THE Prepping thread - a new beginning :)

westcoastscot

Thriftwizard that's my job for tomorrow - my chickens have free run of the front garden, so need to make a pen and cover for them - don't suppose they'll be impressed!!!

Dreaming sounds like an interesting programme, I'll look online for it. I actually don't think we've come that far really - some of the folks I work with live in dreadful conditions, and not just those with mental illness/drug/alcohol issues - just ordinary folks with a run of bad luck - could happen to any of us.

I'm not sure I'd be so confident of pensions of any kind being there permanently - the triple lock on state pensions is being looked at, and any private pension is vulnerable to raiding in some form.

As Mar says, not sure what the solution is either society-wide or personally. You are entirely correct when you say there's only so much prepping you can do - I'll never have more than a few more coins than I need each month so no opportunity to save any amount of wealth but we need to do as much as we can don't we? I do wonder if we'll see a return to more inter-generational living? It does seem the most cost-effective way of living, and in a happy family everyone is cared for and each can contribute to the health and well-being of the family. I am aware though that it isn't an option for many people, either through choice or circumstance.

Fuddle so happy to hear about your new wee home - it's wonderful to hear some good news! I'm sure you and your family will thrive - it will be your own wee castle, safe and secure. Lang may your lum reek!!!

GreyQueen

(((((fuddle)))) sorry to hear of your mam's passing, and wishing you well in your new home. I'm sure a person as sensible and prudent as yourself will make the best of whatever circumstances life throws at you.

elona, I would have liked to have been a fly on the wall when you revealed your preptastic stash to the DD. Well done. Nice to be able to show the young 'uns that you're well ahead of the game, hey?:rotfl:

I've been peaceably living my life, including attending to matters allotmentish and feeding myself off there, for the large part. I occured to me that with potatoes, some cheapish tinned protein like sardines, and foraged saladings, one could live pretty handily of a tad boringly.

I was reading Dmitri Orlov's reminiscence of one summer when his family subsisted through the fall of the USSR on cucumbers from the garden, a sack of rice, and fish caught in the lake. Wasn't exciting, but it was what they had and they were grateful enough.

Novl diets with produce shipped in from all over the world a relatively new phenomenon, after all.

thriftwizard

Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear... that's my birthday & Christmas money gone west then! On inspection, it was obvious that our big chicken run had become anything but wild-bird-proof over the years. The roof tarps had holes in & the aviary panels at the back had basically disintegrated. And all the spare tarps & things had holes in too, and were different sizes that wouldn't join up. Given a couple of weeks, I could have bodged something together, but we don't have the luxury of time. So I've been forced to invest in a couple of cheap poly-tunnels... I'm completely & utterly knackered but my birds are safe. For now...not thinking about the major migration route that passes overhead and the river that the wildfowl stop off in...

Can't help thinking that at least one of the tunnels, possibly both, might come in very useful from next spring onwards, if we remove the enormous phormium...

westcoastscot

Thriftwizard I was just looking at my panels - they're perfect for putting together in various ways to make flexible penning for the chucks, but not small enough mesh to keep out wee birds - going to put something together and then cover it on the outside with fine mesh - will have to try and keep it good and tight as i don't want to trap any wee birds in it :-( Only have 2 chickens now but of course the rules apply to big and small chicken keepers, quite rightly. I usually use one side of the garden as a brace, and to give a bigger pen with less panels, but won't be able to do that on this occasion as the hedges are chicken proof but not wee bird proof either! Luckily both have temporarily stopped laying whilst they moult, so shouldn't distress them too much

jk0

I'm glad I don't live in India: http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/gold-jewellery-married-lady-income-tax-raids-demonetisation/1/824321.html

GreyQueen

The Indian authorities are going spare because the vast majority of the existant banknotes in circulation have been paid into accounts/ exchanged for new notes, and they still are nowhere near the target they anticipated.

This means that their calculations were wrong and/ or black economy earnings had been used to purchase things such as gold jewellery (traditional store-of-wealth items) and sometimes even real estate.

I was having a fascinating convo with a British indian acquaintance, a businessman who is regularly in and out of India. He reckons Indians are mad cash and gold hoarders, always have been and always will be.

I would like to see the reaction of an Indian matron, her husband or father or brothers, to any attempted confiscation of jewelley in such a raid. 500g is about a big necklace-worth.

pineapple

Not sure if this was posted already but did anyone see the Pilger documentary - The Coming War on China?
http://www.itv.com/hub/the-coming-war-on-china/2a4249a0001
It was quite shocking having everything spelt out - mainly US provocation according to this documentary. Let's hope Trump doesn't make it even worse.

maryb

Talking of the thin margin for power supplies, did anyone see a small paragraph in the press a few days back saying that the Interconnector supplying power from France to the UK was damaged in Storm Angus and repairs will take until February?

But of course the fact that we have so little margin in home generated power doesn't matter, does it, because the market will provide? Except when it can't

Keep prepping folks and hope we don't have a particularly harsh winter

moneyistooshorttomention

Throws - check

Hot water bottles - check

House well-insulated - check

Torch and candles of various descriptions for lighting - check

I guess gas central heating would be off for the duration (ie requiring a bit of electric somewheres along the line?) but got gas sitting room fire - check.

Alternative places to go for a couple of hours or so if own property is experiencing a cut-off - check. That's more of a problem in a more rural area unfortunately - courtesy of no hospital waiting rooms/cafes open 24/7 (knowing hospital has own emergency back-up generator) and very limited supply of "indoor public places" generally. So - it's down to friends' houses and voluntary workplace if the heating here was off for a couple of hours....

EDIT; Hmm....electric off for few hours. Something to do at home = reading if there is enough daylight. No daylight/no electric for tv or computer. Result = boredom would be a problem of an unlit/unpowered evening at home alone. Think I need to check I've got some radio batteries....thankful for having old-fashioned plug-in phones....

Hard_Up_Hester

Fuddle, so sorry to hear about your Mam, but glad to hear about your house.
On the subject of pensions, best laid plans and all that, I had a pension but couldn't find it when I got divorced. So I will be living on my state pension of £585 a month by this time next year.