WINTER CHECKLIST

[itsybitsy]

Seeing comment here about beach-sand, can I remind everyone that it is illegal to remove sand from the beach? The foreshore belongs to the Crown and removal of items from it is considered trespassing and theft.

Yet the Commoner is allowed to harvest food , fish and fowl with no hindrance nor cost? Interesting that.

technically, you can't take seaweed either but fish is usually found beyond the foreshore so does not belong to the Crown.

But is anyone going to arrest you for taking a bag of sand?!?

[Maddie_cat]

When I started a philosophy course, we were posed the problem that if there was a park full of daffodils, was it wrong to take one?

The answer we concluded is that if everyone took that attitude, there wouldn't be any daffodils left.

Having said that, my father tried taking a bag of compost from Epping Forest and received a caution.

[itsybitsy]

Well, you have to be caught in the act first. I sincerely hope the police have better things to do than patrol the beaches at night looking for someone absconding with a carrier bag full of damp sand - such as giving people speeding tickets, for example!

[NorthernWoody]

Well, you have to be caught in the act first. I sincerely hope the police have better things to do than patrol the beaches at night looking for someone absconding with a carrier bag full of damp sand - such as giving people speeding tickets, for example!

Crikey if I returned to the station having nicked someone for that my skipper would have brained me with my own truncheon!

[allewellin]

When preparing for winter, especially after the Ofgem blackout announcement for 2015, a generator is a must!! Not only do you need a generator to power heaters and lights to keep warm and safe but also to power all household electricals that we take for granted! Winters are set to get a lot colder and power cuts are inevitable- making a generator the top of the list of winter must haves.

[preppingsu]

When preparing for winter, especially after the Ofgem blackout announcement for 2015, a generator is a must!! Not only do you need a generator to power heaters and lights to keep warm and safe but also to power all household electricals that we take for granted! Winters are set to get a lot colder and power cuts are inevitable- making a generator the top of the list of winter must haves.

I would disagree about 'needing' to have a generator. I think that we need to look at simplifying what we use that needs electric and finding out other ways to do things, thus not needing to rely on electric.

Think about other ways of preserving food rather than using the freezer. Find other ways to heat your home or start to use less now so your body adjusts. Build up other forms of lighting. Start to wean yourself off using the dishwasher, food mixer, coffee maker, TV, computer etc and make sure the family do the same.

To rely on a generator in the scale you are advocating would require an awful lot of fuel. You would need to store that, add stabil for over the winter and how would you keep it quiet. Do you really want your neighbours coming over to share your heat/hot water etc?

Allewellin, could I ask you again to please pop over to the new members section and post an intro. Thanks.

[dazz675]

got briefcase stove and but only 3 small canister gazes as living high up , not very safe to store a load of gases in a tower block, a few bags of tea lights, some candles, so hard to get normal candles , in the shops, all fancy ones now. got about 25 lires of water, got some l.e.d.s must get more, wind up lantern, continuosly building up food stores , must look into dehydrating foods

[Delightful]

I've got nothing, absolutely nothing. I lost all but one handbag and a bin bag worth of stuff (and a few old books and bits at my parents) a few months ago and have only just moved into my own place again We had no heating or hot water for the first week (eta: i have water now, some heating minor radiator issues) and another house on the estate lost electricity for a few days. It spooked me but I have yet to do anything about it other than get hold of the keys to five empty flats on the estate for emergency use, but obviously that only helps when it's just my house with issues. My rental is a very peculiar set up, there's around 100 properties on a fairly secluded private estate with so far less than 10 occupied so it is eerily quiet.
Does anyone have a very basic list of things to prioritise getting and tips? I am building up food little by little (thwarted by being too far from shops or public transport to carry much, I'm considering getting a bike but am a danger when riding!) but need something to cook it with. I have waterproofs and blankets but need some wellies or other footwear. Also need to update my meager medical supplies as they are quite run down and I have read a lot of good ideas on here in the last few days.

[preppingsu]

OK, first things first look at your finances. Now prioritse your monthly incomings - ensure your rent, bills etc are paid. That keeps a roof over your head. Now bugdet for your monthly food/sundries (even if you buy weekly). OK, what you have left is what you can prep with as well as put a little bit aside for emergencies (I hope you have something left! )

Now you need heat/light and cooking facilties.

A small camp stove with cannisters/camping gaz will boil water and cook soup,stew, rice etc. You can fill a flask for hot drinks during the day. This will cover you for short term.
Put a wanted post on your local freecycle site for a cooker as sometimes people do get rid of working ones.

Heat: what has your rental got in it right now and is it usable. Look at getting a calor gas heater as an alternative. Hot water bottles, fleecy blankets, sleeping bags are easy to get hold of and will suffice for evenings/night. Live in one room to retain heat. Pick up some thick curtains from charity shops etc.

Light: electric if you've got it. Candles are a cheap option and will provide a little heat but remember to use caution and place them in old biscuit tin with some sand in. Wind up torches etc (even cheap ones) are better than nothing.

I hope you get yourself back on your feet soon.

[diamond lil]

I'd agree with Sue re the genny - learn how to cope without elect and then you won't need one! They are noisy and smelly, and if the elect goes then there will be queues for fuel everywhere. The whole idea of prepping is to avoid queues altogether.