What Preps are you doing this week? Part 10

[HomeHardener]

I’ve spent the last few weeks slowly building my food preps back up, I used probably over 50% of them across the summer. For no reason other than to get all the dates back up to optimum!
I think another few weeks and il be back up to where I was at the start of the spring.

I added another couple solar lights to the driveway side of the house (having bought one at the start of the summer to see if it was any good) mounted a few metres up, they are dusk to dawn sensing with PIR sensors. Their main task is to light up the cars on the drive, for ease of nighttime access for ‘us’ and for a layer of security.

I bought a RHS step by step veg patch hardbook. To expand my knowledge on growing veg. I think I’m going to pull out any plants in my raised bed before winter. From now on, the only plants in my flower bed are going to be ‘edible ones’, to really utilise the space (50cm deep and 12 metres long)

[Yorkshire Andy]

Well half 8 it's dark here now

Been to check the chickens and water the greenhouse via torch light

Security light on the allotment still works (Lidl solar floodlight) need to get the steps round to clean the green off the panel


Know one thing round here the midge and mosquito population has exploded.... Go outside it's like a bugs life rave after dark.... the big UV fly catcher in the kitchen is going mad I'm changing the glue board every 2 weeks ..

Was a mozzi in our bedroom last night kept buzzing round my ear... got the mini rechargeable camping UV zapper lights out ten minutes later buzzzzzzzzzzzzz CRACK!! jobs a good one ... Put one in each of the kids rooms tonight as a belts and braces approach..

Hopefully the storms of Sunday will drown a good few

This weekends job will be cover the fish tank and preemptive flea spray the house with the long acting hormone interference stuff ...

Underseal the car whilst it's still warm and dry tyre man coming to work Friday to fit 2 new tyres trying to get on top of things before the weather change ... Get to autumn and the price of all seasons and winter tyres tend to spike...

[diamond lil]

We don't get mosquitoes up here, only time I've ever heard one was on holiday in Bruges. But one of my preps now will be to add more plants to deter wasps - we're overrun with the bloody things. Bad enough in a normal summer but this year you can hardly sit out for 3 minutes without a few buzzing around you and I can''t open a window. Neighbours told us when we moved in that this place was bad for them, and that everybody keeps powder stuff to put in the air vents on the houses - this land used to be orchards for the big house. In the old house I would see maybe half a doz every year and that was it! So I'll add more mint, rosemary, and lavender next year, will dot it around the garden and hope it helps.

[Frnc]

We don't get mosquitoes up here, only time I've ever heard one was on holiday in Bruges. But one of my preps now will be to add more plants to deter wasps - we're overrun with the bloody things. Bad enough in a normal summer but this year you can hardly sit out for 3 minutes without a few buzzing around you and I can''t open a window. Neighbours told us when we moved in that this place was bad for them, and that everybody keeps powder stuff to put in the air vents on the houses - this land used to be orchards for the big house. In the old house I would see maybe half a doz every year and that was it! So I'll add more mint, rosemary, and lavender next year, will dot it around the garden and hope it helps.

I used to think anything that was long and thin was a wasp, and that all bees were big and round and fluffy. But I found out that honey bees are more like wasps in shape. The big round fluffy bees are bumble bees. Honey bees are less yellow than wasps, more of a brown colour, more fuzzy, and their legs usually hang down. They are unlikely to sting you. Wasps are more likely to sting, but they actually good for your garden. There is a new type of invasive species being found in the UK which is the Asian Hornet. They kill honey bees and the public are asked to report them. There is a government app called Asian Hornet Watch. https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/k ... e-30864420

[Yorkshire Andy]

I do find the tablet or mobile no substitute for a rolled up newspaper


Gathered the kit together to underseal my car tomorrow after work after the tyre man has visited to fit new shoes to my car and assess my dad's car tyre great local chap he comes to you and has a workshop in his van... No messing and is cheaper than the usual fast fit places ...

wanted a tyre for my trailer the other year and he was £40 cheaper for a better tyre than the motor save depot .. to be honest when I got a quote in the shop I laughed and could help asking if he was taking the urine before I walked out ...£90 for a cheapo Chinese tyre or a Nexen mid range for £50 fitted.... Don't mind paying but I'm not been ripped off and compared to buying the tyres on line and paying him to fit it's about even on price and it's money to a local family

[GeeGee]

Oh my ..the prepping this week is awful
Have a friend with dementia ..shes very bad
Shes driving down the motorway daily from Yorkshire Andys neck of the woods banging my door open and throwing things at me ..this journey is not short ..
Candles dry roasted peanuts a bag of bbq charcoal some gone off salmon and so far 11 new duvets and pillows which have gone to the homeless charity nearby
After a long chat with her daughter ( who she calls calender news and weather! ) she told me dvla assess mum once a year and it isnt due so car stays as ita hard to take it off her
Daughter has moved and not told her where as she'll show up ! Thanks calendar news and weather...
Police won't get involved unless she has a accident ive tried and spoken at length
So I've printed off a large note ..( name ) I'm busy dont knock go home ill ring you...at daughters request stuck to both doors
Locking all doors and put another deadbolt on gate
I never ever thought I'd have to prep for this
Anyone who has any ideas let me know its blooming distressing having to remove her and she doesn't remember
The saying you don't get more than you cope with has forgotten to remove my name from the list !

[Arzosah]

Good grief, GeeGee, you don't have it easy, do you

A good lock/deadbolt on the gate is a very good idea. Can you put the notice on the gate, rather than on your doors, so that your friend has less reason to come to your door to read the notice she can see?

Is there no one you can find who's focussed on safeguarding? This page from Alzheimers UK might help - it focusses on the sufferers, of course, but it goes on to talk about carers and "people at risk".

[Frnc]

Sorted through my food cupboard. Still got a fair bit in there, so not buying much. One bag of pasta has just gone over expiry, but I believe it can be used for up to a year or two past expiry. I'll try to use it soon anyway.

[GeeGee]

Good grief, GeeGee, you don't have it easy, do you

A good lock/deadbolt on the gate is a very good idea. Can you put the notice on the gate, rather than on your doors, so that your friend has less reason to come to your door to read the notice she can see?

Is there no one you can find who's focussed on safeguarding? This page from Alzheimers UK might help - it focusses on the sufferers, of course, but it goes on to talk about carers and "people at risk".

Thank you Arzosah ..I have laminated signs all over now ... and the gate... the problem is if I have to get mr GG out fast ..its a pain really but needs to be done im trying to read up on it to learn what to half expect but it seems different in every case
One door is accessible by the path though so a bigger sign there
Its really frustrating ..spoke with social services this morning who are as frustrated in cases like this.. as hands are tied in these situations ..till the dvla say sorry taking licence off you and if her assessment isn't due then until a accident occurs thats it ...most families take car off the sufferer but there are a lot who like daughter dont want to do it
I know about dementia but it's the first time I've seen it first hand ..
I have quite a collection of candles now though and a calendar with all the pages ripped out and just the front and back cover ... from 2021

[GeeGee]

Been topping up the medicine cabinets with cold and flu remedies the usual painkillers etc
Can only buy a couple of packets at a time so been to a couple of shops
Counted the tinned section i have and realised it was low so topped up there too itll soon be miserable weather and dark and I wont want to go trailing around
Bottled water is now stacked in cool dry area under the stairs
So stacked up and rotated that
Batteries bought and another lidl solar floodlight
They are actually brilliant ..lights the whole garden and its a big garden
One for the front now
Washed the car as the saharan desert sand dumped the lot on it I think took forever to hose it all off then was then hose again checked tyre pressure water oil and everything else I can get to
Recharging all torches and lanterns from the solar panels we have while we can ...
Getting ready for autumn / winter itll soon be here