Preparing for Winter V

Primrose

So far still managing with 4 tog summer duvet. Keep telling myself we will manage by throwing the unzipped sleeping bag on the bed on a few chilly nights before we graduate to the 7 tog "winter" one. By the time we need that one the central heating will have been put on and the bedroom will be warmer, so perhaps not needed until we're deeper into winter.

Meanwhile my outdoor peppers are still in pots outside against the house wall with a thick net curtain draped over them at night to protect them. They still have quite a few ripening peppers on them which I'm hoping will turn fully red while the autumn sun stays with us during the daytime.

Just wondering how much longer I dare leave my tomatoes on the plants before picking them.

Novice_investor101

Also still very much on the summer duvet. Think it's a 3.5tog. My bedroom does seem to hold the heat quite well atm. The winter one is a 13.5tog. Won't be getting that out until the really cold weather hits.

It's still fairly mild in South Yorkshire, so guessing the house isn't really losing heat. The roof is well insulated, but I'm in a Victorian terrace, so solid brick walls which do impact the internal temp when it's really cold.

jim-jim

In the last 2 weeks I've spotted 3 separate lots of geese flying in formation.
I live in north derbyshire, has any one else seen ANY? Is it a sign of snow

X

mardatha

They've been reporting loads of geese going over up north of Scotland jim-jim. Usually does mean a change to colder weather, for us in Scotland at any rate. We're sitting at 13C here now, no Indian summer for us!

Primrose

I saw geese flying a week ago and we're in the south east !

Living_proof

Primrose wrote: »

Just wondering how much longer I dare leave my tomatoes on the plants before picking them.

I have dug up several plants on my allotment and then hung them by the roots from a wire in the greenhouse. There are dozens of green fruit on them so I hope I can manage to ripen some of them. A few loose ones in boxes in the shed too.

Olliebeak1951

The geese around here are 'on the move' now - no doubt we'll be getting the ones that over-winter from further north around about this time as well. I just know that there's ALWAYS geese around the local park boating lake - just different ones in the winter !

Have to confess to having had the gas fire on for a while this evening - turned it off about an hour ago, not wasting any residual heat before I go to bed.

Had a 'delicious, warming evening meal' tonight - Spicy Turkey Sausage 'thingy' (somewhere between a Chilli and a Casserole), loaded with veggies / kidney beans and served with Pasta.

cuddlymarm

Hi Living Proof
My mum used to make green tomato chutney with any green tomatoes at the end of growing season. You could probably find a recipe online if it would be of any use.
We have loads of little birds collecting around the coast here ready to fly to warmer places. I love when they start to arrive, because it means autumn is near.
We are due heavy winds and rain this weekend but it’s still relitively warm by normal standards. I’ve plenty of food, candles etc in so I’m hoping it will hold off until I finish work tomorrow.
As I work in a shop I am going to get my flu jab as soon as possible this year. Handling money means that no matter how much I clean my hands I’m touching other people’s germs so want as much help as possible to stay well.
I hope everyone is keeping well and getting prepared for a hopefully not too bad winter.
TTFN
Cuddles

Laura_Elsewhere

We're putting our winter duvet on this weekend - can't remember the togs, but think it's about 10 (iirc, it's about 10, the summer is about 3, and they have tiny buttons and buttonholes to fasten them together to make 13).

In four years living here, we've had a winter where we kept the summer duvet going right through, and a summer where we kept the winter duvet going right through

I've made more than six pints of elderberry syrup, and just in time, it seems, as I have a rotten cold.

Living_proof

cuddlymarm wrote: »

Hi Living Proof
My mum used to make green tomato chutney with any green tomatoes at the end of growing season. You could probably find a recipe online if it would be of any use.

Cuddles

Thank you cuddlymarm - I have made this many moons ago but these days I am trying to avoid sugary things. I found that the cost of all the additives made the chutney rather expensive too. I must also fess up that I have a lifetime's supply of homemade mango chutney made a year or two back!