THE Prepping thread - a new beginning :)

Karmacat

There's a HEMA branch at London Euston too, I sneaked a look in there today on first arrival its a great store!

ancientofdays

DigForVictory wrote: »

Googled & seemingly they have a branch in Birmingham New St station? Thoughtful look at training calendar - nothing yet, but... Anyway, I'm sure I can wrangle a pretext soon. Thank you!

Yes there is one and it is on the lower level, the concourse level where you end up after coming up from the platform.

maryb

Another very good buy from there is their charging leads especially now Maplins have gone belly up. They come in different colours too which is useful for distinguishing the ipadlead from the kindle one

moneyistooshorttomention

Living_proof wrote: »

A lot of us have had the brush inserts of the letter boxes removed and this is so that thieves can use telescopic devices to pick up keys and wallets left in the hall. It is really nuisance crime but makes everyone feel uncomfortable in their own home at night.

I'm not quite following that comment?

Are you saying that these thieves come round cutting out those brush inserts in the letterboxes from outside one's house and people are coming back home one day and finding those inserts missing?

On asking other people why - they are then being told because the thieves are planning on coming back with said devices or have already tried to use such devices (but, presumably, couldnt find anything to "pick up" and steal when they did so)?

I'm aware of the possibility of thieves putting poles with hooks on or the like through open windows - as I seem to recall my mother mentioning that happened to people sometimes. But that was back when I lived abroad with my parents for a while as a child and I thought that was something peculiar to that country (along with locals scouring rubbish tips for usable stuff).

Living_proof

DigForVictory wrote: »

I bought very cheap & I will definitely be buying twice...
Still the cheapies may have a future life fire-lighting with Scouts.

/QUOTE]

I keep a pair of cheap reading glasses in the medicine cabinets, as I have one upstairs and downstairs. This follows an incident when I mixed up a bottle of cough mixture and some peroxide one night!

Living_proof

moneyistooshorttomention wrote: »

I'm not quite following that comment?

Are you saying that these thieves come round cutting out those brush inserts in the letterboxes from outside one's house and people are coming back home one day and finding those inserts missing?

On asking other people why - they are then being told because the thieves are planning on coming back with said devices or have already tried to use such devices (but, presumably, couldnt find anything to "pick up" and steal when they did so)?

I'm aware of the possibility of thieves putting poles with hooks on or the like through open windows - as I seem to recall my mother mentioning that happened to people sometimes. But that was back when I lived abroad with my parents for a while as a child and I thought that was something peculiar to that country (along with locals scouring rubbish tips for usable stuff).

We have a neighbourhood facebook page, and quite honestly without that nobody would have put two and two together but one eagle-eyed chap brought it to our attention and one by one we checked only to find the brushes missing. Then someone else made the connection to the telescopic criminals and sure enough there is quite a lot online about it. So we can only assume that an advance party was sent to remove the brushes (quite a task apparently) leaving the way clear for the pole operators to strike at their leisure. We do have a lot of different nationalities living in the area and you are quite right, some of them have been caught going through people's bins. You will have to enlighten me as to where you first encountered this happening so I can be on my guard!

thriftwizard

No idea where MTSTM lived, but my mother recalls that happening in Sri Lanka, back in the 50s - her pearls were lifted off her dressing table with a fishing rod one evening whilst she was in the room. She just caught sight of them vanishing through the window. My parents were far from rich but they must have seemed to be living like royalty to the locals...

And - what's wrong with acquiring useful stuff from your local Tip, if other people don't have the time or inclination to dispose of it more thoughtfully? Says she whose finest tools have come from our local household recycling centre. None of them have fallen apart after half an hour's use, but some of the ones I've bought new have...

GreyQueen

I have to say that I consider letterboxes, in and of themselves, to be a major security risk. We buy sturdy doors that come with a slot already cut into them? What are we thinking?


Letterboxes form a draughty-funnel, a spy-hole, a fishing hole for villians, have contributed to distress (vile things can get posted through them, such as chyte) and have even caused loss of life when arsonists have used them for flammable liquids or fireworks. The flaps can clatter in the wind or detatch at inoppotune moments.



My last letterbox was sealed up with a metal plate behind the door courtesy of the Police and my new door was made sans letterbox; there is an locked external mailbox bolted to the wall.

[Deleted User]

thriftwizard wrote: »

Bob - I like that torch. Any hints on where to buy one?

Can't remember where I got mine from, but Amazon stock a decent range of mini/micro torches.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_2?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=micro+LED+torch

The True Utility NanoLite is even smaller than mine.

Of course, the trade off for ever smaller torches is ever smaller batteries, which presumably will adversely affect running time.

Living_proof

thriftwizard wrote: »

And - what's wrong with acquiring useful stuff from your local Tip, if other people don't have the time or inclination to dispose of it more thoughtfully? Says she whose finest tools have come from our local household recycling centre. None of them have fallen apart after half an hour's use, but some of the ones I've bought new have...

The point is Thrift that the new arrivals are creeping around the houses and going through our rubbish bins long before they have got to the tip! I am all for reusing and recycling but having one's bins sifted through is a bit much.