Preparing for Winter V

[Deleted User]

Bed socks too, I always wake up if I have cold feet, even in the summer and have taken to putting a fleece over the bottom part of the bed where my feet are but in the winter bed socks are a must for a good nights sleep.  It has to be said they are NOT the most elegant look for nightwear but they do their job well!     

Thinking I have an older duvet that we kept for emergencies but don't intend using on the bed again I'm going to cut it in half and make us a couple of 'lap quilts' to put over knees in the lounge in the evenings when it's colder.  I shall find a cheap quilt cover on ebay and make covers for them to go with the lounge colours, can't think why I haven't done this before.

missychrissy

I too have a multi fuel burner. Last winter I was buying bags of kiln dry logs from Home Bargains, but about March they reduced the size of the bags but kept the price the same.  Although my home is really cosy with the stove on it became more expensive than the CH.

Laura_Elsewhere

boazu said:

Bed socks too, I always wake up if I have cold feet, even in the summer and have taken to putting a fleece over the bottom part of the bed where my feet are but in the winter bed socks are a must for a good nights sleep.  It has to be said they are NOT the most elegant look for nightwear but they do their job well!     

Thinking I have an older duvet that we kept for emergencies but don't intend using on the bed again I'm going to cut it in half and make us a couple of 'lap quilts' to put over knees in the lounge in the evenings when it's colder.  I shall find a cheap quilt cover on ebay and make covers for them to go with the lounge colours, can't think why I haven't done this before.

Yes, we both happily sleep in bed-socks in colder weather, and in very cold weather we have an additional layer across the bottom of the bed. If it gets really freezing we even close the window at night   

I spent several years badgering my elderly parents about what I could make them, and we had a nice little system whereby Dad would pay for materials to make Mum something, and Mum would pay for materials to make Dad something, and I'd contribute the design and making - everyone happy.... and warm! Dad has a crocheted lap-blanket that folds up to nothing and weighs nothing as it's very open-work mohair; Mum has a lap-quilt about 5-foot square in crushed velvet, wine one side, spruce-green the other side, thin synthetic wadding between and a very simple compass pattern stitched on to hold it together. Mum also has a small shawl in soft muted pink so she can wrap it round to keep her neck nice and warm. I'm making them both fingerless mittens, ie the sort without fingers at all, just tubes with a shaped thumb, so that they can keep very cosy. I'll use something like cashmere for the sheer luxury, because a friend put me on to Colourmart who sells end-of-range yarn from weaving companies who make the really high-end Italian and Scottish cashmere stuff, so it's far cheaper - if anyone is thinking of buying from them, please PM me for my username there as not only do they give new users a discount but if you tell them which existing user recommended them they give that existing user some free credit! 
But yes, I think maybe pale-grey and mid-grey and dark-grey cashmere for Dad, in stripes, and for Mum I have some fuschia-pink already and perhaps that patterned with one of he greys in Fair Isle bands might look nice. Or else a very scarlet-red to clash warmly with the hot-pink! 

dreaming

I rarely wear socks - even in winter (except for with boots). I once got some furry sock-slippers for Xmas but only lasted about 30 minutes before I ripped them off as my feet felt as they were on fire. Similiarly with hats - I only really wear them if it is damp. I do however find that my neck and shoulders feel the cold and have a few shawl-like scarves which just add that extra layer. I have quite a few lap blankets - some knitted/crocheted, some quilted - and even used them a couple of weeks ago when it was cold and damp but I am a naturally warm person I think and find most people's house too hot in winter. Conversely a couple of people find my house too cold! I do however love the summer and can't wait for it to warm back up again (and stop raining please).As it was a fairly mild winter I still have my usual bits such as salt for the driveway and antifreeze for the car etc.

[Deleted User]

It has felt autumn like here today. I have sorted the pantry cupboards. This evening the shopping was delivered and with it came a large amount of supplies for adding to the kitchen cupboards. It is almost embarrassing to say but Asda had 3kg bags of pasta again and bread flour. They also have 1 litre glass clip top jars for £1. My rice from the 10kg bag and the pasta now have a place in a working cupboard in those jars. The tall pantry cupboard stores the extra. I will have to continue to be super vigilant because I share the thoughts of many of you and think there will be a lot of concern and struggles this winter.

MingVase

We've got a big multi fuel burner that we run on coal. It keeps the house cosy, dries washing overnight,  and gives tons of very hot water. But the price of coal is going up. Currently costing us between £74-£94 per fortnight. That's smokeless eggs, not house coal.

smeeth

Noaidi said:

It has felt autumn like here today. 

Definitely didn't feel like mid-June here either. Cool (13C), windy and very wet and grey. Just a couple of days away from the solstice! 

jamanda

Reminded me, and have now ordered some fingerless gloves.  My old ones seem to have unravelled themselves, and I need them for poo bag duties when out with the dogs.  If I try normal gloves they seem to have a homing instinct and drop into what I'm trying to pick up.

[Deleted User]

Another dull day to contend with. The air is moist so the tumble dryer has had to be put on another day. Handy finding this morning. The under sink cupboard gets warm with the TD is on. When our home isn't able to get warmed by the sun it gets cold and what with not having any heating on being it's June my sourdough starter has problems with getting it's happy on without the warmth. Warming it on a hot water bottle wrapped in a towel works as well. I like gathering knowledge. It makes me feel wise.

suki1964

Further good news on the wood stores

Neighbour paid for the trees to be professionally topped, plus two others to be felled completely and said we could have the wood as long as we were prepared to saw it ourselves. So this weekend Mr S and another neighbour who has a tractor and a splitter are going to get stuck in. Even sharing the haul with the neighbour who's helping, we will have wood for the next 5 years

We put our multi-fuel stove in about 12 years ago and its saved our lives on more then one occasion ( not literally ). The year after it went in we were hit by an ice storm and were without power for 6 days. Being able to heat water up on it as well as keep warm and cook simple meals was a godsend. Wouldn't be without one now. Being in the country and relying on overhead cables the electric is very erratic during bad weather. And one year it got so cold out here the oil in the tank froze, so no central heating for 3 days. They aren't cheap to run unless you get free wood, but when living rurally, they are life savers

Mr S returned to work last week and also got two days private work which has come at the right time - £200 electric bill on the doorstep yesterday . Our Lockdown here in NI is easing faster than we expected, our pubs and restaurants can open from the 3rd which means where I work should pick up and I can go back quicker then expected - hopefully. Also the staff who aren't on furlough will now want to start taking their holidays now restrictions are lifting so Im confident Ill be back sooner rather then later

I made a trip out to the big town, but not many places were actually open and the queues were a tad off putting but I managed to get some banking that needed a branch visit done and a wizz around Poundland for some toiletries so not a wasted trip