Preparing for Winter

Dustykitten

Thanks to all on this thread. I need to have a good read later.

First plans are:
Make draft excluder for the the front door.
Investigate insulating the roof of the loft
Perfect making regular bread.

Food and clothes I'll look into in September once the kids are back at school

sb44

Broomstick wrote: »

Thanks sb44. It sounds as if our kitchen door is similar to yours and that your solution is the sensible one.

Are the telescopic rails a bit like the temporary stairgates for toddlers? If so, does that mean they are not fixed in and don't leave a mark? Can they take the weight of a full-length fleece curtain? Please say yes!!! That may be the solution... off to try and find where on earth our Argos catalogue has got to.

B x

This is the one below, you just turn it one way to extend then the opposite to lock it at that length. They just fit between your walls in the shower and stay up themselves, there is nothing to fit them onto. I would say it would hold the weight of a fleece as they hold the weight of wet shower curtains which can be quite heavy.
http://www.argos.co.uk/static/Product/partNumber/8312996/Trail/searchtext%3ESHOWER+RAIL.htm

sb44

Broomstick wrote: »

Thanks sb44. It sounds as if our kitchen door is similar to yours and that your solution is the sensible one.

Are the telescopic rails a bit like the temporary stairgates for toddlers? If so, does that mean they are not fixed in and don't leave a mark? Can they take the weight of a full-length fleece curtain? Please say yes!!! That may be the solution... off to try and find where on earth our Argos catalogue has got to.

B x

I'm thinking of getting another to use across the box room to use as a clothes rail to replace one of those normal hanging clothes rails. The room is narrower than the length of the bath so I know it should fit.

sb44

I am going to buy some thermal underwear again for my 11 year old as the old 'long johns' were a godsend last year when she was in the garden building her snow woman. She has grown out of them now but they are easy enough to get hold of at the minute on the market, they won't be if I leave it too long though as they sell out really quickly as the weather turns.

gailey_2

eeyorerules wrote: »

Watch out for the berries on the hawthorn hedges and if its a bumper crop (as it was last year) then its time to get prepared. I noticed last year that the amount of berries was exceptional!!!

What berries.

Im already harvesting cherries, plums and blackberries like little squirrel to see me through winter.

wondering what else to pick rosehip, sloes.seen others but unsure.

mennie

last year we didnt get out the house for 6 days and we coped just about but we were cold and have the heating up full blast. We were lucky we had no power cuts, but in past winters have gone with out leccy for 1 full week.

I need to do the following

• Buy stick on velcro dots and fleecy blankets and line all my curtains with the blankets
• Buy loads of table salt
• make two draught excluders - with one old thick pair of tights
• Stockpile the following - tinned foods, pasta, tea, coffee, rice, cous cous, bread making items, beans, squash, noodles, sugar
• Check the halogens still work
• Convince DH of the benefits of thermals
• Get winter boots
• Stockpile cold and flu remedies
• Maybe get/make a coat for the dog
• Make sure I have a load of charged batteries for torches.
• Make Sloe/damson/rasp gin and vodka for those cold nights
• Make up an emergency box for the car
• Buy a cheap/2nd hand big flask - ours is quite small.

I already have

• Hundreds of candles and matches
• Gas hob and heating
• Thick curtains to replace the summer ones
• 3 hot water bottles
• Lots of scarves, gloves, hats, wraps
• A full freezer, rarely run it down, always make extra for the freezer and never have less than 3 weeks meals in it.
• Wind up torch and other various torches
• Books, board games and jigsaws in case of power cuts
• Masses of toiletries and cleaning stuff.
• Bubble wrap - not sure what to use it for though???

Any more suggestions are appreciated............

csarina

lilac_lady wrote: »

Thermal underwear is the key to cosiness during a cold spell. I even bought longjohns and I couldn't believe what a difference I felt when wearing.

Knowing that we were going to be moving back to Scotland earlier this year I bought 3 sets of thermals, long johns and sleeveless vests from ebay, they kept me snug and warm. I also got 2 more lightweight fleece zip up jackets. They dry very quickly and we wear them instead of cardigans. OH still has several lambswool jumpers I bought him when we were working and I have a couple of lambswool caridgans too.;)

I suffer very badly with cold feet, I found that a pair of heavy duty thermal walking socks I bought years ago were just the thing to wear over a pair of light cotton socks. I tuck the bottom of my trousers into them. No cold bits of leg in between.:D I have worn them several times during the summer too when its been chilly. I have loooked in the camping shops to try and get more, but they do not seem to make them any more, shame.:eek:

We each have a fleece on our chairs so we can wrap them round our legs when we sit at night.

I have stock piled cartons of stock in the freezer so I can make soup, I have a large stock pot and 3/4 full it makes enough soup to last us a week. I find that the pressure cooker comes in very handy too especiallt for cooking stews etc, 20 minutes and its done, just have to thicken the gravy divide it into two, one to eat one fro the freezer, job dome. I also use it to cook beans, saves the pot being on the stove for hours.

UnluckyT

hi all, im a complete newbie to this and after last year with snow etc i tough id better try and do what i can to help myself.
what can you suggest? ive already got a couple of fleecy blankets, started stocking up on carton milk. not very good at sewing/cooking etc but will need to get some sort of 'curtain' for my balcony door as it looks like i can get away with using that wire with the metal 'eyes' as thiers a curtain rail with a couple of hooks above it, the same in my bathroom too.
thanks.

kezlou

i'm off to the car boot sale on sunday, we haven't been for a while and the kids love mooching about. So should be fun, gailey you did really well with your booty.
I'm quite lucky as the market, although it is very small, there is a stall which sells thermals in the winter, and they quite reasonable. I bought my two pairs of long johns, 2 + 4 pairs socks and vests for about £12. So i'll be heading there for ours.

As for stocking up well, lets just say, i live in an urban town (were trying again for city status) of about 500,000 but i can't help be worry. The council did a fantastic job keeping the main roads open, the side streets not a chance. It was more than lethal here over in the north east. As soon as the snow came, thawed a bit, then froze over night. It was an link ice rink, but we all loved it. Making snowpeeps, sledging, it was great.
But the supermarkets were running out of milk, bread, fresh food. Even the flour stocks were emptying, simply because the wagons couldn't get through to us. so i'm stocking up regardless, as 1) it might be bad , 2) our employment might dry up.

I've just finished making one curtain for the door, got enough material for one more. DS1 has asked me to make him some curtains for his room, so will get the material from the market tomorrow. His room is the coldest room in the house. Last year he had two duvets, hot water bottle and a thick blanket on his bed and you still see your breath:eek:.

Broomstick

Thank you so much sb44. Looks like you've solved a problem for us!

B x