Preparing for Winter V

Rainy-Days

Crikey - this thread has really motored along since I was last in :eek::T

Anyhoo, this morning trotted off down to Homebase and got some garden furniture paint stripper and also Sadolin wood preserver. Need a really fine and warm day for this to be done and its grey, and quite overcast at the moment!

Got my late mums garden seat to be done, the bird table and also the patio table and chairs. I should get this done in a few hours as the paint stripper only takes 30 minutes to clear the old stuff.

Planted up some of the Autumn/Winter display tubs by the front door. Gave that area a good wash down yesterday with hot soapy water. Took one of the summer tubs away and put it in the back garden. I am not going to get rid of the summer pots until later this month - just want to try and hold onto that colour for a wee bit longer! Had a big cut back in the garden, shaped up some conifers and other big bushes. The Rowan tree is laden with berries!

All the coats, hats and scarfs are done. Boots and shoes are also dealt with as well as new slippers and washed dressing gowns.

It won't be too much longer before I swop the cotton sheets over for the brushed ones - trying to hold off until the end of this month as well for those.

Got the oil delivery pencilled in for the end of November - it's a top up and will last through until the begining of March.

Final thing will be dealing with the cars!

[Deleted User]

Just had the boiler serviced and the sweep is coming for the woodstove chimney later this month, woodstore is looking healthy, homemade preserves and freezers groaning with homegrown produce too. Nice to see crops finishing and the plots being cleared and dug over, it's starting to feel very much like Autumn out there isn't it?

nicki_2

Discovered why my house was so warm last winter. Cannabis farm next door :eek:

candlelight_2013

We had one of those a few years ago.

I used to lie in bed and say to Himself can you hear that humming noise, and he couldn't. Evidently it was the fans or something that they use.

You never know what is going on next door, do you?

Candlelightx

nicki_2

I could hear the humming, the sweeping up and feel that the walls were warm. I just thought that since the bloke I thought was living there was always in a t-shirt that he liked to keep his house hot (I have a friend who keeps his house at 25C or above all year!) or there were vivariums against the wall or a massive TV or something and the reason he was sweeping was he was too cheap to buy a vacuum and its all laminate in there. Now I know better.

greenbee

Rainy-Days - I've just had my oil delivery (well most of it... the tanker didn't have enough left, so it's due out tomorrow with another 300 litres or so) at 32p/litre so it might be worth booking a delivery sooner unless you can fix the price now. This time two years ago (when I moved in) it was around 56p/litre!

I can't have the boiler serviced until they've finished working on the plumbing which is slightly irritating as I'll probably hit the busy period, but the magnacleanse will need emptying after the new radiators and pipes are in rather than before. And I'm not sure I can cope with the sweep in the house at the same time as the builders (guess I should check when it's due to be done again).

I need to order coal, so have to find out the capacity of the coal bunker before I order it.

Other than that, windows have been painted and are being sealed this week. I need to get some more draft strip (external) put on the doors when they are painted. Attic is now completely empty of insulation, but should be done in the next coupld of weeks. And I'm rearranging the curtains (nearly all of them are interlined) and looking at where I should put blinds behind them.

I'm having some electric underfloor heating put in as the floors are done - bathrooms definitely, and possibly my office. Just in case I ever run out of oil..

Gonzo1987

May I join? I need to get my bum into gear and get ourselves sorted!

I need to order double glazing film for the living room & kitchen windows.
Find and order porthole bungs for the bedroom
Put up a curtain to help with the draft out of the hatch in the bedroom
Stock up on coal & Logs for the fire
Empty the bilge of water before we get freezing temps
Put the cover on the back of the boat to give us extra storage options
Fill up water tank
Try and stock up on tinned goods as we'll be cut off from the world if the weather gets really bad!
oh, try and find a way to double glaze or some way of stopped the draught out the houdini hatch

(we live on a boat, it's going to be our first winter on the river!)

SpikyHedgehog

Gonzo1987 wrote: »

May I join? I need to get my bum into gear and get ourselves sorted!

I need to order double glazing film for the living room & kitchen windows.
Find and order porthole bungs for the bedroom
Put up a curtain to help with the draft out of the hatch in the bedroom
Stock up on coal & Logs for the fire
Empty the bilge of water before we get freezing temps
Put the cover on the back of the boat to give us extra storage options
Fill up water tank
Try and stock up on tinned goods as we'll be cut off from the world if the weather gets really bad!
oh, try and find a way to double glaze or some way of stopped the draught out the houdini hatch

(we live on a boat, it's going to be our first winter on the river!)

I'd never heard of a houdini hatch, so googled it

What I do with the window in my downstairs loo is sellotape bubble wrap to it, which helps keep it warmer in there. I also use double sided sticky tape to fix strips of bubble wrap around my front door, overlapping the door frame. It can still be opened easily, but it really helps with the drafts! Don't know if either might help?

Popped in T3sco Express on the way home as I had to post letters for work in the post office cunningly located in the T Express. They had tinned apricots in juice half price to clear with Dec 2016 as the date, so I picked up 6 for the winter stash, and didn't get any of the mandarins in juice also reduced as they're a smaller tin, and I had enough to carry with 6 apricot tins.

mrs_motivated

We had a new boiler fitted in the spring and I've just put the heating on for half an hour (just for testing purposes of course)��.....I have to say the difference between the new one and the old one is amazing.


So at least we shall be warm this winter and hopefully save some money as the new one is much more efficient

muffin_man_7

LB29 wrote: »

Sorry I completely forgot about this. The brushed cotton ones are lovely. They seem thick enough and are really soft. I'm pleased with them

Lb no need to apologise were all busy with one thing or another thanks for the update looks like I'll be getting some new bedding very soon then all I ll need is a mattress and I'll be sorted .

I'm still no closer to downsizing yet I just hope it's not too much longer cos I'm limited to what prepping I can do with having to move I've decided to get extra food because it will not just help over winter but also for a few days while I straighten the new place so on my next trip to town I'll be getting the bedding and long life milk it's down to 49p in aldi atm and my fave soup is from there too
I did get some of the windows film you tape over windows and shrink with a hairdryer from £land