The Prepping Thread - A Newer Beginning ;)

thriftwizard

Last night the entire conurbation was woken/scared stiff by a massive lightning strike/ simultaneous thunderclap not long before midnight. It was honestly the loudest sound I have ever heard, but Ds2 said exactly the same & he lives 6 miles away. (I then spent the rest of the night with a large, soggy & terrified bundle of fluff firmly wrapped around my head, but that's irrelevant.)

Turns out it hit a house not half a kilometre away from us. Luckily no-one was hurt & it didn't catch fire, though the fire brigade found the loft full of smoke. BUT this house is at the bottom of quite a steep, high hill, which is liberally sprinkled with tall, mature trees and even some tallish buildings with a fabulous view. I'd always believed that lightning strikes the highest point, therefore we'd be relatively safe down here, but it seems not!

Wonder what they were doing? Summoning dark forces...?

DigForVictory

Tell you, this political forecasting malarkey has Side Effects...

Hoping fluff bundle is restored to tranquil serenity?

thriftwizard

Snoozing happily on the radiator as we type, DfV!

Karmacat

That's a bit disconcerting, I'd heard the same thing about lightning I've been on holibob, and noticed a special thing at one of the ports we visited. About 50% of the drainpipes had wires poking out of them, so we had a bit of a whinge about H&E standards - then I realised that they were looped, not leading anywhere, and I wondered if they were using their (metal) drainpipes as part of a lightning conductor?

D&DD

RosieDog had her jab early so she's all sorted but sadly the vet has found a lump..She's squeezed her in Monday for investigation keep your fingers crossed for her please all


Preps today I used my steam juicer to do some of OH's grapes and get some old strawberries out of the freezer.
Now have five pints of grape juice and six pints of strawberry.I'm going to use some for syrups and will probably make jellies with the rest.


I won't be around much this week as what with Rosie going in and my mum's appointments for her op Weds and Sunday and her shopping in between my feet are hardly going to touch the ground methinks!


Will check in as I can XXX

thriftwizard

Fingers crossed for you, D&DD.

8 jars of quince & apple marmalade made today; sweeter than the two-quince marmalade I usually make, but the new people round the corner have grubbed out their Japonica quince (and rather a lot of beautiful old rose bushes) to lay Astro-turf, so I had to make do with windfall apples instead. It worked... but doesn't have quite the same lovely slightly-spicy tang. I shall wander over to the other side of town with my foraging bag sometime soon & see whether the lady over there still has a Japonica hedge, as we still have tons of tree-quinces. And apples...

DigForVictory

Womanfully bites back whimpers of envy at quince & apple combinations. <Whilst turning Kermit green, quietly>

The Chadderton Costco had not got Branston Baked beans in, dashit, but Asda are doing 3 for £1 so I got a few (& left plenty for others).

Now to endure my family’s lamentations. (Still not found a dry goods cupboard yet but have been Scouting instead.)

D&DD

TW the only quince I've ever seen here was in my brothers garden before he wrecked the entire place,I still haven't forgiven him for ripping out an entire row fifty feet long of espaliered fruit trees along with quince,damson.plums and various berries and currants.
He wanted a lawn...

thriftwizard

Some people just love open expanses of grass, D&DD! At least it's a little better for wildlife than astroturf... personally I'd have called the men in white coats to him, but OH does love an open vista.

Can recommend windfall quince, pineapple & rosemary marmalade too. I had two small pineapples left over from a 3-for-£1 market bargain last weekend and a large pile of windfalls after last week's storms. (Sadly I think my rosemary bush is on its last legs after 25-odd years, but I'll hack back the buddleia that's overshadowed it & see if that helps. I have another in the herb sink in the back garden, by the pond.) The three tastes work rather well together!

DigForVictory

D&#8517 wrote: »

I still haven't forgiven him for ripping out an entire row fifty feet long of espaliered fruit trees along with quince,damson.plums and various berries and currants.

Well that would be him out of the family Wisden in jig time in our family. Dear gods is he far too young to remember the war or any of those who survived it? Says she still heeding the dictates of a decades dead grandmother, As She Was Right.

“quince, pineapple & rosemary marmalade”
Just weak at the knees & green as a bay leaf!