Preparing for Winter V

Laura_Elsewhere

@Wednesday2000, gosh aren't we all different?! Our bedroom drops to around 11ºC overnight in winter, partly because we have the window open in all but the most bitter weather - I can't imagine trying to sleep with windows closed and over 19 degrees...!

If we all liked the same things, they'd sell no tins of mixed biscuits, as the saying goes...  

sammy_kaye18

Hello all, 
What an absolute sugar show the last few months have been here for us. 
My 80 year old grandmother managed to run herself over with her own car.
My mum was diagnosed with throat cancer and is going through radiation therapy. 
My FILs bowel cancer has returned and he will be getting his bowel removed and stoma fitted in October.
Step mum had a benign brain tumour the size of a gold ball removed from back of her skull.
My niece had a car accident and how she walked away I don't know but I'm thankful. 
Daughter fell down the stairs yesterday. 
Then yesterday I found out my tax credits are being cut from £258 down to £121. 

So I am making a start on winter! 
I used some of the vacuum bags at the beginning of February to sort clothing's into winter jumpers/cardigans etc and put them away and kept all the spring/summer stuff out so I think its time to swap them over and give everything a freshen up. 
I did find out all my scarves and hats yesterday too to get ready for the dog walking. I do need some gloves though of some sort.
I am hoping to put the curtain back up between the kitchen and living room because it was surprising how much warmer it was with it up and my husband feels the cold. 
I think I'm going to invest in a thermometer for the living room to see how warm it gets and stays, especially since we have pet reptiles too. They have their basking lights on in the day so that takes off a bit of the cold. 
I am hoping for a nice day that I can get blankets and things out and drying. 
I have cut back the hedge out the front of the house.
I am looking into and trying to figure out what I can grow in the greenhouse at the minute and over winter to help get us by because due to everything going on - I began rearranging and improving the garden but the actual growing side never quite happened along with crummy weather and just not having time. I do still have some cucumbers, courgettes, carrots, potatoes that are all growing still. 
I have a tub of blackberries in the freezer still to use up before I start to fill it with new blackberries so I may take them out and get them cooked up later into a jam of some sort because I have lemon to use up too. 
There are lots of berries on the bushes here though and no one wants to face the welsh weather to pick them so I will get a good few tubs. I have seen a blackberry cough medicine to make up as well that I want to try. 
I really do need to start taking stock of what's in the cupboards, defrost the small freezer compartment in our fridge and start making plans to restock the store cupboard that we ate down to have a clear out from.
Seems like I have a fair bit to get started on! 
I also need to book a flu jab now that I'm diabetic and I think husband who is asthmatic could  probably benefit from one too.  

Plus I think i might have to think about a car/van bag or box too. We brought a van and husband uses it for work. He only works about 20-30 minutes car ride from our home but its mostly motorways or small twisty lanes. Both of which could be a bit of a problem is weather took a turn and more often or not hes taking our son in and home with him. So I think I might make a box with things like sleeping bags, food/water, torch/lantern, some cash in an envelope etc just incase. I wonder if I can find a small stove too that they could have noodles etc if they had to stay camped up for the night somewhere or if roads were blocked.

Wednesday2000

Laura_Elsewhere said:

@Wednesday2000, gosh aren't we all different?! Our bedroom drops to around 11ºC overnight in winter, partly because we have the window open in all but the most bitter weather - I can't imagine trying to sleep with windows closed and over 19 degrees...!

If we all liked the same things, they'd sell no tins of mixed biscuits, as the saying goes...  

It is due to my underactive thyroid as well as my house. The cold didn't used to bother me at all when I was younger and it is worse now I'm on my thyroid medication.

YorksLass

I've no idea what the temperature is in our bedroom but it faces south and gets a lot of sun (when it deigns to appear) so doesn't feel too bad, even with the window open all year round.  However, I know it won't be too long before DH is asking for flannelette sheets rather than cotton!   

Floss

I always sleep with a window open, even when freezing & snowy. I still have the 5-tog duvet on my bed but with a fleecy blanket nearby that I can pull on top if chilly - but I don't wear anything in bed unless it is very very cold or I'm unwell. 

Floss

sammy_kaye18 said:

  
I also need to book a flu jab now that I'm diabetic and I think husband who is asthmatic could  probably benefit from one too.  

Your hubby should get one through his GP if he's registered as asthmatic.

sammy_kaye18

Floss said:

sammy_kaye18 said:

  
I also need to book a flu jab now that I'm diabetic and I think husband who is asthmatic could  probably benefit from one too.  

Your hubby should get one through his GP if he's registered as asthmatic.

Thanks Floss.
I shall look into it tomorrow for him. 

weenancyinAmerica

@sammy_kaye18 - oh my, what a year you have had. (((Hugs))) Hope everything gets better soon.

sammy_kaye18

Well today has been a nice sunny day. 
Myself and my husband are celebrating 21 years of being together, and later in the month on the 26th will be our 9 year wedding anniversary so I have been following the traditional gifts and this year is pottery so I am going to get him a little pottery wheel as his gift (I love crafting too so I think it will get plenty of use!) 

Anyway with todays weather being nice I am going to take time to swap over my wardrobes and get the knitted items freshened up and dried on the line and then hang them in my room so I have cosy layers on hand. I also have a load of wool that I am planning to find out so I can start learning to crochet to make a few blankets.

Apparently we have some warmer days coming next week so I think Ill use them to wash and dry all the blankets in the house and get them ready downstairs for snuggling on the sofa with. I need to find some sort of blanket box or ottoman to keep them in because if they get left on the sofa then they will be taken over by the wolf pack who also reside in my house! 

I'm also looking for some places for knitted socks. My husband really feels the cold and I brought him some Fair Isle socks last Christmas and he loved them and said that they actually help with his sore feet and ankles form his arthritis. 

My mother in law also gave me a few boxes of tea bags earlier - she was sent the wrong ones with her food shop and my 19yo son has turned into a right little teapot lately. I have put them aside in my store cupboard since I have some already. I also have a flask which I'm thinking on colder mornings he can fill up and take with him as he walks into town to the train station. 

London_1

Well I'm in north Kent (the Medway area ) and although at lunchtime the sun was out and its not cold there's just been a huge storm   My Grandson said the whole of their ground floor has flooded as their road has flooded, and they are around 20 foot away from the road as well, but its apparently been a flash flood there.I just looked in the conservatory and all is well but I checked upstairs to make sure there's no water ingress from the roof . All I can here are sirens at the moment so goodness knows how everyone in our little town is faring. Thankfully I am dry and had no water damage but my youngest DDs house is a four bed town house and they have about three inches of water in the whole of the ground floor area.Their dogs are getting stressed as is my son-in-law and my grandson who is home from London for the weekend to go to a pals wedding . He just rang to make sure I'm Ok bless him. About 3-4 inches of rain fell in less than an hour and they live at the bottom of a hill, although a good distance from the road itself and a small square. !!! The drains apparently just couldn't cope. I've just gone to the back of my house and the conservatory is dry and its not even raining now weird weather here in Kent as we are forecast a week of sunshine from tomorrow 

I hope no one else is suffering with this weird storm

JackieO xx