What preps are you doing this week? Part 3.

[Arzosah]

Totally agree on the per 100g price! It's very sneaky the way they'll usually do that, and then throw in per unit or per kilo, it just tells you so much about how they're trying to bamboozle people.

And its jam time already! Yikes ...

My supplies of ant killer took a beating yesterday - it was flying ant time and they were starting to crawl over my doorstep not nice, so I gave them what for.

[pseudonym]

Purchased 2 pairs of Finnish Army Surplus Woollen trousers.

Ready for winter.

[womble]

Coffee freezes admirably. I don't drink much at home, but a bag in the freezer, just clipped shut, still makes a decent cafetiere months later. I imagine it would keep even better, sealed.

[Decaff]

I have to confess about coffee, Im not keen on "plain" coffee but the flavoured ones like hazelnut, chocolate or vanilla etc I love, I'm also now addicted to the sachets of Latte, cappuccino, mocha and oh my word gingerbread latte.... I have a huge stash of jars and sachets now . Although I randomly bought a box of Latte by Maxwell House and they are very strange, they crackle like popping space candy when you add in the water, taste revolting to boot. Aldi brand tastes fine, sainsburys brand is creamy but it just doesn't dissolve properly and you get lumps of powder Best powders so far tested are Nescafe and they do Decaff hurrah!!. Mr D will drink coffee all day long, really strong two spoons in a cup, makes me shudder if he makes a flask up

[nickdutch]

Preparing for autumn, winter and spring night cycling I have purchased a good hand pump with pressure gauge that is small enough to take with me, some spoke reflectors to provide side ways on visibility by cars, spare cycling clips and a small cycle rack bag that's big enough for a few small items.

[Arzosah]

Was it on this thread we mentioned city farms? I'm not sure, but here's an article about them in the Guardian today: https://www.theguardian.com/cities/2016 ... urban-farm

[Jan Smits]

More what I'm doing this month than this week, but after a few lean months which saw me polish off just about everything I put aside over the winter, I've finally been able to do things a bit more solidly. Getting a month-ish of water and food was fairly easy. I've got my EDC items and 3 days emergency bag (assuming decamping to a hotel) fairly well sorted too, but going over things time and again, it's time for careful thinking and moving more into knowledge than stuff.

I've been spending a fair bit, though I can justify it as outdoors essentials for the holidays. Can't really say a new SAK was essential, but I wanted one. Thinking if it is time to get a mini-sawyer too. What surprised me was how little I had in the way of first aid and fire supplies - I thought I was well covered already, but when I started to look into the details, there was quite a lot of situations I wasn't covered for. Of course, now the lists are just bigger and with more expensive items.

As for skills, I have a first aid course picked out, ready to sign up after another payday. That is all very well, but it just highlights how reliant I am on going to the doctors if something goes wrong. I'm trying to find some nice resources about how disease and other problems develop in the first place. I've seen "What to do if there is no doctor" but that doesn't quite hit it either. Any pointers would be appreciated.

[Arzosah]

As for skills, I have a first aid course picked out, ready to sign up after another payday. That is all very well, but it just highlights how reliant I am on going to the doctors if something goes wrong. I'm trying to find some nice resources about how disease and other problems develop in the first place. I've seen "What to do if there is no doctor" but that doesn't quite hit it either. Any pointers would be appreciated.

First aid is a good start. Online, in mainstream information, your GP's website can be a starting point, and things can grow from there.

What I do is that any problem that comes up in my extended family and friends, I google the dickens out of it plus my awareness of history: the biggest decline in mortality came from clean water and sewage disposal. Plus finding background on health scares and judging for myself.

The list of problems in my wider circle is eclectic, to say the least: back problems, hearing, herbs, arthritis, psoriasis, allergies, skin cancer, rectal cancer, bursitis, lichen sclerosus, dental issues. I research a lot online, and I always go to the "About us" page if I think I might use the site, just finding out who they are and who pays their bills and their wages.

As far as a book is concerned, this is a UK classic: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Wilderness-Sur ... l+medicine

HTH

[Jan Smits]

First aid is a good start.

I thought that too, I see it as a life skill, not just a "what if"

What I do ... I google the dickens out of it

Me too, but that doesn't leave me confident that I've covered the basics

As far as a book is concerned, this is a UK classic: ...

That looks pretty much it, should at least get me going. Thanks

[Ragdolly]

Took the kids camping to a provincial park. Not quite the wilds but it was bathing in the river. ( no showers!) lit the fire with a fire steel and "fat" wood and tried to catch dinner with a pole.... Ended up being chilli n rice but, all in all, I would count this a win. On an amazingly proud note - we just got back from the gun range ( practising with my new 9mm smith and Wesson) and my kids can actually shoot the crap out of stuff. They're aim is phenomenal ( 13 and 16 years old).

I feel almost ready to let them fly from the nest..... Almost...