Preparing for Winter V

Frith

Just starting to think about the winter. 

Finally, after living here 22 years, we’ve had central heating fitted! I’m just clearing up and painting all the dents and scratches left. 

Ive today begun buying birthday cards (all the birthdays are in the last 6 months the of the year). 

We need new gloves and hats.

We were given free firewood by the neighbours as they are moving out. Also got slats from the airing cupboard where the shelves had to be sawn in half to fit a hot water tank in. 

boultdj

Oh dear Si-Clist, not good news on the liner front, could you re-sell the smokeless stuff?

I got 2 hot water bottles with covers yesterday, so that's 3 in the house, fleece blanket's for the front room have been washed and dried.

I need to get knitting gloves and I might do some socks but I need cooler weather as I get sweaty hand's in summer and stick to the wool.

Agree with the prices going up, been stocking up on tins here when they have been available, been quite a few gaps in my local shops.

Si_Clist

boultdj said:

... could you re-sell the smokeless stuff?

 ... been quite a few gaps in my local shops.

I guess we could sell it on, but it seems that in order to stand the best chance of getting a reasonable price for it I'd need to be on Facebook, which is not something I want to get into. We do though have A Plan.  The kitchen stove is bigger than the front room one, and it's the kitchen stove which still has the old liner up the flue. 

In the winter, we've usually lit the front room stove around 4pm when the central heating goes off and spent the evening in there.  This winter we're reorganising the kitchen so we can live in there in the evenings during the week, burning smokeless on the big stove, and only use the front room in the evenings at the weekend.  That way the bigger stove with the old liner gets the most use, with the objective of maximising both fuel use and liner corrosion.  (The basic issue is that the old liner wasn't meant for burning solid fuel, but we didn't know that.)

In theory that will leave us with about a tonne of smokeless come next summer, but seeing as how that's stacked under tarpaulin taking up space which isn't much use for anything else (and will have three growbags on it next spring!), we'll keep it as a reserve lest the SHTF, in which case I doubt we'll be all that worried about liner corrosion.

Ref gaps on shelves, I have no idea what it's like in this neck of the woods as I haven't been in a supermarket since March last year and don't plan to enter one any time soon.  Tesco deliveries are still doing us proud, so no reason to change.  I have though noticed that Tesco's online stock availability fluctuates far more often than it ever did before this summer.  Can't remember what the item was, but something we ordered last time went OOS and back in again three times in the week prior to me finalising our order!

Toonie

Laura_Elsewhere said:

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...

Ooh, haven't thought of segs in a long time, my Dad used to use the metal ones on his work boots.

My sister is crocheting a me a lap quilt out our Mum's old cotton yarn (Mum passed away unexpectedly at the beginning of the year and when sorting things out we found a big stash of cotton yarn which is handy as I'm allergic to acrylic and wool!) and will be back it with a piece of fleece, so that will be a nice addition to the sofa come winter.

3secondmemory

Being ‘Stress-avoidant’ i’m having thoughts about Christmas. Having seen three articles this morning forecasting huge delays and increased costs importing Xmas-related junk from Europe and abroad, it’s get now or go without! 

I don’t see any harm in massively reducing the amount of plastic, foil and tinsel we use, I always find the amount of waste repulsive so secretly, i’m delighted 😁 

I’ve made one or two things this year that I’m particularly proud of - a mobile for my bathroom out of shells, nylon twine and three air plants – they are supposed to look like  octopuses but they look more like the aliens from Arrival - much mirth 😂
 I made a lovely Bee station out of a shallow bowl and reclaimed beach glass, and painted stones with bumble bees and butterflies to deter the birds away from my strawberries. I grew some ornamental grass from seeds and made up a gorgeous planter with a giant Primrose (I put the ashes of my old lady cat in the planter and the primrose is the size of a cabbage😂) I crocheted a whole load of handy drawstring bags to keep my veg in. 

Anyone who has complimented anything that I’ve made is likely to end up with the same thing for Christmas now 😂😂 

This will be my third winter shielding at home, and I think this one is actually going to be harder because I’m physically well enough not to be housebound. Boredom eats my soul. 

On the plus side, I have the food and household prepping down to a fine art -it’s easy-ish for 1.

Si_Clist

3secondmemory said:

Boredom eats my soul.

Jigsaws from charity shops.  Put the wireless on to give you something to argue with/shout at, and crack open a jigsaw.  If it looks too easy or you've done it before, do it without looking at the picture

Primrose

I think I must be our local library,s best customer, especially since lockdowns started . The winter winds can rain and thrash the windows but as long as acan settle in an armchair with a stash of good books beside me and a warm blanket to keep me snug, I'll be content!  Having the abi,ity to be self sufficient in finding your pleasures is a great blessing I think, especially as one becomes older and less able to physically active.

3secondmemory

Si_Clist said:

3secondmemory said:

Boredom eats my soul.

Jigsaws from charity shops.  Put the wireless on to give you something to argue with/shout at, and crack open a jigsaw.  If it looks too easy or you've done it before, do it without looking at the picture

That was the first year 😂
 I got some really nice ones from various charity shops, and even handed them onto rest of the family. 

nannygladys

Thanks for reminding me about ordinary candles, I will have to get some in, and as I'm having a rubbish tomato year on the allotment I think I will have to buy a few tins in oh and I must buy a new torch as I can't find my camping one anywhere - I know I could use my phone but that will be backup. I'm starting to think of all sorts of bits and pieces, I can feel another list coming on before I forget. I reckon I will go and do a bit of rereading to see if there's anything else.
Sorry for rambling just a bit tired
Nannyg

Primrose

After some unexpected blackouts in our area we now keep a small torch or some kind handy in most rooms of the house as well as a good supply of batteries.   We also have lots of candles of various kinds - plenty of those little tea lights, and on trying to declutter our sideboard the other day I found a whole bundle of candles which were left over from the Three Day Week back in the Ted Heath era !!   Needless to say, these fall into the "Might Come In Useful Someday" category so were tucked up in situ!   (Strange how decluttering throws back parts of your life you had completely forgotten about!)