The Prepping Thread - A Newer Beginning ;)

baggins11

I am about 10 miles out of Hereford Helebore so only go in for shopping.  Like any city its a mixed bag with nice areas and not so nice. The shopping areas have been regenerated in recent years and its very nice now. Although some of the nicer shops have closed down recently as is probably the case on many high streets.

thriftwizard

Merry Christmas to you all! Here's hoping that even those who have to spend it on their own can find something to smile at, and that all will go peacefully for us all.

elaine241

Well we survived Christmas and Storm Bella last night! It blew a right hooley here and the rain kept me awake lashing against the window. I brought two of the horses in as they are clipped and ridden regularly, the other two were hiding under overhanging trees against a wall of a neighbours house, couldn't be seen and were out the wind and rain. The cattle are all in comfy for the winter. Poor sheep have to make do but they have plenty of hedges and trees to hide under. Hope everyone had a good Christmas and avoided any trouble with the storm. We have had flooding here on the Usk river to add to the woes over Christmas. Luckily no one local was flooded although many of the fields have disappeared under water.
Roll on 2021 and I really hope life improves for everyone!

[Deleted User]

We have a weather station in the back garden and it's showing we've had 6" of rain in the few weeks before Christmas including 2" on the day the brook did flood and another 1" overnight last night, the brook is in spate again today and has been up to the top of the channel but hasn't broken out and come over on to the road this time.  OH walked up to the flood defences higher up the valley yesterday and could see where the 2" of rain had just been too much for it and it had flowed over the top and made the brook rise as much as it did, full this morning but the earth bank was high enough to keep it in and allow slow release through the culvert into the brook.  It's going to be an interesting few months if we continue to get rain in quantities and can only hope we get dry periods between deluges to allow the water to drain away before the next lot arrives.

Newsfeed on mse is showing a Telegraph article suggesting the Oxford vaccine could start being administered from the 4th January with the aim of 40 million vaccinations being given by March.  That would be a real game changer wouldn't it?

thriftwizard

Fingers crossed for all those whose properties lie close to rivers, brooks, streams, burns and anything else that might flood, that we do have some dry spells as we go through the winter and into spring! Also for those of us growing on clay...

Went out for a pleasant walk along our riverbank with DD1 this morning. The river is pretty full, but not currently looking like it will spill over. We didn't see the otters, who are making themselves far more visible than ever before lately, but we've seen them twice in the last couple of weeks, so I don't feel too hard-done-by. What did strike me was that it actually felt like early spring; bulbs are pushing up, the birds don't seem discouraged by the incessant rain, and there was that indefinable fresh clean green smell to the air that I remember from an early April day long ago, when we went out to look for primroses for our Easter gardens, further south than we are here. Yes, it's very early days, but the year is turning back towards the light.

I'm crossing my fingers for the Oxford vaccine; I can't have the Pfizer one, as I've had an anaphylactic reaction to penicillin. My 94 y.o. mother's being "done" for the first time today; I'm so hoping I'll be able to go & visit her before long!

daz378

Storm bella made little puddles on my kitchen floor    from my leaky kitchen window...video and photo evidence collected  for housing association  and the 2 loads  of washing from towels on the windowsill and floor  to mop it up ...after a 7 hour shift....stay safe

euronorris

I typed something long. Then lost it. Grrr.

So, good Xmas. Lots of turkey leftovers. Still eating it (in various forms to keep it interesting).

Family well. Unscathed by storm, luckily. Hope everyone else OK, or can at least fix quickly.

DD crafting this morning. I looked away for 10 seconds, turn back and she's chopped off chunks of her hair at the front!! 'I was just practicing mummy!'. Quite the telling off she was given, and no access to scissors for a while! Have managed to salvage it by feathering it around her face. Sigh. Could've been worse. Could've been worse.

Popped to Mr A to check on bargains as neighbour said it was quiet. Not many bargains to be had, but did get free veg on way out. Already prepped, blanched and in the freezer.

Cheapskate

We escaped much of the storm, except the ankle deep puddle at the bottom of the garden as per.  DD's fence between her and next door is down, despite DD telling neighbour to fix (theirs fence), and DD's partner trying to fix before the storm.  She says they've sold and are past caring now, but what a mess for the buyers to sort!

Plenty of food and drink here still, and I def didn't overbuy as it's just us 4 all Christmas, no visitors. Even did the family quiz via zoom today! 

@euronorris more than one of my children has 'practised' hairdressing skills!! 

mothernerd

My mother's uncle hated his glorious curls and great-grandma came in one day to find that he and his brother had cut them all off and were in the middle of pasting them onto the other brother's head. Great-grandma ran a pub more or less single -handed - great grandad's contribution was to stand just outside the door looking important and hailing all his friends.

[Deleted User]

We have snow, I don't think it's going to last and will probably melt away as soon as it stops snowing but I've just been out and fed the birds with everything I can lay my hands on and given them warm water in the bird bath. We got in a good store of logs last night as this was predicted and we benefit from the stove in the lounge as the day draws on and it gets colder.  I've also been using my heated throw when I sit down in the afternoon, just on the lowest setting but it saves having the heating on and is enough to stay nicely comfortable until we light up the stove, well worth the investment and has been a boon over the past few days when I've been a bit under the weather.  It's let me snuggle up in comfort and let the antibiotic do it's work and fix me.