What Preps are you doing this week? Part 12

[Kiwififer]

Personal best tonight. Im approaching 2st off but by God, my knees are pinging…

[Frnc]

Been to Somerset visiting my mum who's had to go into a nursing home. Staff there are great, by the way, and mostly seem to be nurses. Went on public transport, with health issues, and it's not the easiest place to get to. It's in a small town, but that's in the middle of nowhere. So the journey is not easy.

Hotel had a kettle on very low table. Not wanting to bend my already wrecked back, I stupidly picked up the mug and kettle. Not being used to the kettle, I managed to pour freshly boiled water over my hand. Ouch!

Then I had to go through quite a few hoops. 111 didn't ring me back, but I found a small hospital, and went to minor injuries, got dressings and bandage. Visited my mum again, who was a lot better that day. Made it home the next day. Bandages on my fingers kept unravelling, but stayed on.

GP surgery gave me a number to ring, Single Point of Access, who put me through to a number, but they never answer. Tried local urgent care direct. They said I had to ring 111 to make appointment, but 111 said they can only do it on the day I want to go in. So I gave up on that idea, and went to urgent care when it opened this morning. Luckily I don't think I need to see anyone else, fingers crossed. They said something about district nurses being a nightmare to get hold of. I think this may have been the number who never answered. I just have to put a bit of vaseline on each day and keep it dry. Could do with a shower though!

There's a lesson or two in this, especially about being careful with kettles in hotel rooms.

111 eventually rang me back, but by that time I'd been bandaged, visited mum, and phoned the GP, Single Point of Access, whoever didn't answer (District Nurses?), and Urgent Care (this is a walk in, or appointment if you can somehow get one, department at my local hospital). I think it's like minor injuries, maybe another name for the same thing. In the end, I got seen very quickly (I was out 20 mins after it opened), but if you walk in later in the day you might have to wait hours.

[Yorkshire Andy]

Don't use anything on a burn (bar water / burns gell immediately after.. you'll dely healing only once its fully scabbed can it be used to moisturised and ideally a new pot so its as "sterile" as possible

[Yorkshire Andy]

Winter car preps have begun . Already undersealed and cavity waxed..

Wife's winter tyres ready to go on ( no panic just yet)
I've 2 new ones on order for mine ...

My cars been given a good wash to get the underseal over spray off then a coat of ceramic based "wax"

Bought 25l of -20°C screen wash this morning

Started adding it mixed to 50:50 = -10°C to the cars...


Basic levels done and checked ...

Then a bit more thorough inspections

Batterys checked. Along with starter motor and alternator checked....

Brake fluid tested for water content

And antifreeze and coolant levels checked via refractometer..

Mines showing a happy -28°C

[Frnc]

Ran heat for a bit today. Got radiator hammer in bathroom again, after an hour. It goes as soon as you tweak the TRV, but it would be bad if it happened while I was out. When I was away, the heat was off, but I've put it on auto now. It won't trigger on auto just yet though, I forced it on today. I also turned the water off while I was away. The stopcock seems to be the opposite to what you expect, so if it's a bit stuck, you need to know. Turn it clockwise to turn the water off.

Dug out my winter base layer tops. Will probably be wearing them every day from now to next April. As predicted, mum's care home was boiling, so I was glad I reverted to t-shirts for my trip.

Managed to have a shower using one hand only, keeping the other one dry, in a disposable glove. Getting soap on my right armpit was a challenge!

[Yorkshire Andy]

With the water hammer does your system have a constantly open pair of valves on one radiator or are they all TVR headed?

If all tvr headed one needs to either be open fully or removed to allow a flow round the system if all the tvr valves shut this can cause a.big build up of pressure in the system as the pump attempts to circulate the water..

In our house as is common the valves in our bathroom are always on type

My parents is the small radiator in the storm porch

[Frnc]

With the water hammer does your system have a constantly open pair of valves on one radiator or are they all TVR headed?

If all tvr headed one needs to either be open fully or removed to allow a flow round the system if all the tvr valves shut this can cause a.big build up of pressure in the system as the pump attempts to circulate the water..

In our house as is common the valves in our bathroom are always on type

My parents is the small radiator in the storm porch

This is a heated towel rail. It has a dial on the left (trv). On the right, a chrome cap that covers a pointy thing sticking out of a white plastic thing. I don't think that side is adjustable. I screwed the cap on tight anyway.

I had hammer on this rad plus one or two others about 3 years ago, when the boiler was fairly new. And maybe a little bit at the start of each winter on this bathroom one. So it should settle down once the heating's been on a while, and the rad's got to the right level. I turned it up both times, so I'm not going backwards and forwards to the same place.

[Yorkshire Andy]

Wife's car has now been washed and waxed ready for winter all checked over....

New security pir lamp on the shed just a small one to light down the side over the pond ...

Grass cut and autumn fed / moss killer..


Been pumkin picking with the lad...

Cost me a bloody fortune..... well a pack of seeds and he helped plant and grow them on the allotment im not off to some muddy field and get ripped £10 a pumpkin.. at that rate alone the £80 a year lotty fee is more than covered in pumpkins (let's call that a financial prep shall we and in with the visit I threw in a pet a chicken Session with his little cousin

[grenfell]

Not quite sure it's prepping but our kitchen currently smells of green tomato chutney. We had an abundance of small toms on the outside plants so decided to make them into chutney. Picked a bag of chestnuts from the trees nearby , the owners don't both and they either get driven over or swept up and chucked in the bin. Another bucket of almonds from our own tree.. The sunflowers did well so I roasted some of the heads , another source of fats and protein . They're ok but nothing special. Also tried soaking smashed up conkers in water to extract the soapy elements and that works to a reasonable degree. Oh and more wood brought home to cut up.

[Frnc]

My kitchen nearly stank. I bought some frozen salmon, but missed them when I took the shopping out of my rucksack. They defrosted. Rucksack was wet. Not sure if the salmon bag leaked, but I washed the rucksack anyway. Shame, as they were on offer, and it's ended now. They are a bit expensive now, so I'll get some from Aldi instead.

I keep a couple of carrier bags in the bottom of the rucksack, and because these are in a bag, not a box, they mingled with the bags and I missed them.