Entertainment in a prolonged bug-in

[Frnc]

So, you've prepared for a long bug-in. Or possibly even evacuation due to some sort of disaster. What do you do to occupy yourself? You won't have Netfilx or social media. No TV.

I still have some paper books, from the old days. A few are novels. Still got all my geology text books. Of course I have some prep related (knots, first aid, edible plants).

Also I have a chess board. You can play that on your own, just turn it round each move. I've never tried it, I play against the computer, actually Stockfish on Lichess.

[grenfell]

I suppose like so many questions it depends upon the scenerio but assuming I'm not trying to avoid zombies or invading aliens I'd probably dropback on my shelves of books. There's fiction and factual , historical and practical so a decent enough choice. If we're in a stay at home and wait type of situation there's also a few board games and jigsaws in the loft. . I enjoy making things so I could stay in the workshop preferably with power but not impossible without. . Not sure about my wife who doesn't read as much so I'd have to try and think of something to keep her enterained without power..

[Frnc]

I did think about getting rid of most of my books, but this was a reason to keep them. I rarely read paper books now, but I can do with x 3.5 off the shelf £2 reading glasses.

I bought a travel chess set for my BOB. It fold very thin.

[grenfell]

My wife does sometimes say I should get rid of a few books but I'm really loathed to do that. The factual reference books are always useful and most of the fiction I'm happy to keep and have already reread a few of them.

[grenfell]

Oh and I use 2x off the shelf ready readers which we picked up for a pound each not long ago.

[Yorkshire Andy]

If it gets that bad you won't need entertainment you'll be too busy..

Factor in lockdown when everything was still sort of functional..
Shtf

Dawn
Wash up/ personal hygiene

Get out hunting be it rabbit / hare/ wood pigeon

Morning get kids up / sorted

Clean/ water provisions

Titivate the allotment

Sort lunch

Afternoon

Prep slotted game for dinner

Harvest some green stuff fro the allotment



You get the gist not inclusive of charging / cleaning / washing up / maintenance

[grenfell]

Yes agreed you will be kept busy but that reminds me of a discussion I had with friends some years ago. It wasn't prepping but more about human development and the rise of religion and science. One side of the argument was that people would have been too busy hunting , gathering and generally surviving to have the time for anything else. But from the evidence we have people did find the time to invent religion and map the stars and drag huge heavy rocks all about the place.
Point being that there probably would be periods of "downtime" and I reckon that we'll probably do similar things to what happened in the past. Take something like archery , practical use of course but played as a sport for fun..You could probably add other things like knitting or whittling or pottery ...

[Adjee]

So, you've prepared for a long bug-in. Or possibly even evacuation due to some sort of disaster. What do you do to occupy yourself? You won't have Netfilx or social media. No TV.

Very little (routine wise) would change for us. We have no Netflix, no TV, I do not even own a mobile phone (though my partner has an English one to contact her family in the UK). Social media? Apart from looking in here and using Mr. YouTube for information on how to do things we do not use it (but internet connection is very sporadic where we live anyway), so life would generally be as normal, work the animals and the field, continued improvements inside and around our "derelict dump". Playing plenty of board games, reading, conversation (a forgotten art) and I recently rescued an old guitar that had been dumped so I am trying to learn to play that (very badly).

The biggest change would be the personal alert factor and constantly ensuring all the protective safety/early warning precautions/systems in place were checked and double checked to ensure they were working then modify/adjust where necessary.

[GeraldTheBonzai]

Ashley's Book of Knots and a bit of rope. Would keep you busy for weeks.
But seriously, build a good library.

[pseudonym]

External hard drives full of movies, music and books.