What Preps are you doing this week? Part 10

[Arzosah]

Oh wow

Brilliant! And I'd never have guessed, not in a million years

[Yorkshire Andy]

Oh wow

Brilliant! And I'd never have guessed, not in a million years

Dual use Cool drinks or shtf somewhere cool to keep some food stuffs

[jansman]

This week will be a very ‘indoorish’ one for me. I am rather unwell at the moment,and I’ve got to be a bit steady So glad I keep up with stuff being organised in the yard and garden. The veg garden is now embarrassingly rampant. It’s moving at full speed ,and there’s crops available now. Nature does work fast!
So this week will be ‘paperwork’ . I have a financial chap ( from my trade union,so it’s ‘free’)coming to see me to sort out pensions and savings in order to avoid HMRC and losing benefit claims that are rightly mine. The awards are like a snowball somewhat; I keep getting more,and frankly I get as much as I earned whilst working! Everything will be for my wife’s sake and well being. I don’t want to lose benefits,as between us we have paid almost 90 years of taxes , and aside from child allowance we have never claimed anything. I have never even stayed in hospital. Mind you,I’ve made that up for that bit in the last 7 months! I’ve got more hospital visits this week,so I’ve got my head round it for this weeks events.

This prepping lark is most interesting. Down the years we have stashed food like a supermarket. Especially when the children were here. I have also grown it,shot it and preserved it. Still am doing to a degree.My ‘outdoor’ kit has been moved on. None of the standard‘evacuation’ equipment now. I won’t and can’t live out of the back of a car - as huge an SUV as it is

It’s now about :

1. Structural Factors. The house,and making sure everything is up to date,legal and sound. I have always sorted stuff myself- should have been a builder - but now I am sorting local names and numbers so stuff can be done without me.

2. Money! My wife will have to continue to work. Indeed she wants to,and honestly I would if I could! However,the pensions and savings made , are for her well - being ultimately. We never earned a massive wage,but didn’t spend much either! I will keep her comfortable when I move on.

3. Property. I won’t say we are ‘lucky’ to own our house. We worked hard. In fact I am hearing this interest rate increase and folks thinking that 6% is dear,and we earned less than 14 grand a year with a £40,000 mortgage in 1990. Interest was 15.25% ! We thought 8% was a blessing! Mind you,the house came first. Unlike neighbours and friends,holidays and new cars were not on our list. The house came first,food next and then power. I won’t go on. People have a different attitude towards what is essential these days it seems. The latest phone ain’t it!

4. Most importantly relationships,family and friends.

[Yorkshire Andy]

Blooming powers that be will do anything they can to get their hands on your hard earned despite paying tax when you earned it



Other prep yesterday was to refill the calor patio gas bottle that we got with the like new second hand BBQ last year.. I didn't check it over properly and it had a gas leak due to the gas hose not been fitted correctly which let the gas leak away slowly when I forgot to turn the regulator off after a boozy BBQ ...

Anyway B&Q no longer stock calor .. so hit the couple of boat yards / chandlers locally... Neither had 5kg patio gas bottles on stock .,. One said Tuesday other had no Idea when some would arrive....

Parked up in The car park phone out petrol station 10 miles away near my mate who id have popped to see if they had stock ... Nope... Tried a little hardware shop in a village 10 miles the other way that I didn't know existed yep so we had a little road trip and found a blooming good little hardware shop to boot

Probably didn't need another full bottle but into the zombie stores it goes

Currently running the BBQ on my refillable bottle which is only small (3kg ISH) but it costs a whopping £4.37 to fill at the auto gas pump

[jansman]

Our daughter got back from her ‘glamping’ trip. Those bistro stoves with the aerosol style gas canisters; I gave her a pack of four. Over three days ,decent meals were cooked and the kettle boiled rather a lot. She used one. That means the stock here at Chez Jansman will last for half a lifetime if / when we get power issues. It’ll be more civilised too. Mrs J doesn’t want to cook on the woodstove particularly!

[Arzosah]

Jansman - sorry you're so unwell, that list of priorities is good. I'm glad you've got the union man coming round to help you with the paperwork maze - it really does need a specialist these days. And yes, all those benefits are your rights! The rules and laws of the land - they say you're owed this. I hope the appointments this week go well.


Andy - you refilled a BBQ bottle at the auto gas pump? I'm tres impressed

Me - hmmm. I've started constructing little Faraday cages - a couple of big decorative tins, from Hotel Chocolat and Men Nivea - they were about to go in the recycling when I rescued them ages ago. I had a big roll of corrugated cardboard, and I've cut shapes for both tins for the tops, bottoms and sides. I'll be wrapping the goods in fabric bits, heavy aluminium foil, more fabric, more foil, and put them away - sealing the tins with leftover aluminium tape I bought to link floor insulation panels


ETA - just seen your bistro stove post, jansman, that's good to hear, I have a stock of those cartridges too - small, compared to yours, but mine own

[Yorkshire Andy]

Our daughter got back from her ‘glamping’ trip. Those bistro stoves with the aerosol style gas canisters; I gave her a pack of four. Over three days ,decent meals were cooked and the kettle boiled rather a lot. She used one. That means the stock here at Chez Jansman will last for half a lifetime if / when we get power issues. It’ll be more civilised too. Mrs J doesn’t want to cook on the woodstove particularly!

They get used either the gas BBQ or my camper it won't fit the larger 6/7 kg bottles all being well we are off grid camping for a few nights so it'll run the lpg gas fridge et all

[jansman]

Jansman - sorry you're so unwell, that list of priorities is good. I'm glad you've got the union man coming round to help you with the paperwork maze - it really does need a specialist these days. And yes, all those benefits are your rights! The rules and laws of the land - they say you're owed this. I hope the appointments this week go well.


Andy - you refilled a BBQ bottle at the auto gas pump? I'm tres impressed

Me - hmmm. I've started constructing little Faraday cages - a couple of big decorative tins, from Hotel Chocolat and Men Nivea - they were about to go in the recycling when I rescued them ages ago. I had a big roll of corrugated cardboard, and I've cut shapes for both tins for the tops, bottoms and sides. I'll be wrapping the goods in fabric bits, heavy aluminium foil, more fabric, more foil, and put them away - sealing the tins with leftover aluminium tape I bought to link floor insulation panels


ETA - just seen your bistro stove post, jansman, that's good to hear, I have a stock of those cartridges too - small, compared to yours, but mine own

Thanks for the good wishes.

The cartridges: I only have so many because about 12 years ago - they are that old - a guy in Ingoldmells I knew was knocking them out at £1.99 for four! I kept them in the plastic,in a cool dark outbuilding and they are still perfect. Mind you,we also have the 25 year old knock- off trangia stove with a couple of gallons of methylated spirit. That’s still good too. Mind you ,it’s also a good cleaning chemical too.

[jansman]

Our daughter got back from her ‘glamping’ trip. Those bistro stoves with the aerosol style gas canisters; I gave her a pack of four. Over three days ,decent meals were cooked and the kettle boiled rather a lot. She used one. That means the stock here at Chez Jansman will last for half a lifetime if / when we get power issues. It’ll be more civilised too. Mrs J doesn’t want to cook on the woodstove particularly!

They get used either the gas BBQ or my camper it won't fit the larger 6/7 kg bottles all being well we are off grid camping for a few nights so it'll run the lpg gas fridge et all

The 5 kg gas bottles are a rarity here too. My mate keeps a calor heater in his bungalow. He told me also that they are as common as rocking horse s***.

[Yorkshire Andy]

Our daughter got back from her ‘glamping’ trip. Those bistro stoves with the aerosol style gas canisters; I gave her a pack of four. Over three days ,decent meals were cooked and the kettle boiled rather a lot. She used one. That means the stock here at Chez Jansman will last for half a lifetime if / when we get power issues. It’ll be more civilised too. Mrs J doesn’t want to cook on the woodstove particularly!

They get used either the gas BBQ or my camper it won't fit the larger 6/7 kg bottles all being well we are off grid camping for a few nights so it'll run the lpg gas fridge et all

The 5 kg gas bottles are a rarity here too. My mate keeps a calor heater in his bungalow. He told me also that they are as common as rocking horse s***.

Which is why I was willing to travel

https://www.calor.co.uk/news-and-views/ ... nder-range

They initially said they were pulling them fully but many boats only have small vented lockers seems they bowed to pressure of the customer base ..

But with it being announced many jumped ship to flo gas or similar guessing the profits took a big hit

They also discontinued the gas cube bottles which upset many as calor sold a specific heater to take the bottles funny how many landed on eBay