Preparing for Winter V

Fruball

SuzeQStan said:

MrsCD said:

@SuzeQStan, the tree is a work in progress, and will take a while to do. 

Just a thought and it might come to nothing but have you tried advertising the tree on the free sites (olio, free cycle etc) to see if there is anyone who would cut it down and cart it away for the wood? Sometimes conifer wood is a struggle though as it’s not as sought after for burning.

I thought the same.  I have an open fire and funds are tight so free wood is always a bonus even if I have to store it for a year to season before use. 

weenancyinAmerica

Can you advertise for furniture makers to see if they want to come and use slices for table tops? Maybe they can come up with some creative ideas to use it up.

MrsCD

Thanks for the ideas everyone. The trunks are only about 8 inches across so probably no good to use for table tops, but I'll see if our friend still wants them first. They're not taking much room where they are so we'll wait until there's enough to be worth filling the car and take them to his farm, for a day out! 

Laura_Elsewhere

A house on the other side of the communal carpark from us had a conifer cut down this summer- we hadn't realised how much light it blocked in our top-floor flat until it had gone! The cherry-picker they used had a maximum reach of twenty-four metres, and they couldn't reach the absolute top from it- they reckoned a full eighty foot tall... and it had once been a hedge so it was only at the end of a small suburban garden! I bet that house can't believe how much light and cold winds it now gets!  

We finally got round to doing the bedroom window, having smugly done the sitting-room ones ages ago: cleaned all round the seals on frame and window with a dry brush, getting every bit of muck and cobweb out, and then swabbed down the outside frame and sill, and finally scoured the glass outside and in, using an old non-scratch washing up scrubby-sponge-thing (I use a newish one for glassware, then it gets demoted to general washing-up and a new one for glasses; eventually they are demoted further to floors and draining-boards, and finally they end up doing the outside of windows and the cr-wheels and so on, before finally being chucked. I want to switch to non-plastic ones but at present the ones I've tried haven't worked wlel for me, so I just try to make them last as long as possible- I think I probably use 2-3 a year which isn't too bad). 

I have finished knitting a squishy brioche-stitch infinity-scarf for Canada Niece, and have almost finished an equally-squishy brioche-stitch cowl for Younger Niece- both using odd high-end yarn I've kept for years, cashmere, silk, etc., so very lightweight and soft but incredibly warm... I'm also repairing my elderly father's beloved and derelict Chinese silk jacket that he lives in for much of the year... so when we drive to stay in a couple of weeks they will all be warmer  

luvchocolate

I have 1 window in the lounge which there is always a draft..they are double glazed and have trickle vents..usually at this time of year I put clear wide sellotape around the opening..makes a great difference. 
I have blinds and curtains. 
It's housing association property so this works 

SuzeQStan

luvchocolate said:

I have 1 window in the lounge which there is always a draft..they are double glazed and have trickle vents..usually at this time of year I put clear wide sellotape around the opening..makes a great difference. 
I have blinds and curtains. 
It's housing association property so this works 

Great idea!  I’ve used a lot of duct & insulation  tape this year for winter prep on the floors (duct tape bridging the gap between floor boards and insulate tape under the skirting boards) and insulate tape on windows doors & loft hatch but never thought about backing that up with sellotape on the windows - nice one thank you I shall give that a go 👍🏻😊

Floss

Please note that if you tape up trickle vents so your home doesn't have adequate ventilation & damp or mould are found, you may put your tenancy at risk.

Laura_Elsewhere

I was just signing-in to post the same as @Floss - the trickle vents are a legal requirement for tenancies, private or housing associations, and taping them over could well be viewed the same as disabling a smoke alarm, ie against the terms of the tenancy agreement.

Most trickle vents can be partially closed for colder weather and if they're really a problem then your HA should inspect them to check they're installed correctly.