Preparing for winter IV

Thriftkitten

First frost here this morning in Cornwall.... not expected as it has been averaging out at 5-7 degs overnight, so was surprised to find the windscreen iced over... luckily I already had a scraper and de icer in the boot of little fiat 500 so no need to wreck a card from my purse... Am going to go out and buy some more barley straw today to keep my chickens warm, they have already started their autumn spesh of warm porridge and corn at bed time... I am reminded that I must get some blinds as even with the vents closed the toilet and bathroom feel chilly with heating on low, double glazing pffttt, the window vents in the livingroom do not close, so will need to masking tape them... to report, I am muchly excited to of won a franco belge gas burner fire (looks like log burner) on fleabay, I have been after one for a while and simply struggling to save for a new one..... so happy to collect it at the weekend, but will be a while before I can afford the flue and installation, hoping another month before it gets too cold... I have imagined myself warming my cockles on a cold winters night...:T happy prepping peeps x

mardatha

Thriftkitten, don't keep de-icer in the boot, sometimes you can't get into the boot. keep one in the house as well
Reading all the horror stories about the bad winter of 2010 and online shopping etc. Up here we get snow every winter, sometimes lots of it. The secret is to be organised in plenty of time, I try for the end of the first week of Dec. If it snows in the xmas week then posties can't get through, couriers won't even try to get through, online shopping likewise. And if they can't get in, then you can't get out!
Have a plan B for cooking, for heating, and lighting. Check the silly wee things like have I got candles and no matches/have I got tins and only an elect tin opener. The only thing that worries me in the event of snow is powercuts and losing my freezer. In 2010 we had snow lying here until April, and we had constant snow for 5 weeks. It's all totally manageable as long as you're organised
My avatar is my 5ft high coal box, pic taken in that winter lol

parsonswife8

We've got quite a few polystyrene boxes with lids, so quite handy if there is a power failure and the temperature is below 5 degrees c.

Freezer contents can be packed in them with a few ice bricks from the freezer and left outside in the cold for quite a while.:)

hollieinbloom

Morning all, it's so cold in the house but I'm refusing to put the heating on. Got a thick blanket wrapped round me instead. I had it on all day yesterday due to needing to dry clothes.

Got a few things over the last week that I forgot to come and mention!:

**2 pairs of thick slipper socks for DD
**Big torch (49p in QD stores!)
**Another pack of AA batteries. (thought if the electricity goes off, I will need something to keep DD occupied and her tablet takes batteries!)
**Christmas dried foods. I got everything on my christmas dinner list that could be bought in advance. I'm running the freezer down of 1/2 bags of things and trying to make room for stocking up.
**Mouse traps and poison....Well.....I've already had to use these! Mice got into the house and were eating our food! naughty things. We heard them in the walls and floorboards, yuck! OH is going to be checking the outside of the house for holes to board up. only lived here 4 months and we've had a mountain of problems already!
**Hot water bottle and cover for DD. She's loving it already.

OH's parents are getting us a breadmaker for Christmas and we think his sisters are getting us a hamper of supplies to make bread so hopefully that will help. DD needs more pyjamas so on the hunt today!

Happy prepping everyone

P.S Does anyone suffer with a cold nose? Mine is constantly freezing and it really stings! I need a nose warmer :rotfl:

hollieinbloom

parsonswife8 wrote: »

We've got quite a few polystyrene boxes with lids, so quite handy if there is a power failure and the temperature is below 5 degrees c.

Freezer contents can be packed in them with a few ice bricks from the freezer and left outside in the cold for quite a while.:)

I have one of these too, I purposely put one outside last year as I didn't have enough room in the freezer! hehe

cornishchick

Hi all
Question, i hope you can help with.

I want to put our leccy blanket back on the bed, But! I also need to put a Kylie sheet and mattress protecter on top as well due to hubby's health. Will this affect the working of the leccy Blanket? Hubby has night sweats, and the protector wasn't up to the job alone, iyswim..
Will it be Safe?
Thanks in advance.

X CC

parsonswife8

hollieinbloom wrote: »

I have one of these too, I purposely put one outside last year as I didn't have enough room in the freezer! hehe

About 3 years ago, we bought a whole frozen goose from Lid*l and kept it in the box in the snow. It was still frozen solid when we took it out to thaw.:)

amber03

As I work in a supermarket and it is only 15 mins walk away i'm not going to stock up to much on stuff. When it was bad in 2010,i walked to work and picked up stuff for myself and a few elderly neighbours mainly bread, milk etc. We where lucky that all our delivery lorries managed to make it to bring our stock so didn't fall short of anything. Only bad thing about living close to work is that I can always make it there where others who live further away don't make it and I always end up doing the work of three people.x

Goldiegirl

It was a lovely fine afternoon here, so we spent time in the garden, just giving things a last tidy before winter, and getting the bench covered, plus the terracotta pots inside. We still have some flowers blooming which is nice, but they'll have to be sorted out in the next couple of weeks.

I feel as if my focus is fully inside the home - it won't be until about March when I think about the garden again. However, we are making sure any garden visitors will be catered for - we bought some additional wild bird seed today.

I've been getting a few additional store cupboard items over the last couple of weeks - I'll continue with this over the upcoming weeks, just in case the weather gets really bad.

I've been thinking about getting chains for the car tyres. But if things go to plan, we'll only carry on working for this winter and next ..... After that we won't need to venture out if the weather is bad. I think we'll do without the chains ..... If we can't get to work, we'll just have the day off!

cornishchick

cornishchick wrote: »

Hi all
Question, i hope you can help with.

I want to put our leccy blanket back on the bed, But! I also need to put a Kylie sheet and mattress protecter on top as well due to hubby's health. Will this affect the working of the leccy Blanket? Hubby has night sweats, and the protector wasn't up to the job alone, iyswim..
Will it be Safe?
Thanks in advance.

X CC

I didn't put it on in the end as I was worried all the dampness would be bad for the electric... :eek: