The Prepping Thread - A Newer Beginning ;)

pollyanna_26

Look after yourself Daz and make sure you're fully recovered.

I've been wanting a Kelly Kettle over all the years I've followed the prepper threads however I don't buy aluminium. Had a look on line and noticed stainless steel ones  dearer than aluminium but I've paid similar prices for SS electric kettles so have decided to buy one.

I was in the little Coop yesterday quite a few empty shelves with apologetic notices. I did manage to get a fair amount of what I needed including a number of boxes of cooks matches and the longer ones too. Went into town and there were only two customers in Wilko so nipped in there bought a few more hot water bottles plan to knit covers for them . Some other things and even more cooks and longer matches. The woman on the till asked if I was thinking of becoming an arsonist so i just smiled.

I'm about to order a lot of big church candles very long burning, I already have my big annual White Co Winter Candle and the matching Tealights. A Christmas tradition here but too expensive for power cuts. Biggest rubber torch needs replacing. Had it years and it's past it's best. I've checked the solar lamps and they're still working well.

This area is reclaimed from the sea and on a flood plain neither of those things showed up on solicitors searches when I was buying the house  but they did a few years later when I was trying to find cheaper house and contents insurance deals. The water company made a hash of installing the water pipes so I have a natural spring at  the bottom of the back garden. That was useful in the very hot summer of 76 and the children loved  digging and filling buckets with seashells.

I used to wonder why the thresholds at the front and back door were so high. I found the answer the night both police and waterboard were knocking on doors to say the sea wall was breached during a high tide. We're close to the sea and only 3 metres above sea level so no one went to bed that night. The water flooded the road and pavement but came just below the threshold. Ten minutes walk away bungalows that were built on a road sloping towards to the sea were flooded halfway up the walls and it was a long time before the owners could return to their homes.

We've had warnings during spring tides and storms when the road has flooded but no flooding of houses or the garage at the side of my house. That was built high with an upward slope to the doors.front and back a few years after moving in

There are lots of trees and shrubs in front and back gardens including a planned windbreak  on the seaward side in the back garden which protects against storms and provides shelter for plants and widlife so plenty of twigs and branches for a kettle.

pollyx

tboo

Regarding the Kelly Kettle. I did look last year after reading the prepper thread but left it at that.

However, I thought about it after seeing a few posts here lately, so looked online yesterday, ummed and aahed about it, couldn't decide between 2 sets, but as Pollyanna did, I eventually purchased one.

It will be coming in the next few days, it is rather costly but will come in handy for camping next year. I do have a portal gas cooker as well, which will only be used in emergencies.

Question.

Is storing food ie tins/jars/dried stuff ok in the shed?

It has no windows so will get rather warm inside during hot spells.

Karmacat

I'm a bit torn about buying a kelley kettle (it would be a stainless steel one, like pollyanna says).  But I made a big sturdy rocket stove, with lots of insulation, and that could do a lot of what a kelley does.  Really not sure.

VJsmum

I have a Kelly Kettle, and have used it at festivals - only to boil water though, i've never cooked anything on it.  They are very good indeed - i find pine cones work quite well at keeping them going.

prepareathome

I bought some new hot water bottles last week from Amazon as checked the old ones - not used for quite a few years and decided I would not trust them and price was not to bad, they charge a fortune if you choose one with a cover and you don't get to see the actual bottle.  Asked Kinkid if she and fiancé wanted any as although they have fairly decent student house its cool all year round ( very old house with thick walls) , which has been nice over summer but they froze last winter, I made them some quilts and been asked for more and blankets (of course blankets are made from the one fabric I don't have, a lovely soft fluffy one and I bought all the seller had left - they sell old lines of fabric left over when fashion houses, stores etc stop production of items in the fabric and they always overbuy and I made everyone friends and family snuggly blankets for Christmas 2019  ).

Anyway, back to point of my post - the seller on Amazon has obviously decided to cash in on the threat of a no power winter and put the price up rather a lot and I noticed quite a few others have done the same.  No way would I give that seller anymore of my money as I really doubt its new stock, so found some, hopefully decent ones on eBay - am I right that a seller on eBay has to keep price of item for the length of time they are running that listing - can reduce but not increase price?  

So, keep your eyes peeled and if possible if you plan to buy something from Amazon to do with prepping, ask if anyone had bought the item recently and how much they paid to see if seller is cashing in on the worry most have atm.

Told the kids that if it gets cold and power cuts hit, I will just bring them a big pile of fabric and they can just it to keep warm, just as it is (well all except my silk and lace LOL).  They also asked for more cardigans and jumpers so need to give myself a kick and get sewing

euronorris

Oohhh those blankets sound lovely @prepareathome . I got back into my sewing since the pandemic and have just started to try my hand at clothing (made daughter some Xmas 'grow with me' pyjamas). I've been making some Xmas napkins to gift people too  

Wraithlady

That reminds me, I have a few metres of Arctic fleece in the loft (got it free when an online fabric order was messed up) - I'd forgotten about that.

newlywed

Oooh thanks… hot water bottles needed. Will look for them when in town next.

boultdj

I got my hot water bottles from my local co-op chemist £5 with cover and 3 year guarantee. now got 4, so we can have 1 at the top of the bed and 1 at the foot of the bed.

Si_Clist

boultdj said:

... we can have 1 at the top of the bed and 1 at the foot of the bed.

Ooooh, so we like a bit of luxury then ...