When modren technology fails

[Echoes of the old ways]

another thread on here set me thinking (the they don't understand thread)
just wondered who on here had stories about when modern technology of utilities etc, have failed and the knowledge of skills like bushcraft/ low tech/ traditional craft knowledge have helped.

One story from us is when we went 23 days without running water in the house due to the big freeze of 2010.. (Jan/Feb time last year.)

Everyone around us was amazed that we appeared to just carry on as normal even though we didn't have water coming out of the taps!...
comments like..
Day one.. what you doing for drinking water?
answer.. melting snow, and boiling it.

Next day.. you still melting the snow then..lol?
answer.. no of course not we filled water but's from the burn.

A few days later.. well you have the kids what about baths etc?
Answer.. we got some water from the loch and put an old tin tub in front of the fire.

a week or so in... what you doing about your clothes washing?
answer.. boiled loch water and a hand wash in the sink...

about three weeks in.. (from people with working taps)
Don't know how your coping, we're even out of bread can't get to the shops.
answer.. oh no probs I'll bake you some.

Everybody in the area seems genuinely astonished we could manage just fine without a basic utility. I think the average Jo public nowadays wouldn't be able to.
Anyone else got similar stories?

 

[RonW]

Well,
due to an "error in the administration" of our gas- and electricitysupllier, we ended up without it for almost 3 months! The bill was so high we couldn't pay it all at once, so they shut us off.
That was from october up to the week befor christmas, a few years ago.
We heated our old house (without any insulation at the time) with a petroleumstove, which had a kettle with water on top of it practically all the time and when we were still cold, we put on an extra sweater or huddled under an blanket.
The kids went into a tub, instead of taking a shower and life after dark was brightened with candles. Cooking was done on a camping gasstove.
It felt quite primitive, but we were quite happy with it too.
No tv, no radio, no pc, no internet, no phone (except a mobile for emergencies, which we charged at work).
It was a relaxed period......

 

[Echoes of the old ways]

No tv, no radio, no pc, no internet, no phone (except a mobile for emergencies, which we charged at work).
It was a relaxed period......[/QUOTE]

Yep that's the type of thing I'm thinking of, see I think yer average Jo just wouldn't cope with that.. anyone else?

 

[8thsinner]

The current threat of a water shortage was just annoying, I didn't actually lose water but had plenty enough in storage for the time being. (maybe)
Last year however I had no gas for about 10 months which wasn't too bad apart from being really quite cold at times.
I was cut off because the previous tenant had messed with the meter somehow.
I showered at first with a 3ltr bottle and siphon system with a nozzle made from a zippo fuel tin spout and it worked quite well enough. But a solar shower acquisition worked a little better.

Not all that easy having a girlfriend at the time but I was okay with the situation.

 

[rancid badger]

The average "Joe Public" expects to simply sit back and be looked after by "someone else".

If it doesn't happen, or they aren't "rescued" in short order, they begin to panic and demand their "rights" etc.

People are (generally) pathetically soft these days and totally out of touch with real life.

That said; the recent water supply issues in Northern Ireland, need some robust investigation and some hard reckoning too.

 

[bojit]

My youngest daughter rang up a huge phone billl over a weekend ,
the cable company cut off the phone the tv and the internet without telling us first.
It took 3 days to get them reconected , 3 lovely quiet days ,my wife went to her friends house to use the net.
She can't live without fArsebook
I still haven't told her i have a wireless dongle

Craig..............

 

[durulz]

Yes, the General Public are such fools.
Come on, everyone, let's laugh at the silly little people.

 

[Echoes of the old ways]

The average "Joe Public" expects to simply sit back and be looked after by "someone else".

If it doesn't happen, or they aren't "rescued" in short order, they begin to panic and demand their "rights" etc.

People are (generally) pathetically soft these days and totally out of touch with real life.

That said; the recent water supply issues in Northern Ireland, need some robust investigation and some hard reckoning too.

Yep couldn't have said it better myself.

 

[Shambling Shaman]

When we lived in oxford the power went off in are part of the village, So like most of us on hear would do some candles were lit and a gas stove set up, 1/2 or so went by and there was a knock at the door, one of the jockeys who lived bit farther up the lane had stopped to ask if the power had just come back on? I told him it had not, but i had a hot drink in my hand and the smell of cooked food wafting around. He and all the others had been part way through cooking there dinner when the power had gone, luckily the Barly Mow pub still had power so they De-camped the for the rest of the night I was going to lend them are gas stove and brake out the trangia but the pub was (I think) the better option.

 

[British Red]

The average "Joe Public" expects to simply sit back and be looked after by "someone else".

If it doesn't happen, or they aren't "rescued" in short order, they begin to panic and demand their "rights" etc.

People are (generally) pathetically soft these days and totally out of touch with real life.

That said; the recent water supply issues in Northern Ireland, need some robust investigation and some hard reckoning too.

Spot on RB. I'm not sure its "soft" though - "lazy & complacent" is the phrase that springs to mind. The Nanny state culture of recent years has led to a sense of "entitlement" where people think someone else has to take care of their families and that it is no longer their responsibility. You can sense this now that money is getting tight - everyone has a good old whinge about their "rights" and "demands" - precious few of them spend as much time thinking about what more they can offer though!

Its great to see a few threads on here discussing the practical application of skills though.

For many years, water was the one thing that would have troubled us in a long term outage of services - we have a full width well and an underground victorian water cistern now - to go with wood fired cooking and heating . Its the norm round here - when the power goes off, most folks light the fire and a lantern and then, if its off for a while, spark up a generator. Oddly, they don't expect others to provide these things!

Red

 

[Shambling Shaman]

The Nanny state culture of recent years has led to a sense of "entitlement"

good old whinge about their "rights" and "demands"

I am always amazed at how many people thing there "rights" come with Zero responsibility to them selfs or others.

 

[Tengu]

I do well enough without heating (Have a wood stove) and use very little hot water.

WHat gets me is electricity (ue about £10 a week) Id like to make my own but cannot afford panels.

In this weather I find a hot water bottle improves my life at night...helps my insomnia too.

 

[Radix lecti]

During the floods of 2007 in Gloucestershire we were without running water for 2 weeks. The Council set up bowsers everywhere,one was about 50 yrds from my house,i only used it once. I couldn't understand how some would queue up to fill a bucket of water just to flush the toilet. I filled one of the baths up with rainwater for flushing the toilet, i used rainwater in a Burco boiler i had for washing and doing the dishes. I utilised my rain barrels outside and any big container i could find to catch water when it rained. The place i worked at then wasn't affected by the floods so it had fresh water,each day i would bring home a 5ltr container of drinking water.

As for the waterbottles the Council dished out i managed to get a few packs for the kids and some of the elderly neighbours who couldn't get about much, but for wifey and me it was Pepsi or Coke as a treat. I know this story sounds like no big deal but it sure beat queuing at the water bowsers,going dirty or watching some people demanding more bottled water than others.

Sorry if i have gone on too much but i just got on with it. Cheers.

Darren

 

[silvergirl]

When we first moved to this cottage winter storms brought down power cables further north and we were without any electricity for the best part of a week.
Having recently moved in, a friend from down in the village asked how we were coping (they still had power) and offered us use of washing machines, cookers etc down at theirs.
I however felt very satisfied knowing that with a woodburning stove I could heat the house, and water, cook and bake. The kids thought it was great fun reading stories by candle light before bed.

The area had another powercut just before Christmas and I know a couple of local villages were without power for several hours in the evening. The temps got down to minus 17C and I felt very sorry for everyone who had not been able to cook their dinner and were without heating on such a cold night.
My kids had almost forgotten what it was like without power, so I think we'll have to experiement with enforced 'powercuts' every so often so that they take it in their stride.

 

[British Red]

As a much younger person, I remember enjoying power cuts as an adventure too . Stood us in good stead for the "winter of discontent" and still does today. Thanks for the memory silvergirl!

 

[Tengu]

Yes, I felt the same. A Holiday from normal life

 

[Echoes of the old ways]

Sorry if i have gone on too much but i just got on with it. Cheers.

Darren

you didn't go on too much. that's just the point you just got on with it and where fine, while others around you who didn't know how to do that queued and fought and found it difficult.
so many people on here have emphasised the point I wanted to make and that is, ok yer average person might well have a giggle at us for our interest in bushcraft or traditional ways etc etc.. but when the chips are down.. we're the ones that have the knowledge, skills and ability to just get on with it while they struggle.

 

[silvergirl]

As a much younger person, I remember enjoying power cuts as an adventure too . Stood us in good stead for the "winter of discontent" and still does today. Thanks for the memory silvergirl!

I don't really remember the winter of discontent as I was only wee.
But I do remember around that time having been away from home for while and when we got back the house was very very cold and me and my little sister got to sleep in my parents room and mum filled hot water bottles from the camp stove.

 

[nuggets]

well i,ve just had a thought !!!! All my camping stoves -gas etc is stored in my garage -------if the power goes off !!I won,t be able to use the electric roller shutter door to get to them ???? DOH !!!!!

 

[Robbi]

Hahahahahaha !! love it !!