Preparedness for when

D&DD

Afternoon all just come in from the garden as the tribe need watering and I can hardly walk now anyway :rotfl:

Before I forget *again* meant to wish Ginny and BessieBoo belated Happy Anniversaries :beer: It's mine tomorrow too..24 years gulp! It's funny I never knew anyone else with an April one til now.

Got soo much done outside really pleased and OH and DS3 have been a great help.

Will catch up properly later when I have time to read everyones news properly,I'm starving!!

oh how I miss my bath on days like this *showing my age*

ALIBOBSY

We are in the lucky group that have had some nice weather in the last few days. Was lovely and sunny yesterday but still a bit of a cool breeze, today was more cloudy and actually a bit warmer. Been doing a bit of weeding and prepping beds. Got spuds in and yesterday got some broad beans and pea plants in that I had been hardening off. But I did throw an old fluffy sheet over them last night to keep the worst of the cold off them-we don't seem to have had a ground frost for a few weeks.
Starting to actually feel like spring, hurrah!

DD2 is in trouble. I went to get out my biscuit press and found it has been cracked all the way around-looks like it had been dropped, then put back in the box in the cupboard. I have had to tell her off a couple of times for taking it out and pretending it is a gun (thats what having a big bro has done for her) so I know its her and her 5 yr old sister grassed her up straight away lol. Will speak to her when she gets back from her friend's house.

So now on the hunt for a cheap biscuit press. Mine was from lidl and only about £6 so will have to keep an eye out.

Keep prepping
Ali x

mysterywoman10

Not much to report here we bought some oxygenating plants for the allotment pond this afternoon for 60p and some main crop seed potatoes 2.99 for 2.5 kilos.

Garden centre was disappointing to be honest apart from that, we needed a new garden pop up sack as we find it very useful, old one is falling to bits. They wanted £12.99!!! Outrageous will have to have a look in Home Bargains or somewhere similar, sure the last one only cost £3.99.

Really worrying when you get people lurking around, stealing things our allotments are broken into nearly every week, its a real nightmare we had a steel container with goodness knows what security on for everyone to keep tools in and the communal petrol rotivator and strimmer. It was completely emptied of everything a couple of weeks ago, they came prepared with metal cutters etc.

So everything has to be taken down there and back all the time.

Hillbilly1

Ah, Popperwell, Binns. Our town nearly died when Binns closed. It was part of House of Fraser group I believe and theyhave all closed.

Hilariously, a friends friend went in and asked for a Saturday job in the week they were closing-talk about not keeping up with loca news!

JayneC

Hi everyone,

Sorry to hear about the doggie Daz. They definitely do become part of the family.

Helen, well done on your aquaponics, please let us know how it goes. I will have to look out for suitable equipment, think I know where I can acquire (ahem;)) a tank.

Pops let us know how you get on with the mushroom growing. My £land kit did nothing but Aldi one going brill, have got some big ones off it. I should weigh them, see how the cost compares with shop bought, hmmm will do that.

Went to the car boot and managed to make a bit of cash, though I seem to have as many boxes as I went with:cool:. There wasn't anything of interest at the nearby stalls, just clothes and bric a brac, but nothing prepperish, so didn't spend anything:j Tho I did see a few people walking by with things I would've liked, 'specially tools - never mind, next time... Just had a brain wave, I could go for a quick wander before I unload couldn't I? Probably the best time too!:doh: Will do that next time:p.

Still bloomin cold, though getting marginally less cold (won't say warmer as we're not quite there yet!!).

Will be going to lottie tomorro, may put in some more onions and maybe some spuds too. Not sure I'll chance any seeds yet, maybe next week if temperature improves, I have covered one bed with fleec so it'll be a bit warmer and have started some off indoors that are peeping through. Still have digging over to do too.
Busy busy busy:p

Paul_Varjak

D&#8517 wrote: »

I taught my boys (and OH) how to light a fire with firesteel and dryer lint..earnt me a few 'coolmum' points so they'd love this thanks.

The BCB Ultimate Survival Kit I got for the Bug-Out Bag includes a firesteel; tried it for the first time today by igniting some home-made charcloth.

It took about 50 strikes at first but I can now light the charcloth successfully within 1-3 strikes after switching from right-handed to left-handed (I am right handed by my right hand has been weakened from Polio over the years)

For those who are less able to use a firesteel, a fire piston may be easier to use; you can get them on eBay from £10.

If it is a sunny day you can use a magnifying glass or a Fresnel lens to light charcloth - helped by the fact that the charcloth burns at a lower temerature and, as it is naturally black, it absorbs the heat created by the lens. I am adding a Fresnel lens to the BCB survival tin - found one on eBay almost the size of the tin and just 0.4mm thick (it can be trimmed with scissors to fit the tin)

You can get smaller Fresnel lenses and even credit card-sized one will light charcloth fairly easily but the bigger the better really. A 40"x30" Fresnel lens can produce enough heat to melt a brass padlock!

The BCB Ultimate Survival kit includes a condom to use as a water carrier and, if you fill it with the right amount of water and shape it into a lens, you can, supposedly, use that to light your charcloth!

Popperwell

Darlington still has a Binns Hillbilly but again the memories of going there with my parents are childhood memories...it is again not exclusive. I have no reason to go in anymore...

If any have kept the name that is all they have.

Popperwell

Jayne it probably pays to have quality...we'll see what happens. There was a programme on TV wish I could remember what it was and some one is selling lots of mushroom kits using coffee grounds from his cafe but they are really expensive and sent out by mail order.

daz378

bedsit bob ..... stainless steel and straight edge.... heres the link http://www.heinnie.com/Knives/Mora-Knives/Bushcraft-Forest/p-92-304-5083/ thanks

also thanks for kind words over our dear departed doggie

BessieBooBoo

daz378 wrote: »

Bad news ..... we rang rspca emergency service for my dads dog teagan a very gentle bull mastiff ... on the advice of the vet we had to put her down. we are all upset they become part of the family

So very sorry to hear that, hope you all take care.:sad:

BBB