What Preps are you doing this week? Part 9

[Kiwififer]

Yeah I know I’m lucky Andy as I live in Edinburgh.

There’s only two places left in the U.K. where public transport is still in public hands. London and Edinburgh and we are rather proud of our bus service up here.

Two political parties who shall remain nameless tried to sell the buses off to pay for the trams. They would have been hung from the yardarm for musket practice if they had succeeded!

[jansman]

I’ve ditched the car and have started using public transport.

£60 for unlimited bus travel in Edinburgh for the month so obviously I am using this rather than take the car.

I have a 1.2 Polo, it’s gone from £50 to £80 to fill the tank and I reckon I would have been using around £160 worth of petrol a month so I am chufffed I am saving money and doing my bit for the environment at the same time!

I looked into that but we'll public transport is naff here my 20 min commute would take me 3.5 hours by bus

I could get tye 17:10 bus (40 min wait at the bus stop in the village near work....) Then get into town at 20:29 tonight

I am the same as you Andy. No way I could get to work by bus,just like you. If for only one reason: there’s no bus service at 4.30 am!

However, I am gradually working towards semi retirement,and getting rid of one car is absolutely on the radar. My intention will be to get a part time job a bike or bus ride away. The way fuel / eco - dictatorship etc. is going ,it’ll be happening anyway ( IMHO)

So preps this week have been a little retirement- based. As some of you are aware,I am a passionate angler. I have been fishing since my step dad taught me at five years old. In the future,fresh water fish may become a local food source ( right now,it’s culturally unacceptable) but if that becomes the case,then I am the daddy,as I can catch a lot of fish ,very easily!

That takes tackle. Stuff like rods and reels - the hardware - I have enough of to last until I die. The fashion- buying doesn’t matter at my age - and there is fashion! It’s the consumables that count. Line,hooks ,shot etc. And it costs. So,I am picking that stuff up from discount sites etc. I currently have enough to last for the next ten years. There’s another parcel in front of me with more in! Monofilament line in particular is getting dearer,and it will- it’s oil- based. However,like so many prepping items,it lasts in the cool and dark!

The garden is changing next year too. When the weather cools we shall be up at my friends nursery looking for English herbs. Mainly for a ‘ medicinal ‘ garden. My wife has an interest in this,and the way things are,self- help for low level health issues will be another issue. The food garden will be a lot of perennials. The only annuals will be climbing beans and our Winter squashes. I shall even be taking the poly tunnel down and relying on my three cold frames. That’s all about maintenance. As I am getting older, I don’t want work. My back and knees are knackered,and are never going to improve.

[diamond lil]

Love the herb garden idea, if I move to somewhere with more room then I'll do one too.
Younger son is really into fishing as well, trout and salmon I think. He lives on the banks of the Tweed. He ties flies for a hobby, he likes doing it. Weird laddie

[jansman]

Love the herb garden idea, if I move to somewhere with more room then I'll do one too.
Younger son is really into fishing as well, trout and salmon I think. He lives on the banks of the Tweed. He ties flies for a hobby, he likes doing it. Weird laddie

If he is on the Tweed then trout and salmon will be it. Along with grayling too ,which is a fish I’ve never had the opportunity to catch.

[itsybitsy]

Water butt No 1 has arrived and is in situ and full to the brim. I'm planning to get another one pretty sharpish, given the potential for hosepipe bans and possibly worse.

[diamond lil]

Come up here, I could sell you some water. Been bloody sodden here for the last few days

[Frnc]

I mainly want to concentrate on saving now, as inflation is a concern. But I ordered a small solar panel and a solar lamp. Under £30 total. Also concentrating on learning stuff, which costs nothing, now I have a load of books.
I do have a bit of spare space for cheap food like pasta, oats and instant mash.
I need to do a bit of water rotation and filling some containers I bought.

[diamond lil]

I'm buying us more thermals. All these headlines about heating bills and recession and inflation - folk will buying stuff now not later so I thought I'd better stock up before stuff vanishes. Couple of tops and a couple of vests each. M&S have nice stuff, ladies

[Yorkshire Andy]

I'm buying us more thermals. All these headlines about heating bills and recession and inflation - folk will buying stuff now not later so I thought I'd better stock up before stuff vanishes. Couple of tops and a couple of vests each. M&S have nice stuff, ladies

These are not just thermals these are m&s thermals

Hope you grabbed a pack of potato stick crisps whilst there

I've got several mummy made knitted Aran wool jumpers if it gets cold

[Frnc]

I wear a fleece in winter, but I think you can't beat wool for winter socks. I have the usual thin ones, plus a few pairs of light-mid weight hiking socks. For hiking socks, Darn Tough are expensive, but fantastic if you can find a pair at a decent price, Smart Wool or Bridgedale are also good.
Bridgedale also do Coolmax liner socks that are better than cotton in warm weather as they don't trap sweat.
If things get really grim I have some gloves to wear indoors I can still use my trackpad with, and my phone. https://smile.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00G57POP8/ For outdoors I prefer something more windproof.