Prepping: the new world...

otb666

I love tinned custard and tinned rice pudding which are good hot or cold. I was thinking about cooking in terracotta pot from garden as have a grill that fits inside and loads of wood in garden if needed. I also have containers in garden that I collect water in. Lastly my eye sight has started improving. I have been short sighted since 10 and worked my way up to 4.75 but at over 55 started working my way back down. As I have about 10 sets of old glasses I should be alright there. I am not going overboard like I did in covid as only the 2 of us now. I have always done the one in reserve thing and most of the nuts/pulses/beans pasta tins and medicine i bought last time went out of date before I got to them. I have wind up torch/radio and a first aid kit. I have plenty of duvets as live in 3 bed house but only use one bed. The tortoise feed comes in big pots so they are sorted as well.

Cherryfudge

We have a log burner and wood stacked in the garden, but today I added firelighters (already got several boxes of matches) and some of those compressed logs that stack small - just in case the power goes and the weather is too foul to go out, or the wood outside is too wet. May as well be comfortable, and we can heat food or drinks on the top of the log burner, and at least bake potatoes inside. Of course, this winter may be one of those where everything goes fairly smoothly, but in case it doesn't, at least we can get heated through, which makes a big difference.

maryb

I debated getting rid of the log burner earlier this year. We are getting older and stacking the logs is quite punishing work plus all the noise in the press about banning them. But in the end we ordered just enough logs for the winter back in July and I'm glad we did. I'm not a zombie apocalypse prepper but I do prep for intermittent inconvenience like rota power cuts which seem more and more likely to happen this winter. Not being warm would top my list of inconvenient!!

Cherryfudge

I think you are wise @maryb, not just for comfort's sake but for your health. There's a correlation between extremes of heat and cold and a rise in deaths, which I'd imagine is due to the extra strain on the body. Besides, log burners are cosy! And you can brew a cuppa on the top if there's no power to the kettle!

I do get the point about the effort of moving logs, though. Would briquettes be easier to move?

Cosmos1234

I'd love a log burner but unfortunately it's not in the budget as yet!

We had a long power cut overnight, and I ended up having a wander around the Internet.

Canada has loads of information on how to be emergency prepared - planning, kits, resources, different types of hazards (power cuts, fire, flood, cyber etc etc). It's encouraged us to add a few things to our list that could be useful here!

Canada - get prepared

DigForVictory

The old family home had an open fireplace - and we kept warm several times over hunting for windfall, lugging it back, breaking it down, stacking it, lugging it in to dry, then finally burning it. This place also has a fireplace but it's relatively tiny & doesn't draw. (Plus the room has a parquet floor - one escaped log & you burn your flooring.)
Frankly although a period feature, it is not that useful. It's simpler & safer to wear cloaks of fleece blankets after a set of star jumps & then settle with a hot drink!

DigForVictory

None of us were planning to be hopping a train in Spain this week, were we? As central Spain (Toledo) there's been a nasty crash.

DigForVictory

And now the Independent is deriding those who go that extra yard (but that's behind a paywall, try this link instead). I did like the line "If there’s anyone who can actually outlast the apocalypse, it’s these women – underestimate them at your own peril." I was nearly falling off my chair with shock that amidst the sarcasm was also the wholly valid point "we should include stuff we actually want to eat in amongst our Doomsday supplies" - absolutely.
It's how I come to have a variety of tins of mackerel - the chaps cannot be doing with it & I suspect I would be sent to eat it outside "stinky fish!" (Whether the electric's off or someone Has started WW3 they'll still have strongly worded views - can't imagine where they get that from.) Onwards with the "calm and rational preparations"!

Cosmos1234

A few weeks ago I bought a K3lly K3ttle kit (kettle, stove etc) on an offer. I've only just unpacked it, so I haven't tried it yet, but from some old forum comments and videos online etc it looks like it'll be fun and there are always dry scraps of wood around here.

Will see how practical it is in time, as the kettle part is said to work in all weather. Hopefully it will be useful if we get more long power cuts this winter, even if only for hot drinks, soup etc.

prepareathome

A couple of years ago, my son borrowed mine. I bought it years ago for emergencies but never needed it but he had a power cut that they said would last a few days, so he drove the 40 miles up to mine, borrowed it and the rechargeable lights and power banks I had and they were fine. Oh, he also borrowed the rechargeable heat pads I use for pain relief) I have, as it was winter and that gave me at least some warmth. He said the kettle worked really well, he found dry twigs and leaves in his garden and that gave them warm drinks. He placed the pan that came with it on the stand on top of the kettle so they were able to heat soup and other canned food on it. So, all back with me now and I have added more power banks, rechargeable and solar charging lights, and heating pads ( grab them now when on sale for warmth) to my supplies and he now has his own. ( Been a lurker here for many, many years, picked up so much info. Thank you all) Forgot to add handwarms - the rechargable ones rather than the ones you need to heat in water are brilliant, I use them all winter when out but would be great during a powercut and central heating is off - I don't own nor can afford a log burner, so it's central heating or gas fire for us or nothing unless it was long term and so would pull the gas fire out ( chimney checked annually) plus to bedrooms have fireplaces and I do have some coal stored in case, just as well it will never go off as been in garden shed about 20 years and keep forgetting to add some more.