Preparedness for when

BigMummaF

In view of how my Life has, is & will no doubt continue to chuck enormous hurdles in my Path, I've seen something that has struck a chord & will become my mantra. Forgive me, as I cannot recall where I first saw it.

God gives His hardest battles
to His strongest soldiers.

So that would make me indestructible then :rotfl:

Goldiegirl

GreyQueen wrote: »

I'm a sixties-seventies child too and really enjoyed the power cuts. Can recall bouncing into the kitchen one night when my poor Mum was trying to cook a pan of potatoes, by candlelight, on a very small paraffin stove.

Isn't this great?!? I enthused. She pulled a sour face, probably didn't trust herself to say anything. A kid just thinks it's a novelty, a parent is trying to get at least one cooked meal down your neck a day.

She still has that paraffin stove. People who haven't had the fun of frequent and long-lasting powercuts probably don't understand the fondness of the rest of us in respect of candles and stoves and lanterns.

I used to love the power cuts!

As a child it seemed very exciting to read by candle light. We always had a good supply of candles and torch batteries, not to mention a parafin heater and a tilley lamp.

Nowdays I have some candles, a battery operated torch and a wind up torch.

I'm also wondering about getting a wind up radio. We have a battery radio which we hardly ever use, and I wouldn't like to vouch for the condition of the battery.

A radio would be vital for news in the event of a long power outage.

pineapple

Now is the time for me to be out and proud and admit to being a fan of Everybody Loves Raymond on Channel 4 in the morning. It's one of the few sitcoms that makes me laugh out loud (even though it's American !!!!!!).
I'm so sad I'm considering getting the box set :eek:!
But for me there is something about the immediacy of watching something as it is broadcast so not sure I could make the transition to DVDs and catch up. But I'm working on it...

Goldiegirl

2tonsils wrote: »

They do not like to use the bin in the bathrooms to put 'waste' toilet paper in and cannot get to grips with the fact that they cannot put that paper down the loo without blocking it.... (we are on mains sewage but have small bore pipes..hence they block!). I always point out that its better than emptying the sewage into the sea like some countries do.

I had a very happy two week holiday on Corfu in the late 80's and was pleased to visit for the day on a cruise in 2011.

After my two week holiday, I knew I had got to grips with the 'waste' paper situation. The first time I went to the loo after arriving home, instead of throwing the paper down the loo, I threw it on the floor, expecting to find a bin there! :rotfl:

Goldiegirl

pineapple wrote: »

Now is the time for me to be out and proud and admit to being a fan of Everybody Loves Raymond on Channel 4 in the morning. It's one of the few sitcoms that makes me laugh out loud (even though it's American !!!!!!).
I'm so sad I'm considering getting the box set :eek:!
But for me there is something about the immediacy of watching something as it is broadcast so not sure I could make the transition to DVDs and catch up. But I'm working on it...

We mainly use Sky + for recording things to catch up with.

But I know exactly what you mean about the immediacy of watching something as broadcast.

On a winter Sunday evening at 9pm I love to sit down with a sigh of pleasure to watch Downton Abbey, knowing at least 8million others are doing the same. Also, watch live events like the Olympics, it's as if you are part of it by watching live

Popperwell

BigMummaF wrote: »

In view of how my Life has, is & will no doubt continue to chuck enormous hurdles in my Path, I've seen something that has struck a chord & will become my mantra. Forgive me, as I cannot recall where I first saw it.

God gives His hardest battles

to His strongest soldiers.

So that would make me indestructible then :rotfl:

I like that! If we don't get our rewards now perhaps we will later...

pineapple wrote: »

Now is the time for me to be out and proud and admit to being a fan of Everybody Loves Raymond on Channel 4 in the morning. It's one of the few sitcoms that makes me laugh out loud (even though it's American !!!!!!).
I'm so sad I'm considering getting the box set :eek:!
But for me there is something about the immediacy of watching something as it is broadcast so not sure I could make the transition to DVDs and catch up. But I'm working on it...

I haven't seen that series for a long time but have watched many of them over the years...it is very good and a favourite of mine...

Thanks for the comment Margaret, good to see you again...

[Deleted User]

Goldiegirl wrote: »

I'm also wondering about getting a wind up radio.

I got one of these, from Tesco



Depending on the volume, and speed of winding, 30 seconds of winding gives about 30 minutes of playing time.

2tonsils

A weather alert I just got for the UK from UKweatherforecasters..
Orange Warning: Strong to Gale Force winds, in association with a deep area of low pressure based just to the North of Scotland will lead to the potential for damaging gusts of wind during Monday, with gusts of 50mph possible for much of Scotland and Northern Ireland, and as high as 75mph for Northern and Western Scotland. When combined with increasingly wintry showers, this may lead to blizzard conditions at times, especially across higher ground, and this may lead to some disruption to transportation.
Yellow Warning: During Monday and increasingly into Tuesday colder air will flood southwards across the UK as bitingly cold NW’ly winds sweep through. As well as overnight frost, and the associated risk of icy stretches on untreated surfaces, showers are likely to turn increasingly wintry through the period, becoming rather widespread across the country, with the showers most frequent across Northern and Western areas, as well as close to Eastern coastlines. These are likely to lead to some accumulations of snow even to lower levels, though amounts at present remain rather uncertain.
The type and origin of the flow currently modelled usually tends to develop un-forecast disturbances closer to the time, which may lead to enhanced showers activity, and even longer spells of sleet/snow at times.

Ps I got into trouble on facebook for giving a forecast of heavy snow blizzards for some next week with Baltic winds...not because I forecast it but because I said I ''could feel it in my water'' LOL....if it was good enough for my gran its good enough for me ....Ha ha.....

GreyQueen

Goldiegirl, I have the Columbus II radio from J L*wis. £20. It's a wind-up+solar+battery pack+AAA batts, plus is a torch with a red ermergency light and alarm function.

Heck it'd probably make the tea if you ask it nicely. You can charge the battery pack off the USB cable (I charge mine off the desktop PC) and it's capable itself of charging mobiles. Not sure if it's compatible with my Nokia HausBrik but that's to find out.

Plus the sound ain't half bad. I've seldom been happier with a new toy.

bluebag

Goldiegirl wrote: »

I used to love the power cuts!

As a child it seemed very exciting to read by candle light. We always had a good supply of candles and torch batteries, not to mention a parafin heater and a tilley lamp.

Nowdays I have some candles, a battery operated torch and a wind up torch.

I'm also wondering about getting a wind up radio. We have a battery radio which we hardly ever use, and I wouldn't like to vouch for the condition of the battery.

A radio would be vital for news in the event of a long power outage.

LOL, I used to find the power cuts exciting as a child too, but not so much when I was a young housewife and returned home to a cold house and having to make something to eat by candlelight.

I use a battery radio occasionally when camping and I think I have had the same AA battery in for 10 years, although we only have it on for a few hours to get the news and weather and we keep the volume low, the higher the volume the more it drains the battery.

It also pays to keep the battery warm, cold temperatures drain batteries like no ones business.