Preparedness for when

The_Dragon

Paul_Varjak wrote: »

If you get a BCB survival kit you will find that it contains cotton wool, and a fire steel to light fires with. Give it a go! If you have no success then use some petroleum jelly (Vaseline) on the cotton wool! That will burn plenty long enough to set your kindling alight!

Dr Dragon just tried this and it worked a treat!

[Deleted User]

7WW - I find that the kelly kettle is a little uncooperative unless you have the vent facing into the prevailing wind, it took us quite a long time to work this out, you can feel wind direction by actually wetting a fingertip and holding it in the air, (I know it is in all the old films!!! but it works!) position the vent towards the wind and you'll get it going in seconds. We feed from the top and not from the side as we use Silver Birch twigs mainly as they are the most prolific free fuel available, Hope that helps, Cheers Lyn xx.

The_Dragon

The_Dragon wrote: »

Dr Dragon just tried this and it worked a treat!

Oh and better with Vaseline :rotfl:

JayneC

Hi all,

Interesting chats as ever. Thought those interested in communal living might like to look at this:
http://www.lilac.coop/
There are others but this is one I was aware of - had a look at the site before they started building and they were thinking allotments not productive garden back then, but guess it's more or less the same thing...

GQ had a look in my Herb book and there are lots of uses for horsetail - Taken internally good for cystitis, prostate problems, bedwetting in children, diarrhea, rheumatoid arthritis, strengthens bones, nails and hair.
Externally to treat fungal conditions of skin and nails and compress for slow healing wounds.
Can also be used as a spray or mulch on plants with fungal infections and you can eat the shoots a la asparagus apparently.

So make sure you keep a patch;)

JayneC

I want a kelly kettle too! Is it sad that now instead of coveting pretty clothes and the like I drool over pruning saws, kelly kettles and clay ovens????

Popperwell

A few have mentioned Food Banks on here and I thought the following was interesting...

You and I know that we are often fed by the media and those in charge, a rosy view of life in countries that are said to be rich and abundant.

The stories that trickle out of Greece are frightening, people are suffering in Portugal, Italy and Spain(occasionally there will be a protest and people will go on the streets to make their feelings known)but then it goes away again for a few weeks and then another happens...

The United States of America is struggling too...yes. some are doing very well. But I would suggest many are just "Getting by" and cosmetically they look as though they are doing ok but it will just take one unexpected "Blip!" to change things.

Then there are those already affected...

I see that NPR are broadcasting a documentary 'A Place At The Table' but will it change anything?

According to the US Dept of Agriculture's own statistics, 50 million Americans are "food insecure"

I see many of the comments left reflect what many in the UK are experiencing...

Perplexed_Pineapple

There are lots of potential sources of insecurity and the current economic crises are only a reflection of actual problems of relative abundance in raw materials, energy, and appropriately skilled labour. The UK is in a bad place because it relies on imports for some of the most basic things - food and energy. Food production is maximised through technologies and fertilisers based on oil, which is declining. Skilled labour is readily available in the "less-developed" world, and my prediction for the next 20 years is that we will see overall equalisation of standards of living across Asia, the Americas and Europe (Africa has its own problems) with an increasing gap between "haves" and "have-nots" in all regions. Hans Rosling's videos available on youtube are good to watch for an oversight of economic progress in the "third world" and his projections for the future are interesting. There are uncertain global issues, including limited water supplies, climate change, and authoritarianism (which always stands a chance when times are hard), and, I think, one certainty which, unless we are very lucky, will have a major impact on health and life expectancy. This is the issue of bacterial resistance to antibiotics which is already causing problems and shows no sign of being overcome. In a true SHTF scenario we would see people dying from septicaemia following minor injuries and people succumbing to currently easily treatable conditions, and even when civic structures and order are maintained this is going to be a problem. There isn't much that any of us can do about it but I'm definitely including a few bottles of TCP and Dettol in my prepping supplies.Hmm, I'm depressing myself here, but high mortaliy, particularly infant mortality was part of our grandparents/great-grandparents' reality and may be making a come-back sooner than we would like.
More prosaically, I've tried using tumble dryer lint as tinder for a fire-steel, and it doesn't work if your tumble-dried clothes are mostly synthetic - I'm sure cotton would be ok, and cotton wall balls or pads work pretty well, although while part of me thinks "cottton wool, great, definitely include in BOB" the rest thinks "wouldn't matches be easier?".:rotfl:

curtaingirl

Popperwell wrote: »

A few have mentioned

They are not truly "suffering" in the absolute sense of the word.

Sure, they may be struggling with their mortages. Sure, they may be cutting down on their can travel.

But by and large, they are not starving to death on the streets. By and large, they are not dying of easily cured illnesses such as diarrhea and infections.

You will know if a country is truly suffering when 2 million refugees turn up on your doorstep.

Popperwell

Of course poverty is not as in countries as the ones you are probably thinking of but plenty are still falling or will fall through the net as times become even harder and the health care/prescriptions/food/being warm and keeping a roof over your head will become more difficult.

We are not all paying mortages either. If all was ok we would not have the need of the charities and often the churches who step in and help out.

ginnyknit

Its all relative though isnt it? We are not a third world country and if our situation was better, I for one would be helping support charities saving lives in Africa etc as I used to do. its more urgent that we stop this country becoming a place where working people are sleeping in their cars - like in the USA. Where people like us have worked hard all our lives and now scrimp and scrape to pay the smallest we can make our bills. Where we wouldnt have to worry that the health care we have paid into may be taken away from us at any minute. I for one am prepping my self silly to keep OH comfortable in the home we spent 29 years in and could lose it so easily if the cutbacks bite any deeper.

My Dd is living in a house where she battles mould on the walls every day and works to support herself and her student partner and autistic son. Now she has the chance of a damp free house but the new landlord may not wait a month for her to end her present tenancy as he needs every penny rent to keep his head above water.

People are suffering, look at the rise in foodbanks as a marker of how low we have fallen. Take a look around this country and see people at their wits end, doing with out basics just to keep a roof over their heads. this thread is to support each of us in our daily battles and God knows its helped me through a few dark days.