to grow this year...so fingers crossed. was going to create a living roof on the shed of herbs, but shed is old, and don't think it will take the weight. Is something I fancy doing at some point though as I have very limited space.


Again, hope all are good, will be reading even if not contributing.


Oh, and lodger update.........cant remember if I posted this....

I think not. I pointed him in another two directions for somewhere to live, as the girlfriend, who I wasn't renting to, decided to try and set rules ......:rotfl: i'm quite an easy going person to be fair, but I had major alarm bells, and I think rightly so.

I now call the girlfriend Lady.L.... . A close call I think.

craigywv

thanks new shadow