THE Prepping thread - a new beginning :)

ivyleaf

GreyQueen wrote: »

Snow rapidly deepening towards 7 inches out there. Today, and even late last night, the city was extremely quiet, both due to the deadening effect of so much snow and the very few cars venturing out. We joked that it's post-apocalyptical.

Funny how one is used to a level of background noise, so used to it that it is only remarkable in its abscence.

I so agree with this! I kept waking in the night on Monday into Tuesday, and i'm sure it was because it was so quiet. It was particularly odd not to hear the usual hum of the normally busy dual carriageway :eek: I'm gradually getting used to it though.

DS has managed to get to work over in Essex, but there isn't much for him to do (he caught up with most of the indoors-at-HQ jobs yesterday and Tuesday) so he thinks he'll come back soon. There are jobs he's booked to do as-and-when for people over this side of the river, so at least this gives him a chance to get on with some of those.

herbily

DigForVictory wrote: »

There's nothing in my prepping for dealing with a soon to be dead body & orderly disposal thereof. An oversight, I feel. Cruise liners manage it, after all.

Cruise liners have to worry about refrigeration - which shouldn't be too much of a problem in these temperatures. A decent sized snowdrift, quick bit of work with a shovel, and voila, body concealed/stored for the next few days. Have you got a sledge for transport?


Now you've got me thinking I should have kept my old coal bunker - packed with snow, it would have been a suitable storage unit for this kind of thing.

Nargleblast

I phoned in to cancel my night shift for tonight. I thought long and hard about it, not wanting to let down colleagues or other folks, followed the local forecasts for the last 24 hours. My OH took my car and drove half the journey to my workplace - main road in our village clear-ish but strong winds and snow drifting the further he got. My car is a large comfortable modern one but still is only front wheel drive, and turning back into our estate he got stuck and had to have a push from a helpful villager. Forecast due to worsen this afternoon so I made the decision to wimp out and phoned my manager. Explained the situation and agreed to do an extra shift next week instead. I feel a bit guilty as I have a skilled job and several years experience at it, but I would be neither use nor ornament to anyone if I got stuck in a snowdrift.

mardatha

We're still cut off, the A7 keeps opening for a bit then the snow comes back on or the wind rises and it closes again. Snow swirling around like a sandstorm now, got very windy in the last ten mins. Only thing I notice that I need to do something about is that I have no wellies! I can't go out as the snow is just above my knees and my boots will fill with it :rotfl:
Although it would be too tiring trying to go anywhere in this, wading through deep snow is not funny for long.
All buses off today and all main routes were closed earlier. Sitting this out for the duration with tea, bread and plum jam. Oh the terrible hardship I endure..

GreyQueen

Well, there's been some fun and games in local authority call centre land, my workaday habitat.

Firstly, our city is mostly impassible to motorised traffic with just a few major routes passible with care. Or until tonight, when it freezes again. more snow falls. Pavements are skating rinks. There are no buses. Colleagues who can slog in on foot, have done so. Colleagues who are out in the sticks are blocked in by snow drifts (they have sent us the pix to prove it).

Nothing much can be done until the weather eases. There is no post, there are no bin collections, there are only emergency repairs, your side-street cannot be cleared/ gritted and we cannot unthaw your pipes. Very many shops are closed for business.

The yak traz and walking poles are coming into their own again today, although I am still seeing crazy people going around bareheaded and barehanded, turning blue or red with the cold.

Little Tosspots is running low on some types of food (bread and fresh food) but there is no hysteria yet. Let them run out of chocolate and all bets are off........

There are some plusses - no one can get parking tickets because the signs, lines and permits are all hidden by snow.:rotfl:

fuddle

Nargle, I know where you are and I have a fair idea what you do and where you are going and if I'm not quite on the money I know you have even further to travel. You did the right thing. We're all individuals and we all have to do what is best for us and our safety. Nargle, it's the nature of your job that makes you feel guilty but you are no different to anyone else in employment. Safety of self first, job second.

If you go, you will be more than likely a strain on the very services that you work for. By allowing those that live closer to take the strain you're not clogging up the roads and being a burden. Like you say, they'll like it when they get a night off next week. Go easy on yourself. x

mardatha

GQ things there sounds very like they are here. But a lot of muttering is going on here because Sky News totally ignored us when we had the red warning and the bad weather - but now that southern regions have it there is a special news programme on it. Honest to god, I can just hear the one-liner on the end of the news saying "Scotland has today dropped off the planet.. meanwhile in Downing Street, Larry the Cat has caught a mouse" :rotfl::rotfl:

fuddle

To be fair to Sky News they were in Durham a lot yesterday. We featured heavily at the start of the hour. Take it as a compliment Mar, you're too tough to be on the news.

mardatha

I dono I didn't watch it, just what everybody is saying

moneyistooshorttomention

Meanwhile - back at the ranch - and I've learnt that my mothers definition of dealing with cold weather is to panic when she's found herself in the middle of it.

Followed by a phonecall to me about "whatever-help-keep-herself-warm-item" she now wishes she had and is on the phone to get me to choose and buy it for her and arrange to have it delivered to her.

Just as well that I've had over 60 years of learning what her tastes are - as warm nightdresses are now the latest thing she wishes she'd thought of sooner - and they're going to be delivered to her house next week. Duh:wall::rotfl:. So - it's "shopping by remote control" here - considering I'm now the other side of the country to her.

So - just a thought - as to whether any of your own oldies might not have clicked it would be a good idea to be stocked-up with warm clothes, warm nightwear, warm bedding, hotwater bottles et al......and are now panicking because they don't have enough of them.

I'm laying bets with myself that the next thing will be she decides she wants another electric fire or two....

**********

Was gratifying to spot more snow on the ground in my home city than here and nearby mother telling me they have wind there. Mygawd - I've got better weather here than there for once - but it's still icy cold and I determinedly went off to my voluntary work this morning and wimped out and left it a tiny bit early (courtesy of no central heating and the fires and the supply of hot drinks I kept making myself were struggling hard....). By the time I got home - I had actually remembered a pair of gloves - but come to the conclusion leather ones don't cut it in this weather (as one of my hands was so cold it was painful). I have found my hats - and was wearing one LOL....