THE Prepping thread - a new beginning :)

GreyQueen

I have a 'treasure chest' which is a big, flashy bit of indian tinware, looks like silver but just white metal tourist tatt.

It sits very prominently (I like looking at it) and contains a number of 'rare' and 'valuable' things. There's the 'red gold' neckchain (actually made of copper, cash value about 5p scrap) and a few other bits and bobs.

It also contains what look, to an untutored eye, like sovereigns. They're actually brass gaming tokens from the 19th century. Market value is about 50p each (I got mine for nothing from a pal)

.http://www.aboutfarthings.co.uk/Hanover%20Tokens.html

Sovereigns don't say sovereign on them, it would have been as stupid as writing 'bread' on a loaf. They were currency, back in the day, everyone knew what they looked like. These tokens say 'To Hanover'. They're nice yellowy brass, very gold-ish.

My treasure chest contains these and some costume jewelley and is designed to be a big fat distraction to any tea-leaf who rifles the premises. I'd love the see the villians face if they robbed me and took 'em up to a bullion dealer......... :rotfl:

maryb

I did something like that in reverse - I had a pair of pearl earrings which I deliberately put in a cereal bowl along with some obviously cheap beads. When we were burgled he passed over the bead bowl

DigForVictory

Far smarter & more fun to hide the beauties away from the shinies - Just Do Not Bury things without a very clear map back.

Ah, my letter alongside the Will will be Even More entertaining reading.
(I'm pals with an archaeologist, and her funeral plans include burying her in a manner designed to give her future self a thumping headache. Roman coins, Victorian locket, clay funeral pot plus positioning that hearks straight back to the Saxons... She'm a mischievous woman & I adore her.)

GreyQueen

DigForVictory wrote: »

Far smarter & more fun to hide the beauties away from the shinies - Just Do Not Bury things without a very clear map back.

Ah, my letter alongside the Will will be Even More entertaining reading.
(I'm pals with an archaeologist, and her funeral plans include burying her in a manner designed to give her future self a thumping headache. Roman coins, Victorian locket, clay funeral pot plus positioning that hearks straight back to the Saxons... She'm a mischievous woman & I adore her.)

Sounds like my kinda woman. I'd like to have my cremains secreted in an urn which held a lead plaque saying something like If you can read this, get out of my grave!

More people ought to be considerate of future archaeologists, imo. OK, they'll have a rich seam to mine in terms of landfill sites, but our grave goods are positively pitiful. Where will be the household goods, the tools, the window into the past?

I reckon an OS-appropriate burial would contain a selection of hand-craft tools (knitting pins, crochet hooks, etc), possibly some bun tins. The OS-prepper could have their Swiss Army Knife, a paracord bracelet or two, a whistle and various other small handy items for the afterlife, like a Vango cookset.

maryb, love the idea of leaving the pearl earrings with the costume pieces. Inspired!

maryb

hiding in plain sight;)

GreyQueen

maryb wrote: »

hiding in plain sight;)

Best way to do it. I have some strings of faux pearls in my velvet-lined treasure chest, which appeals to me in a childlike way. I expect most of us loved playing around with our mother's jewellery boxes as kids even if most of the jewels were costume pieces.

But jesting aside, having some fake valuables might stop a villian ransacking the place. I particularly don't want any thieving hands under the bed where my lovely bow and the passata cache lives.

I'd be a PITA to burgle, I don't have very much that anyone would want and no one's daft enough to run off with this 2002 desktop PC.

Actually, given that the monitor weighs 21 kg on its own, you'd have to be pretty strong to run anywhere with it. And insane, because it's worthless.:rotfl:

[Deleted User]

We drove back from the west country this afternoon, left around quarter to three and the rain was absolutely pelting down all the way home and still is now, no abating of the ferocity of the downpour. I had the thought as we whizzed up the motorway of how on earth would we find shelter in such an open stretch of countryside if we were on foot fleeing some emergency situation? I guess if you were lucky enough to be close to one of the many bridges that take roads and paths across motorways you could shelter under it, some of them are set up the bank of the grass that is the motorway verge and even have gaps under the span, some of them are just set directly beside the road and have a vertical concrete face. Today was particularly unpleasant, the roads were running with water and everywhere was sodden wet so trying to put up shelters would in itself be the way to getting very wet which might lead to being ill, the stretch of road we were on didn't have any visible means of shelter, just roadside tree belts and grazing fields with not even a field shelter for horses just rolling down land for as far as I could see. What would you do?

GQ I like to think we are so 'comfortable' that any villan breaking in would actually leave us something out of pity!

westcoastscot

Mrs L I have one of those large fishing umbrellas with an anchor on it, left over from our highland dancing days. It sits in the boot and goes up in a minute - the handle is a ground spike and the ropes tension it to stop it blowing away. That with a couple of wee stools works well whilst waiting for the AA

GreyQueen

An interesting question, Lyn. And an important one, as hypothermia is sometimes fatal even at these latitudes in summertime and sopping wet clothes are a great way to develop it.

A tarp or a rain poncho could be used to effect a temporary shelter of sorts, if one was stationary or even held up by two or three people over their heads like an awning. I've done this for shortish spaces of time. Looks a bit daft, but dry is better than wet.

If you're in the middle of nowhere, and are facing what might be a shortish but drenching rainstorm, think laterally. If you get naked and can manage to protect your clothing from a soaking (in a bag, under a small overhang, in a shelter far too small to accomodate yourself) you can sluice the water off you once the rain has stopped, towel off with some small piece of clothing and re-dress in dry duds.

greenbee

GreyQueen wrote: »

Best way to do it. I have some strings of faux pearls in my velvet-lined treasure chest, which appeals to me in a childlike way. I expect most of us loved playing around with our mother's jewellery boxes as kids even if most of the jewels were costume pieces.

But jesting aside, having some fake valuables might stop a villian ransacking the place. I particularly don't want any thieving hands under the bed where my lovely bow and the passata cache lives.

I'd be a PITA to burgle, I don't have very much that anyone would want and no one's daft enough to run off with this 2002 desktop PC.

Actually, given that the monitor weighs 21 kg on its own, you'd have to be pretty strong to run anywhere with it. And insane, because it's worthless.:rotfl:

I was once burgled by people who clearly struggled to find anything to take ... A few bottles of £3 wine. To add insult to injury, they were caught in the house, convicted and locked up