Preparing for winter IV

Living_proof

But we all had corned-beef legs from sitting in front of the fire too long. We would cross our legs until bursting and then rush through the freezing hall and up the stairs to the loo which was like a morgue. The bathroom ran with clammy condensation if you dared to have a bath and the windows froze up on the inside.

Oh yes, just can't wait to go back to that alright!

fuddle

That's the worrying thing for me - no coal fire! Growing up (if we ignore the Miner's striking in the 80's) there was always a fire to be had and everyone in our family certainly lived in the living room. I remember getting dressed under the bed covers.

We're probably very spoiled these days with our central heating but it does worry me that in this rental we're electric only. The house was never built with a chimney.

It is surprising how much heat tea lights give off and mental notes are being made at the moment about the crockpot warmer method should we lose electric.

Hotwater bottles are most certainly a priority now too.

Doveling

Thanks for your thoughts Kittie .
I'm going to buy a couple more flasks for hot drinks through the day. All other bases covered I think, but there's always something that I've forgotten.
Thanks also to whoever mentioned hot water bottles. Got lovely hubs to check ours and one was a bit dodgy so thrown out and new bought. x

Princess_kate

Anyone found good prices on hot water bottles?

We don't have a fire, central heating is our only form of heating & gas & electric for cooking. I have a few flasks already & have stocked up on water & cat food. Our stock cupboards are always full to bursting and we have 2 freezers full! We live lose to a wait rose store & if you time it right the bargains you can get are unbelievable! I buy what I can from there & then meal plan around what we have in as much as we can. The key is keeping a full, up to date list of what is in there! Need to get some extra cat litter in for the cat but I think thats about it.

If heating is going to be a problem, I have a large L shaped lounge/dining room, I would put a curtain up to block the dining room off. I have done this previously & although not aesthetically pleasing in times like that keeping warm would be the priority! Or live in the bedroom! My dad lives down the road & has an amazing bbq which seems to cook everything! He was dong stone baked pizza on there last week! We'd have to get him to cook our food for us!

From now on I won't go below 1/2 a tank of petrol. Little things like this will help if the weather turns. I am pregnant with my 1st baby so really don't fancy a lot of snow like we have had previously, although I have checked the winter weather policy in work which says pregnant ladies do not need to put themselves at risk by going out is snow/ice conditions. Hard to just abandon my colleagues but my baby has to be a priority at the mo!

[Deleted User]

I remember the airing horse put in front of the fire to hang pyjamas on and then hiding behind it to get undressed in front of the fire too and doing that in reverse in the morning, poking up the embers and setting the fire going again and warming the clothes before getting dressed. I'd never experienced central heating until I was in my 20s and was used to only one room being heated in the house and ice fans on the inside of the windows everywhere else including the bedrooms!!! It didn't affect our health and I don't remember being particularly cold but we did wear more clothes than people tend to do today and always a vest under everything else. I remember having a valor paraffin heater too for days when we had no coal but I guess that would be an expensive option these days, the other option would be a gas heater. We have one that takes a big bottle of gas and has 3 ceramic burners behind a grill/guard. It stands about 3' high and is about 15" square (the gas bottle fits in the back) and it puts out an incredible amount of heat so we've only ever needed 1 bar on in a lounge 16 x 32 and been toasty warm. They aren't cheap to buy and the gas is quite expensive but if you look on it as an investment it's a very good thing to have if the electricity is out. You can't cook on them, they are purely a room heater but very good and efficient at heating rooms and the gas bottles last for a reasonably long period of time.

[Deleted User]

Living_proof wrote: »

But we all had corned-beef legs from sitting in front of the fire too long. We would cross our legs until bursting and then rush through the freezing hall and up the stairs to the loo which was like a morgue. The bathroom ran with clammy condensation if you dared to have a bath and the windows froze up on the inside.

Oh yes, just can't wait to go back to that alright!

an outside toilet with a wide wooden top with a hole in it. Squares of newspaper as too poor to buy scratchy toilet roll, a little paraffin lamp in there to stop it freezing. Pots under the bed. Those were the days (not) but if we could survive then, then we can survive now and yes the one fire was the centre of our world. Dressing up to go to bed under a ton weight of ex army blankets plus a coat on top.

Princess, just think how well off we are going to feel when we have to work our way through everything after winter. I am not buying any food from the middle of march so I`ll have to be be bigtime inventive re whatever I have in

[Deleted User]

Yes KITTIE we had army blankets too and when it was extra cold the heavy outside coats would go on top. Also squares of newspaper in the outside toilet which was behind a wooden screen at the top of the back yard and oh goodness, so very cold in the winter and potties under the bed was the norm too. We were just the same as everyone else though as we were all in the same situation so no one felt hard done by or 'poor'.

twiglet98

https://www.aldi.co.uk/en/specialbuys/sunday-19-october/product-detail/ps/p/heated-airer-1/?pk_campaign=uk_product_newsletter&pk_kwd=2014-10-17_16-04

This heated airer is for sale in Ald! from Sunday at £29.99, it doesn't look very big but I wonder if anyone has experience of using anything similar - it's cheaper than the bigger Lakeland one. My daughter moved into a tiny Victorian cottage last summer and had terrible issues with condensation and mould last winter, they've been advised not to hang any wet laundry indoors and dread having to use the tumble dryer in their shed all winter. I thought this heated airer could work in the shed too?

Here, I have two Sheila Maids hanging from beams in the kitchen, and when it's too wet or windy to use the long lines or the rotary dryer outside, I have a couple of concertina airers, radiator airers and if necessary wet clothes go on hangers over the curtain rails, wall lights, door frames, wherever I have room. The tumble dryer used to cost a fortune and I vowed never to get another when the last one finally died.

pollys

I thought the garden would have to wait until half term, but thanks to some friends offering to do the "party run" for DS we have spent a couple of hours in the front garden. Two very large bags of garden rubbish (already gone to recycling) and the garden looks better, but we still need to spend more time getting it ready for winter.

Thanks Kittie, the kitchen roof will have been done by then. I'm also spending half term getting the last of my prepping done, although with a family of six, each with an adult appetite, food shopping is ongoing. The cupboards although well stocked, don't stay that way for long!

Have a lovely cosy evening.

Polly

moments_of_sanity

twiglet98 wrote: »

https://www.aldi.co.uk/en/specialbuys/sunday-19-october/product-detail/ps/p/heated-airer-1/?pk_campaign=uk_product_newsletter&pk_kwd=2014-10-17_16-04

This heated airer is for sale in Ald! from Sunday at £29.99, it doesn't look very big but I wonder if anyone has experience of using anything similar - it's cheaper than the bigger Lakeland one. My daughter moved into a tiny Victorian cottage last summer and had terrible issues with condensation and mould last winter, they've been advised not to hang any wet laundry indoors and dread having to use the tumble dryer in their shed all winter. I thought this heated airer could work in the shed too?

Here, I have two Sheila Maids hanging from beams in the kitchen, and when it's too wet or windy to use the long lines or the rotary dryer outside, I have a couple of concertina airers, radiator airers and if necessary wet clothes go on hangers over the curtain rails, wall lights, door frames, wherever I have room. The tumble dryer used to cost a fortune and I vowed never to get another when the last one finally died.

I have one of those heated airers and they are good for drying towels and heavy items, I do find you need to move them around a bit when they are drying. I paid £14.99 for mine about a week or so after they got them in so if you can take the risk that they might sell out, it would be worth hanging on to see if they reduce them.

I do have a tumble dryer but can't remember the last time I used it so put my clothes on airers to dry, I also hang them on the airers and put them outside so that if it starts to rain I just run out and bring the whole thing in