The Prepping Thread - A Newer Beginning ;)

wondercollie

Well, it's been a day. 
Failed the "fit to work" screen midshift.  Got a swab rammed up my nose by a coworker and sent home to isolate.  Then I had to cancel a drs appointment because of the swab.  The dr. called mid afternoon with the good news that I wasn't  a Celiac  but extremely sensitive to milk, egg whites and peanuts and that he's referred me off to a GI (who I know) and to an allergist for further testing.
Have had to cancel WonderCollie's well dog visit tomorrow because of me.  Not that I'm allowed in the animal hospital, they keep the human in the parking lot and take in the canine with a note attached to their collar!  The dr. will then either call you or come to the door and talk at you.

And the final icing on the cake?   My first Covid vaccination was cancelled to the factory revamp in Belgium.  Nope, I'm over 60 and a working nurse.  My shot has been delayed so that over 60s can have their shot and those who managed to get their first dose can get their second dose.  I guess I'm not as important as an over 60 on a pension.

Oh and pulse oximeter?  Normal O2 levels are 92% and above.  As long as your lips aren't blue, and your nailbeds are pink you are fine

Siebrie

Someone in Belgium asked Covid-sufferers to mark how long they had had symptoms for after they contracted the virus, and to list their symptoms: https://www.nieuwsblad.be/cnt/dmf20210120_96416378 . It's in Dutch, but you can see the number of days and some of the symptoms are in English. There are many recurring symptoms: brain fog, nerve pains, inability to focus the eyes, memory loss, general muscle ache, hairloss, etc. Most are still unable to work.

[Deleted User]

We had the chimney swept yesterday, the sweep was very professional and in a mask, full protective suit  and shoe coverings and we had to wipe down all surfaces he'd be likely to come into contact with before he came and after he left and have windows and doors wide and then leave him to it and be in another room.  We've been burning the right kind of wood and the chimney was relatively clear and we had 'the right kind of soot' which is nice to know and we've made two further appointments for his services one in June after the stove is out of use for the warmer months and one for January next year as he is very much in demand and is already very booked up as more people are using open fires and stoves as they're at home in the pandemic.  If you have need of a sweep for stove or fireplace it might be worth booking appointments for having them swept a little ahead to make sure of being able to get one and being safely able to carry on using the heat source.

euronorris

I managed a walk at lunchtime with DD. Was a very wet day, but wasn't actually raining when we headed out. Much to DDs disappointment. She insisted on using her umbrella still. Jumped in puddles and walked to the little nearby pond and fed the....seagulls. The ducks weren't interested yesterday.

And last night, they resurfaced a section of the motorway (which borders our estate), after an accident there yesterday. Jackhammer noises and what sounded like a metal angle grinder, from 2 - 3.30am! Woke half the estate, including us, though luckily not DD. I'm pretty grumpy. Half the estate is.

I had other stuff to say, but honestly can't remember it now. Stay safe, stay well x

[Deleted User]

It pays to have a pronounced and fairly naughty sense of the ridiculous in life and never more so that in these stressful days where life is upside down and inside out.  I've been giggling all morning at the memory of the response to a post of mine back in the late spring when I said I wasn't going out even though the lockdown had been eased and was fairly severely judged by some posters and having posted yesterday about actually going out??? I find I am now in trouble again for doing so and am really appreciative of the irony of this.  Y'know that old saying about not being able to please all of the people all of the time?

MingVase

I was wakened up by an RAF Hercules flying just over the trees behind the house - Fastest I've moved in years because I wanted to see it. Beeglie opened one eye, that's pretty major for her too   

Floss

GQ, I'm with you on missing the sunshine walks due to WFH full time 8am-6pm since early March last year, keeping the NHS running behind the scenes. It's not even possible to get out at lunchtimes due to supporting urgent meetings and providing cover for colleagues who are off sick. 

Hopefully the weather will be kind to me next week as I have a few days off...s0ds law that it rains while I'm off & is sunny while working 🙄

elaine241

Well life here in Wales is pretty much of the same, sort of rinse and repeat! I have just made a lamb stew using up some home grown potatoes, carrots and onions ( plus celery/mushrooms) and neck of home lamb. Added a few herbs from the garden and then stuck it all in the slow cooker. I must admit the HG veg didn't look that great as they were the left over potatoes I dug the other day and the knobbly/small carrots I could not be bothered to clean for Sunday lunch. Once scrubbed they scrubbed up a treat   . Whole house smells lovely now! 
Weather for the weekend looks "interesting" as we could get our first snow! Luckily I will not need to rush out and get milk or bread as my preps mean I have bread flour, yeast and UHT milk. I do buy fresh milk , 36pints a week!, but the boys go through it especially as they are home all the time.
I treated myself to a book the other day The Foragers Calendar by John Wright. It seems really well written and is like a fiction book and reference rolled into one. I am enjoying the way he writes and imparts his knowledge. I need to forage for rosehips as the boys have loved the syrup and it has mostly been used up! I will take the book with me and see if I can ID any of the other plants he mentions for January. I am OK with berries and fungi but do not have a great knowledge of plants that are edible. I hope to change this, this year!

maryb

I wonder what the craze of this lockdown will be?  First lockdown everyone went mad for baking but I'm not sure there's a trend showing up yet.
Personally, I'm trying out fermentation.  I dabbled in it before but I found that kefir and konbucha give me heartburn.  But DD2 has developed a real taste for pickled flavours and particularly likes kimchi.  So I had a go this week.  I ordered some gochugaru flakes off the big river shopping site and sliced up Chinese leaves, radishes, carrots, a couple of turnips and spring onions. I already had garlic and ginger plus soy sauce.  The Chinese leaves were much easier to massage with salt to get brine out than ordinary sauerkraut cabbage and it made plenty of juice.
I'm doing it in a quart size Kilner jar with a silicone lid which allows the gas to escape.  It's certainly lively - quite a bit of juice escaped the first day or two.  I had a taste and it's lovely, I'm really looking forward to trying it in a couple of weeks time.
If it works I think it's quite a useful technique to add to one's preps - it's a good way to preserve vegetables without using electricity for canning, freezing or dehydrating.  In fact it probably adds goodness from the beneficial bacteria 

VJsmum

Mary - I absolutely love kimchi.  I'm lucky enough to have been to Seoul several times where it is served with everything - breakfast, lunch and dinner.  you are a better man than me for making it.

Regrettably, a lot of fermented stuff disagrees with me too - it's the histamine level that does it for me.

Mar - i love to see a hercules.  We see them / it a lot in wales.  Magnificent

Both of DD's tests (COVID and antibody) have come back negative - so whatever it is she's got, it's really not that.  Which i think is a good thing as, while she definitely has some kind of post-viral fatigue it's hoped that she won't get affected by anything like long-covid.

Been bike riding today to christen my new bike - it's bright but freezing.  My backside is yet to recover