Preparing for Winter V

[Deleted User]

Just been to the GP surgery and had my flu jab, comes under the heading of preparing for winter as this years strain of flu is reported to be rather nasty and likely to be hard to shake off. Prevention rather than cure has always seemed sensible to me. I know the virus can and does mutate so the jab may not give complete protection BUT anything is better than taking a chance in my eyes.

fuddle

My chest is sore Lyn I'm so relieved I had the jabs on Tuesday. I feel a very long and difficult winter period ahead of us. I've been reading there's a flu to hit us on par with a nasty one that hit in the early 1900's -1918 if I recall. I may have stored the wrong date there though.

I have many paracetamol but more will be sourced along with ginger root, good quality honey and lemons. Elderberry syrup is bottled and in the fridge but I am going to look at getting dried in for another batch especially as it looks like I'm going to be hitting it hard this weekend. I'd best add cinnamon and gloves to the stock list.

I'm pleased you're both jabbed Lyn.

What do others stock up on in preparation for the flu season?

Primrose

Always keep a good stock of honey and fresh lemons as soothers for sore throats and coughs. Don't really think the expensive over the counter cough mixtures do anything better although the advertisers would try to persuade us so. I also make fruit syrups from our soft fruit which also make soothing hot drinks with a useful hit of Vitamin C. Mint tea (with a few fresh leaves of any surviving mint in the garden infused in hot water) is also soothing. The ginger root sounds good too.

The last thing you feel like doing with a heavy cold is to go for a walk but often ten minutes outdoors if you're well wrapped up, especially if you can get a dose of winter sunshine, can often make you feel a little better. And of course good old cheap own brand paracetamol are useful for the really bad days!
Flu jab booked. Had a really bad dose of it some years ago which kept me in bed for 5 days over Christmas. Never again! Real flu as opposed to a heavy cold completely wipes you out and makes you incapable of functioning at any level. Can,t understand why those who are entitled to it don't have one.

[Deleted User]

I've jut invested in a little single burner camp bistro stove, it runs on gas canisters which are easy to get and relatively cheap. The blurb says it will bring a litre of water to the boil in 5 minutes 25 seconds and I've been store cupboard shopping and got some packs of 5 minute pasta with various sauces, some packets of minestrone soup and some more porridge pots. I'll add more packet soups as I find them, Mr T had only a very small selection but they're useful in the store cupboard.

He Who Knows was lucky, he had a blood test yesterday afternoon and they gave him the flu jab then, I got there at 7.30 this morning for an 8 o clock opening and was 35th in the line which stretched out behind me like Wordsworths daffodils, in a never ending line!!! I was in and out in 5 minutes so worth the 30 minute wait!

mardatha

We had an appt at 8, so went in got jabbed and out again. Thank god lol.

Primrose

Our surgery has 20,000 patients so Flu Jabs are a military operation on October Saturdays. All the doctors and nurses come in and it's a case of "Line up, Sleeves up, Belt up! They also grab all the overweight looking people for a weigh in and BMI measurement. My OH got caught and was mortified to get a follow up letter from his GP a week later referring him to a free weight losis clinic on the NHS Had more impact than all my nagging on the topic ! :rotfl: Very efficient operation.
We often complain about the inefficiencies of the NHS but this is one operation they really do well in my view.

Oh... and reminder to self to check ancient hot water bottle in case the rubber has started to rot !

mardatha

Our gp surgery has stopped the flu clinics as they said hardly anybody came. It's a very rural practice, according to their website 1500 patients. I'm very happy with that lol

Witless

This has been stockpile week - 1500 l oil (a lot cheaper than 3 x 500 l) which took the tank up to roughly what has been used since Nov 16 (might get another squirt of 900 l once the tank drops a bit) and almost filled the coal store (it might hold another 5/6 bags but it currently has roughly what was burned since Nov 16)

There's not enough for a 'full' year but it'll certainly see the winter out.

Friend felled some trees last week to widen the entrance from the lane so there'll be a load or two of blocks heading this way some of the weekends ..... once we get the motivation to split them (today was too nice to actually 'work')

(For some reason my stock up is about 6 weeks early this year - was last year mild(ish) or am I feeling the cold more this year? Last week was raw! Part of the reason was the gradual creep in oil prices and the fact the coal was still at last year's prices - one of the beauties of 'future proofing' prepping is that when you see a bargain on something you're going to buy anyway you can grab / stockpile it)

Witless

Oil has gone from 23.4p in Feb 16 through 34.5 in Nov 16 to 36.7 this week!

Over the same period / dates petrol has gone from £1.029 through £1.159 to £1.189 today.

(Part of my prepping is noting my consumption / costs)

2.5% inflation my !!!!!!

Brambleberry

I doubled back at the roundabout to go for unleaded at £1.229 /l instead of 1.249 today, only 200 yards between them, worth it on a full tank, but definitely feels pricey.

First delivery of this season's solid fuel arrived yesterday and we have contemplated covering up the back door bench, so winter prep is stepping up a gear.