Hello all

[Snowhunter]

I grew up with sensible parents who never took mains services or full shop shelves for granted. When I was young one of my favourite events was a winter power cut and the chance to work out which of my torches, candles and warm clothes were good, and which tio move on!

I've lived off grid for over a decade- in a 200-acre wood while doing woodland work, on a narrowboat, in a vehicle for a time, a cabin on a smallholding and finally a proper house in a hamlet 17 miles from a town of any size.

I grow veg, pressure can, ferment, cure meat, build and repair anything and everything, building work, welding/forging, carpentry, keeping old machinery going.

Facilities are currently mains water and that's it, with a good backup. Compost loos, wood heating, wood/paraffin/propane for cooking, and a big fat solar rig with lithium batteries and proper chunky electronics.

Reckon I'll get along ok here! I find prepping a fascinating study- and quite depressing at times. So many people with good intentions, but a very flimsy grasp of reality. I used to run traditional craft courses as part of my living, it's often crossed my mind that courses in basic prepping skills, and encouraging a skill-sharing network, would do a lot for the 'movement'.

[jennyjj01]

Hi and welcome. you sound proper handy.

[pseudonym]

Snip> I find prepping a fascinating study- and quite depressing at times. So many people with good intentions, but a very flimsy grasp of reality.

Hello and welcome to the Forum.


You'll find a plethora of mindsets,skillsets and crossovers into all aspects of this lifestyle and depth of involvement in all of them.

Mine came about from a Scouting background that led to a Military background then back to a Bushcrafting background then to preparing for a pensioners lifestyle background.

[Snowhunter]

Snap regards the Scouts! But I'd never have had the discipline for the military, too much of a free thinking hippy type

I'm very lucky where I currently live, in a real backwater. I know it's a no-no for many, but a neighbour and a near neighbour openly declared themselves preppers in a very short space of time. We all help each other out here and keep an eye on one another, so it would be hard to hide really...

[Frnc]

Greetings from Manchester. I was in the scouts too. Later did backacking, hillwalking, and a bit of climbing. Knees are shot now, so I just bike.

[Winterprep]

Hello and welcome that’s a great introduction.You have a variety of skills that are extremely handy.Im looking forward to your input and views.

WP

[Snowhunter]

Thanks all for the welcome! I hope I can contribute some useful ideas here. And of course learn from all the different approaches here- every situation is different, and needs different preps= that's what keeps it all so interesting!

[PPrep]

Hi, and welcome to the forum. You clearly have a flying start, to say the least!

[Arzosah]

Welcome, snowhunter! Yes, I think "a flying start" is the way to describe you, great addition to the forum. I was in the brownies back in the day, and it was more focussed on, lets say, skipping, than lighting fires

[Snowhunter]

it was more focussed on, lets say, skipping, than lighting fires

Thanks for the welcome! Neither my mother nor sister thought much of the Brownies, although my mother progressed to the Guides and led expeditions, was ace at putting up bell tents and no doubt gained all sorts of useful knowledge and experience. Prior to that she had been dragged all over the world by her parents, who were very practical and resourceful- and had to be due to their work in backwaters in Africa, South America and all sorts.

What's the relevance....? I suppose it shows the value of having skills and attitudes passed down through a family. It's all too easy to lose that continuity, all it takes is one generation not to take an interest then it's re-learning from scratch...