Preparing for Winter V

SuzeQStan

I didn’t think that @luvchocolate meant taping up the t vents, but rather the gap between the window and the frame itself?  Unless I’ve misunderstood entirely which is always possible with me!

windows get opened in AM here too - and if there’s something this house isn’t short of it’s draughts 🤣

luvchocolate

SuzeQStan said:

I didn’t think that @luvchocolate meant taping up the t vents, but rather the gap between the window and the frame itself?  Unless I’ve misunderstood entirely which is always possible with me!

windows get opened in AM here too - and if there’s something this house isn’t short of it’s draughts 🤣

Absolutely correct it's just the opening part on 1 window. 
I love having windows open and at 9am my bedroom windows are open and will stay open until around 3pm. 
Bathroom and kitchen are are open a couple of inches at all time. 
No heating on yet lovely sunny morning 

luvchocolate

Laura_Elsewhere said:

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. 

I never close the trickle vents and certainly wouldn't tape them up. 
As I said it's one windows in the property. 
I do not agree with plugging every hole..properties need to breath. 
Thank you for your advice though 

sammy_kaye18

Fruball said:

sammy_kaye18 said:

Right I need to start getting myself focused with winter coming
Today has felt like there was a definite nip in the air and I get the feeling that its going to go cold quite quickly. 

I'm currently debating whether to put up a metal rod shed with a canvas cover near my backdoor so I can roll up the canvas cover to just make a roof, and then use it to dry clothes under if the weather is bad. 

I have done nothing in my house accept put up the door curtain that goes from the living room to the kitchen, and brought down two large blankets to get washed and dried before the wet weather returns. 
So I need to sit and write a list of things to do and get sorted / started. 
Im also trying to get the garden prepared and tidied before winter strikes and it gets completely out of hand, with all the help Ive given my MIL this year , my poor garden looks like the house has been abandoned. 

I also would like to pick your wonderful ladies brains please. 

My MIL has a conservatory.
My son has just fixed the roof with some silicone so its back to being waterproof again but it doesn't have a form of heating or lighting in there. 
Now my in laws bred and raised budgies in an aviary but when Storm Darragh hit, it tore part of the roof away and we saved the remaining budgies. Now there is 5 left currently who are in a cage in the conservatory and it appears my MIL has developed an allergy to them but cant face getting rid of them as they were her late husbands (he died a year ago on the 19th) and she usually puts the cage in the conservatory but has to move them into the kitchen overnight in case it gets cold. So come winter they will be spending more time in the kitchen so her allergies will play up. 
Does anyone have any idea of ways I can keep the conservatory at a cosy temperature (think in the aviary they were getting down to 5 degrees before a heater kicked in), without using candles (bad for budgies) and that wont run her electric bill through the roof? 

Hey Sammy_Kaye!  Hope you are well.  I remember you as one of the regulars on this thread back in the day!  How old are your kiddies now?  They were very little when I was a frequenter on this thread!  Mine were too but have left for Uni etc now.

With the budgies, would a dehumidifier help keep the conservatory warmer? I know it worked for mine when I had one. 
Maybe a greenhouse heater just to keep the chill off?  

Anyone know if the lovely Scottish lady is still on the boards?  I can't remember her name but always saw her avatar/name and thought "mad Arthur" She lived in the highlands from memory and I loved her posts. We are going back a few years as I have been AWOL for some time. 

Hello Fruball
I remember you! I wsa just a little one when we started on these boards. I had just had my son when I joined back in 2004! He is now 21 and my daughter is 15! So not so little anymore and I am definitely not one of the youngest on the boards now! Not going by the amount of grey hairs that seem to have snuck up on me lately. 

Oh a greenhouse heater might be a good idea - I may look into that for her

sammy_kaye18

Well today was tackling little jobs. 

I saw on the news that last night that Storm Benjamin is making its way to us and we have a lovely yellow weather warning n place again - oh the joys of living on my little mountain top near the sea - so the last few days I have been looking, planning and doing jobs around the house and garden to make sure things are alright. 

My polytunnel took a hammering in the last high winds we had so I went out today and removed the cover - I have nothing in there atm as I spent so much time sorting my MIL house and garden, so the cover is off for me to repair later and then used zip ties to fix some of the poles back together because the nuts and bolts had wobbled loose! So now thats back together and I have the cover safe. 

I have also tidied up the front garden although I will bungee the bin in place so thats not knocked over etc and stays put. 

Also been to MIL today and had someone out to fit new windows on the front of her house because the double glazing had blown and then tomorrow Ill go over and bleed her radiators for her to make sure they are working as they should be. 

Yesterday I made Potato and Leek Soup and put 3 portions in the freezer and had some for last nights tea. Tonight Im using up some pork mince and left over stuffing. I am busy trying to fill the freezers at the minute with some homemade bits and reduce my food waste. 

I have been seeing some little birds about the place though who are obviously hungry and looking for food. 

Other jobs to do this week
- secure bin and recycling bags
- find out and charge power bank
- find out candles for living room
- find out blankets for sofas

SuzeQStan

Good reminder to get outdoors a bit more secure thanks @sammy_kaye18

and about the hungry wee birds - I’ve just checked and the food we put out at the weekend is already gone! So am on seed duty imminently - we put cable ties on the feeders just so the squirrels don’t tip them out and ruin the fun for everyone.  We don’t mind the squirrels and bigger birds feeding - they need to eat too - but I like to keep it fair for everyone.

sammy_kaye18

Yeah I love feeding the birds but next door to us doesn't keep her garden very clean and I worry because bigger birds were knocking the feed on the floor and we had a rat at one point so I stopped feeding them but this little robin is pulling at my heart strings so I think I will get some suet pellets, seed etc and maybe put a squirrel and hopefully rat deterrent bowl thing on the stem so they cant climb up. I do have a seed feeder that's stuck on the window too for smaller birds. 

Also been to MIL again today and checked her boiler and radiator which all seem to be working well and heating up lovely as well as her little electric fire in the living room if she just needs a little blast of heat to keep her warm but doesnt want the whole house on.

I think I might actually see if I can find her an electric blanket for when she is sat watching TV in the evening in her chair downstairs 

MrsCD

We used to feed the birds, but no matter what we used, there would be food on the ground, which attracted rats! We still have some neighbours who still feed the birds and we still see the occasional rat but we have locked boxes on the ground, in the garden, which take care of that problem. 😖
I don't cut the lawn so much now, and the 'flowers' that come have lovely seed heads which the birds love, especially goldfinches! I also have border plants which have good seeds for the birds, and shrubs with berries, so I don't feel the birds are missing out.
We've decided to bite the bullet and replace our ancient storage heaters. I'm hoping we will be warmer, as the new ones are more efficient, and save some money too.

Fruball

sammy_kaye18 said:

Fruball said:

sammy_kaye18 said:

Right I need to start getting myself focused with winter coming
Today has felt like there was a definite nip in the air and I get the feeling that its going to go cold quite quickly. 

I'm currently debating whether to put up a metal rod shed with a canvas cover near my backdoor so I can roll up the canvas cover to just make a roof, and then use it to dry clothes under if the weather is bad. 

I have done nothing in my house accept put up the door curtain that goes from the living room to the kitchen, and brought down two large blankets to get washed and dried before the wet weather returns. 
So I need to sit and write a list of things to do and get sorted / started. 
Im also trying to get the garden prepared and tidied before winter strikes and it gets completely out of hand, with all the help Ive given my MIL this year , my poor garden looks like the house has been abandoned. 

I also would like to pick your wonderful ladies brains please. 

My MIL has a conservatory.
My son has just fixed the roof with some silicone so its back to being waterproof again but it doesn't have a form of heating or lighting in there. 
Now my in laws bred and raised budgies in an aviary but when Storm Darragh hit, it tore part of the roof away and we saved the remaining budgies. Now there is 5 left currently who are in a cage in the conservatory and it appears my MIL has developed an allergy to them but cant face getting rid of them as they were her late husbands (he died a year ago on the 19th) and she usually puts the cage in the conservatory but has to move them into the kitchen overnight in case it gets cold. So come winter they will be spending more time in the kitchen so her allergies will play up. 
Does anyone have any idea of ways I can keep the conservatory at a cosy temperature (think in the aviary they were getting down to 5 degrees before a heater kicked in), without using candles (bad for budgies) and that wont run her electric bill through the roof? 

Hey Sammy_Kaye!  Hope you are well.  I remember you as one of the regulars on this thread back in the day!  How old are your kiddies now?  They were very little when I was a frequenter on this thread!  Mine were too but have left for Uni etc now.

With the budgies, would a dehumidifier help keep the conservatory warmer? I know it worked for mine when I had one. 
Maybe a greenhouse heater just to keep the chill off?  

Anyone know if the lovely Scottish lady is still on the boards?  I can't remember her name but always saw her avatar/name and thought "mad Arthur" She lived in the highlands from memory and I loved her posts. We are going back a few years as I have been AWOL for some time. 

Hello Fruball
I remember you! I wsa just a little one when we started on these boards. I had just had my son when I joined back in 2004! He is now 21 and my daughter is 15! So not so little anymore and I am definitely not one of the youngest on the boards now! Not going by the amount of grey hairs that seem to have snuck up on me lately. 

Oh a greenhouse heater might be a good idea - I may look into that for her

Yes!  I remember your little ones!  My big one is 33 now and has a little boy of his own so I am a Nana! ... and I love it!  The twins are 19 now and recently left    I miss them terribly.
You're all grown up now too!  I was 19 when I had my son so was also a young mum back in the day and really enjoyed reading your posts   You were way more money savvy than I ever was! 

Fruball

This thread is so quiet compared to how it used to be!  

It was one of my favourites so I would love to see it get busy again

Revelation - the central heating that wasn't working appears to be working upstairs (no funds to get someone out to look at it at the moment, potentially until March) so I am putting that on for an hour each evening so it isn't freezing cold when I go to bed!  

I have crossed off a few of my To Do items in my sig but still got plenty to do.  

DS came tonight to fit curtain pole but we didn't have the correct fittings so he is coming back later this week.  Will be great to have curtains up at the front window again as I feel a lot of heat is lost there.

I put the dishwasher on in the evening as that helps the kitchen not get too cold.

Found a 1ft tubular heater that I bought very cheaply on marketplace a few years ago so that should keep the kitchen pipes from freezing if/when it gets super cold.

Managed to find a reasonable log supplier so planning on getting a tonne delivered as soon as I have a dry area to store it.