THE Prepping thread - a new beginning :)

thriftwizard

Bird flu has been detected in 17 wild birds in Dorset. I don't know anything more as just came across the BBC News screen.

Thank you, Fuddle - I had no clue about this! Have just checked Defra; the "prevention zone" is just around Weymouth at present, but the "Higher Risk" zone runs just to the south of us; literally a couple of streets away from my friend's garden, and she has 9 birds free-ranging there. I've passed on the heads-up and both households have ordered new tarpaulins to cover the runs; we're better prepared this year!

It could all change drastically tomorrow though; last year we literally had one day's warning, and I couldn't find tarps anywhere local. Camping shops, Ha!fords, even the market - they all looked at me as if I was insane - who needs to buy tarpaulins in winter?! So I had to invest in two wobbly little polytunnels, one of which has stayed in the large fowl run ever since, as it just fitted nicely & they seemed to like it, and to be honest it'd blow down in nothing flat without the support of the aviary panels. I need a small tarp for the end of that run (which can be gated off for introducing "new" girls gradually) and a slightly bigger one to link the two bantam hutches together in a less obtrusive way than the other polytunnel, which is tougher - I'm hoping to be allowed to put that one up at the allotment.

I do have old tarps I can sling over in an absolute emergency, and had already been comparing prices, supply dates etc. so wasn't completely unprepared. But the old tarps are dark, and going downhill fast, & the time for action is NOW!

Karmacat

dreaming wrote: »

According to reported figures from Public Health England, the current flu strain is not causing any greater instances than previous years, except that more people are going to their doctors (or A&E) instead of self-medicating at home. This then pushes the "reported" cases number up, but not necessarily the number of cases of flu. For many people flu is a rather unpleasant illness but one that can be treated adequately at home. Obviously there are some people for whom it is a great deal more serious but the current (Aussie) strain is no more dangerous than those experienced in previous years.

I'm really interested in the bit I've bolded, dreaming, do you have a linkie for that, please?

I confess I'm worried about this flu, so I tried to look at what the average number of deaths is from flu each year, and got this link: http://vk.ovg.ox.ac.uk/influenza-flu
A low year gives about 600 deaths from flu & complications ... only 5 years ago, there were 11,000 deaths from the same cause.

fuddle wrote: »

I'm a long way off having the oils for thrives but it will be something I work towards for next autumn. I've only just discovered the wonder of essential oils but finding reliable oils at a manageable price is proving a bit of a minefield.

I have 1 or 2, but not enough ...

I quit my charity shop again. It's to do with protecting myself and it is pretty self centred of me so I would never try to suggest that it's for the good of other people and maybe that's why I feel terrible about letting them down.

I've spoken to quite a few people over the years who've done the same, and there's a general feeling that they may be bad environments - I don't know whether you quit because of flu or because of what's going on in the shop itself, but you have every right to take the decision you did.

[Deleted User]

I am following my own words, I have prepared a small kilner of a mixed herbs blend for cold and coughs. I would not want to be doing this if I get full blown flu. I am not a herbalist (something else!) but I have a good range of herbs, for colds/cough I have mixed yarrow, elder and peppermint and I am brewing a big mug of thyme/chamomile right now

I am another who has never had a flu vaccine

moneyistooshorttomention

I don't do vaccines personally and have never had any since childhood and it doesnt go down well with me reading that there's things like mercury in them.

The only exception I've made to that rule was when a (now former - as she didnt seem to care) friend caused me an accidental injury recently and, as rusty metal was involved, then I landed up having an anti-tetanus injection I hadnt chosen to have:mad::mad::mad:.

But there are a list of things I just don't believe in - vaccines and fluoride in water/toothpaste/etc are the first two that come to mind.

Having been reminded by you Kittie re ginger - I think I shall hoick some of my ginger from the freezer in a minute and make myself a hot milk drink with my decent-quality honey/grated fresh ginger/bit of nutmeg/bit of decent cocoa powder.

I've got loads of alternative remedy books by now - so could be an idea to scan through them and see what they have to say about flu prevention/if owt. Think I'll ramp up the amount of garlic I chuck into things too for a while - might come over as a bit antisocial - but...hey....dual purpose of discouraging others from coming that close to me for the duration:rotfl:

EDIT; As for where to stock up with essential oils - personally I usually buy mine from health food shops and "hippie" shops.

fuddle

thriftwizard wrote: »

Thank you, Fuddle - I had no clue about this! Have just checked Defra; the "prevention zone" is just around Weymouth at present, but the "Higher Risk" zone runs just to the south of us; literally a couple of streets away from my friend's garden, and she has 9 birds free-ranging there. I've passed on the heads-up and both households have ordered new tarpaulins to cover the runs; we're better prepared this year!

It could all change drastically tomorrow though; last year we literally had one day's warning, and I couldn't find tarps anywhere local. Camping shops, Ha!fords, even the market - they all looked at me as if I was insane - who needs to buy tarpaulins in winter?! So I had to invest in two wobbly little polytunnels, one of which has stayed in the large fowl run ever since, as it just fitted nicely & they seemed to like it, and to be honest it'd blow down in nothing flat without the support of the aviary panels. I need a small tarp for the end of that run (which can be gated off for introducing "new" girls gradually) and a slightly bigger one to link the two bantam hutches together in a less obtrusive way than the other polytunnel, which is tougher - I'm hoping to be allowed to put that one up at the allotment.

I do have old tarps I can sling over in an absolute emergency, and had already been comparing prices, supply dates etc. so wasn't completely unprepared. But the old tarps are dark, and going downhill fast, & the time for action is NOW!

Apparently found in Abbotsbury Swannery thriftwizard.

thriftwizard

Apparently found in Abbotsbury Swannery thriftwizard.

Just for a change, eh, Fuddle?!

daz378

when i signed in using ipvanish i couldn't get in saying admin had banned my ip address presumably because they couldnt find one as soon as i disconnected from it they let me in.....must be an automatic thing

daz378

kicked me out again whats going on

moneyistooshorttomention

daz378 wrote: »

kicked me out again whats going on

There's been spammer attacks there online first thing of a morning for the last few days. I suspect that and the "vanishing threads scenario" is connected to this. I don't even understand why the spammers don't seem to do their most basic homework - ie and establish this is a British site and therefore the language is English - as a lot of the ones I spot are in a foreign language. So I guess that's one consolation - ie a lot of these spammers arent very bright or they wouldnt bother with a British website in the first place...so hopefully it's not that hard to defeat them.

GreyQueen

I missed out on the flu pandemic of 1968; was a small child, we lived in a hamlet and Dad was the only one working outside the home and he worked out of doors, so limited opportunities for breathing others' germs.

I had a bad go-round with a gastric flu sometime in the early seventies, just before Xmas; Mum nursed kid bruv and me thru it, we got better just by Xmas and she got laid up in bed and too ill to move. My only other flu experience was January 1986, when I was laid up in bed on my tod in a freezing cold bedsit. The lymph glands at the top of my legs were too swollen for me to move - bizarre, never happened before or since, thank goodness.

Since Monday afternoon, when I started symptoms, I have been using vicks first defense against cold symtoms and, touch wood, havent had a full-blown cold develop (yet!) - I hope!. I think my immune system is engaged with something, as I am unnaturally tired, even by the standards of someone with ME.

Great info from fuddle, thank you very much, I'm memorising that.

Practising self-care and hoping not to get ill, working in a call centre, any bug tends to become group property extremely rapidly; last Jan- Feb time so many of us were coughing too hard to handle calls, that we were put on admin work only. Each morning Da Management had to do the rounds and check who could talk and who couldn't - I had one whole week without speaking to a single member of the public, which was weird.:rotfl: