Preparing for Winter V

Laura_Elsewhere

Oooh yes, boots - many thanks, @Toonie, for he reminder. I do most of my own cobbling these days, buying the brilliant non-metal segs from Blakeys online, so I only need to re-heel anything once in five or more years, and I buy various different soles, and the Kelbfest glue that keeps 'em on, on eBay. I must look over my winter boots soon - I think one has a small area coming away from the welt that I need to glue...

thriftwizard

Must book the chimney sweep & order some logs... it's definite feeling horribly autumnal out there now. I adore summer & never want it to end, but it'd be daft not to recognise that it will. 

boultdj

I'm getting an extra thing a week food wise for winter, this week it was suet, we like a stew with our dumplings in this house, I'm also running the freezer down to defrost it before the fruit comes of the trees so I can do crumbles in the cold weather.

Lucy5781

Have ordered DS's new school coat, popped into the shop this morning and they didn't have his size in stock so they'll text me when it's in to be collected.

I had picked up a green M&S, non-school coat secondhand in the charity shop for him but he's commented on his usual blue one this week so I've decided I'll sort him another one with his input when he does grow out of it.

This means I've been able to give that green one and a girls winter coat that is already a bit small for DD that I was given in a bag of clothes from a friend, to a boy in DS's class and his little sister who live at the end of our road, they've not got a huge amount money-wise whilst we've inherited a fair bit over the last few years. I don't really need them, I'd rather know they were getting use from people who really do. Gave them my extra pair of kids duvet cover sets that I don't really like the patterns of and the Mum looked so excited by them. I'm just like, honestly, you need it, have it, I'm good xx

Managed to get new pairs of my Pavers boots via Amazon as well, my old ones have all been walked to death, the inside soles are lumpy and sunken from my tilted out heels. Our one year old Beagle chewed the strap details on one par as well. Stitched them back but they look ropey!

I'm looking forward to getting back to my boots, jeggings and jumpers for Autumn and Winter after we're done with our holiday and starting DS and DD at school and nursery. They keep asking me when it's Halloween and Christmas!!

Cheapskate

Hello   

I've been away from the OS boards for a VERY long time (life being rather too 'lifey'!), but coming back as I've missed it all!

I have a LOT to do, really fell off the OS/MSE wagon this last couple of years, and as I'm buying the littlies' new uniforms this week and next, it seems a good time to get back to OS ways.

This autumn/winter, I'm going back to some of my really OS ways from years ago, such as setting the slow cooker when I go to work, making new door curtains, new HWB for us all, wood foraging for my stove, buying in coal substitute, too, whilst it's not too expensive, etc etc.

I've a huge wool stash to get through to crochet some blankets for us and family members - they're all becoming more OS, too, and wanting alternatives to too much CH and so on.

Nice to be back

A xo

Kaylataste

Dreading winter in one way because I hate being cold and the heating is so expensive in this big,old house but I so love Autumn.My lovely Mum made me a beautiful quilt from recycled materials and it’s so heavy and warm that I can’t wait to use it.
Everyone here is so friendly and clever with all your tips,it’s lovely coming back every year.

MrsCD

Nice to see you, @Cheapskate and @Kaylataste. 
I've started restocking my cupboard under the stairs. Just buying a couple of extras each week but it soon adds up.
I have far too much yarn in my stash so I should really think about making blankets too!
I like Autumn, but I am quite sad to see the nights closing in earlier.

Princess_kate

Hello all. 

Making my annual return to the OS and winter prep boards. I really like feeling organised and prepared for it but it does feel like I'm wishing away summer!
I'm pretty much sorted for back to school for my 6 year old son, my 2 year old will be finally starting private nursery, 18 months after it was planned, due to Covid! My husband will be back in the office 1 day a week from next week so he'll be able to take him on his way to work then. 

I have lots of prepping systems still in place from previous years but I have gone through and made a list of what else I need to sort out. 

Hoping for a bit more sunshine to allow me to wash and dry the curtain, hats and scarves and blankets for the sofas that we have. I'll check the dates on the bread flour, yeast and UHT milk and start adding to my tins cupboard to make sure we're well stocked for winter. 

The freezer could do with a good sort out and hopefully I can make a bit of room in there, maybe a few random dinners to use up the boxes of leftovers I've put in there over the last few months! 

So if you've not new to all of this, is there anything you'd add to the lists at the beginning of the post for what to do/buy/book to prepare for winter? What foods do you stock up on? Always looking for more ideas!

Looking forward to joining in the prepping chats! Kate

Primrose

We make sure we,re stocked up on candles, torches and batteries in case of power cuts, and new hot water bottles.
as for food, always have rice and pasta assortments, with home made tomato ourree from our own tomatoes and chicken and mince so we can always knock up a tasty pasta sauce of some kind.
as garlic lovers we also keep a stock of garlic granules too in case fresh garlic runs out.

And I have nice warm charity shop woollen blanket ready in my armchair to snuggle under when the weather gets really cold althiugh it's surprising what a difference some good thermals make ! 

Si_Clist

Just sticking my nose in here as the Prepping thread seems to have just about dried up.  Which is more than our allotment has: the tide was still up after the recent rain when I dug up the last of the Desirée this morning.

This year's bottling's three parts done now, with beans, raspberries, blackcurrants, rhubarb, blueberries and the meagre crop that we got of Morello cherries this "summer" finished.  That leaves just blackberries and damsons to go in jars.  Stocks of tinned stuff are even better than they were this time last year but we're still adding to them, mainly on account of the stories of greatly increased feed costs for both beef cattle and poultry.  Plus we're convinced that the present silly cheap prices can't last much longer.  Can they?

We finally got it together with the flour.  Hurrah!  50Kg of lovely wholemeal spelt flour now all in 2Kg lots in Mylar bags with oxygen absorbers, so that's our 6 months' buffer stock.  It's only taken us three years to get there ...

Stocks of candles, camping gas, bogpaper, medicines and whatnot all good, so we're not far off sorted now.  Or would be if only we could think what it is we haven't thought of.

However, we certainly did screw up.  Having felt smug 12 months ago for having had the foresight to empty the bank and buy 2 tonnes of smokeless for the stoves last year at summer price, there we were merrily burning it on the front room stove in January when (long story short) we realised that the flue liner had expired, this being confirmed by our cheery sweep, who couldn't resist saying "Told you so!  You should have stuck to logs" as we watched the video from up the chimney.

So now we have a new liner in the front chimney, and the certainty that the one in the kitchen will need doing after this winter (if not before, perish the thought).  And we still have far too much of this bloomin' smokeless to burn up before we can expand the stash of logs as much as we need to.

Ermmm ... that's about it from me