What Preps are you doing this week? Part 12

[Frnc]

Google Maps seems to have gone downhill. I have to make a jouney that I know only needs a 20 minute tram ride and then a 14 minute walk. I put in directions , and even specified fewest transfers. Google offers me several alternatives, but none with just a tram ride and walk. It wants me to get a tram and a bus, or even a tram and a train. And they don't even save walking.

For example Google wants to replace my 14 minute walk with:
Get off the tram a stop early
Walk for 13 minutes
Wait for 4 minutes hoping the bus comes on time
Get a bus for one stop (about 2 minutes walk)
Walk for 4 minutes.

Or how about this
Get off 2 stops early
Get another tram, and travel 4 stops
Walk for 17 minutes

Totally bonkers.

I only saw one option which made any sort of sense
Get off normal stop
Walk 4 min
Wait 4 min
Ride bus 2 stops (about 10 mins walk)
Walk 4 min

[mcprepper]

Went to get my new hens today - very pleased with them and one even laid an egg in the cardboard box on the journey home which made my day! Obviously it’s chucking it down after weeks of sunshine so their introduction to their new coop and run was pretty soggy! Hey ho - they might as well get used to it! Feels like a good solid prep for longer term food security.

[Frnc]

Was a bit cold last night. Just had a packable insulated jacket over a t-shirt. Could have done with a shirt as well. Also I left my buff at home, but could have done with that, as my jacket's not hooded. I did have a hat on. Just missed a tram coming home, but it was only 8 minutes to the next one. My mate still hasn't fixed his boiler, and he doesn't live in his flat, just stays there when in Manchester, so it will be very cold.

My tree's doing nicely, got some yellow leaves now. I believe they go green later in the year, and then golden/orange. Ordered 100l of bark for the very small front garden it sits in.

Hopefully will get the carpet in this week, and then can get a bit more organised.

[Yorkshire Andy]

Spent yesterday in the garden ripping up the 10 year old decking ... it was rather rotten and not exactly safe anymore. And as decking is its always slippery when wet......

Set to and chopped up the old trampoline (took the grinder to it) that was about dead steel piled just inside the front gate for the local scrap man to relocate ..... safety netting in a bag I'm going to take that to the allotment ...

I laid reclaimed flag stones under the trampoline to stop weeds growing


So they got lifted and dry laid where the decking was.. I had one flag spare so will get some sand and cement from the builders merchants and get them bedded down properly I had a few bags of sand but it doesn't go far ....

Gave the slabs a drenching in Milton's to kill the alge and a quick pressure wash ...

Dragged to rotorvator from the allotment and turned over the area where the trampoline was several times digging in a bit of organic matter to help with the water retention for the grass seed ..
Raked level and reseeded


I'm feeling it today but the rotorvator saved me from having to physically dig


Need to grab some big sacks I've 2 people I can off load the scrap decking to .. Just leaving it to dry out for a few days then ill take the chainsaw to it and cut it to 6 to 8" lengths they are happy to take it and I'm happy to chop it to length both are disabled so I'm happy to do that for them and get rid

[grenfell]

I was offered some old decking for firewood this week. It might seem a tad unprepperish but I said no to it . I don't burn treated timber , even if the timber is old and a fair few of the chemicals have probably washed out I still prefer not to. For one thing domestic fires don't really get hot enough and that can result in the production of dioxins. I also use the ash in the garden so prefer to not use it near the veggies if it comes from burnt treated wood. Incidentally I've laid slabs using the ash mixed with sand..I probably produce more ash than is really needed for gardening and it makes the sand go further and seems to bind it together. I've chopped up a trampoline or two in the past but tend to take the scrap to sell myself when I've got enough. It might only be £160 a ton or so but it's something for nothing. I've got another in the pipeline from a customer but certainly won't be using the netting. It degrades in the sun and breaks down . Each time I go round I can find little bits all over the lawn.
For my own preps I've continued on the tree pruning. There's a cherry I'm doing at the moment but I reckon I'm going to put up some scaffold as a large branch overhangs a greenhouse. There's a sycamore I had to use the scaffold with and another plus an oak that overhang the workshop so I'll probably be doing a fair bit of scaffolding...

[Frnc]

Wrote out evacuation plans for upstairs rooms.

Preferred route is down stairs, of course.

Next best escape is my prep room, as it is lower, and the whole window opens. Ladder (webbing, with metal hooks) is designed to hook onto window ledge, but that is cut flush, so it will have to hook onto the window frame at the bottom. Should be ok, if careful. When climbing out, you would be holding the window frame anyway, so you can easily check it's in place before stepping down and onto the ladder, I would think.

Front bedroom and bathroom have toughened glass, so can be broken with spring loaded breakers. Metal ladder hooks to window frame.

My room has webbing ladder, to be clipped to wall bolt and two rope loops attached to wardrobe. Carabiners are already there, both rope loops go through one carabiner. Window to be opened and climbed out of.

I need to email plan to lodgers, but one never stays here now, and the other is is a downstairs room, so can either go out the front door, or climb out of his window.

Next, I need to do a smoke alarm test. Not done one for ages.

I tried to do a safety check that I thought was government, but was a safelinks site, yesterday, but I got to occupants, and the site was dead. Same on other browsers.

The clutter images were interesting. You have to see them to believe. First one was tidy, nothing on the floor. Second one had a couple of things on the floor, bit cluttered. Only our bedrooms are like that really. I ticked that one. Then there was one with more clutter. Then more. And more, more more. Maybe 8 in total. Eventually you got to all the floor piled high with junk.

[pseudonym]

Snip>I tried to do a safety check that I thought was government, but was a safelinks site, yesterday, but I got to occupants, and the site was dead. Same on other browsers.

Try your local Fire Station, they'll normally do one for free.

[Frnc]

Snip>I tried to do a safety check that I thought was government, but was a safelinks site, yesterday, but I got to occupants, and the site was dead. Same on other browsers.

Try your local Fire Station, they'll normally do one for free.

You have to do that safelincs assessment. Managed to get it to work today, in a different browser. It says they use it to see if you qualify. I didn't think I would, but I did. Maybe because I am in the 65 and over category, plus I ticked the alcohol box. I didn't the box for anxiety or visual impairment. So they are going to get in touch. Not sure if they'll actually come round.

[Frnc]

Was because I ticked alcohol. They are coming tomorrow to check us out. I don't have any particular concerns, but I thought I should do it, seeing as I have lodgers.

[pseudonym]

£200 on Premium Bonds..... converted straight away into fractional silver coins ( 1/10th Oz Britannias)