The Prepping Thread - A Newer Beginning ;)

MingVase

From the minute I go outside I never touch my face or head at all. Something like this isn't worth taking chances with. In my mind it's like ebola and I'm treating it with the same respect!

daz378

There's  a shop on the local precinct...selling tins of tomatoes and peas   that have a bbe  of feb 19....3 for pound   ....they taste ok.....will only buy few though

thriftwizard

"My chilli plants seems to have gone mad in the polytunnel so no problem for homegrown chillis although I have lost the labels so its lucky dip on the hotness!!"

So glad I'm not the only one! I haven't a clue which are the sweet peppers, the saved-seed chillis and the paprika... but to my delight, when I went to sow a row of carrots in the place where my parsnips had totally failed to appear - they had appeared! I've never got it right with parsnips before, and I love 'em, so I'm delighted.

The greenhouse saga continues; I've now had two orders cancelled on me, with refunds admittedly, because the suppliers have "pulled" them from the online shops after my order'd been accepted, presumably because big chainstores want them. I think I have a substitute coming; not either of the ones I'd have chosen, looks-wise, but it may answer the case slightly better than they would have done. It's a nuisance being so constrained for size, but I've been after on for years & it's only now that the family's objections have been withdrawn!

greenbee

I'm trying to sort out a greenhouse too @thriftwizard - thankfully I didn't place my order just before my preferred supplier stopped manufacturing. But I need to find someone who will supply and install, as it isn't something that can be done single-handed!

-taff

It is possible , I did my eight by six one by myself when it was first put up. You need a good step ladder though and you must make sure it is absolutely square or it'll throw off the roof panes [ ask me how I know that....doh! ] Also have a supply, three or four panes ready in case one is broken . It's easier without gloves but you do have to be careful of edges.

The frames themselves are quite easy to make, if a little fiddly in bits. I would also suggest making some kind of stand for it, whether that's a properly laid brick course, or cement blocks, or chunky wood. I'm 5' 8" and I was struggling to get in there to water when the toms were in full triffid mode. We've raised it 8 inches this year, and boy that was a faff removing all the glass, washing it and cleaning the frame, but even though I say so myself, it looks damn good now.

Onebrokelady

Blue_Doggy said:

r.a.i.n.b.o.w said:

The older of the two "youngsters" had to call an ambulance for their mother and younger sibling, who were both were taken to hospital. The mother died. The sibling has been left - after 4 weeks in a coma with a trachiotomy and ventilator - needing kidney dialysis for life. There's no guarantee she will be able to walk again. 

How dreadful - it sounds as though the cure is worse than the disease. Assuming she is really cured of the covid19. The mother may have had the best of it in this case.
 

And yet all the Nightingale Hospitals are said to be fully equipped but standing completely empty. It’s no wonder people are confused, when we were given to believe that the Nightingales were desperately needed to accommodate the hundreds of thousands of people expected to go down with covid19.

I think the Nightingales are for the second wave 

Onebrokelady

elaine241 said:

Phew caught up at last!!
We have been so busy lambing I hadn't read this thread since about 15th April!
It has been very busy here , the lane outside the farm has been like a motorway for people I have never seen before!! Many leaning on gates looking at the lambs/horses etc despite the virus living on steel for up to 72 hours. We are washing our hands so much, each and every time we even venture into a field!! The canal gate just up the lane must get touched by 100's of people daily which is a very scary thought. I did put a post on the village FB page asking people not to lean on gates, give us 2m space and pick their dog muck up as its gross and can cause disease and blindness in stock.
The veg patch has been my main focus, apart from mucking out/decorating a flat we rent out ready for a new tenant, and I have 7 rows of various potatoes, squashes, toms, runner beans, courgettes, salads, carrots, onions, shallots, parsnips, peas beetroot, chard, spinach etc all planted out and some really healthy looking french and borlotti beans ready for when I feel brave enough regarding frosts. My chilli plants seems to have gone mad in the polytunnel so no problem for homegrown chillis although I have lost the labels so its lucky dip on the hotness!!
Preps are still holding up as I manage to shop once a week for myself and shielding friends. I wear the blue nitrile gloves and a mask plus I use an anti viral spray whenever needed. Just a thought if anyone needs gloves your local farm supplies/feed store may well have them as they are used for lambing and are the same as those used by doctors and vets. I bought a box of 200 pairs for about £15. I choose to wear a mask to remind me not to touch my face. When I get home I usually strip off , put the clothes in the washing machine, and have a shower. I still get anxious about venturing into town even once a week , but my precautions seem to make it easier for me to cope. I feel a great sense of relief once home and knowing I do not need to venture out for another week.
I did go into Morrison's for some supplies ( cider!!) and noticed they have packaged up the bakery flour in bags and are selling it , it was in the paper bags they seal with cakes/bakery items. There was also the huge 25kg catering size bags of flour but I thought that was a bit OTT!! I am OK for flour as I have a variety of different flours. I was very surprised how quickly flour , eggs and other staples disappeared off shelves. It has been the one revelation that the processed foods, pizzas etc did evaporate as I was expecting but I never thought basic staples where people actually have to cook would also be so scarce!! Note to self for the future, make sure you have more plain flour, yeast, sugar, baking powder etc as it seems if we have a second lock down everyone will be baking mad again!! Thank god I have my little band of hens they have kept us and my friends in eggs when they were as rare as hens teeth!!
As for easing the lock down it really fills me with dread!! Round here the amount of cars and motorcycles on the roads has increased markedly over the last few days and people have reported many gatherings, bbq's, parties etc. My gut feeling is that it is all too early and that we have only flattened the curve and lifting lock down early will result in a second peak. I have decided the home schooling is going very well and I will think very hard before I send my boys back to school. I intend to continue social distancing, wearing mask/gloves and using anti viral spray for as long as I feel it is needed in my own personal case. I think it is a very individual decision and that everyone will take the precautions that best suits them.
Just wondering what others have been surprised about during the lock down? and what they will do differently, if anything, regarding their future preps for ( god forbid) a similar situation in the future?

The lady that lives behind me keeps horses in the field next to her house ( im so jealous 😀) she has wrapped barbed wire along the top rail of her gate so people can't lean on it, she has another gate further in though so the horses can't injure themselves on the wire, can you put signs on the gates asking people not to lean on them, people out for a walk just don't stop to think that the field gate might be a risk 🙄

daz378

Managed to get a morrisons food box delivery  for tuesday

Onebrokelady

There is definitely more traffic on the roads here,I walked part of the way to work yesterday and haven't had to press the button on the crossing at the bottom of my hill for weeks but I had to yesterday as it was noticeable busier

Work is slowly getting busier too, people were staying away from the hospital because they were worried about catching the virus but the last few days have seen an increase in people coming in with non covid related problems, We are normally inundated with sick tourists at this time of year here in the Southwest but I'm glad to say that at least on my ward all the patients have been locals so that's a good sign

elaine241

Onebrokelady said:

Blue_Doggy said:

r.a.i.n.b.o.w said:

The older of the two "youngsters" had to call an ambulance for their mother and younger sibling, who were both were taken to hospital. The mother died. The sibling has been left - after 4 weeks in a coma with a trachiotomy and ventilator - needing kidney dialysis for life. There's no guarantee she will be able to walk again. 

How dreadful - it sounds as though the cure is worse than the disease. Assuming she is really cured of the covid19. The mother may have had the best of it in this case.
 

And yet all the Nightingale Hospitals are said to be fully equipped but standing completely empty. It’s no wonder people are confused, when we were given to believe that the Nightingales were desperately needed to accommodate the hundreds of thousands of people expected to go down with covid19.

I think the Nightingales are for the second wave 

I hope you are wrong about the Nightingales being for the second wave, that fills me with dread!
We did think about signs but the lane goes through the centre of the farm and there are about 10 gates. I have noticed a distinct reduction of people leaning on the gates since I put a plea on the village Facebook page. The wetter weather has definitely dampened enthusiasm for strolling up and down the lane and we are nearly at the end of lambing ( fingers crossed!!!) We have moved the majority of the ewes and lambs to fields away from the road, along with the horses so they are not such a draw to people. 
Today I had a much quieter day than the recent few weeks and I confess I actually had a nana nap this afternoon!!!! Nothing decided to lamb whilst I was snoozing although a ewe did decide to die for no apparent reason last night. Unfortunately she left twins that now need feeding on the bottle!