Preparedness for when

tina_malteser

MrsLurcherWalker thanks 4 your recommendation i went to wilko 2day and got a stainless steel (no glass) flask, 1ltr £3.50 keeps hot for 6 hrs so just testing it now, tina x

THIRZAH

I remember Izal-one of the things from the "Good Old Days" that I'm glad has gone.

Bitterly cold here and a light dusting of snow.I can see lights on the Snake Pass so it can't be too bad yet as that's usually one of the first roads to be closed.

DH has a meeting in Cheshire tomorrow. I'm hoping that he'll cancel it.If he doesn't I'll put a sleeping bag plus a flask of coffee and food in the car.He already has a survival blanket and folding snow shovel.There are spare hats, gloves and walking socks in the car too-we walk with a group most weekends and people often turn up at the start of a walk then realise that they've forgotten their socks!

the_cake

Hi GQ!
We are lucky enough to have a barn with three stables in (the other half is a home workshop, so a slightly strange juxtaposition sometimes when horses are in and OH is working in the other half) and a couple of (very muddy) paddocks. Horses are an aged mare and a less aged mare, so I turn them out on nice days (remember them?) but keep them in the (big) stables when weather is grim. They are rugged whether in or out, so always cosy....
Hopefully, the horses you have seen out, with no rugs, have been unrugged all winter and are hardy native types so have grown a good thick coat. Cold does not usually bother them, it's the combination of wet and wind which can quickly chill them through.
Our Striped Person (cat) is naturally enough curled up on the chair nearest the woodburner. So sensible. I do hope everyone, two- and four-legged, keeps warm and safe. xx

GreyQueen

Thanks, I always wonder about the oddest of things. I used to ride as a teenager and the riding school didn't clip out it's horses and I can remember burying my hands fist-deep in the shaggy coats of th one I was riding. It was fun brushing them in Spring when the hair flew all over the place.

These did look like native ponies. Some pix yesterday were Shetlands (cute but bloody-minded in my experience) and they looked good and shaggy.

Cats are the dominant lifeform and expert detectors of the most comfortable and draught-free space in a home. Want to know the best chair? That'll be the one with the cat on it.:D

sb44

Although you may not be able to use your car, make sure you keep it topped up with petrol folks, don't let it run too low.

I went to get some petrol at lunchtime and the outside petrol flap was frozen shut.

Eventually I managed to open it by running my Tesco Keyring Clubcard around the rim of the flap a few times, plus had to keep pulling the realease lever in the car to try and pop it open.

My husband had just said how bad it would have been if I was running on fumes, was desperate to buy petrol and couldn't access the petrol cap!

2tonsils

GreyQueen wrote: »

:eek: 2tonsils, your relatives' carelessness beggars belief. In a non-modern society they'd risk their lives being so foolish. In a modern one, they'll get to risk and inconvenience others' lives as well as their own. Really hope they change their mind at the last minute and have a duvet day.

Greyqueen I could not agree more with you....I find it beyond belief that they would even consider such a venture. I can't believe that they are oblivious to all the weather warnings that are out at the moment. I can only hope that tomorrow will bring a reality check so they don't actually set off on Saturday morning. They are not exactly street wise and would more than likely not think of carrying practical stuff in the car with them. I can only hope that if they get stuck they inconvenience no one and put no one else at risk. I know living in Greece with all its risks we are probably more aware and street wise but you would think intelligent people could see the possibility of getting stuck in blizzards is not worth the risk for a weekend away...... I did think of ringing them but it would be a waste of my time and money as they would not listen to good prepping advice from me or anyone else. Meanwhile I know my MIL is going to be listening to all the weather and road traffic reports and worrying about them all weekend......:mad:

Butterfly_Brain

GreyQueen wrote: »

Evening all. I'm reeling and pie-eyed from a hard day at the salt mine. I know exactly how many grit bins there are in this bliddy city and they're being emptied as fast as we can fill them. And some homes have lost all water supply because the pipes are frozen and as for the combi boiler condensate pipes........! :mad: Bring me some pain meds now.

Tomorrow shall be more of the same with cherries on top.

No snow at the moment but still some underfoot. City has been noticably scant of customers and some c.s. haven't opened which I guess is problems with the volunteers getting in.

Nan cancelled her Friday hosp appt first thing today and they've re-booked her in for March. Folks are hunkered down at home, cats are on the rads and I've fetched some meds over to SuperGran's and am on orders to do a bread run for her tomorrow. Think I'll do it before work rather than after in case the shelves are stripped (it's a very small T0sco).

If there's no bread, I shall bake some and give that to her. Cooker is gas but realised that the communal boiler house with its kick-a$$ industrial gas boilers would shut down as they have electrical controllers and have to be re-set after every powercut. And there are 4 men who have the keys because only they have The Knowledge and one of them lives miles out in the countryside..............be afraid.

Ach well, I am a child of the sixties and lived without heating or bathrooms with only the wretched Izal Medicated in an outside privvy (anyone under 30 may want to ask a wrinklier pal about the Izal and watch them wince) so am made of stern stuff.

Plus have preptastic things like fleecy underblankets, lots of rugs, 3 season sleeping bag and a drawer full of woolies.

Interesting that the oldies are heeding the warnings and the young'uns are sometimes not. Kind of feel what is politely called a Learning Experience is incoming for some. Let's hope no one suffers too badly for it.

the cake, is your horse/ are your horses grazing out or are they stabled? I'm seeing pix of ponies out in full winter coats without being rugged up, just wondered how yours manage. Hope everyone's animals are warm and well.

The parental cats have devoted themselves to comparing the windowsill above the rad to the floor above the c.h. pipe vs a lap vs a bed. It's a taxing research regime which occupies about 22 hours out of 24, but they'll present a paper on the subject to the Institute of Advanced Snoozeromics around about the time of the summer solstice, should they feel inclined to crawl out from the hedge or off the garden bench.

:eek: 2tonsils, your relatives' carelessness beggars belief. In a non-modern society they'd risk their lives being so foolish. In a modern one, they'll get to risk and inconvenience others' lives as well as their own. Really hope they change their mind at the last minute and have a duvet day.

:eek: I remember Izal it was always in the school loos in the 60's and 70's............. tracing paper for your bum

katieowl_2

I'm not understanding how its so blimmin' cold, I'm freezing and I'm right next to the fire with two dogs wedged in the other side, but outside, but when I just let the dogs out, the birds water on the table hasn't frozen??? The other morning the whole dish was frozen solid, but it's much much colder tonight!

I admit I bought more milk today, but I'm stocked with everything else, but Ald! was full of people who'd had an extra helping of stupid for breakfast!

Kate

pineapple

A report from the trenches here in Pennine West Yorkshire. No snow till tomorrow they said. Ha - it has been snowing all evening!
There is no way any of us who are parked down here in the hamlet will be going anywhere because our lane is too steep with a (frozen) stream running down it and you can't get a run at it. A couple of the 4wds might make it but their problem is the heavier ones are inclined to slide coming back down - 4wd or not!
I'll take the dog up to the road later to see how it's going there. Probably still passable though it doesn't take much to stop it as in one direction there is a bit of a notorious hill and the other direction is exposed moorland.

[Deleted User]

TINA MALTEASER - glad to have been useful, Hope the flask is what you want it to be and useful.

GQ - thank you just for being, it doesn't matter what the subject, you are the voice of reality and always make me feel that whatever fate throws our way, there is a GQ standing guard to throw something bigger back at it!!!!! Thank you for making me feel better and I suspect I am not alone in this, stay warm and dry aeveryone, Cheers Lyn xxx.