THE Prepping thread - a new beginning :)

[Deleted User]

Don't you just LOVE February, they don't call it 'Fill Dyke' for nothing do they? Hope the freezer is fixable Elona and I'm pleased you had room for its contents in the smaller freezer too. Good luck with the electrician!

elona

MrsL

I had to call the plumber on Friday as the downstairs toilet was playing up, now the fridge freezer has conked out. Do you think that counts as three items now or should I spend the next couple of days anxiously eyeing domestic items?

[Deleted User]

Definitely 3 but keep an eye on everything else just in case!

greenbee

Elona - my mum reckons it's my dad keeping her on her toes. Switches are tripping, things are playing up and she's having to deal with it whereas he did it all before (up until about a week before he died). I think he's making sure she knows how everything works!

She's worked out how to reset tripped switches, knows who to call for what, and dealt with the aga chimney blowing down and a power cut last week (mind you, I was there). She's also buying a car on her own for the first time ever, and making decisions about things like getting the windows sorted out and changing the woodstove for a smaller one. I think she's coming out the other side, although obviously there are moments when she feels she can't cope.

Probate forms all ready to go - just waiting for HMRC to send me the link to submit the IHT details online.

GreyQueen

Lyn, we had a rainstorm here today and the rain was being blown horizonatally at force by the wind. Quite a sight.

The blackthorn has come out into flower here in the past few days (it's an excellent time of year to go walkies looking for them, to know where to find the sloes later on - if it's got white flowers like confetti on bare branches, it's blackthorn).

I recall the term 'blackthorn winter' for the sudden sharp snaps of cold weather which can come at this time of year.

maryb

Chilly but not actually cold here. But it's certainly February Fill-dyke:eek:

[Deleted User]

Found a wonderful straight piece of Blackthorn in the hedge on one of the lanes that my brother cut and made himself a proper old fashioned Thumb Stick from a couple of years ago, I love that the flowers come before the leaves, we've some bushes in amongst the hawthorn in our front hedge and they're the first shrubby thing to come alive in the spring, this year though they've got some competition from the hazel bushes which are just unfurling the first verdantly green tiny leaves, so pretty and so welcome after such a cold and long feeling winter!

thriftwizard

We have blackthorn & cherry plums blossoming now. Crossing my fingers that it doesn't get too cold before the plums "set" as one of our self-seeded cherry plum trees is sweet. The others are too tart to eat raw, but make a nice cordial.

[Deleted User]

Have you seen the headline, on the front of today's Daily Mail, GQ?

:j

westcoastscot

we had snow today :-)
Mrs L I recall making a coracle years ago - there was a "pattern" in country living! it was a thing of beauty :-)