The Prepping Thread - A Newer Beginning ;)

GreyQueen

Oooh, Izal Medicated, there's a blast from the past. I'd love to get some millennials together with that product and see what they make of a botty-wiper which could double as tracing paper! I can still remember the outdoor loo at home, and the ones across the school playground, sitting there staring anxiously up at the big spiders.

Re the TP Mountain, most of it made its way to the flat, but there are 4 packs in the 'rents loft (48 rolls total), which I left there deliberately months ago because they would not see the writing on the wall ref Covid-19 and were badly unprepped. A daughterly shopping raid in early March got them stocked up, but there were very nearly rows between Mum & Dad and Dad & me about it.

I keep the TP Mountain topped up (added an 18 pack last week in fact) and have several bottles of shampoo, bought on special at 15p for 300ml bottles, and lots of toothpaste - about 3 years' worth. I also stocked up on paracetamol for my athritis, it would be grim without that and I can't hammer the prescription painkillers too much (opiates).

Had a call from the 'rents a couple of weeks ago with an unusual opening line; What had I done with the toothpaste?

I left home aged 16 which was nearly 40 years ago, whyfore am I likely to know where their toothpaste was? Due to limited storage in their bathroom, the toothpaste stash (and the various other things stash) lived on the one of the shelves in the towel cupboard on the landing. I had tidied said cupboard a few months ago, therefore missing toothpaste was clearly my responsibility!

Of course, it was simply that the menfolk had been helping themselves to new tubes of toothpaste without mentally noting the need to re-stock, until the sad sad day when there were no more toothpaste tubes on the shelf. They're less than a mile from a shop, not a huge problem as long as shops are functioning.

greenbee

Si_Clist said:

If I may be excused for creating thread drift away from the gardening for a moment, I have a question.

If when you woke up this morning you found that with immediate effect all shops were closed and food deliveries suspended until further notice, how long could you realistically last with what you have in the house right now? 

I was already isolated when lockdown started, and my deliveries (veg box and milkman) suddenly became unreliable. I couldn’t get a supermarket delivery, and had been away for work for 2 weeks so had no fresh food in. Due to the amount of travel i’ve Been doing over the past 2 years freezer stocks were also fairly low as I’m not normally here to eat them!

So I had to do some some careful planning. I manage to a small shop done by a friend after 2 weeks, and another couple by a volunteer at about 4 and 6 weeks. Only SM delivery at 8 weeks. 

The initial impact of panic-buying on my normal suppliers is what led me to restart the gardening. I haven’t grown food (other than a few neglected raspberries) since I moved here as I travel too much, but it seemed like a priority if supplies were going to become erratic. I started with sprouting seeds, and some seeds I’d been given for Christmas, and have been expanding production ever since as it doesn’t look like I’ll be doing much travel this year!

The cupboards and freezers are holding up well after 3 months, although this has been helped by eggs, tofu and cheese becoming available. And I keep both red & white cabbage in reserve in the fridge as emergency veg in case of future shortages. Seeds for sprouting are also being rationed. I can’t make yogurt (which I used to) as I don’t hav3 stock of UHT milk anymore, so am buying it.

Rowan9

Great question and was going to answer but headed off for dog walk. 

I’m probably looking at two to three months. I have started to restock the ‘pantry’ corner of spare room. I realised I had become complacent about replacing items used. We added some to our weekly shopping list and will keep doing that. 

GQ - good point about flavourings. They make such a difference. 

Si_Clist

GreyQueen said:

One thing I did stock up on a the start of the lockdown (3 pots) is that dried dried strong cheese in shake pots which we can't call Parmesan because that is a registered regional product.

Oooh!  What is this thing of which you speak write?  Pray tell me more, that I too may acquire some

GreyQueen said:

Oooh, Izal Medicated, there's a blast from the past. I'd love to get some millennials together with that product and see what they make of a botty-wiper which could double as tracing paper!

Indeed.  I still remember the day Mother dear came back from the shops with a roll of The New Soft Toilet Paper, which I was instructed to use with caution.  In later life, I was reliably(?) informed that the reason the stuff was in every school bogs and public loo was that Councils got it dirt cheap if they bought Izal disinfectants in bulk.  Why on earth bogpaper might have needed to be "medicated" is still one of life's great mysteries AFAIC, unless of course it was to help heal damage caused by incautious use of the product.

pollyanna_26

I'd forgotten about the tracing paper asppect of Izal. I don't recall seeing tracing paper in shops when I was young so it was a bonus and many sheets went missing. Mum never fugured out how but would get quite anxious that one of us had some dreadful bowel disorder.

If it's any comfort my adult offspring often phone to ask where they could have put something in their house. Two of them live many miles away so no idea if I missed the always keep track of your adult offsprings belongings advice in the parenting manuals.

Amazing the stash still exists. There was a point in this area some people would have paid big money for a few loo rolls. You could have been a millionaire Rodders selling to the highest bidder..

Are the cats still around? used to love the tales of The queen of Sheba and Wild Thing.

I had a good hunt through various cupboards and drawers and found a lot of useful stuff I'd mainly forgotten about including just in case packs of 24 toilet rolls and other stuff.

We had a Thornton's chocolate shop here and i became too addicted to the chocolate marzipan bars so decided on a different sort of treat. It had got to the point where I'd panic if they were out of stock.

I discovered some lovely big blocks of french and italian soaps vegetable oil based with pure essential oils . I started putting them in clothes drawers etc so I seem to have stash to last a long time. They don't lose the scent and I keep a Lavender one near the landline and it's very calming when hanging on for a reply.

I think they averaged around £1.50 to £2,00 and they're very theraputic. They're also a smaller version of a house brick but pretty and would make a handy weapon if needed.

I always buy the plain white paracetamol caplets from Wilko's. They're usually 19 or 20 p.for 16. Some other brsnds have various fillers which don't agree with me. They're quite effective unless the arthritis or fibro is really flaring badly.  Both youngest and I find Voltarol Emulgel good for flares. That's prescribed by Superdoc. Dd reaches for the opiates when things are bad but always tries the gentler options first.

polly

jamanda

When compost is freely available, I'm going to try to get some in for next year if I can find somewhere to stash it.  It got a bit scarce this year and with more people getting interested in growing their own, the situation might be worse next year when we need it.  I already have seeds for next year but they won't grow well if I'm reduced to using just our soil.

GreyQueen

Si Clist, just type Dried Grated Hard Cheese into Sainbugs; website and you'll see it - £1 for an 80g shaker pot. I tried to do a link but it came up with a whole paragraph when I pasted it, which is bonkers. It's a Parmesan lookee-likee.

Re the parental cats, which they've had since 2005, estimated age on acquisting sub 1 year (they'd not quite finished growing and that was the vet's best guess). The Queen of Sheba got cancer and had to be PTS in August 2018 but her sister Wild Thing is still very much with us and in fine fettle. She's living mostly outside in this lovely weather, rocking up for meal times and strokes. In the colder weather, she was laying on the radiator or the bed/ armchair, and being a proper fusspot.

jamanda, re the compost, a bit of disorganisation a couple of years ago worked out well for me this year. I'd stashed several bags of compost right at the back of the shed and forgotten them and bought more. So, went into this growing season well-stocked, which was a blessing. That's now depleted and my Dad is bringing 2 x 50 litre bags of compost up to the allotment for me tomorrow, to replace what has been used.

Greenglockenspiel

We could probably last 2-3 months on our stores but like others it would stop featuring our 5 a day after a while and be mostly based on oats... however hopefully by then we’d be harvesting various things from the allotment. Must research freezers!!

Si_Clist

Well, seeing as how it was me who asked the question, in our case we reckon 4 months minimum eating pretty much as usual and 6+ months rationed - assuming an average year's produce from the garden and the allotment, and that the spuds store OK.  We do freeze some of that, but either bottle or dry* 95% of it.  Bear in mind though that there's only the two of us here. 

If Vladimir doesn't turn the gas off, we continue to heat the place mainly by central hearing until 4pm and use the front-room stove of an evening, we're good for 3 winters.  If no gas, we reckon the coal and log stashes between them would do us at least one cold winter's heating and cooking, but baths would be a thing of the past

(* That's dry as in sunshine or above the woodstove, btw, not as in dehydrate.)

pollyanna_26

Si_Clist said:

GreyQueen said:

One thing I did stock up on a the start of the lockdown (3 pots) is that dried dried strong cheese in shake pots which we can't call Parmesan because that is a registered regional product.

Oooh!  What is this thing of which you speak write?  Pray tell me more, that I too may acquire some

GreyQueen said:

Oooh, Izal Medicated, there's a blast from the past. I'd love to get some millennials together with that product and see what they make of a botty-wiper which could double as tracing paper!

Indeed.  I still remember the day Mother dear came back from the shops with a roll of The New Soft Toilet Paper, which I was instructed to use with caution.  In later life, I was reliably(?) informed that the reason the stuff was in every school bogs and public loo was that Councils got it dirt cheap if they bought Izal disinfectants in bulk.  Why on earth bogpaper might have needed to be "medicated" is still one of life's great mysteries AFAIC, unless of course it was to help heal damage caused by incautious use of the product.

A number of hospitals in this region were still using an Izal type toilet roll. Youngest had some long hospital stays and would have her own much envied soft toilet tissue in her locker. No idea if they still are now.

I was making a brew earlier and remembered the first time Mum brought washing up liquid home. It must have been the early 60s. From memory washing up before the wonder product entered the home involved swishing a bar of Fairy green household soap in a bowl of hot water. My sisters and I fught to wash the dishes until the novelty wore off..

One thng I'd love to know more about is Aunt Sally's Liquid Soap. I used to pass the place it was made when I first started work.

I'm not sure if it was only available in the NW of England  It came from the local chandlers in a brown glass bottle. It smelt of pine and carbolic and had otherthings I can't remember. I merrily mopped all the hard floors until the day I got married.

I continued using it through house moves and then it disappeared.

In her later years my mum lived with my sister and her family. Her funeral cortage left from there. later that day sis and I visited a strange little place that sold plants, hardware and all sorts of stuff. I spotted six bottles on a shelf and brought them home with me.

I've never seen it anywhere since. I've googled on local history and news sites with no luck.

I've attempted to mix my own version but something is missing.

I've even asked around if anyone ever worked for the company but answers were my brother did but sadly no longer with us etc.

I suppose it wll remain a mystery.

Sorry the Queen of Sheba is no longer around GQ. Wild Thing sounds the same as always with the comings and goings depending on the season.

Hope you mum, dad and brother are well. I've often wondered if any of the books I've bought from online sellers were from him.

Youngest is just over twelve weeks through shielding . She;s been at her boy friends who is working from home for the NHS but in a role he mainly does from home in normal circumstances I dropped her there the day Superdoc phoned to tell her 12 weeks minimum do not go out. I'm giving her time to digest todays headlines before getting in touch.. I doubt she'll be ready to leave the house tomorrow . We've been guided by the Science and Superdoc and this seems more than a slight loosening.and quite out of touch with the advice of the various schools of tropical medicine. Superdoc is open and honest so we'll listen to him tomorrow.. One of the reasons he's phoning tomorrow is there's a problem with her blood results the nurse took last week on a home visit.

I'm afraid I've taken you all off track.

Re compost I tend to buy if it's a good offer and store it in the garage for future use.

polly