Preparing for Winter

Patchwork_Quilt

Made myself a comforting fire in the stove today from garden trimmings and just a little bit of smokeless coal. Have my new cast -iron teapot on the top to see if the water will get hot enough for a cuppa.

NualaBuala

Patchwork, I am soooo jealous!

It's quite mild here again today, in fact lovely when the sun is out. But the evenings and mornings are cooler. Still have the light duvet on though.

That's a bit freaky mardatha . weather gone mad!

sexki11en

Athome1 wrote: »

I can't speak for the rest of the country but they are big and plump hereabouts. I did wonder if they'd be small and dry after all the sun and lack of rain but we've picked about 6lbs (over 4 days - when dog walking) so far. I think they are very early this year!

They are very early. So early, that over here they're starting to turn on the bushes already!

I cannot believe how chilly it is here today in the Southwest. My feet are cold in my fleecy primark socks:eek: Will have to dig out my bootee slippers soon lol. We don't have much to do for winter this year thankfully after all the measures we took last year (glad we did as we lost heating & hot water for a week when the snow hit!)

One thing I could do with is ordering coal for the bunker whilst it's a bit cheaper but I have no idea where to find this. I googled coal merchants bristol and only came up with commercial suppliers. Anyone in Bristol that can reccommend me someone? And how much should I be paying? We used the small bags from the petrol station last year and at the rate of 2/3 a week, it really added up!

SK x

pollyskettle

Am I the odd one out in thinking it's not cold? I'm in the East Midlands and I'm finding it warm and stuffy (and only 35 so unlikely to be the menopause!!). It is definitely wet, but certainly not cold yet.

NualaBuala

Well today has turned out to be hot here. A chilly start but after half an hour cutting the grass I came in to a stifling south-facing sitting room (even with the blinds closed and windows open). I'm glad though - August is far too early for autumn!

lola34

I went out earlier in a jacket but did have to take it off as it was a bit warm!!!!
Just put DS2's crops away and don't hold out much hope for them coming out again this year, but on a positive I stocked up on pasta during my weekly shop, considering food prices are going to go up, Asda have their smartprice pasta rollbacked to 31p so currently have 4 packets in the cupbaord, planning on getting extra flour next week.

parsonswife8

It is 18 degrees c outside but it is raining and a rather cold wind is blowing all my veggie plants around.
:eek:

Charis

Frugalista wrote: »

Here in Herefordshire, I still have all my windows open, day and night. I am also still wandering around the house in a t-shirt and sleeping under the summer weight quilt.

The weather here has been a little overcast but still quite "muggy" with a few showers.

We also have a log-burner (our only heat source in the entire house) so am hoping that we don't have to light it just yet. I think it was around Oct/Nov last year before we lit it.

I'm also in Herefordshire (just) and it's been raining on and off and dark all day. I've got the gas fire on low in the living room because the washing is drying on a rack making the room feel miserably cold. I think we must have our own microclimate. It was raining stair rods here the other day when DS phoned on his way to the station - he was about a mile and a half away. It wasn't even spitting there.

Confuzzled

we had a few gloriously hot few weeks in june where i actually got a sunburn! (first time in donkeys!) alas the last month has been cool, dark and wet

today is lovely but we keep having very autumnal weather, the grass is growing like mad but getting enough time for it to be dry enough to cut and then not get rained on whilst mowing is proving challenging

i've geared up with new fleeces for the wee one and myself and thermals for her thanks to the millets and regatta grab it's lately, i'm stocking up on food as and when i can, even bought some bottled water! new wind up torches, must get candles though and some new boots for us both.

i'm also looking into some new window covering options, we did ok last year but i think we can do better!

been foraging wild cherries for weeks before it dawned on me i have a food dehydrator :rotfl:so we picked a lot yesterday specifically for that and will go back again later in the week, the pickings are a bit slim now but we've had at least 20lbs of fruit from 3 trees and that's just the bits we can get to, plenty left fro the birds and neighbours (not that anyone else eats them, they think i'm poisoning my child!)

the rosehips seem to be coming on early and there is a crab apple tree near it so i'm going to check that out tomorrow i think. i think i could make some lovely fruit leathers using rosehip pulp. i also used it last year to make some amazingly delicate spaghetti sauce so i'll do that again this year.

mardatha

Do you get midges down south ? We can't go outside at all because the wee sods are all over the place.