What Preps are you doing this week? Part 4

[Deeps]

I am doing what I do every few months when I log back onto this website after a few months' absence: re focussing. That means re-looking at my kitchen cupboards, ensuring they are full to the point of barely shutting their doors, and checking my extra supplies stored elsewhere in the house. Also, as I do at this time of year, re check my candles, matches and batteries ready for winter's darker and shorter days. I am planning a few foraging walks for wild apples, brambles, rosehips and anything else I find too in the next few days for making jellies and syrups. I love autumn! My favourite time of the year.

Sounds perfectly reasonable Pingu, its just vaguely depressing that we've crept back into autumn, we seem to have missed summer. Our apples are starting to look good and there's a row of trees by us that has a load of hazelnuts still to bloom.

I've invested in some better tweezers, I've got some in different packs but I grabbed a pair to get a tick off a dog and for the fine work they weren't the best so I'm giving a couple of different sets from Boots a go. They were pretty cheap, about a couple quid each and I've been inspired by a set Her Maj has.

AHH you have a tick;)

Tweezers risk leaving the mouth parts embedded.

2017-09-09 22.54.00.jpg

Yup, and the dugs are full of the flea/tick stuff and I have a couple of the proper tick picks but if they're really small you can get the off (fnarr fnarr) with a set of tweezers easier. I'm open to all approaches.

[Jamesey1981]

+1 for the tick twister, you can do it with tweezers if you're careful but as Andy said there is a risk you'll leave a bit behind, or cause it to vomit if you squeeze the body sac (yeah really, ew) and the twisters are much quicker, cleaner and less painful.
I got a set after I had to use tweezers to remove one from my German shepherd, that was far from fun, if a GSD doesn't want you to do something it's very hard to do it!

I've used them on myself since on the horrible occasions where I've picked one up and they're much better than tweezers, I now have a set in every one of my outdoorsy bags and FAKs.

[Deeps]

+1 for the tick twister, you can do it with tweezers if you're careful but as Andy said there is a risk you'll leave a bit behind, or cause it to vomit if you squeeze the body sac (yeah really, ew) and the twisters are much quicker, cleaner and less painful.
I got a set after I had to use tweezers to remove one from my German shepherd, that was far from fun, if a GSD doesn't want you to do something it's very hard to do it!

I've used them on myself since on the horrible occasions where I've picked one up and they're much better than tweezers, I now have a set in every one of my outdoorsy bags and FAKs.

Aye, by preference its the proper picks but if you can catch them early enough they are too small to catch with them. A careful use of tweezers works but isn't my first choice generally. I carry a set on my keys but my dugs are well clapped so I tend to pick up ticks quite quickly although sticky willows are much more common and can cause a bit of confusion.

[jansman]

This week I have the urge to construct something.I scored a load of 2'x2' timber amongst one of my free firewood ' deliveries' ( my DW says the builder is just dumping sh#t! ).I have been dabbling with container gardening for a season or three now,with great results.

I am rather inspired by this chap https://www.container-gardening-for-food.com and I have a patio area about that size next to my veg garden.
One project I want to crack on with is a raised coldframe.I have a row of six compost bins.They are upturned dustbins with the bottoms chopped out,and large holes drilled all over for aeration. I want to put a shallow coldframe above this row ,about 2' above to allow bin access, as this will make use of vertical space and residual heat from the compost.Its against a South facing wall,and I will use it to grow salad leaves.

[Le Mouse]

I'm off out in a bit to buy some work-appropriate warm clothing. My office is in a 'smart' building which apparently regulates the temperature. In my 4 years there, I've never experienced this! The desk I've sat at for about 2 years is in a weird cold vortex (other people have commented on it) which sits in the path of All The Drafts, so for about 95% of the year I wear a hoodie at my desk as well as more layers than should be necessary because I'm freezing cold. The hot water bottle I keep in my drawer has already come out this year! I've already started layering up a bit, but I really must get properly sorted since I can't do a third winter explaining to everyone why I look like the Michelin Man. So, thermals, thick shirts and a few office appropriate jumpers have gone on the shopping list. I have my eye on a new winter coat as well - I walk to work in all weathers, so something warm, waterproof and knee length is necessary. My previous coat has served me well for years, but lost its waterproofness and didn't react well to waterproofing spray (didn't seem to work!). The one I want is eye-wateringly expensive (to me at least), but should last me an awfully long time.

I'm dreading this. I hate clothes shopping.

[Brambles]

I'm dreading this. I hate clothes shopping.

Ditto, I have the same mission I can't seem to find a decent coat anywhere! I'm thinking of one of these.

[Le Mouse]

Ditto, I have the same mission I can't seem to find a decent coat anywhere!

Well I had some success! Bought a couple of cheap vests and long sleeved tops from H&M for autumnal chilliness and some thermal vests and long sleeved tops from M&S (vests are the basic thermal range, long sleeved tops are poncy Heatgen ones) for when it's properly Baltic. The shirt and jumper mission was derailed by also having to buy a dress for my cousin's wedding next week which I failed at entirely and then lost the will to live (why is everything so fecking short?!). However I did buy a coat! I bought this one: Janelle II from Seasalt. I bought it from John Lewis because my nearest Seasalt branch is a 2 hour bus journey away. Yes it's expensive and yes my bank account doesn't know what's hit it, but it'll be worth it though if I get a lot of winters out of it.

ETA: I like the big pockets on that coat, Brambles. Is it wool? There's a shop near me that would sell something like that: http://www.gallyonsclothing.co.uk

[Brambles]

I really like that line of clothing. I thank you Mouse, although my purse may not!

[Arzosah]

I like the seasalt stuff! V stylish

With all the paperwork I'm doing on my mum's estate, I realised I needed to update my bug-out-to-a-hotel paperwork. Houses are bought and sold, fixed rate financial accounts reach their limit and are closed, companies merge, passwords need updating more than I've made notes for, all sorts of things. So I'm not writing it in a little notebook any more, it gets awkward - either too much tippex, or too many blank labels covering up out of date information. That means I'm making a computer document that I'll print out, and save on a little flash drive plus a blank CD.

Does anybody know whether, if your email gets hacked, attachments to emails are also hacked? Could be another backup if its safe enough.

[ukpreppergrrl]

Does anybody know whether, if your email gets hacked, attachments to emails are also hacked?

Yes. If they have access to your email they have access to everything connected to your email. All the contents of your email. All the attachments attached to your email. That said, 99.9% of the time all they're actually doing is using your login credentials to send spam and phishing emails, rather than sifting through your correspondence with your mother-in-law. But just so as you're aware, yes, they do have access to your attachments. It's just one reason why you should never, for example, send passwords in plain text via email. One option is to encrypt the document so it's unreadable to anyone who nabs it. Just so you're also aware, the folks who work for your email provider also have access to your email too...not saying they read your emails, but at least some of them do have the keys to the castle which means they can read your emails and your attachments. I could when it was my job. I didn't (unless requested to by The Powers That Be, but don't get me onto that bit of legislation!) as that would be unprofessional. But I could. Just so you know.