The Prepping Thread - A Newer Beginning ;)

Onebrokelady

Jojo_the_Tightfisted said:

FIL (in his 60s) is very against vaccines. Mind you, he also believes that seeing an image or representation of elephants is a curse as some wooden ones in the house made his father too ill to work for years (from symptoms that fit the bill perfectly for Psoriatic Arthritis). He benefits from everybody around him ignoring his magical thinking and getting vaccinated now they are old enough to respond to his 'Do you KNOW what's in those things?' with 'Yes. That's why we have them'. Fortunately, the meningitis outbreak in the village didn't kill his son. It killed his son's best friend, though. 

If he wishes to put his faith in the miraculous powers of bananas and his inherent sense of superiority to anybody else, that's up to him. However, he does not get to endanger anyone who is too young, immunocompromised or is just waiting for their vaccination appointment in the process. Which means he would be refused entry to a number of places - with good reason. He makes a choice to be infected, he doesn't get to choose to infect others.



Anyhow, people like him are becoming useful. The second batch of people to be infected are apparently about to be released - the chosen ones appear to be those who could be in contact with children in Year 5/6, 10 and 12. Six weeks to infect/spread, six weeks where everybody is off school for the summer, already for the peak to be reached before the start of Flu Season.

In baldly practical terms, it's a controlled cull. Exposing some of the herd to the disease, a smaller number of weaker ones get taken out in the process, fewer to deal with later. Or if you don't like that terminology, they've picked who is in the first advance parties into No Man's Land whilst the majority of the troops are still behind the lines. The people who choose not to have vaccines when they are available are comfortably back at HQ, happily declaring that bulletproof vests are a bad idea as they make you die of head shots.

Agree with your post apart from the Elephants, they are bad luck in the home but it's ok so long as they are facing the door 😜

boultdj

I know what you mean about having to be the one doing the phoning Onebrokelady, it's me that's phoned my brother and friends, one has whats apped me, apart from that it's me doing the reaching out.

[Deleted User]

Courtesy of our lovely pub we've just been able to pick up a 16kg sack of plain flour for DD1 and also 3kg of strong bread flour.  It will see the 5 of them through the summer months without having to worry, our pub landlord is an absolute gem.  When HWK collected this morning he actually asked what else he could get that would be useful for the customers (we're classed as regulars now) isn't that a fabulous thing?

mrs_motivated

DawnW said:

Ms_Potato_Head said:

1. It's the local shops and farmers that will feed the nation when times are hard. Not big supermarkets. I will be a more regular, visible customer from now on.

I am 100% in agreement on this. What has been a godsend to us, apart from my stash, are firms like the local milkman and butcher, whom I used anyway, but also farm shops which have started delivery schemes, pubs which have opened shops / offer delivery because they can't be pubs at the moment, local wholesalers who normally supply the hospitality industry but have opened up to private customers so that they actually have some business, the corner shop etc. I was always keen to support local business where I could, but will be doing so more in future.

Couldn’t agree more our milkman, fruit and veg box delivery, bakery and local eco shop have been amazing.  Our local corner shop have been fantastic too, I normally do use all of these as well as the supermarkets but definitely will continue to use them more in future.

cuddlymarm

Hi guys
At the beginning of this we decided that as OH and I live in a very small one bed flat and DS2 lives near and alone we’d move in with him. To help us on our way our fridge decided to die too. We combined our preps and they are lasting well with extras added as needed/available. Like many money is tight, I’m furloughed and OH can work but has chosen not to due it social distancing being difficult and quite frankly unfair on the people he would be collecting from. He has a small pension so we manage.

When we do move home (which will be when I’m called back to work) I think my preps will be more canned and dry. Luckily we lost nothing when the fridge / freezer died but if DS2 wasn’t so near we would have lost what would have been at least a couple of weeks food. As a country that is classed as highly developed I was amazed at how unprepared as a country we were food wise and how people were and still are at times going hungry. I’m still also waiting to see how our farmers cope with a bad start to the growing year and a lack of trained or at least enthusiastic staff come harvest time. We shall see.
Please also don’t shout at me when I say that the lockdown is necessary to stop you giving the virus to other people. We live at the coast and you would think the world is ending because people can’t have gatherings on the beach. Since when has a beer or burger been more important than your life. We’ve only been doing this for a couple of months so heaven help us by the end of the year.
On the upside my wooly blankie collection is growing nicely but unfortunately so is my waistline.

I hope you guys are all keeping well and safe
Cuddles

[Deleted User]

Thanks Cuddles, we all need a reminder as time goes by that none of this has been deliberately put in place to inconvenience us and to imprison us in solitary confinement although from the amount of moaning going on you'd think it had been wouldn't you? It IS darned hard being separated from your family and being separated from your friends and most of the everyday routine that has been your normal life for all of memory, getting on the bus and going to the shops, going out for meals and to the pub for the quiz, going for coffee on Sunday mornings and a drive afterwards through the country all gone, all missed BUT all necessary if we are to survive.  

We were aghast at the lack of preparedness over food and meds etc.  this pandemic didn't come out of the blue, it was in the public domain in the media from the beginning of January and having picked up on it I made sure that we and the family and as many of my acquaintance as I could motivate were made aware of what I thought might happen and as the numbers of deaths and infections grew we all prepared as best we could and not just with food but we tried to look ahead to no TV, not being able to go out and buy books, magazines, entertainments of any kind and stocked up on paperbacks, DVDs and craft items etc. to give us occupation and boredom relief as this goes on.  Successfully in most cases and although we'd rather be free to do what we normally do we're aware of what might happen if we were foolish enough to do it.  If people are discontented after 7 weeks they will be incandescent if we have to be socially distanced to the end of the year or beyond. We've all felt fed up and downhearted at some point during the lock down, we're only human after all BUT we mustn't lose sight of the WHY of implementing it and we must discipline ourselves into acceptance even if it's the hardest thing we've ever had to do in our lives and even though every fibre is screaming 'I want to be free' we must stay safe to be able to stay alive for the time, which WILL come, when this is over.

euronorris

Well I have mastered the bread making even more, by hand now. Although my yeast is running low again. Could only get those little sachets last time, and was limited to 3 (x2 in a pack) only. I have 1 x 11g sachet left after making today's loaf, and a batch of pizza dough (divided and frozen for later use). Can't get any on my order due tomorrow either. One of my neighbours is going to try on her order due Friday. 

But....now that I've got the technique figured out. It only took me 37 years! 😂😂 I am considering buying both bread flour and yeast in bulk. There is a local fruit/veg man who used to supply wholesale, but now gone to local deliveries. A kg of fresh yeast for £2.74 and 16kg of bread flour for £21.95. The flour is organic, as the non organic is out of stock. I'm thinking I should bite the bullet and invest, and just stop buying bread on our deliveries. The flour is pretty expensive though.

Si_Clist

euronorris said:

... A kg of fresh yeast for £2.74 and 16kg of bread flour for £21.95 ... The flour is pretty expensive though.

Expensive as in can't afford it, or expensive as in don't really want to pay £1.37 a kilo?  We'd snap his hand off if he was standing at our door right now asking if we could do with any bread flour.

jk0

MrsLurcherwalker said:

Courtesy of our lovely pub we've just been able to pick up a 16kg sack of plain flour for DD1 and also 3kg of strong bread flour.  It will see the 5 of them through the summer months without having to worry, our pub landlord is an absolute gem.  When HWK collected this morning he actually asked what else he could get that would be useful for the customers (we're classed as regulars now) isn't that a fabulous thing?

I use 3kg in a fortnight, and that's just me.

[Deleted User]

Bread flour is hens teeth rare here and has been non existent since the lock down.  This is the first time he's been able to get any although he got some 3kg packs of plain flour last week but bread flour is such a find, DD's really happy and 3kg will make the stepsons loads of pizzas which are their favourite food.

I see what you mean, no 3kg of bread flour won't see them through the summer but the 16kg of plain will because she has baking powder enough to turn it into self raising for cakes, scones, soda farls etc.