THE Prepping thread - a new beginning :)

GreyQueen

My fingers and hands are OK thus far, have a tiny bit of arturitis starting in the toppermost joints of my fingers but not enough to be a nuisance yet, thank you.

I do know what you mean about the two-litre bottle tops. They are small and thus hard to grip. Sometimes, I put a cloth over something like this, even a damp cloth, and this gives me more purchase, esp as then able to use my palms more than my fingers. Might this help you?

But yes, the proper water carriers are much better. I was looking at the 5 litre bottles in the supemarket but then considering longer-term usage, and that these are still relatively-flimsy, I thought the 10 litre purpose-made camping carriers would be better.

I'd still like to drop my hands on another one like I have already - 30p at a boot sale - but doubt I shall be so lucky again!

Si_Clist

GreyQueen wrote: »

Sometimes, I put a cloth over something like this, even a damp cloth, and this gives me more purchase, esp as then able to use my palms more than my fingers. Might this help you?

FWIW my arthritic right hand finds a damp cloth better than a dry one, but a washing-up glove better than either!

maryb

This is one of the most useful gadgets I have
http://www.poshrosh.co.uk/ProductsInfo.aspx?pId=32413&pType=Product&gclid=Cj0KEQjw6am-BRCTk4WZhLfd4-oBEiQA3ydA3tVSLINWTqhKwbMzro4C0cxsbscL_yTnC_-gC0l6x3IaAiRT8P8HAQ

Si_Clist

Somebody mentioned a while back in this thread about how it's going to come as a bit of shock to the younger folks when the electric goes off and they can't use many of the toys upon which their lives apparently depend, such as their mobile phone, iThing and plastic cards.

This got me wondering - aren't those of us who were growed up enough to have to deal with the effects of the 1987 hurricane going to have a completely different view of prepping compared to the young 'uns?

Scary to think that the 20 year old up the lane from us has never known the lights go out. Or for that matter, life without mobiles and t'internets ...

ALIBOBSY

Not been on this thread for quite a while, been busy with the summer hols, the garden, the kids and recently our new puppy :j

Nice to see some old faces and some newer ones, for me prepping has always been based on probabilities.

The reality is the most likely events we will need to deal with are winter weather/possible flooding/short term cash flow shortages/short term probs with elect or gas or water , followed by worse weather issues/natural disasters/longer term issues with utilities and finally the less likely things, volcanic fallout, tsunamis, blackouts et al (zombies of course ).

So prep mostly for the things that are most likely to happen to you and less for the others working within your budget and storage availability.

That said being in the northwest and having been through the water problems where we had no drinkable water and had to boil or buy in water it brought home how difficult an issue water can be and how much we really need and that wasn't with no water, just undrinkable without prep water.

Ali x

ALIBOBSY

Regarding the recent posts about volcanoes and in particular the recent article about Katla I wanted to post a little info I have gathered about it.

Normally these sorts of articles have virtually no factual basis and are just filler scaremongering rubbish, however this time there is a kernal of truth along side the carp.

I think I posted a while back on the original thread that I have an interest in science and in particular in volcanoes and earthquakes. I read a few different forums and sites relating to these subjects so will sum up what I gathered from these.

Statistically Katla erupts around a 40 yr interval, but this has been as short as 12 yrs and as high as around 100 in the period since around 820 which has been looked at from historical records. On the whole it has explosive eruptions and unfortunately for air travel it produces exactly the wrong type of fine needle like ash that could effect flight paths, although this would depend on weather patterns and the size of the eruption. The last known eruption was 1918 but volcanoes are never considered to be "overdue" as they aren't on a timetable and of course records don't go back long enough to make long term predictions.

Since around 2013 there have been signs of magma movement up inside katla's volcanic system, but it is the more recent larger earthquakes that are suggestive something more in happening. Katla broke its own record for the size of earthquakes in the last couple of weeks (based on the relatively short period these have actually been recorded by instruments) firstly with a M3.5 then 2 M4.5 quakes 20 secs apart. The two last quakes releasing more energy that ALL previously instrument recorded quakes for Katla put together. This was also followed by further smaller afterquakes.

Most experts seem to believe Katla is approaching the point where it will erupt, but this could be years away, but unlikely to be decades away. The people most at risk are the icelandic who are at risk of the large floods and landslides that often happen with these eruptions, for us outside iceland flights could be at risk and this is something to bear in mind over the next couple of years, but shouldn't stop people getting on with their lives and holidays.

There is a possibility that weather patterns could be effected across the northern hemisphere, but its unlikely to effect food production and certainly won't be worldwide.

If Katla gives more definate symtoms of erupting the icelandic met office site will carry a warning and is the best place for accurate info on all of icelands volcanoes.

So to sum up stay calm, don't panic and watch what happens, definately not an EOTWAWKI event

Ali x

ivyleaf

Si_Clist wrote: »

FWIW my arthritic right hand finds a damp cloth better than a dry one, but a washing-up glove better than either!

Seconded! I always wear a rubber glove to open awkward bottle-tops.

ETA I like the look of maryb's gadget though!

ivyleaf

Si_Clist wrote: »

Somebody mentioned a while back in this thread about how it's going to come as a bit of shock to the younger folks when the electric goes off and they can't use many of the toys upon which their lives apparently depend, such as their mobile phone, iThing and plastic cards.

This got me wondering - aren't those of us who were growed up enough to have to deal with the effects of the 1987 hurricane going to have a completely different view of prepping compared to the young 'uns?

Scary to think that the 20 year old up the lane from us has never known the lights go out. Or for that matter, life without mobiles and t'internets ...

A few years ago we had a power cut for several days because some idiots had been trying to steal some cables and inadvertently started a fire. In the end the "power people" managed to arrange things so that all postcodes had power for part of each day, on a rota, but we were shocked at how tiring it was simply managing ordinary life, even though we have a gas cooker, plenty of torches, candles, a couple of battery-powered lanterns...we went to our daughter's for dinner a couple of times. Our neighbours have an electric cooker, so we were filling flasks of boiling water for them, and heating their soup.

I suppose when you get older you're not quite so resilient, especially if you're not in good health. I remember we took the 1987 hurricane more or less in our stride, once we got over the shock of some of next-door's hip-tiles crashing through our roof :eek:, spending that night in the dining room as it was downstairs and at the back of the house; and the first thing I saw when I opened the front door the next morning was the milkman coming round the corner on his float as if nothing had happened :T

Si_Clist

ivyleaf wrote: »

... I remember we took the 1987 hurricane more or less in our stride ...

Same here actually, despite living at the time in an isolated wooden bungalow surrounded by trees, which we had to cut our way through from the front door to get out of! Electric was off for 13 days and we had no gas supply anyhow, but we did have a logburner to cook on top of and enough fallen trees outside to keep that going for the next six years.

The main thing we learned from all that was that water coming out your tap when you turn it on is a wonderful thing. So too is mains drainage, come to think of it, but perhaps only those of us who have lived with a cesspit (as opposed to a septic tank) really appreciate that!

maryb

I was on my own in the house in the London bit of Kent during the 87 hurricane because DH was in Nottingham on a training course. I noticed it was a bit windy when I went to bed because the loft hatch had lifted up out of place. But I went to sleep OK and in fact overslept - because of course with the power off, my clock radio didn't work.

So I leaped out of bed, got ready as quickly as one only can when very late for work and charged off to the station. It was only when I turned into the station and saw that there were no cars in the car park that I connected the fact that I had had to climb over two trees in the road on my way:D

Anyway, meanwhile DH in Nottingham was hearing all sorts of dreadful news reports about collapsing tower blocks (because the BBC couldn't broadcast proper news reports and reporters couldn't get around London easily so all sorts of rumours were swirling round) and he couldn't get hold of me because of phone lines down. And he couldn't get a train to London either. So he hired a car and came rushing back to make sure I was OK only to find me peacefully boiling a kettle on the gas to make tea:rotfl: And in fact they got the power back on by the evening

That was the Friday before Black Monday of the 1987 stock market crash when the market fell by over 25% in one day. If you worked in finance in the City it really did seem as if everything was blowing up all at once