Preparing for Winter

MRSTITTLEMOUSE

cuddlymarm wrote: »

Hi everyone

Is anyone else cold? I'm sat here cuddled up under my trusty knitted blankie in August:eek: :eek: I know its been a strange summer but this is getting silly. I'm glad I've been industrious knitting blankets because there is no way I'm putting the heater on yet.

Cuddles:rotfl:

I'm freezing here too,got my dressing gown on sitting huddled under my fleece.God help us all come winter.

Pitlanepiglet

MRSTITTLEMOUSE wrote: »

I'm freezing here too,got my dressing gown on sitting huddled under my fleece.God help us all come winter.

Me three!!

I thought it must be my birthday (November!) because it's so blooming cold!

sunflower76

I spent a couple of hours in the loft sorting out the junk that's been lurking up there since we moved in and had a good look at the insulation. We've been given some 4inch thick insulation boards which I've used to line about 70% of the loft floor and will now get some loose fibre stuff to top up the rest. I meant to do it before last winter but it's always been one of those jobs that gets left.

I'll also be installing another woodburning stove. We have one in our sitting room but really need a smaller one installing in the back room too as although we don't use the room much it's in the centre of our house and walking through there is like trecking across the Arctic come winter!

I've also got a couple of other jobs to do like line the ceiling in our entry way which runs the length of the house. The wind blows a terrible gale through the ceiling in there at the moment straight into our little bedroom and this causes drafts all through the house.

Other than that we're pretty much sorted other than replacing some vents with cowl vents to stop the wind coming back through but still lets air out.

I may also advertise for someone to build a house either side of us too as we didn't find it half as difficult to keep our mid-terrace warm as we do a detached house!

frugalswan

I've got some old pillows that have gone really flat now. At the weekend, I'll be opening them up and making my draught excluders for the windows. I need to get the fabric sorted for my curtains. I also want to find a place that sells really nice fluffy slippers to go with my equally fluffy socks. I'm surprised, our gas bill was a LOT lower than I've ever known it (we've barely had the system on and it looks like self control is working), but I really don't think it'll last.

I'm also saving my ironing for a cold day so I won't notice it. I hope it doesn't get too cold soon.

slm6002

I have today replaced all of our light bulbs with energy efficient ones (tesco had them on special) and also taped up my DD bedroom window as there seemed to be a gap where the cold was coming in. Still loads to do but feel like i am getting somewhere now.

I am too sitting under blanket as cold here

meanmarie

Very cold here...DD2 who never feels cold asked if she could turn on the heat, so I said yes, but just for an hour! Have turned it off again and will not be so 'soft' next time, will advise her to put on another jumper!
Marie

Beccah_3

Absolutely freezing and miserable in South Wales at the mo...firmly convinced that I went to sleep in Febuary and managed to miss the summer. It was definately the right time to find this thread, though I'm feeling sooo far behind with my winter preparations now. Methinks I need to start making my Winter checklist asap.

Mellika

thriftlady wrote: »

This autumn/late summer I shall be making;
sweetcorn relish
bread and butter pickles

Hi, I'm really interested in these two recipes, esp. the sweetcorn relish. Could you share it with us? xx

sammy_kaye18

Hi Beccah - nice to see another welshie on the boards.I've yet to find one who lives near me though - where in south wales? im Port Talbot


Anywho - had boyfriend up and down all night with toothache - i could have killed him - had no sleep so am fairly grumpy this morning. Have been looking through all my to do list as well as updating my christmas present list as people are starting to mention things they'd like now so its all helping.

Im bloody freezing but am trying to acclimatise myself - im sat in a long tshirt and underwear and my little boy has decided that being a naturist is the best option so obviously hes not feeling the cold! I have asked and he keeps sayign hes fine - although getting him dressed and keeping him dressed may be my biggest challenge this winter! Boyfriend however is still cuddled up in bed so have that fight on my hands for him not ot put the heating on when he gets up but there is a fleece blanket ready on the sofa if he needs it - i dont expect him to go far today being that hes ill.

Hoping next week i can

• get the bathmats and put them down,
• clean exhisting draught excluders
• grab/make two more draught excluders for bedrooms,
• find some cheap curtains in charity shop for lining bens curtains
• get everyone a new pillow each (ben has currently been sleepign with two and siad hes lovely and warm as he has one under his head and cuddles up to the other - which is how i sleep when boyfriend is staying out the night at mates houses and it is lovely and warm so will be trying this this winter.

Really getting my ideas head on now though for things i must do - hoping the first week of september will be my get alot of things done week as it is bens first week so i want to be around incase fo problems. So im hoping to

1. get the bedcovers washed and dried
2. get the fleeces washed and dried.
3. clingfilm the windows in our room, bens room, the hallway and living room :eek: as we have huge window in the living room! must measure it

looks like a busy few weeks for me but im hoping it will be worth it.

ALSO A QUESTION!
I want to put a curtain on my front door - i was hopign i can put one on a net curtain pole as above the door has alot fo damp so i think a portiere would jsut fall off eventually - my only problem is i have an unneutered jack russell who marks his territory and i dont want him widdlign up my curtain. I was thinking of getting a regular curtain and putting magnets in the bottom hem so it sticks to the door. So it would attach to the door under the letterbox and keep that draught out but would provide a bit of insulation against the cold with the curtain over the window. What do you think???

Gigervamp

Hi Beccah, another from South Wales here (Bridgend area). :hello:
We've started insulating the loft this week as there was no insulation at all. We looked into getting it done with a grant which would have been free, but we wouldn't have been able to board the loft and we REALLY need the space up there, so we went to B&Q and found some insulation called EcoWool. It's not actually wool, but it's like the wadding used in quilt making and you don't need to wear any protective gear to put it down. Also, it's made from 85% recycled plastic bottles.
Next thing on the list is to get our chimney sorted out and fit a multifuel stove. Not sure where we're going to get the money for that yet as it''s not going to be cheap, but I think it's going to be a necessity with the cost of oil, so I'm sure we'll find the money somehow. I've seen a Clearview stove which has an oven on the top which would be very handy.