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Preparing for winter IV
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I don't know your circumstances but the means tested ECO (Energy Company Obligation) scheme covers expternal insulation.
http://http://www.energysavingtrust.org.uk/Take-action/Find-a-grant/Green-Deal-and-ECO#eco'Yaze whit yeh hive an ye'll niver wahnt'
(From Mae Stewart's book 'Dae Yeh Mind Thon Time?')0 -
Well today i am going to make curtains for my kitchen to go over my blind boy is it cold in winter and a door curtain for both front and bk doors. Then I will close up the front of the house ready for winter
I love winter all snuggly and warm food mmmmmm.
I have dyslexia so I apologize for my spelling and grammar0 -
[STRIKE][/STRIKE]The winter prep list of Pigpen.
1. Coats for everyone who needs them. B, C, D, M, J, A, [STRIKE]F, E[/STRIKE], GS1, [STRIKE]GS2, GS3[/STRIKE].
2. Shoes/Boots for everyone who needs them.[STRIKE] B[/STRIKE], C, D, M, J, A, F, E, GS1, GS2, GS3
3. Get a little ahead with gas payments as my Dec bill comes Christmas week and cripples me every year.. I WILL be prepared this year!
4. Kitchen 'stock up' list. Make sure we have lots of non-perishables in case it is too cold/snowy/etc to get to the supermarket.
5. Medicine cabinet refilling. Cold/flu caps, calpol, calpol melts, ibuprofen, calprofen, [STRIKE]anbesol[/STRIKE], canesten, metanium, cough medicines, throat lozenges, lip balms.
6. blinds up in kitchen
7. curtains.. DD2's room, DD3/4's room, front door, back door
8. Draught snakes.. French doors, front door, back door.
9. Service for electric fire in middle room.. it has been cutting out after half an hour or so.
10. Car service.. December
11. Car bits.. antifreeze spray, screen wash, blankets for tiddlies, [STRIKE]spade[/STRIKE], cardboard for traction.. it is also used to protect the carpet in the boot from muddy pushchair wheels!
12. in the house activities for the children. I might actually have them doing stuff like stuffing draught snakes etc. I wonder if I can have them knitting squares so they can knit a blanket for themselves!!LB moment 10/06 Debt Free date 6/6/14Hope to be debt free until the day I dieMortgage-free Wannabee (05/08/30)6/6/14 £72,454.65 (5.65% int.)08/12/2023 £33602.00 (4.81% int.)0 -
it smelled like autumn this morning, and felt like it too
got me to thinking that i really must find some appropriate fleeces to line the kitchen curtain with and a few extra to turn into curtains of sorts for the two huge hall windows.
i had to stop with the radiator reflectors for the time being, it appears i've done an injury to the base of my right thumb with the force of using scissors on thick and large pieces of cardboard. the bone hurts to the touch after several days and the thumb is still numb though it's getting slowly better
i think i will invest in one of those knives with the razors in them (can't remember what they are called in the uk as i've never had reason to buy one for the many years i've lived here, they call them utility knives in the states) i don't like using them as i worry about accidents but if i'm to finish the reflectors for all the rooms i'll have to use something other than scissors for risk of permanently damaging my thumb
this morning i sat down and listened to radio 4 whilst making a lovely warming soup for later, beef, potatos, carrots, onions, cabbage and later a large amount of cumin which i adore. i'm hoping the autumnal smell remains, i just adore autumn.
been thinking of ways to hang curtains in the hall and our bedrooms. the pair of bedroom windows are about 6 feet across in total and perhaps 30in high and built into a dormer. they go literally to the ceiling and the expanse is too wide to not have a centre support bracket but that would have to go into the ceiling and i'm not keen on that.
what i've done is to buy some magnetic tape, a and b sides so they will stick to each other, i plan to attach one side along the frames and sew the other side inside some cloth lined with blanket/fleece material. i will make two sides, one for either of the windows, in theory we could then just fold them back a little to let light in though i suspect they will hang over the bedroom chair during the day to air the window panes. i'd considered lining them with cardboard inserts for extra insulation and keeping the streetlights out better but i worried about condensation so have decided on fabric only as this can be washed.
i am considering a similar option for the hall windows BUT the bedroom windows are easily reached, there is a small step up and with a little stretch both of us can reach the top however, the hall windows are at hip height, in a deep recess (the flats are new the building is old stone with very thick walls and thus sills) and they are about 5 feet tall so i'm not as sure about the same arrangement with them, plus i don't mind seeing the magetic strip on the bedroom windows year round but i don't really like the idea of them showing in the hall for all and sundry to see
i can't do a telescopic pole as the windows have been framed in at an angle, a bit like a picture frame, it's wonderful for channeling in loads of light but not for a pole as the ends wouldn't sit properly flush. in the living room and kitchen the windows are the same and i put up a small rail just above (there is about a 2 inch space between ceiling and top of the window framed area but i wouldn't like having curtains in the hall in the summer as it sorta ruins the airy feel of it. i'm considering some heavy duty cup hooks and a long bamboo rod that would cover the distance between the two of them and the door but i'm not sure yet. i could then fashion some sort of fleece curtain etc
i'm still wondering what to do or if i will have to do anything about the front door. when you come in you step down about an inch so whilst it's inside a close and i could in theory use one of those draught excluders with the foam roll on either side, i tried the one i had already and it didn't work well as it didn't allow enough room for the drop. i may have to make my own. i also have some foam weather strip but i'm not sure that would stick well as it's a wooden door and gravity would be against me as it would be on the bottom edge... still trying to think of something, i may have to make my own double sided draught excluder with more of an allowance for the drop...
any suggestions for any of the above mentioned projects is heartily welcomed0 -
[STRIKE][/STRIKE]
12. in the house activities for the children. I might actually have them doing stuff like stuffing draught snakes etc. I wonder if I can have them knitting squares so they can knit a blanket for themselves!!
actually that sounds like a brilliant idea! think how proud they would be to use the blanket THEY created, and what a wonderful skill to pass on to your kids. i wish my mother had knitted, try as i might even with videos online i still have never been able to master the skill, problem being i don't have anyone i can ask about very specific issues that come up and if you can't find it on a video what do you do? etc etc sure, perhaps they won't all like the idea of doing it but maybe you can make it a little competion or something, most kids will go for that sort of thing0 -
I never knitted a blanket when I was little but I did sew all my grandma's blanket squares together myself to make my own blanket. To this day I have fond memories of the experience and achievement. Go for it!0
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Just a few winter prep tips
Most of these are obvious but new readers may find them helpful.
To dry our laundry indoors we have a pulley in the kitchen which has been amazing over the last few years. We don't have the space for airers and this allows us to make the laundry vanish (almost).
The other thing that made a big difference was tumble dryer balls as they have cut our tumbling time by more than half
Remember to bleed the radiators too before the cold weather really sets in as it can make a big difference and people (ok we) often forget.
Now is also a good time to start adding extra bits and pieces to your shopping so that your cupboards are well stocked by winter without you having to pay too much all at once.Taking responsibility one penny at a time!0 -
[QUOTE=Confuzzled;6
i think i will invest in one of those knives with the razors in them (can't remember what they are called in the uk as i've never had reason to buy one for the many years i've lived here, they call them utility knives in the states) i don't like using them as i worry about accidents but if i'm to finish the reflectors for all the rooms i'll have to use something other than scissors for risk of permanently damaging my thumb[/QUOTE]
They are called 'stanley' knife's here, there's the cheap, couple of use one's with red handle's, or the grey,heavy duty,retractable blade one, if you don't have to many more to do,then personaly I'd go for the cheap one's, you can find them in any diy/ craft shop, also wilko's.hth£71.93/ £180.000 -
Rummer how do tumble dryer balls work to cut down on times/costs?
thanks0 -
Just a few winter prep tips
Most of these are obvious but new readers may find them helpful.
To dry our laundry indoors we have a pulley in the kitchen which has been amazing over the last few years. We don't have the space for airers and this allows us to make the laundry vanish (almost).
Remember to bleed the radiators too before the cold weather really sets in as it can make a big difference and people (ok we) often forget.
i can second the pulley, we had one once in glasgow in the worlds tiniest kitchen (the sims fans will understand 4 squares long by 2 deep :rotfl:) and despite cooking all sorts of food in there with the pulley above us our food never smelled of grease or anything, and boy did it dry quickly. i wish the landlord here would entertain the idea i have a stair case with a landing midway up that would be perfect but he's not keen
as for bleeding radiators, the radiators in this flat are brand new and the plumbers checked them all when i moved in as they had to make sure the entire boiler system was working (brand new flat in an old building) so am i right in assuming i won't need to bleed them this year as this was only a few months ago, we used them all of half a dozen times on the cold days in may and to take the edge off the cold as the building had been empty a long long time.0
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