Preparing for Winter V

good_advice

The weather seems a bit better now we are into March.
Roll on the 20th and the first day of Spring.
It has been a long cold winter. Dark nights beginning around 4pm. Some days remaining overcast and dull all day.

Over the last few days the sun has been saying hello!
We have been giving the back garden a tidy up. Cutting back and giving the grass a first mow. Just waiting for the daffodils to show their yellow heads.

nicki_2

MrsLurcherwalker wrote: »

It may be lovely and sunny out there today and the daffodils may be thinking of opening their yellow eyes but it's bitter in the wind and still needed a padded coat, scarf, thermal hat and sheepskin gloves to face the afternoon hound perambulation and it's very nice like that if you're in the sun, not so nice in the wind in the shade!!!

I already have daffodils out here in Liverpool, and have had for nearly 2 weeks. It looks a bit strange to me to see snowdrops, crocus and daffodils all flowering together in my garden, but maybe thats just me not remembering last spring lol

bossymoo

Doveling wrote: »

Lavandula_Rosemary wrote: »

So the winter is more or less over and I'm going to say with regard to the discussions of the "worst winter ever"..... " I told you so":D:D:p:p



Thank you for your input LR.:)
I think you are possibly like me and, sometimes ,what’s in our heads doesn’t necessarily come out as we mean it to and we may unintentionally cause some hurt.
I know you are talking about the worst winter weather(winter thread – obvious!)and we are now into spring.
However, could I ask for a little sensitivity? Perhaps, you have not been reading recently but, for some, this year could be seen as their worst winter ever. Just not necessarily weather wise.
I mean this kindly and do not mean to cause offence. I am glad to see you posting. x:)

Absolutely agree. Gloating isn't attractive.

mardatha

We've had snow and sub zero for a good few weeks now. Snows then melts in the sun but the areas in shadow stay white then freeze overnight. It's nice and bright but the wind is coming right from the Greenland ice cap lol

[Deleted User]

We have a beautiful day today down here in the deep south, blue sky, sunshine and best of all very light winds so it's feeling much warmer. I don't think winter is entirely done with us yet this year but a respite and some sunshine is very welcome. I have used quite a lot of my preps, particularly the food ones so I don't see that as a waste of effort and I've only got things we use normally in the store anyway. What has been very useful is being able to get what I needed from the cupboard when it's been very nasty outside and feed us well without actually having to go to the shops. It's useful to have a storecupboard in the house whatever the reason you personally have for putting in the stores.

Fruball

Some people really are just mean spirited aren't they. Fortunately I don't take any notice of them but wish they realised that their comments are not needed and therefore they are not welcome here.

I wonder if she even bothered to read the previous comments and see what had happened but very much doubt she would care.

cat4772

Grrr - wrote a long post then computer cut off for a minute. suppose I shouldn't be using work computer to browse MSE:o

last friday (27th Feb) I moved from a nice warm (easy to heat) end terrace into the semi-detached I lived in as a teenager/young adult and discovered that the window seals in bedrooms have gone (through a closed vertical blind, I could see the cotton lined curtain moving :eek:

many things have been in storage since Summer 2014 and getting access to them has been brilliant (single duvets to use as under-blankets on double beds, woolen blankets, multi-season duvets, thermal underclothes, rest of my clothes wardrobe etc, thick interlined curtains to hand and cut out the drafts. I discovered a draft from under the back door so recycled a cot bumper to a draft excluder.

I now have a to do list to survive the tail end of this winter and prep for next winter (any month between September and May:p)
Fix window seals before replacing windows in 5 years
Line the Roman blinds in kitchen and dining room with thermal blackout lining
Hang interlined curtains in hallway and between kitchen and living room.
Use thermal linings on all bedroom curtains (they currently have a cotton lining that doesn't do anything terribly useful).
and probably a hundred other jobs as well including motivating husband to fix the spare bed so we can rent out the bedroom to bring in extra income (to help fund certain renovations).

but at least I found my way back to MSE:cool:

cat.x

[Deleted User]

Today when I walked there was some blackthorn blosson gleaming white in the sunshine, so pretty and yesterday in a very sheltered spot under a hedge the very first wild violets of the spring. We might just be turning a corner and winter might be winding down which will be very pleasant.

smeeth

cat4772 wrote: »

Fix window seals before replacing windows in 5 years
cat.x

Replaced some of ours this week. I bought a 1.5m roll of rubber draught tape stuff from Wilko £4. Open the window, place it over the current seal & shut. Worked well, no more draught!

Rainy-Days

June has now sprung into life and it's time I think to resurrect this thread. The long summer days are now here and all those jobs that have been put off can gradually be dealt with over the next four months.

I have updated and altered the original checklist, such as numbering the points. Essentially it is the same just tweaked a little.

Here is your new updated Preparing For Winter Thread

Winter Checklist

Clothes
1. Wash all coats, scarves and gloves.
2. Wash and mend jumpers and cardigans. When you have done this, for the time being put them away in the vacuum seal bags to keep them fresh and out of the way of moths until needed. You can lay them down with fresh lavender from the garden.
3. Repair or buy new socks
4. Check Wellingtons
5. Reproof/treat leather or suede gloves, hats and shoes/boots
6. Send to the cobbler any shoes and boots that need repairing
7. Polish all shoes and boots
8. Go back through clothing, checking what you need and what you need to replace. Think - what will I wear - what do I need?
9. Put away all your summer clothes in either those vacuum bags or in a suitcase for the following year.

Car
1. Buy in screenwash now (either ready mixed or concentrate)
2. October make sure all fluid levels in cars are correct
3. Check tyre pressures and tread levels
4. Clean car inside and out. Jet wash underneath the the wheel arches. Allot of muck holds in these places and eventually leads to rot, Jet washing will get it out.
5. Make sure car has good amount of wax polish, which protect it from harsh elements and salt and grit on the roads, which will cause rust.
7. If possible make sure your car has rubber mats to catch wet and snow. Check Pound shops for cheap mats for £1.00 or so each.
8. Make sure that your mobile phone has enough credit in the event of an emergency on it.
9. If possible clean out your garage and put your car away each night. This will also help with insurance premiums as well and save you de-icing in the morning.

Food
1. Stock up on tinned products such as soup, rice pudding, baked beans and spaghetti. These items will keep as good store cupboard standbys.
2. Check and clean out your freezer, make a list of what you have and what you need to buy in. Keep at least two loaves of bread in the freezer. A clean frost free freezer will work better than a ice capped one!
3. If anything crops up on BOGOF and it will keep/freeze for winter buy it and store it.
4. Make a start on your Christmas food shopping list, allot of it can be frozen.
5. Create a 'stash cupboard' or area where you can put all of your extra buys away safely.
6. Buy in sacks of potatoes direct from a farmer, it will be cheaper than buying individual bags from the supermarket- protect them from frost in garage or shed - old carpet wrapped around them does a good job.
7. Sink four pints of milk in the freezer or have UHT milk in on standby.
8. Make jam and preserves from the garden, sink fresh veg from allotments into the freezer.
9. Batch make homemade soups and freeze. Good idea to do this now while fresh veg is plentiful and it will save on condensation during the cooking/prep during the winter months.

House and Garden
1. Get your boiler serviced
2. Chimney swept
3. Snow Shovel - do you need it?
4. By in your logs and coal now while cheap deals are on offer. If you can and you have storage buy in your winters stock in one go.
5. Summer and then Autumn clean your home.
6. Make sure your windows are not rotting away and repair them.
7. Make door curtains to keep out draughts
8. Add fleece linings to curtains for extra insulation
9. Clean out your guttering and facias
10. Clear away all fallen leaves
11. Clean windows inside and out
12. Launder you winter duvet and change over when the weather turns, now is also a good time to pick up reduced summer duvets for next year!
13. Launder all your throws
14. Buy in cheap white candles in case of a power cut. Also keep a torch on standby and use in emergency.
15. If you have oil CH try to make sure that your tank is stocked up by the end of October
16. Buy in Flannelette sheets. It may seem old fashioned but the oldies knew a thing or two about keeping warm. If buying from new make sure you wash and dry your sheets to remove the formaldehyde preservative that the manufacturers use to keep them damp and mildew free.
17. Repair your shed, check the felt lining for splits/tears and wood preserve it. The same goes for all your garden furniture and fences.
18. Decorating - do it before middle of October so that you can air the room and let the paint dry.
19. Tidy your shed up to make more room in there.
20. Put all garden furniture away (either in shed or garage) by the second week of October. If you have no room to store - buy garden furniture covers to protect your investment.
21. Spring is generally the time to use wood preservative on your fences, but if you can there is no harm in coating them now, it's just that shrubs might get in the way making your job more difficult.
22.Cut back everything in the garden late October to give your garden a big boost the following Spring. Roses love this!
23. Wash curtains and cushion covers
24. Steam wash clean Your carpets on a good warm day so that they have a good chance of drying quickly
25. Buy in or make dehumidifiers from Pound stores or use household salt in a bowl to draw in moisture.
26. Look around your brickwork on your home does it need re-pointing anywhere? Check your ridges on the roof top as well for mortar loss and repair. Get it done and this will save you from a bigger job later on. Key areas to look also are where pipes extrude from walls and windows.
27. Oil all shed and gates locks, it will prevent rust and stop them seizing up when you most need to open them.
28. Drain any outside taps and protect and cover either with an old towel and then covered over with plastic or buy a proper outside tap cover.
29. If your interior doormats can be washed in the machine do them.
30. Re-silicone shower areas where the silicone has turned black or mouldy, take it out and redo it. Easy job but so often overlooked. Having the window open also allows the silicone to cure or go off better.
31. Wash your vacuum cleaner filters out. It will help with your HEPA filter and keep your home cleaner as well, it will also make your vacuum work and perform better.
32. Conservatories, clean inside and out, make sure that your seat covers and cushions are washed and that all the frames are clean.
33. Put away all garden pots and ornaments if they are not frost proof and protect them.
34. Cordylines mine suffered in the last winter, but I saved four of them using gardeners fleece from Poundland to protect them I stored them in the shed and it worked. Fleece is still available to buy now.
35. Take down any hanging baskets and dispose of the contents. Put those away for the following year.
36. Check lightbulbs and outside security lighting if broken replace or repair.
37. Buy in batteries now.
38. Put food out for the birds they will so thank you for it. Buy in their food now while it is plentiful.
39. Get your paracetamol, throat lozengers and cough mixtures in now. When you are feeling ill the last thing you want to do is traipse down to the pharmacist having to get it in. Mixtures have good dates on them and when you are feeling lousy the well stocked medicine cabinet will be a huge relief! Honey and lemon are now well proven to be just as effective as cough mixtures, and this is a much cheaper alternative. the bottled lemon juice is just as effective and with a good date on them.
40. Jet wash patios and driveways to remove algae and moss which can become very slippery when wet.

You are literally closing your home down for the winter and that is what and how you need to think, that everything is to be put away, protected and brought in. The more you do this and think ahead the better the chances are that your home, car and your garden will come through winter without you having to spend money replacing, or putting right what you failed to do. Sometimes, things do go wrong and you have to replace or repair, but if you have done the basics then you stand a good chance of minimising any damage.

Finally, when that weather does turn in, ask yourself what you would like to do on those evenings, maybe hunt down that book in the charity shop now for reading later on, or something else that you want to do, now is the time to get it.