Preparing for Winter V

missyrichards

I've read a few times that the El Nino means we should be getting cold weather and snow this winter.

I had a brainwave about my cat and went to look for my dog's old jumper from when she was a puppy.

I thought I might have got rid of it with my ruthless decluttering, lol, but I found it at the bottom of the pet box.

I didn't know whether to put it on my cat or not so I sort of draped the jumper over her and she hasn't moved away so she must like it.:A

greenbee

Nicki - Talk to your landlady about getting an extractor fan fitted - it would be better for the house from her perspective too. Give DD a time limit on showers too, and make sure she opens the windows and shuts the door when she gets out.

As for the dog, you definitely need to get the behaviour sorted - you don't want him to end up attacking someone. Are there training/obedience classes locally you could take him to? Also ask on the pets board about strategies and tactics.

We've never allowed dogs on the furniture - they stay firmly on the floor. With big dogs this makes a lot of sense... cuddle are fun when they are puppies. As they get bigger they're not - stroking, tummy rubs etc when they are on the floor are fine. Jumping up is absolutely not OK, and they have to sit/stay/go to their bed regardless of how excited they are. I also have a low tolerance for barking, so they tend not to...

Re. storing bread and milk. Neither are essential, so don't worry if you run out. Be creative As long as you have SOME food - and there are others that are much easier to store than these.

nicki_2

Our nearest class is by DD's school and I can't afford them atm. I still need to get him snipped and his jabs from scratch. When he first arrived things were up in the air for nearly 2 months as I got very ill literally the same day he arrived, then it was the school holidays and then I had a house full of workmen so setting the ground rules didn't happen. I'm reading Cesar Milans books and implementing his approaches as I can, but I'm having to re-train DD at the same time. She said the other day she's fed up of him always getting under her feet and jumping up to see her, she rarely walks him (when she does she has the lead so short he ends up getting under her feet and then she yells at him for that), she rags him over to her for hugs etc (something I've told her not to do repeatedly) them moans when he wants to lie next to her and I have to remind her repeatedly to feed him every day :mad: She loves him and plays with him but the novelty has definitely worn off for her, so I've told her either her attitude towards him improves or I'll rehome him for his sake. I'm just glad I didn't get a smaller dog as she would probably have injured it by now either standing/sitting on it or pulling it around to much.

shanks77

chirpychick wrote: »

We have only a small house but I really want to stock up a little for the Winter as we usually run on empty most of the time.
Our freezer is small.
What do you do for bread? Buy and freeze? buy ingredients to make your own? keep part bake bread?
Also milk does UHT taste the same?

I use UHT milk all the time and have done for many many years. I only use the skimmed milk and find that it is absolutely fine for cooking with and for having in tea and coffee however, you may want to upgrade to a semiskimmed milk or higher if you are using it for drinking or putting on cereal as I do find that it can taste a little bit watery otherwise. I am used to it now so happily use it on my porridge et cetera but for others it may be a step too far
HTH xx

KnittaPlease

Definitely felt a bit nippy this morning. Have got all the throws and blankets aired and folded up on the sofas ready to be snuggled under. The back door thermal curtain is up and is making a noticeable difference already.


We have a great store cupboard in ready for "the dread winter", so am ready for it! I think...

CurlyTop

mardatha wrote: »

Bear in mind that you can buy full size gorgeous LPG gas cookers, that's what I use. Not an Aga (god I wish) but just an ordinary cooker. This is mine, and the fitter only took £80 to install it. Handy for places like here, where there is no gas.
http://www.cannoncooking.co.uk/products/carrick-cooker.shtml
Handy also for people who want to break away from the big energy companies and their bad service and high monthly payments!

Ooh Mardatha, a girl after my own heart, I too have this cooker. Purchased when I was finally debt free and have a large ppi payment. Replaces my rubbish old Be****g. Wouldn't have another one of those ever. I'd take my chances rubbing sticks together first!!!

Real warhorse and reliable

babyblooz

I remember reading somewhere about using a gas barbecue if you have a power cut and can't cook any other way. Obviously it has to be used outside but if power cuts look likely it might be worth moving it closer to the house just in case.

And I always bring my plastic snow shovel into the house in case snow comes overnight. I hide it behind the long curtains in the dining room. All this talk of the snow coming from the East reminds me of the last time that happened. We opened our door and were met with a wall of snow about four foot high! THAT'S why I bring it indoors now lol! :rotfl::rotfl::rotfl:

Not fun at all, fighting your way into the shed with the snow coming over the top of your wellies.

greenbee

mardatha wrote: »

Bear in mind that you can buy full size gorgeous LPG gas cookers, that's what I use. Not an Aga (god I wish) but just an ordinary cooker. This is mine, and the fitter only took £80 to install it. Handy for places like here, where there is no gas.
http://www.cannoncooking.co.uk/products/carrick-cooker.shtml
Handy also for people who want to break away from the big energy companies and their bad service and high monthly payments!

I want an Aga too But when (eventually) I get the kitchen done I'll be putting in an LPG hob, as we have no mains gas and I hate electric hobs.

However, for anyone who does have mains gas, LPG is a very expensive option. It is usually more expensive than oil (although that isn't saying much at the moment... for once oil is pretty much as cheap as mains gas!) which is why oil is still so common for heating away from the gas networks (I was going to say popular, but that's definitely not the right word!).

Rainy-Days

jim-jim wrote: »

Morning,
I've just spotted this in our Derbyshire newspaper (online) An early weather warning has been issued across the UK as experts forecast months of heavy snow in what is expected to be the worst winter in half-a-century.
):)

The Met Office and the rest of them have trouble getting the five day weather forecast right - never mind November and December! And what happened to the summer heatwave that was going to go on for at least a whole month in July? Then we were supposed to have the Indian Summer?

jim-jim

Hi, does anyone know if it is ok, to drill into upvc doors?

I'm wanting to fix a thermal blind onto it. Would this work as a substitute for a curtain, as it is impossible to fit a door curtain.

Thanks jim-jim x