Preparing for Winter

Olliebeak

mardatha wrote: »

I worked nights all my life and if you get overtired you get a horrible kind of cold, where nothing will heat you......

Have experienced that on quite a few occasions, mardatha. It's like an icy weariness that just envelopes you and really takes some shifting.

Caterina

mandy_moo_1 wrote: »

its a fabric 'bag', about 8"x5" or however big you want to make it. you leave one end open, fill it 3/4 full with dried rice, or wheat, or dried peas (i think), sew up the end

you then put it in the m/wave next to a cup of water (to keep rice moist) and zap it for maybe 2mins

its a bit like a hot water bottle, and will keep you toasty warm then when it goes cold, you just keep sticking it back in the m/wave with a mug of water and reheat it....dead easy

I do not own a microwave oven, could I possibly warm up the rice bag by keeping it on the radiator (we keep it on for a couple of hours at night in the winter) and then take it to bed with me? I used to have a lavender bag which I warmed up in the oven, but I feel that the usage of electricity to heat it up there would undo the saving of not boiling the kettle for a hot water bottle!

Thanks

Caterina

BigMummaF

I've had a fairly productive day today, with a pair of curtains to dress the bathroom & downstairs loo windows & maybe the front door too if I cut them right And there's some hot water bottles for under four quid in our local chemist so I'll start getting those in too, cuz I'm thinking we'll need at least five One of the offspring reckons they're made of tuff stuff & can go without, so that will be one each for the rest of us & one each for the pets.

IIRC, the advice used to be adding a couple of drops of liquid glycerine to the water every now & again to help keep the 'rubber' from cracking so better look that up.....& having a reptile is a huge concern when they start talking power cuts:eek: We've got two HWB in proviso but could do with a few more...just in case....& for once I sincerely hope we'll never have to use them

DdraigGoch

Well, I've THOUGHT about the curtains [we have 2 sets of 3m x 4m opening windows in one room ...], pondered the types of draught excluder I should acquire, bought about 14 tons of wood and .... erm, well that's it, really ... bit feeble!

I hereby resolve to do better.

Although I have acquired 3 SuperSer type gas heaters, 5 Aladdin oil lamps, 5 other oil lamps, 2 hurricane lamps, assorted blankets and rugs, a slow cooker, 6 vacuum flasks, more winter coats than you can shake a small stick at, jumpers galore, 5 hot water bottles, a water bed, lots of candles and 4 x 3m pieces of fleece. So, I suppose, I'm possibly not as badly prepared as I'd thought, am I?

Laura_D_3

Yeah I have a winter coat now defo gettng ready for snuggling up in the winter

slm6002

I am determind not to put heating on until we really need to but at the beginning of oct i am dog sitting. We dont have any animals of our own so thought i would ask on here. How warm do they need to be? - one of them is fairly old and i dont want anything to happen while they are here.

Sorry if it sounds really daft but i have never had dogs before

sammy_kaye18

slm - i found when i looked after my mother in laws dog who was about 16 years old that she was fine - our boiler had broken and it was january but she seemed ok - we just kept an old spare duvet in the living room which she would cuddle into so she was kept happy. She was fine. Although she wouldnt eat much for me and bf, as technically although she has known bf all her life - i wasnt mum so wouldnt do - even with a million cuddles and attention.

Jolaaled

I've got most of my curtains lined now, but need your brilliant advice on my bathroom window.

I want to put a curtain up there too, but the whole bathroom is tiled from floor to ceiling, so i think i'd find it impossible to put up curtain rail (would be far too scared to drill into tiles).

I've been puzzling over how on earth i can fix up something onto the tiles, that will then take the weight of curtain, or maybe a roman blind. I tried just sticking the top of a roman blind directly onto the tiles with sticky-back velcro, but, probably cos of bathroom steam/condensation, it only stayed up a few days.

Has anyone got any tips??
thanks all.

Pooky

Jolaaled wrote: »

I've got most of my curtains lined now, but need your brilliant advice on my bathroom window.

I want to put a curtain up there too, but the whole bathroom is tiled from floor to ceiling, so i think i'd find it impossible to put up curtain rail (would be far too scared to drill into tiles).

I've been puzzling over how on earth i can fix up something onto the tiles, that will then take the weight of curtain, or maybe a roman blind. I tried just sticking the top of a roman blind directly onto the tiles with sticky-back velcro, but, probably cos of bathroom steam/condensation, it only stayed up a few days.

Has anyone got any tips??
thanks all.

Could you maybe get a spring loaded net rod to fit in the window recess (if there is one) They normally have hooks to rest on - little screw in ones - that maybe you could get in the grout? Or how about fixing a wooden baton to the tiles that you can screw into...you could use something along the lines of "no more nails" to stick it up with (paint it the colour of your tiles first tho so that it blends in).

HTH

annie123

my public promise to myself, need to do this:rolleyes:

Right, I have a week off work to declutter my home (posted my promise to declutter on that thread there as well) and prepare for winter so I use as little gas elec as poss and still feel snug and warm.
below is my list of things to do and now I've posted it here I can check back each day to tick off, otherwise I will sit on my **se all week looking at the computer!

• Glazing film to living room bay windows, hall window, dd’s bedroom window, our bedroom, hallway window.
• Dye and line hallway window curtain
• Line hall door curtain
• Check around all window frames for drafts and caulk if needed
• Sweep chimney ready for coal/wood fires…we got brushes from b & q last year, its easy to do and not messy if you use a sheet
• Make paper balls for fire…dries much quicker than home made logs and works well.
• foil behind 2 radiators
• Buy 3 new fleece blankets
• Buy ‘sad’ energy saving bulbs…might work and cheaper than 6 months in the Caribbean
• Check emergency box….torches with batteries, candles and holders matches etc
• Keep looking in primark croydon for their fleece pj’s…they must get them in soon! Their fleece dressing gowns are really warm, worth getting one.
• Make door snakes….ds1 pinched mine last week for his flat and has asked for help with the most of above for his place!
• Check winter wardrobe jumpers, slippers, warm socks etc.
• Buy single duvet for under my side of bed sheet, dh doesn’t seem to feel the cold like me
• car emergency box: fleece blankets, torches/lanterns, water/juice, crisps peanuts etc, no good putting twinks hobnobs in they will get eaten long before they get to the car, jump leads, book to read whilst waiting for rac/hubby to rescue me, emergency mobile charger and an old payg phone with credit…just in case I leave home without mine. Heat packs and also keep old jeans/jumper/socks to change into if get soaked trying to change tyre etc
• Loft insulation still needed in small section of loft but, that means I must sort out the 8 boxes that got put there 16 years ago when we moved in:o and the other cr*p that got put in since:o
• Buy Ikea tea lights…cheap and feels warm
• Stock up winter food cupboard
• Get more pallet wood DH has chopped some but need lots more

I note I am sitting on sofa in dressing gown still drinking tea, will give myself another 1/2 hour then turning computer off and will not lookin before lunchtime...off to make another cuppa