Preparedness for when

[Deleted User]

True, but in my case it's more likely to be rescuing something from the tip, I know, I'm sooooooooo sad!!! Cheers Lyn xxx.

Morganarla

Hi all!

Interesting experience today, which frightened me a bit...

I found some good offers on laundry stuff at Mr T's (where I don't normally shop but there is a huge one near where I work), 1.5l Fairy Laundry Liquid 4quid, yellow Lenor 1.5l 2quid (both my favs) so bought a few of each and lugged my cloth bag with them all in to the station to get the train home.

While waiting, I treated myself to a snack and then when done turned away from the bag and walked a metre or so to the bin. As I turned back, some guy with his hood up had hold of the handles of my bag and was turned as if to pick it up and start moving off quickly at the same time iykwim. I shouted at him and walloped him with my handbag (I'm only twenty six, too young for smacking people with handbags!!) He scarpered PDQ, but my feathers were well and truly ruffled. The platform was fairly busybut I hadn't seen him at all until the point when I turned around.

He wouldn't have gotten far, I'm not giving up my great deals for anyone. Don't eff-see-you-kay with me and ma money saving! :rotfl::rotfl:

House move is hopefully all set for next weekend, so gotta carry on packing, look at hiring a van for part of it (thank god we have an estate car now, makes moving so much easier..). There is so much to do at the new place, pulling up carpets, painting, cleaning... All got to be fitted in around work too. Sigh.

Mum is still so unwell. She's now got a serious chest infection as well as other issues, and this morning she said to me tearfully' Morg, I think I'm dying'. She has a lot of mental health issues which makes for a lot of drama around illness, but it's still not nice to hear your mum say that

On a nicer note, cat number five has come to join the family! Peril of the job, all the waifs and strays come home with me..! OH took it surprisingly well, didn't do the whole beat-on-chest-and-cry-I-am-MAN performance and tell me to get rid of it like he normally feels the need to do.. Oh I do love him.

Little newbie has got some health issues, easily resolvable with Mummy and Daddy being in the veterinary profession but impossible and completely unaffordable for previous owner. Newbie came in for PTS at my very expensive private practice, but I felt it was unethical to go ahead with that based on the issues she has alone (hyperthyroidism and mild arthritis 15yrs old) and so I offered to the owner that I would have her, become her owner and take care of her problems to avoid ending her life.

This seemingly stoic, stiff-upper lipped lady literally fell into my arms sobbing with relief. To hear that a little tiny kitten that she had raised and loved for 15 years didn't have to face an untimely death purely because she had fallen on very hard times (but also ineligible for any charity assistance) was incredible for her. I am so glad I went with my gut instinct (am a locum, had NO idea of clients situation or much of the cats history tbh) and put my foot down, and said 'No. This is not happening.' I will stay in touch with the previous owner a couple of times a year to let her know that her baby is fine.

I can't help them all, but the ones I can, I will. Oh dear, all teary again now Newbie is currently living in the bathroom so my other lot have time to get used to her smell and presence. She has been out a few times but only briefly. Slowly does it. Guess I have to stockpile even more cat litter now...!:rotfl:

Love to all xxx

[Deleted User]

Bless you, you're a kind and compassionate lassie, and the puttycat is one lucky kittie. I'm really glad you hit the would be thief with your handbag, it's a good job it wasn't my rucksack or he'd probably have concussion and thoroughly deserved it too!!!!! Good on you, job done! Cheers Lyn xxx.

GreyQueen

:T Oh, morganarla, bless your heart for saving that cat and taking on the responsibility. If I'd've been that lady. I'd've been weeping on your shoulder, too.

I've been hearing some interesting comments (Radio 4 I think this morning) and it seems that a lot of observers on the ground were surprised at the amount of firepower brought into play in Boston, and how quickly.

It will certainly give many people pause for thought, though. Regardless of what situation may pertain here in the UK, I have seen large numbers of police armed with machine guns shortly after a bank robbery where there was a rumour of a gun. No weapon was actually seen, but there were suddenly several tens of officers on the street with machine guns.

This, by the way, is a smallish city in a quiet part of the country. I've also known Police to shoot out the tyres of cars they were tailing when the situation suddenly went critical. Not what you expect to happen in the middle of the day in the middle of the city on a main street.

I think that there are a lot more Police about who can be armed very quickly than we may be comfortable about. It's one thing to have guns in the hands of elite firearms officers, but are all these officers who suddenly appear at short notice elite and highly-trained? And a machine gun isn't a precise weapon in anybody's hands, so if the start discharging live rounds in a crowded area, the consequences could be appalling.

Regarding locking down a large urban area, those who have read Last Light by Alex Scarrow will recall how early in the crisis TPTB shut down trains and intercity buses and blocked the motorways. As well as taking control of the fuel stations.

You wouldn't need a huge amount of personnel to do this; if they happened to be armed and were instructed to (or panicked into) shooting some as an example to others, the transport lock-down would be very effective.

I was sparing thoughts to those in Boston and the suburbs who needed to get to places for urgent medical treatment (such as dialysis) or had other business with errands they needed to make, or visitors needed to make to them, like carers.

The lockdown didn't ultimately catch the man; it was a private householder who spotted him after it had ended. It did give them the ability to hunt unimpeded and may have prevented the suspect leaving the area, assuming he was in any fit state to do so.

All in all, a very troubling incident for any number of reasons. Glad I wasn't in the middle of it.

Been allotmenteering today. By golly, the people who had it before me must have been absolute slovens, the amount of carp I have been digging up is unbelievable. I shall get there in the end, although there are some days when you wonder........

[Deleted User]

Anyone made the Alcohol Stove yet?

nuatha

Bedsit_Bob wrote: »

Anyone made the Alcohol Stove yet?

.

I haven't, but only because I've several of the original Trangia versions. Well that and I've been rather busy with a different type of preps, its probably the back end of the summer - if we get one - before I have time to play, but they are on the list of things that I'll try.

Morganarla thank you from another cat lover.

Popperwell

I would but don't own a vice or a drill...

[Deleted User]

You don't need a vice (just a G Cramp), or a drill.

I use a plastic handled drawing pin to make the holes.

JayneC

GreyQueen wrote: »

I think that there are a lot more Police about who can be armed very quickly than we may be comfortable about. It's one thing to have guns in the hands of elite firearms officers, but are all these officers who suddenly appear at short notice elite and highly-trained? And a machine gun isn't a precise weapon in anybody's hands, so if the start discharging live rounds in a crowded area, the consequences could be appalling.

The guy who is coaching us at the rifle club was saying that no in fact they're not. He said that if the standard was too high there simply wouldn't be enough officers good enough to reach the standard. Kinda makes you feel quite vulnerable doesn't it?

Been making lists, - I have a thing about lists but then I forget where I've put it and have to rewrite it:o I'm trying to prioritise as I tend to flit about and don't have a cohesive plan, so I thought if I started with a list of what I have (and where it is!) and then what i need/would like and then try to prioritise I might actually get orgainised;) Not really got very far, got distracted by blogs as I was looking at equipment and stuff.

Anyone any advice about priorities?

No allotmenteering today as DD2 came to visit with her LOs, so had a nice day doing grandma type things:D

Have packed up the car to go carbootling tomoro so hope the weather holds, it's been lovely today - 2 loads of washing dry and no coat required for dog walking, which is always a bonus:p. Will have a mooch around the stalls before I unpack as I'll be on my own. DS would rather poke his eyes out than come car booting and DD3 gone back to uni, so no volunteers:(

ScarletRaven

Hey everyone,

I haven't been on here in forever, so I won't be surprised if no one remembers me

Watching the seemingly never-ending string of tragedies on the news just lately (bombings, the Texas explosion, earthquakes, not to mention North Korea playing games) made me think about this thread and how my own prepping has slipped in the past year or so. I did start to build up my cupboards a bit more again, and have a nice little growing collection of staples and necessities should we need them.

One thing that came to mind though was our grab bags (B.O.B.s) that we keep in the cupboard under the stairs. I've not checked them or updated their contents in a while and was thinking of doing so over this weekend.

The one major change for us is that I am now 4 months pregnant, and that got me wondering. If there was to be a SHTF situation in the next few months, what sort of things might be needed for a (potentially heavily-) pregnant woman? Other than the Gaviscon sachets I've thrown in for heartburn of course I've also got some spare pregnancy vitamins and a couple of disposable heat packs for various aches and pains. Is there anything else extra that a pregnant woman could need in a situation that would require them just grabbing their bag and leaving? (First baby, so I'm still learning the basic anyway, never mind prepping stuff!).