What Preps are you doing this week? Part 10

[Arzosah]

I have been following some of the COVID Inquiry, and finding it really horrifying - lack of planning, lack of awareness of the situation and how it was changing, lack of ability of those making decisions, lack of accountability, lack of compassion.

I am not sure what or when the next crisis is - other than the ongoing inflation/cost of living crisis.

But the COVID Inquiry has really emphasised to me that I want to be prepared for it as best I can, and not be in a position to have to depend on the state / government help.

So for next week I am going to think and plan more about an overall strategy for prepping.

This, absolutely, is where I'm at - there *might* be a bit of help, which may or may not be appropriate to you, but there probably won't be, or it will be delayed by box ticking and lies, eg from the BBC's summary today: "The UK's second-most senior civil servant says she would struggle to pick a day when Covid rules were properly followed in No 10".

[Yorkshire Andy]

Upgraded parents CCTV system to star light colour cameras (full colour even at low light levels) went for a copy of the hikvision cameras which use white led illumination over the old infrared something like this

Simple straightforward swap which also let me bin the old additional led infared illuminators so saving a bit of electricity and a good Visible "go away" to intruders few neighbours in their estate have them so it's a keeping up the Joneses affair so they look equally as secure as the neighbours to shift the scum elsewhere

Big shop arrived from Asda and the shelves are sagging to the point we are into overspill which is 2 large "bed side cabinets" that are in the living room ...

Water seems to be back on and stable again

Added another couple of big packs of aa and AAA batteries to the stockpile and 25 individual wrapped 12hr white glow sticks ...

Got a new gas torch / blowlamp my old one is getting tatty and a bit temperamental so gone for a rothenberger mapp torch as they burn hotter than butane/ propane be handy over winter if stuff freezes up / emergency plumbing Jobs / undoing siezed bolts on the cars et all ..

Earlier this week grabbed a couple of ration meals from blacks outdoor shop curry and a chocolate pudding for the winter car kit ..
And a Nebo big poppy latern / torch as an additional light as if I go camping I can charge it via solar / 12v system in the camper Vs buying batteries

Got the little lad some Merrell walking shoes / half boots with a waterproof liner to keep little feet warm and dry .. second hand virtually new for a tenner. They outgrow them before they wear them out ..

I need to go sort the allotment out but the weather has scrubbed that idea again

[GillyBee]

The Rothenburger is a great piece of kit. It is the professional's choice for hand lighting fireworks and does a good job as a jewellers torch for the larger tasks like melting scrap silver/copper.
I have added another small inverter. Combined with a suitable battery it makes for some portable power which can be charged from solar in the shed and carried upstairs to wherever light/charging is needed.
The plan is to build the combo into a simple caddy to make it easy to move around.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B01N2P9V64? ... ct_details

https://uk.farnell.com/pro-elec/pel0143 ... %20battery

[Yorkshire Andy]

The Rothenburger is a great piece of kit. It is the professional's choice for hand lighting fireworks and does a good job as a jewellers torch for the larger tasks like melting scrap silver/copper.
I have added another small inverter. Combined with a suitable battery it makes for some portable power which can be charged from solar in the shed and carried upstairs to wherever light/charging is needed.
The plan is to build the combo into a simple caddy to make it easy to move around.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B01N2P9V64? ... ct_details

https://uk.farnell.com/pro-elec/pel0143 ... %20battery

It'll make short work of the sparklers tomorrow night

Note to self it's wrong to give 1.5mm welding rods to sister to try and light for the kids

For your power supply guessing the inverter won't last long on a 7ah battery.. these are good twin fast usb charging ports and a volt gauge all in one

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/295324088803 ... KMQAvD_BwE

[GillyBee]

I wish I'd seen those last week. I have just bought a couple without the voltmeter. But at that price I may get these too.
The plan is to have multiple batteries which while not long lasting are portable. The solar array is on the garden shed (tenancy like you) so batteries will need to be carried up and downstairs. There is a pair of big batteries permanently installed to the solar to keep the workshop happy with a 2Kw invertor so this is just for portable odd jobs.

[Nurseandy]

Been making a couple more raised beds this morning, quite into the straw bale gardening at the mo after trying it for the first time this year so these beds are just the size of two bales.
Bit of repointing the house walks now then retiring to the shed to tinker with motorbike and listen to Johnny walker.

[GillyBee]

How have you found the straw bale gardening? I have read about it but not had space to try it out. After seeing how my Trombocino squash loved my compost heap, my project next year is to use keyhole gardening techniques to add mini composters to my raised veg bed and anywhere else one might work.

[Nurseandy]

Straw bale's been good, as I say, first time using it this year, grew salad type plants with it (pak choi, chard, radish). I poked fist sized holes into the bales (which hadnt been seasoned) which I then filled with shop bought compost and planted into. Theyre are rotting quite nicely now - should be very conducive to growing next season.
With making the new beds now (one of which I've planted garlic in today) I'm hoping these bales will be well seasoned by the spring.

[Yorkshire Andy]

Upgraded my water filtration preps after the water issues the other week..

Added a sawyer squeeze and another lifesaver bottle both have their perks / advantages / disadvantages

Lifesaver bottles are not exactly pocket sized and "only" have a filter capacity of 6000 litres .. Vs the sawyer 378541.18 litres (conveyed from us gallons)

But good to have options

Lifesaver. 0.015 microns. Sawyer 0.1 micron filter rating

Already had a lifesaver bottle and 2x sawyer minis but the extra that gives us 1x filter each per house member so in a shtf bug out we can each carry a filter little ones will manage the lifesaver bottle better than the sawyers

[Yorkshire Andy]

Just set to and ordered some new wipers for the wife's car she said they are not clearing the screen well which translates to me they are FUBAR gone for Napa blades £12 a pair for big fiat squeegee type blades (what it came with from the factory a smidge cheaper than halfrauds which last time was pushing £35 a set for their own brand blades

Napa seems to be decent stuff