Preparing for Winter

gailey_2

Katgoddess wrote: »

http://www.ikea.com/gb/en/catalog/products/90154371

Keep seeing these solar powered side lamps on the ikea home page.

http://www.littletrekkers.co.uk/ Still have a sale on. I brought a snowsuit for my toddler from there for less than half price.

Ohh im quite exited about those lamps wonder how muc electricity standard lamp uses up.
could do with 4 one each for every bedroom and one for lounge.
Hubby works out 1lamp costs us approx 24quid a year.

makes me feel better as private tennant cant have free solar panels on roof:o

twiglet98

The solar lights look interesting, do they give out proper light, not just a glow like the 'sun jar'?

My freezer is fairly well stocked at the moment, but I worry about losing it all if the power goes off for any length of time. My dear neighbour said recently that he now has two petrol generators, so I can borrow one for the freezer if we are cut off, bless him. We don't have gas - oil heating with an open fire, and electric cooking. We have an ancient caravan which was really just as a spare bedroom when the kids were teenagers, but its gas cooker has been a handy standby. Now under pressure to ditch the caravan to free up parking space, I bought a camping stove in Tesc for £9.99, under half price. Only one ring but better than nothing.

Must cut up the remaining logs in the barn, and get going on making paper briquettes this year. I really hope I'll be able to get a woodburner with doors to replace the open cast iron stove which is falling apart, but will probably spend so much on oil there'll be nothing left for such a luxury!

^!£$&

Hey guys update from moi been carbooting this weekend picked up really fab warm down gilet for me, one of the hand wamers talked about on here that you just click the disc (in the shape of little miss sunshine) & also picked up some lovely winter gloves for the grand total of £3!

marmiterulesok

Winchelsea wrote: »

I am sitting at my laptop with no electric light on, but have my trusty IKEA Sunnan lamp at my side, focussed on the keyboard. I have another one on my bedside cupboard for reading in bed. I just click the solar panels out and leave them on my south-facing windowsills every day.

On a dull day the brightness goes faster, but when sunny I get about 3 hours bright light. I'm sure my leccy bills are down since I bought them.

This is the first I've heard about solar powered lamps,thanks!It sounds very interesting,I might get one.

csarina

twiglet98 wrote: »

The solar lights look interesting, do they give out proper light, not just a glow like the 'sun jar'?

Must cut up the remaining logs in the barn, and get going on making paper briquettes this year. I really hope I'll be able to get a woodburner with doors to replace the open cast iron stove which is falling apart, but will probably spend so much on oil there'll be nothing left for such a luxury!

Have a look at Country Kiln website, I have just ordered a multifuel stove from them for £199 its 8KW and burns both wood and other fuels. If you can afford it get yourself an ecofan, which will push heat out form the room into the rest of the house, info on CK's web page.

Winged_one

We managed to get a really good rain proof coat (a good ski jacket really) for DD for school when on hols - the posh shop at a major tourist attraction was selling off old stock and we got exactly what we were looking for, expecting to pay €80-100 for it, at only €39!! And we also got a GOOD fleece jacket for ehr as well, for only €7! So we are delighted, as she is now sorted for school etc.

I also harvested my supply of onions, shallots and garlic last week while I was still off. They are currently in the garden drying out before I put them in the shed for winter use. I got another decent bag of peas as well, which I froze as I had so much fresh veg to use (and peas freeze well whereas summer squashes are more tempermental!). There were quite a few red and a couple of yellow onions which bolted due to the dryness earlier this summer, so I will make a batch of onion chutney some evening this week with those as they don't tend to keep well otherwise.

We are planning on heading to the ILs for the coming weekend - and DH has asked his mum to check the damson tree during the week for ripeness. Neither she nor any of her neighbours use them, so some years we gather whatever is there for jam or other uses. And I hope to get some blackberrying as well. (We'll get sloes also but they are for our Sept visit, I'd reckon). I just used half of my last bag of blackberries for a blackberry and apple pie on Friday, so between some for freezer and a load more jam, I will have plenty of uses for them!

I have anthoer few pine cones gathered too for the fire, but I reckon this might be the last year I'll have my plot so that will also go next winter. It's just too much work and too far away from the house, with access too difficult. So we'll just intensify the growing in the garden instead (and DH suggested talking nicely to his mum to use some of her unused and unseen parts of the large garden she has for my onions, potatoes and perhaps some pumpkins and/or brassicas, as we are there once a month and that's plenty for tending those). If I do give it up, I'll also take a lot of the fruit bushes and the rhubarb as well, and give those to MIL too.

BigMummaF

calleyw wrote: »

....make some window quilts....not sure how to to secure it to the window and how to secure to the wire/pole that is used....

Not sure what you are after, but some ideas are:-
sew some ribbons or lengths of material at intervals along the top edge of the quilt to make, in effect, tab top curtains
turn a hem along the top edge of the quilt but leave the ends open to thread a wire or pole through
sew a wider length of material along the top edge of the quilt, then turn it to make the 'hem as before

To put them up at the window, either:-
use curtain poles
use a broom handle on some large cup hooks
use that covered curtain wire mainly used for nets, but make sure it can take the weight

Just some ideas..

Frugaldom

Well done on getting the logburner, csarina. Mine's being fitted this Wednesday, hopefully. Most of the cost was taken up buying all the bits & pieces, chimney liner kit etc, which cost twice the actual stove price.

NualaBuala

I love your old burner Csarina but bet your new setup will be great too. Would love to have one ... some day!

It's warmer today so I'm feeling less "wintry" today but might get back into my sock knitting today.

csarina

Frugaldom wrote: »

Well done on getting the logburner, csarina. Mine's being fitted this Wednesday, hopefully. Most of the cost was taken up buying all the bits & pieces, chimney liner kit etc, which cost twice the actual stove price.

Thankfully we only need a short piece of pipe our chimney is fine, does not leak smoke.

We noe have a large hole where the old stove was, I was right there are distinct signs that there was once a range in the sitting room, the hearth is much bigger than the hole we have uncovered, we did knco a couple of brinks out and could see quite a big space behind, I was tempted to tell them to knock it back but looking at the mess, decided just to leave things as they were.

My biggest cost will be the plasterer and chap fitting the stove. Not looking ofrard to that, we will also have to change the carpet ay some point, taking the stove, fireplace and side unit out has left us short of a piece of carpet under where the TV stands. It will have to wait for some time till I can afford to do something with the floor, whether its carpet or wooden floor!!