Preparing for Winter V

cornishchick

The 1st if August is coming up. This has traditionally been the time I check my stocks for winter. Wash or check blankets. Wash quilts and the sofa covers. ( well not sure ill get this done as it all needs some lovely sunny days to dry lol )
So instead I will be painting a dark bathroom to brighten it up, a trial run of some motion detection lights for the hall and said bathroom and hem so new to me thick curtains for the doors. 

Primrose

Don,t the months fly by?

will be concentrating here on try to run down freezer to accommodate imminent crop of French Beans and tomatoes for winter use. We rely on the tomato ourree for bologneses, soups and stews so need to eat up a lot of existing stock to make room.  Still have a cupboard shelf of jam made from freebie plums last summer to get rid of !  Need to get back on the menu planning routine again!

Floss

Just a reminder that we have a new thread
https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/6450150/prepping-the-new-world/p12#latest

Rosetta92

It’s Floss said:

Just a reminder that we have a new thread
https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/6450150/prepping-the-new-world/p12#latest

good we have that one as a refresh of the general prepping thread but I’ve always liked that there is a separate thread with all the winter specific stuff in one place 😀

jaybee

Rosetta92 said:

It’s Floss said:

Just a reminder that we have a new thread
https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/6450150/prepping-the-new-world/p12#latest

good we have that one as a refresh of the general prepping thread but I’ve always liked that there is a separate thread with all the winter specific stuff in one place 😀

I also like the winter specific thread although I know that a lot on the other one is relevant.

Laura_Elsewhere

I’m another one who trundles into action in August- our bedroom curtains were new to us last year (second hand) and hang wonky so I want to take them down and re-sew the header tapes so it doesn’t drive me dotty all winter  

jam-making began a couple of weeks ago with bought gooseberries, but in the next few weeks we’ll be out foraging mirabelle plums and damsons and so on. 

I pickled a pound of little onions last week but want to do more if I spot the little pickling ones over the next months. 

And also checking our winter woollies and handwashing them! 

fionaandphil

It's good to back prepping, weather here is cooler and wetter already. I washed sofa covers a couple of weeks ago when it was hot and also got all winter coats washed and ready. I picked some blackberries this morning and then dropped off a tub to the doorstep of a friend who has just tested positive for COVID. Reminds me why it's good to be prepared!

DH has cut a load of firewood while it was dry and it's all stacked and ready. We had a new coal bunker this year as ours had rotted, so we had that topped up when they installed it. I'm going to book the chimney sweep soon and am keeping an eye on oil prices which are still a bit above what I'd like to pay.

Vegetables, salad and tomatoes growing well so I'll freeze as many as possible to use over the winter. I dehydrated some tomatoes last summer and they've worked well so I'm planning on doing that again. I had loads of blackcurrants a few weeks ago so I made some jam too. I've left loads for the birds as there were just too many.

Good luck with all your prepping

Cherryfudge

Thank you all for the lists of what you're doing - they remind me of what should be on my agenda. I haven't even washed my winter coat let along put it away this year! That's a job for a warm, breezy day. It's a quilted thing and is starting to loose bounce so as well as putting a tennis ball in the washer to lump it up, I'll inspect for wear.

The freezer is nearly always full but I think too much is blackberries from previous years, so we need to eat some to make room for what looks like a big crop. The same goes for greengages.

I have plenty of sofa throws and blankets, but I realise I'm running short of time to crochet a replacement cover or two for cushions. I want to turn some plain brown ones into Autumnal oranges.

I'm doing quite well for winter clothes but DH is harsh on jumpers so I need to investigate those.

More urgently, we need to try to find someone to do some repointing and dry lining to keep the winter damp from getting in.

The emergency food cupboard was eaten down over the summer ready to be replenished. The trouble is getting enough in there and not continuing to eat our way through it! Tinned fruit and baked beans don't stay there very long. Mixed beans, on the other hand, still need to be eaten up.

I will revisit in a while to see what else needs to be done.

@Laura_Elsewhere, thanks for the mention of Mirabelles, you've solved the question of our accidental plum tree's identity. I suppose a bird dropped a plum stone and there it was. The fruit was eaten by birds last year so this year has been our first harvest.

LadyhavershamLost

We have an abundance of Mirabelle plums close to us and I shall be collecting a load of them and blackberry hunting this week. My neighbours have a beautiful apple tree that is LADEN with fruit - he is making cider but I will be given a load to make crumble etc. I'll get some cider too!!

The winter coats that need dry-cleaning will get dropped off next week and I will review the gloves / hats situation. 

Smallest one needs a new duvet so I'll keep my eyes peeled for a decent one over the next few weeks. 

I'm also trying to come up with some new ideas for dinner - we seem to be stuck in a rut! 

In the mean time I'm going to hang some washing out as the sun seems to be shining!!

Enjoy your Sunday xx

Wednesday2000

It feels like autumn to me at the moment. It is only 18.6 in my house. It was pouring with rain all day yesterday and I was tempted to put the heating on in the evening. I just got a blanket for the sofa and had an early night instead. I am going to be more generous with the heating this winter as I have diagnosed with osteoarthritis and I think I let myself get too chilly last winter.

I did get an email from OVO saying they prices have come down so they are reducing our monthly payment and giving us over £200 back as we are in credit.

I did some winter prep the other day. I went through all my scarves, hats, gloves (put some in a donation bag) and washed them and let them dry outside and put them in a drawer ready for the cold weather. I put my winter "uniform" of black thermal leggings and tops all in one drawer too. I will wash them and air them nearer the winter.

I am doing some laundry today as the weather is at least sunny so it can dry outside.