THE Prepping thread - a new beginning :)

moneyistooshorttomention

Am so glad that my idea of snow is something that one very rarely gets - but, if it does happen, is just a matter of a few inches worth on the ground temporarily:rotfl:.

Thankfully that aspect of what I expect the weather to be like hasn't changed - despite moving elsewhere in the country and having to get used to a lot more rain and winds I regard as "once in a blue moon level" being frequent. I've learnt to handle the winds - weight everything down (heavily....) and I either had to change the way I dress or look windblown frequently (...so I look windblown frequently...).

I guess coping with Mega level snow has the same rule as coping with Mega level rain and wind = LOTS of fridge/freezer/general cupboard space in the kitchen (which is what I promptly did when I realised what the weather is like).

thriftwizard

I may have mentioned this before: you know that picture of Britain covered in snow from space a few years back? See that little brown bit at the bottom, completely snow-free? That's us... it just doesn't snow here. I have a few pics of my kids playing out in the snow, about 20 years ago, and a two-foot snowman wilting gently in the garden. Nothing since... it just doesn't lay, and most of the time it doesn't even fall here. I could speak to my mother, 26 miles away, and she'd be marvelling that the phone lines hadn't fallen under the weight of snow, and the postman couldn't get down the drive, and not one flake would have fallen here! The kids always felt quite deprived...

And every year we hear hair-raising tales from the States, as my ex-next-door-neighbour recounts her adventures driving from Nevada to Oklahoma to her Dad's for Christmas, then back again. She usually tucks herself in behind a lorry and stays there for a thousand miles; she says they just don't stop for anything... Rather her than me! And the ice storms in Oklahoma are just plain scary; live mains electric wires weighed down with so much ice that they just snap, trees literally frozen solid overnight & branches dropping under their own weight, etc. etc. It looks so peaceful where her Dad lives, like the more rural parts of Devon (red earth, rolling hills, trees & fields) but in reality, what with tornadoes, summers so dry that the soil itself catches fire, & ice storms, it's anything but. We may moan about our weather, but actually we have a lot to be thankful for!

moneyistooshorttomention

No snow at all! Colour me envious....

Having said that - at least I've not seen a drop of snow since moving:D.

Though a workman I had here one time said that there are distinct micro climates here and his is one where they can have snow that is feet deep and he has had to ring his boss before now and explain he literally couldn't get in - and his boss was busy telling him there wasn't any snow and wouldn't believe him (because his boss lives near me - in this particular little microclimate).

DigForVictory

My boss is pretty OK about me saying "snow!", but then I have form for taking phone snaps & sending them in. Also what is is 4" deep at 6 am *may* have been rubbed clear enough by school traffic by 9 am. However, the photos lend authenticity without risking the "I told you" plastercast....
Gone now. Rain instead. Still not apple tree planting weather, quite.

My snow prep starts with switching the wet-&-snow tyres in, and checking the car mats all have the previous iteration underneath (so I have things to shove under tyres for traction). Then:

Check & update the first aid kit. Out with most of the antihistamines, in with the cold relief remedies. Check & update 'spare' meds. Plus disposable gloves (good for first aid, an extra layer for warmth in wet & sometimes improved traction - bonus extra can be used with care as emergency water carrier/snow melt vessel.) Plus still More dressings & bandages for slip/trip/fall injuries.

Wellies, or lots of *big* socks.

Fleece blanket, rolled.

Assorted woolly hats. (One for me, others for when I've forgotten, have passengers etc)

At least one bar of fruit & nut chocolate. Ideally not the sort I or my chaps would eat for choice, but in emergencies I'll need the oomph.

Check the emergency brew kit & replace matches, teabags, coffee whitener sachets etc with long date replacements &/or things that might not require An Emergency to have me thinking about drinking.

A waterbottle (BPA free if I'm worried) & load it. At least 1 litre, ideally 2. (Possibly wrapped in the fleece to discourage freezing as it'll be dumped in the boot & forgotten til it's needed.) With enough air space so it can freeze & not shatter.

Tested phone charger. (Plus extra cables for other family phones, & peacekeeping devices eg kindles)

Tea lights. Controversial to some, but just one burning, provides warmth & light, sparing the car battery.

One full dry change for me and one extra top & trous that will justabout fit even the largest/longest in the family. Plus several pairs of nylon tights. (Layering.) Being cold & wet is a fast track to more trouble. A roll of rubbish sacks gives some protection against the wind & wet (we routinely "sack" scouts to get them home without damaging vehicle upholstery & it's kept them warm enough for parents to then complete the bringing back up to temperature job.)

Thanks to some unmarried person, I have to replace the satnav. This one, I'll set hospitals, medics etc I go to set as specific destinations. I'll also update my phone with numbers & addresses - I do not want a wrong number in an already bad situation.

I'll also tuck in a whistle. An Acme metal job, and in the quiet of no-traffic-as-snow, it carries. It is clearly not some bird, but somebody & I can usually put a blast or three through it to indicate "may I have your attention please". (Scout practice...)

Now, depending on how tight I wrap & how well I pack, that may all go into one bag. (Will delegate to husband who folds & packs better than I do, but watch so I know where things are.)

Oh yes, and I have a firm policy of What I Say Goes when it comes to taking the car out in iffy weather. I'll drive several places solo & refuse to take family, as I'll take a punt on my neck but not theirs. One winter I zipped out to the supermarket, resupplied & hustled back in, between storms. I would not have left the house had anyone tried to insist I take a helper. In a ton and a half of car, if something goes wrong, I'd much rather it was Just Me involved.

DigForVictory

Oh yes, this triggered a thought

Living_proof wrote: »

For those who may be snowed up tomorrow make sure your equipment is easily available to clean the car and the ROOF of the car of snow!

I thought of course! and promptly left the soft broom in the usual as opposed to useful place. So I did what I could & drove off with a Snowhican...
I will try harder...

Living_proof

GreyQueen wrote: »

To me, these seem like tales out of mythology. I find snow quite fascinating, which I attribute to having seen very little of it in the past 50-odd years. I'm sure the allure fades quickly when you have massive amounts, tho.

Could I recommend that if the chance arrives, take a flight to Longyearbean in Svalbard, Arctic. When you look out of the plane window and see the vastness, majesty and perfection of the landscape it will literally take your breath away. I wouldn't want to live there but it is one helluva place to visit.

GreyQueen

Added to the bucket list. I've also fancied the Norweigan fjords. Have been in NZ's Fiordland and it's breath-taking.

I've also taken a helicopter trip up Mt Cook in NZ - you land on it and stand among awesomeness. Not the peak, y'unnerstand, but still somewhere only accessible by serious climbers unless coming in by whirlybird.

Mt Cook is where they trained for the intial successful climb of Everest. It's very very picturesque.

Have got my tea stash sequestered neatly. Wouldn't want to answer questions about my sanity/ hoarding habits if anyone came to visit before I'd got the shopping away. I am also cooking the second-to-last FB pie.

I know, I know, the end of an era and all that, but I have moved to cold meats for preps, especially corned beef. The cans are so much more stackable and not reliant on a cooker to make them edible.

ivyleaf

:eek: No more FB pies, GQ? Oh well, I'm sure your digestive systen will thank you and you'll save money on antacids
When we went to NZ with Saga we spent one night in a "lodge" hotel not far from Mt Cook. It was an amazing place, but one member of the party unfortunately didn't like it - she felt it was much too "wild", and not her idea of nice scenery. I was there when she asked the tour leader "Why do we have to come to these horrible places?" :eek: I don't think I've ever been so embarrassed on behalf of my country.

fuddle

That's what I do GQ. I figure I can turn tinned ham, corned beef and tuna into something over a heat source or eat it cold. I've also got some tinned stewed steak in for a gravylicious treat... the thought of eating it in normal terms just makes me think salt but in an emergency...

Si_Clist

On the subject of emergency/BOB coffee, these are worth their weight in gold as far as I'm concerned ... https://growerscup.coffee/

We get ours at £1.50 each from Cotswold Outdoor, and not only is it excellent coffee, but you can actually get a second cup out of each one