The Prepping Thread - A Newer Beginning ;)

Cheapskate

Our car's been a bit poorly for a while, and we've just been told that the part it needs (essential part of the exhaust system that deals with particulates etc) is going to set us back a bare minimum of near £400, maybe more, plus labour, and there's a screw in one tyre I've just discovered!! :eek::mad: We should be driving to the airport next Wednesday...

We've always looked after our vehicles, but had no warning this part was going! Already doing the grocery challenge to try and save cash, been job hunting over a year, every single penny has to account for itself, and we're living out of the freezers and cupboards - just need a bit of a break from all the expense! Littlies need new school shoes when we're back and we're half way through bedroom decorating...

Sorry for the moan, feeling a bit 'meh' this morning to say the least, might hit the cooking brandy when I've reclaimed the car... :rotfl::rotfl:

A xo

DigForVictory

Owch. My car has the same devastating effect on my savings.

As it started to thunder here, I unplugged the aerial. The wrong way. Happily this page still loaded and even on a small mobile phone screen I could see what I was supposed to do & it is now all fastened back together!

jk0

Anyone had a power cut today?


https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-49300025


Sounds very odd that Newcastle Airport should lose power when London does. Almost as though certain electricity suppliers were able to cut off all their customers to save power, no matter where they were in the country?


Don't get a smart meter folks.

Karmacat

Ooh, I wonder if there's any correlation there? It has seemed to hit quite randomly - I wonder if a cyberattack is involved in some way?

DigForVictory

Ipswich hospital will be reviewing its disaster planning a bit - their backup generator wouldn’t work.... Frankly, i’m Very glad to be out of hospital if that’s possible!

Two power stations simultaneously offline sounds like mischief.

My heart goes out to all LNER’s would-have-been passengers - I hope those affected get home safe & sound. Staff included.

jk0

BTW, am I the only one with very slow broadband since the power outage? My download speed is 1mbps when usually it's about 10mbps.


I wonder if some internet repeaters need resetting.

DryTheRain

I agree the power outage seems strange, one station perhaps, but two at once - including a presumably modern offshore facility - and both back up systems failing? H'm.

So I decided tonight would be a good time to test my own back up, lighting one room using solar/usb and rechargeable battery lights, and avoiding candles. It's a bit dim in here but perfectly adequate, and the small power bank has kept my phone and tablet topped up nicely, so I definitely feel more confident about coping in such a situation.

jk0

I believe there is too little 'slack' in the system due to an effort to save money. Weren't we always told that gas turbines would have to be kept spinning to instantly replace wind generation? Well, sounds like that hasn't been happening, doesn't it?



This sort of nonsense was bound to happen once we started knocking down coal power stations in favour of wind power.


Also, you have to wonder at the stupidity of the power cut priority levels. Shouldn't airports, electric trains and hospitals be the very last places to be cut off?

happybiker

jk0 wrote: »

Also, you have to wonder at the stupidity of the power cut priority levels. Shouldn't airports, electric trains and hospitals be the very last places to be cut off?

Each should have their own emergency back up generators in case of problems. They are all connected to the same grid and power generators as the rest of us and so when a station goes down, everything connected to that station goes down. It goes to show the short sightedness of our governments over the last 15 years in closing 'dirty' power stations before the infrastructure is in place to provide substitutes. This is a potential problem that will stay with us for a good few years yet

nosuperwoman

Hi everyone,
I'm a bit of a lurker here, mostly because I am a Prepping wannabe rather than an active one.
I have a question about bug out bags. In a conversation with my missus about the people who had to leave Whalley Bridge in a hurry I told her about the BOB s , her immediate response was that it would be a gift for burglars.
What do people think? Are there good hiding places or is it just a chance you take?