The Prepping Thread - A Newer Beginning ;)

elaine241

Well I have been staying home as much as possible. I went shopping early Monday morning  , first one since before Xmas,  and town was very quiet. I am fully stocked up as usual and quite happy to stay home and hibernate! It is freezing here and very foggy. Boys are home schooling and seem to have settled into the rhythm of live lessons followed by work being set. I am working from home , which is normal for me, so the house has settled into a sort of peace. My OH is not settled, he is used to being out on site or around the farm. He can not sit inside for any period of time, he is doing maintenance on tractors etc so is busy. The lane through the farm is still very busy with walkers etc,  Cases are rising and our hospitals here in South Wales are really struggling. Good news my father is feeling fine and apart from fatigue is not developing any more symptoms. Unfortunately his partners brother died yesterday from this awful virus. She has a sister and brother also showing symptoms so she is in a very stressed and dark place. She is going walking on the mountain today just to get some exercise and clear her head a bit.

MrsCD

Pleased your father is feeling better, Elaine. Sorry to hear your other news though. I'm sure a walk on the hills would help anyone clear their head. I do feel for those who have had multiple relatives with the virus. They must be in a turmoil of emotions. Take care and look after your family. xx

[Deleted User]

We've workmen in repairing the garden room roof after another leak that has stained the ceiling over the Christmas period, it happened after we had the bad heavy rain from Storm Bella just before Christmas where the brook across the road flooded.  It's the first time we've had anyone except us on the property since the summer and feels odd and quite unsettling given the new covid variant and the huge hike in numbers here (and everywhere else too).  We've taken every precaution to stay away from the area they're working in and they'll stay outside but getting back to mixing again with other people is going to take mental discipline and some getting used to when the vaccination programme is rolled out and we've some immunity.  It's a very odd feeling being apprehensive of having someone else actually on the plot, not something I'd expected at all.

3secondmemory

My internet was down all day yesterday and I found out the hard way that my wind up solar radio is very difficult, nigh on impossible,  to wind up. I ended up with terrible pains in my hands and fingers. I woke on the night feeling horribly sick because of it. 

More pain this morning from reading a book yesterday -  I can’t hold my phone or iPad for very long without it hurting or tiring me out, the same goes for books. That’s Fibro. 

I’m a bit disappointed about the radio. That’s the only problem with buying online or buying something for the first time. 

Something I did learn this morning and that is worth sharing, is that if you are a BT Halo customer and you are registered as vulnerable, they guarantee you will never be without Wi-Fi by sending a small backup 4G pack. 

Yesterday was slightly frustrating,  
I rely on the Internet for so much more than I realised. I couldn’t watch the news, listen to music, use Google 😳, use Facebook or messenger, check my Bank, buy anything online, book an appointment or access my medical records 

I would describe myself as not very computer literate but I’m obviously computer dependent. 

DryTheRain

Hi 3secondmemory that really sucks  Oddly enough I was just looking at my solar radio and wondering if it still worked, as we’ve had snow overnight, which is rare round here.  Although the light’s too low to charge it on the windowsill, it did work wedged under a lamp and got even better/louder placed on top of the bulb with the solar panel facing down. So alternative light sources are definitely worth a try if you’re in a fix.

GreyQueen

According to the NHS's own website, the vaccines aren't promising immunity against coronavirus. You can still get it, and still pass it to others, the data is that you yourself are less likely to get it (but not immune) and less likely to be seriously ill if you do get it. Even the NHS and the Government say that masking and social distancing will still have to go on for the foreseeable future.

For people who like links, here's one off the NHS with the relevent information:

https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/coronavirus-vaccination/coronavirus-vaccine/

Karmacat

Elaine, 3secondmemory, difficult times for both of you, in varying situations - I hope things take a turn for the better.

euronorris

Elaine, pleased to hear that your Dad is improving. So sorry about his partners brother, and the stress and grief she must be feeling. I hope her walk helped, even if it was only a small respite.

2secondmemory, do you not have a data plan on your mobile phone? Or is the reception in your area too bad?

3secondmemory

euronorris said:

2secondmemory, do you not have a data plan on your mobile phone? Or is the reception in your area too bad?

Need to sort out something – I never bothered with much mobile data because I’ve been housebound for the last couple of years and I had an amazing deal from BT where I got my handset for £10 one-off payment and £5 a month thereafter. 

I’m going to ring up and order the 4G backup pack with BT. 

😃

euronorris

3secondmemory said:

euronorris said:

2secondmemory, do you not have a data plan on your mobile phone? Or is the reception in your area too bad?

Need to sort out something – I never bothered with much mobile data because I’ve been housebound for the last couple of years and I had an amazing deal from BT where I got my handset for £10 one-off payment and £5 a month thereafter. 

I’m going to ring up and order the 4G backup pack with BT. 

😃

If you want a low level of commitment, and something cheap, you could go for giffgaff. £8 a month would give you unlimited minutes and texts, and 2GB of data for when you needed it. Or for £10 pm, the data would increase to 6GB. If you had the plan to record every month at the £10 level, it would be 9GB of data.

But you can stop or start at anytime with giffgaff. And you can move up or down a package each month if you want/need to.

We have used them here in the past, without a problem. They use the O2 network. The sim card is free.

You would need to get your phone unlocked though, so it would accept a sim card from another carrier.