What Preps are you doing this week? Part 4

[Brambles]

The allotment is looking pretty good, everything is up and growing, I had to re-sow the squashes, my fault I left the propagaor lid on and cooked them! still plenty of time though. I've had an explosion of beans I'm growing 3 types this year Her Maj's runner beans to eat fresh , Blue Lake for eating fresh/ freezing/canning and a borlotti type for shelling. Not doing Sweetcorn this year.

[MBJ]

I bought myself a Wild Country Zephyros 2 man tent from Blacks for £120. It only weighs 1800 grams, packs down small and would be ideal for a bug out bag. In the meantime I'm going to be using it for my numerous camps away with my Beaver Scouts and holidays, so extremely useful even if not needed in an emergency. I also added some packs of bread mix from the homebaking section and have been practising how to make my own bread. The great thing about this stuff is that you don't need a bread maker and just stick it in the oven.

[Keds]

Hello
This weekend altered the down pipe so the water butt is plumbed in better, now i need the sun to go and a little rain to fill it up ,also got my old camping gear from the loft and have the makings of a bag for the car ,

[Yorkshire Andy]

Picked up another fak

£4.99 in Lidl

https://www.lidl.co.uk/en/Non-Food-Offe ... cleId=3078

[Slazanger]

Spent the last 2 weeks reading about square foot gardening, making and planting raised beds.. now have a mini competition with the missus about growing veg.. we've got 18 squares each.. let's see how it goes

[bobble]

Been busy in the garden planting up seeds which have germinated. Managed to get a hop plant from a local nursery too!
Stocked up on herb remedies, vitamins and Rennies etc.
Refilled all water stores and water butts in the garden.

[ukpreppergrrl]

Managed to get a hop plant from a local nursery too!

Just a heads up on hop plants - they have vicious barbs. Well, not vicious in the sense that they are 6 inches long and pounce at you, rather if you're like me and you merely brush past you end up with welts all over your arms which then look like you've been attacked by a pride of lions. I live by the railway track from Kent and there are wild hops galore here. They self seed like mad....unless you harvest the hops for beer that is!

[shocker]

Been busy with family of late so, mostly, all I have done is mail order stuff...mmm,stuff...

...Mrs Shocks is not impressed...but, come on...STUFF!! Who doesnt love stuff? Except La Shockette, obviously...

I have got some pretty good deals though: A Ganzo multitool for No.2(large) go-bag for £13-ish, a Ganzo version of Spyderco Delica (half serrated) for £7-ish, Ali-Express chinese copy of Cold Steels RajahII folding kuhkri for £12, same vendor Spyderco Yojimbo2 copy for £6, all to be spread out in various bags and boxes.

On the less blade-y front, some poundshop 500 ml ally water bottles for stove fuels, 25m spool of 4mm paracord for £3, an order from MOD Textiles consisting of his'n'hers desert camo trousers, wicking T-shirt, under body-armour shirt and wool socks.

Probably most useful of all, seeing as theres loads of sharp, cutty things around, 5 Israeli bandages for £5-71. Also 10kg of basmati rice and 1 litre of ghee (as a store-able butter substitute) from Lidl. Have extended storage into caravan as flat is full.

In truth I have actually done something - I dug out a 1920s Jacobs biscuit tin to keep one of my old Primus paraffin stoves in. It had the remains of its original paper wrapping so I varnished it all over, sticking the paper down and (hopefully) waylaying the rust monsters. Oh! I found my old canvas-sewing kit too (only been looking for it for 18 months-result!) complete with "palm" so I can repair various bags.

So, all in all, got some things done after all, and best of all...stuff ! Lovely stuff...mmm, precious ...or should that be ?

[shocker]

Forgot - been shooting every week with La Shox at the local club range. She, of course, is a far superior shot than I and is tipped to join their competition team. Me, if I can put rounds in a 2" group at 30m, thats good enough for me and I just enjoy the bangs and banter.

A big, BIG thanks to the guys who advised and encouraged me with lots of info when I was a complete newbie here... you know who you are...it has turned out to be a great hobby that we can share and has opened some social doors too.

...Mrs Shocks, of course, has now decided that she has absolutely nothing to wear (as it were) and she is demanding and AR15 toot sweet as one simply cannot accessorize without (black goes with everything you know)

[shocker]

I bought myself a Wild Country Zephyros 2 man tent from Blacks for £120. It only weighs 1800 grams, packs down small and would be ideal for a bug out bag. In the meantime I'm going to be using it for my numerous camps away with my Beaver Scouts and holidays, so extremely useful even if not needed in an emergency. I also added some packs of bread mix from the homebaking section and have been practising how to make my own bread. The great thing about this stuff is that you don't need a bread maker and just stick it in the oven.

I didnt know Blacks were still in business - I was told that they had been taken over and killed off. Glad to hear they are still about! Many of my adventures began with a visit to Blacks.

re-bread: We here have recently been buying new-er yeast for bread making, though we both have carpal tunnel problems, so we are a bit needing on the kneading front. The only device that I have found that helps with that is an old Kenwood Chef mixer with a dough hook. Not very useful in a SHTF scene. Plus my mum nicked mine.

However, we have recently discovered (years behind everyone else) half-cooked rolls and french sticks - they have 6 month-to-a-year shelf life and seem to cost about 50p a pack. Not the best for space saving but handy fresh bread in a pinch (of salt). Or a jam.