Preparing for Winter

ginnyknit

Been in Poundland, B&m today and they are both clearing shelf space presumably for winter stock (as well as Christmas :eek:) so I think we will have a few bargains to choose from as they will be deep in competition to try and recoup the money they surely lost on 'summer' haha.

dandy-candy

Now it's getting chilly in the house I've been thinking about winter. I have always loved snow and when we had it for 3 solid weeks last winter I was totally sick of it by the time it went - and absolutely gutted when my heating bill came in! But here I am thinking about lighting the fire, snuggling into my armchair with my knitting on my lap and watching big snowflakes settle on the lawn.....
Oh dear I must have finally lost it. I'm secretly hoping it snows again this winter :eek:

katieclampet

dandy-candy wrote: »

Now it's getting chilly in the house I've been thinking about winter. I have always loved snow and when we had it for 3 solid weeks last winter I was totally sick of it by the time it went - and absolutely gutted when my heating bill came in! But here I am thinking about lighting the fire, snuggling into my armchair with my knitting on my lap and watching big snowflakes settle on the lawn.....
Oh dear I must have finally lost it. I'm secretly hoping it snows again this winter :eek:

Me too!! I love the snow,:) but I WAS SOOO PLEASED when it finally went last year!

DONE

* I have been washing all winter bedding, quilts, fleecy matress covers etc, and will be putting them on the beds next week

* I also bought a wind up light, which will come in handy

* Ordered heating oil

* Stocked store cupboard up

TO DO

* I would quite like a wind up radio, but not sure where I can get a cheapish one, any suggestion?

* Need to put an emergency box together for my car,

* Need to iron winter weight curtains, and get oh to put them up

* Need to find gloves, scarves, hats, & get winter coats and boots out

* Buy a couple of hot wbs, had 2 last year, but they seemed to have vanished

It certainly has a chill in the air now, mornings and evenings, and the nights are drawing in. It feels like winter will be here soon. What a short summer!!

Happy Bank Holiday to all

katiex

squiggles

nicki wrote: »

Some time back someone on here suggested I used Cillet Bang to clean the sticky/dried tape residue on my UPVC window frames. Sorry I can't remember who it was now, I found it written down in a notebook Anyways, I decided to try it today and WOW I'm using one of those cheap craft knives (10 for £1) fully extended, to carefully & slowly scrape some of the residue off, and then a green scourer & the cillet neat. Its coming up a treat, which is impressive as I live on a very busy road so there's lots of traffic pollution staining it as well Now all I have to do is find someway to cover up the scratches made by my previous attempts. The landlady will not be happy if she sees them :eek::(

Today one of the workmen at work was renewing the price display stickers on the transparent perspex shelf edges. After removing the tatty worn stickers, he used the cuticura hand sanitising gel to remove the remaining sticky residue. He just squirted the gel on the surface and rubbed with a dishcloth.It actually worked.

NualaBuala

Winged_one wrote: »

I seem to be on a roll today. I went out at lunch to look for makeup brushes before I get sewing next week (I am planning on a version of a crayon roll, holding makeup brushes, for my sis for Xmas) - and passed a golf shop with a sale so ambled in. Nothing I particularly fancied (my dad and an aunt are getting golf stuff for Xmas), but across the road there was a sale in Great Outdoors, so I wandered in there to look for cheap camping bits for my niece's present (she's 12, so difficult to buy for, but BIG into scouts and camping) - I got 2 nice "gadgety" things (a spice holder and a holder for cooking anything over the fire) AND found a full ski suit for myself in the pre-season clearance (we are determined to go this year - and it fits and was dirt cheap). I'll use the jacket in cold weather in general too.

And not only that, but I wandered back across the road into Muji, and found a wind up torch and wind up lantern! I have never managed to find them before! So I got one of each for me, and the lantern for Niece for camping also. Result!! Perhaps not teh cheapest versions (€11 for torch, €15.95 for lantern), but worth it if the power goes out.

Ooh, you're such a temptress!! I love Great Outdoors and Muji .... I'm seriously tempted but trying hard not to spend! They have wind-up torches in Argos too but I bet they're not as nice as the ones in Muji!

squiggles wrote: »

Today one of the workmen at work was renewing the price display stickers on the transparent perspex shelf edges. After removing the tatty worn stickers, he used the cuticura hand sanitising gel to remove the remaining sticky residue. He just squirted the gel on the surface and rubbed with a dishcloth.It actually worked.

Hmmmn, as far as I know, a lot of those sanitising gels contain various types of alcohol as their main ingredient so I'm wondering if a dab of vodka on a cloth would do the job. Must remember this next time I encounter sticky stuff.

Confuzzled

shellieholly wrote: »

- he is of the opinion that curtains don't block drafts (American, and he is used to having heaters that jet streams of hot air at him in winter and cold in summer... I think he's already forgotten how yukky last year was.
men.. honestly, they think they know everything! :rotfl:

well you can tell him this american woman can attest that curtains DO indeed block draughts (or drafts for him ) and that i've never seen forced air heating anywhere in the UK and i've been here 11+ years so maybe he should just let you get on with it

Confuzzled

it's def getting cooler here. the last few days i've had to put on a cardigan in the house and even my slippers this morning!

mind you last night while making my blackout/thermal curtains i overheated from having the blanket on my lap, i have a sneaking suspicion my downstairs neighbour has her heat on!

it took me ages, i had to hand sew 4 pieces of blanket together then hand sew the blanket into place all along the top and sides then sew on the hooks, so i wound up putting up my new curtain at stupid o'clock in the morning but it's pretty good and looks decent actually

i left it long enough to pile up in the sill but no so long it will spill out. this will keep the cold air from sinking down onto my head as my bed is now under the window. anywhere else in the room and it's like a room full of bed to crawl over!

since i sewed everything inside this cover like thing i was able to be sloppy on the sides (i was careful at the top as that will carry the weight of the blanket and needs to be stronger). i just turned it all back out the way it should be, smoothed it down and voila! i didn't even bother to hem the bottom as i cut it quite neatly and it's piled up in the sill so i don't have to look at it (and did i mention it was stupid o'clock in the morning?)

i'm pleased with it and i suspect it will make a huge difference!

nicki_2

I went into home&bargain today and bought cup-a-soups ready for my packed lunches, and mini-marshmallows for hot chocolate, and the first multi-pack of pocket tissues. We go through loads of them during the year but I'm not switching to handkerchiefs as I find them ewww....

I also picked up the astonish oven cleaner, not for my windows but to use on my oven ready for mass baking sessions at half term.

I went into Matalan to have a look at their sale stuff and wasn't impressed. They have loads of Halloween stuff out, but nothing else in the homewares area worth it. I'm most certainly not paying £30 for a patchwork quilt or chunky throw :eek: Didn't dare look at the clothing, I always end up spending a fortune if I do.:o

sammy_kaye18

Well I had a bit of luck yesterday - my sister is moving back in with my mum and hs mentioned on her living room window she has some long, velvet curtains that were my grandmothers that she used in her bay window before she moved house so she asked if I'd like them - I have a huge window in my living room - not a bay - but very big lets in lots of light and therefore cold int eh winter as its single glazed and my sister is giving me these curtains so now just need to see if they will stretch across it - fingers crossed and get curtain pole holders to hold them closer to window as my current holders stick out about 4/5 inches form the wall so has a big drafty gap round them.

tinselfairy

Lsat night on Gardeners World Alys showed how to freeze basil by mixing it with enough olive oilt o make a paste and then freeze it in small amounts by popping into an ice cube tray.

I was in [EMAIL="S@insbury's"]S@insbury's[/EMAIL] yesterday and bought a king size 13.5 tog duck down duvet reduced by half price to £17.50. All sizes were on offer.

Since reading thres I have also stocked up on medicine cabinet needs so thanks for the reminder there.