Preparedness for when

Hardup_Hester

GQ, re orphan news, it's a well known trick of politicians to release bad new when they know it will get lost in a larger crisis.
Hester

[Deleted User]

D&DD wrote: »

Bread recipe is Mr Hollywoods totally the best I've ever eaten..

500g strong flour
10g salt
10g yeast
30g butter
320ml water

do give it a try its great.When I watched him do it I finally found out why my loaves are like bricks,I made them far too dry and used flour to knead.Use olive oil on the top,its a bit like kneading glue to start but it does eventually work to a lovely dough

Hello D&DD, 'delurking' thank you for this. I went to take a look at youtube videos of Paul Hollywood and loved his style. I've now just ordered his breadmaking book (after promising myself I simply wouldn't buy another single cookery book as I have a large bookcase full). We don't have a TV licence (we spend our time doing other things, gardening, reading, the internet etc.) so hadn't seen much about him. We use a Panasonic breadmaker but it won't last forever so learning how to make bread properly is a must for us.

I've been adding rasberry, tayberry and wineberry canes, along with two new rhubarb varieties, to the garden in an effort to build up a stock of perennial food producing plants. Also creating some no dig beds in order to quickly get more areas for my vegetables.

I also picked up a radio programme about the problems facing farmers and I'm keen to make sure we grow more than last year and that we have more potatoes in store this year. We grew Kestrel and Charlottes last year and we are only just finishing the final Charlotte potatoes now. I dehydrated some - the way Kittie described on the dehydrating thread - and I want to do more of these this year. As long as we don't get blight that is :cool:

dandy-candy

Finally a decent enough day to plant some seeds, so lettuce, tomato, sunflower, parsley and self heal now on the go!
Anyone else been invaded by moths? I'm finding two a day at the mo.
I bought a few oil lamps in Greece last year but would rather use lamp oil than paraffin indoors (too smelly!) anyone know if its still for sale anywhere on the high street?

[Deleted User]

Popperwell wrote: »

but you could also invest in lamps and candles to light the house in a power cut

And a camping stove, if your cooker is all electric.

GreyQueen

dandy-candy wrote: »

Finally a decent enough day to plant some seeds, so lettuce, tomato, sunflower, parsley and self heal now on the go!
Anyone else been invaded by moths? I'm finding two a day at the mo.
I bought a few oil lamps in Greece last year but would rather use lamp oil than paraffin indoors (too smelly!) anyone know if its still for sale anywhere on the high street?

You can buy such a thing in my indy hardware store. Have you got a similar old skool resource?

Been watching a vid on FerFal's blog whilst dusting my pooter desk with a damp microfibre (TMI, I know). Where does all this bliddy fluff come from?! To look at it you'd think I should be keeping company with the Slobladies and I swear I clean regularly.

Been oot and treated myself to a poke into a few favoured c.s. Spent a princely 70p on stuff; a candle lantern and some paper cups, still sealed up in their packaging. I have an upper shelf in the kitchen with pasta and paper-platery. If the water is off, I won't be wasting the stored water washing dishes. I would let soiled paper plates dry out then tear them up for fuel for the Kelly Kettle. Which would be used outside the door, which is sheltered but open to the fresh air.

Right, going to have a light luncheon then got to the lottie. With the KK. Because I can. Will see if a pal will join me up there to have a cuppa.:rotfl:

[Deleted User]

D&#8517 wrote: »

unscented bleach (water purifying again if all else fails)

Get some potassium Permanganate instead.

Takes up less space, has a far greater shelf life, and has more uses.

[Deleted User]

dandy-candy wrote: »

I bought a few oil lamps in Greece last year but would rather use lamp oil than paraffin indoors (too smelly!) anyone know if its still for sale anywhere on the high street?

It is still available, but it's very expensive.

I can get 4 Litres of paraffin, for less than the price of 1 Litre of lamp oil.

TBH, in the event of a power cut, I doubt you would be overly concerned about the whiff of paraffin.

I actually find the smell of burning paraffin quite pleasant.

It reminds me of my childhood. :cool:

mardatha

It reminds me of mine too. Which is why I cant stand it!

GreyQueen

mardatha wrote: »

It reminds me of mine too. Which is why I cant stand it!

Oh yeah, that paraffin odour, never mind Proust's madelaines, nothing beats paraffin for taking you back to the past. I can still see the family paraffin stoves, too; the cylindrical green one (Goblin brand?) the sleek seventies one which was oblong with faux-teak casing, the wee blue and white cylindrical one Mum still has..............

Happy daze.

ETA; just checked the packaging of my new (to me) paper cups. Waitrose! I'm not worthy, heh heh.

[Deleted User]

When I was a child, in the 60s, we had a coal fire, so the only room that was properly heated was the living room.

We heated the kitchen with a paraffin heater.

It was a rectangular, tapered, metal box.

Imagine a wedge of cheese, standing on its widest end, with the sloping side (the front cover) facing into the room.

The front cover was a sheet of steel, with slots near the bottom and top, and a horizontal handle about 2/3rds of the way up.

When you took the front cover off, there was a rectangular paraffin tank, with a wick running almost the full width, rather like a gas burner on a back boiler.

Above that was a heat exchanger.

To use it, you filled the tank, fitted it under the heat exchanger, lit the wick, and put the front cover back on.

Cold air was drawn in through the bottom slots, and warm air came out of the top ones.

I haven't seen one in decades, and I can't remember the make, so if anyone remembers the make and model, or has any pictures, I'd be grateful.