Preparedness for when

meme30

2Tonsils:- Sounds like a good plan to me.
Ginnyknit:- I have chased chairs in the past too! Have looked at the forecast and I can see it's going to be very windy today so when it's light I will get into the garden and secure things just in case.

It's half seven in the morning here and it's still pitch black, with no sign of a sunrise. What time is it getting light where you all are?

One of our DD's cars would not start yesterday, it needed a new battery.:(
Bless them, it was £94 pounds to replace it. :eek:
Sod's Law! These things always happen when money is tight, thankfully she keeps a well stocked freezer so they will muddle through until January's pay day.

mardatha

Just got light enough to see by now, and its 8.43. Lots of snow up north but sadly none here yet. Checked cupboards yesterday and moved stuff around, very pleased with the stash but need stuff for medicine box like flu meds and throat thingies. Getting excited now in the build up to new year :j:j

[Deleted User]

have a look at both posts by Mark on 28th (below 6)

http://www.weatheraction.com/displayarticle.asp?a=510&c=5

besides food and `playing` at methods for cooking and keeping warm, any fuel we have stored will last no time in the scheme of things. We need to think much deeper than that ie how to use our body heat to keep warm, assuming that any available wood will be taken by the young and fit and that includes people, understandably, flooding into the uk from much harsher climes. Those of us over 60 now with encroaching feebleness have no physical chance of repelling the young and fit so we must find alternative means of keeping safe and warm but then again if the little ice age lasts for 20 years ????

http://iceagenow.info/2012/11/russian-scientist-%E2%80%94-ice-age/

katieclampet

just been reading both those articles (links from kittie) and it makes really scary reading. I always think it would be easier to survive in a heat wave environment, rather than a cold one. Not sure whether that is true, any thoughs anyone? Or just because I personally prefer the heat to the cold.

Will be checking on any thermals in the sales! Well stocked up, but might invest in a few bits for my family. The really worrying thing will be increased heating costs, already so expensive.

katie

2tonsils

katieclampet wrote: »

just been reading both those articles (links from kittie) and it makes really scary reading. I always think it would be easier to survive in a heat wave environment, rather than a cold one. Not sure whether that is true, any thoughs anyone? Or just because I personally prefer the heat to the cold.

Will be checking on any thermals in the sales! Well stocked up, but might invest in a few bits for my family. The really worrying thing will be increased heating costs, already so expensive.

katie

You raise some interesting points there.. I live in Greece and this year we have had both ends of the scale..it stayed at 42 in the shade for weeks on end this summer and we have been down to minus three during the night this winter already. Our really cold spell used to come in February/March and now its starting earlier and lasting for longer.

I can't actually make my mind up which I prefer, the heat waves or extreme cold. We probably cope better with the heat waves here as the fruit continues to grow and ripen,and its easier to stay in the shade and be hydrated if you are used to it.

The cold in the winter is more difficult, no one can afford the heating oil this year so we are all burning olive wood. While there is no shortage of wood with over 3 million trees on this little island, there are problems in Athens with the smog being caused by everyone burning it at once. We have had several hard frosts here and the farmers are worried about the citrus trees and grape vines being destroyed by deeper frosts. We have stocked up on thermals and have stocks of food in because we live in a mountain village and if we got snow we wouldn't be able to go anywhere. No gritters and hairpin bends with pot holes every few yards would be a recipe for disaster.

We have had more than our fair share of storms this year and we are yet again on a warning for dangerous weather. The ferries are cancelled in Greece once the wind gets above force five and they are forecast to be 8-9 for this weekend. That means that the lorries bringing food and oil will not be able to get to the island till the weather clears again.

It's a good job we came home from our trip to Northern Greece when we did, as the area we stayed in now has heavy snow. I am not brave enough to attempt the steep motorway road back in snow chains and neither is my OH.:(

Sitting in front of the log fire and its getting colder outside, might put the heating on for half an hour to warm the house through a bit more. I hate to say this but the sky looks like snow.....dear me, I hope not!!!!:eek:

Have just ordered a ton of olive logs and he is delivering to us on Monday......have just realised that is New Year's eve...so we will be shifting a ton of wood then going out to celebrate the New year in fancy dress...the dancing is going to be fun when we can hardly move from shifting and stacking the wood LOL:rotfl:

mardatha

Further north has tons of snow and I haven't had even A FLAKE !! Life is so unfair! We should've had it from xmas eve right to the 6th then nobody would be off work or school but just enjoyed it .
Kittie re your post on cold, I do think we all (preppers) need to invest in good thermals - now you can get arctic quality stuff, well worth having.

maryb

Sharon Astyk has some interesting stuff about keeping warm without heat on her blg. I'll see if I can find it

maryb

Found one of her articles

http://sharonastyk.com/2009/08/27/thinking-differently-about-heating-and-cooling/

2tonsils

Just off to read the article thanks. Managed to get the house warmed through with the log fire on and the heating on for just half an hour. It's very cold and damp tonight.

I have just seen the first European weather predictions and it looks like a very cold spell could hit the UK mid January. I will post more details as I get them.

pineapple

I hope you all realise I am personally responsible for the mild, if wet, weather here in the UK. It can only be happening because I got stocked up with fuel, food and clothing etc for the new ice age!
But at least the preps came in handy - the car is suffering from a 'malaise of the brakes'. I can't get it seen to till Thursday and dare not take it out in the meantime. Plus yours truly got some bug or other - but when I did feel like eating - at least there was plenty of food.

I got a letter before Christmas - saying I was entitled to a free NHS health check - so I thought I would save up all my various symptoms (ie according to the low temperature on my thermometer I am officially dead) :eek:). Or maybe hypothyroid ....
Anyway it seems the local surgery has a 3 month waiting list! But in any case the health check just consists of seeing a practice nurse who weighs you, takes a blood sample for cholesterol testing, then admonishes you for being too fat/smoking/drinking too much...... Dear me - we pay more attention to our cars at their annual MOT!

Meanwhile due to the incessant rain I now need wellingtons to slosh my way across the field. Do they do galoshes for border collies? She's not in the first flush either....
Climate change, don't ya love it....Come back crisp cold weather!