Bushcraft and homesteading skills in WW3

[Woody girl]

We have just had a 3 hr long power outage this morning, no big deal, but I was in the shower eith my hair full of suds! Suddenly the shower stops working and I can't see a thing! Luckily there was some tepid water in the tank(due to reheat this evening, but the timer will be all to pot now, so probably won't get any warm water untill sunday) so I just about managed to rinse off,
Then my landline rang, as I'm on priority to tell me there was a power cut! I'm dripping wet, and trying to answer an automated message, great fun!
My phone is due to go digital in a few days.. how will my priority work then when they can't call me to tell me there is a power cut, and when I can expect the power to come back on?
Being on priority is gonna be pointless.
Internet goes out too, so I can't use my mobile either. That took a further hour and a half to connect again.
The rest of it went smoothly, battery radio on, and a cuppa made on the new camping stove. Breakfast was muesli, so no cooking needed.
Strange thing was I bought yet another gas stove, on a strong impulse, only a week or so ago as my pocket rocket was deep in my rucksack, and I didn't want to be pulling all that out in a power cut, so decided to get another cheap one for the house, (even though I do have a suitcase style one aswell for longer emergencies.)
How's that for coincidence/intuition?

 

[Woody girl]

When we had a gas boiler power cuts stopped it working. We were also without gas at one time for several weeks as they replaced all the gas pipes in the area. There's been gas outages in Devon recently and several suggestions people should be using heat pumps to avoid the outages, ignoring the fact the area lost it's power a year or two before.

I have a heat pump, it doesn't avoid the power cuts. Your lights and heating still go off like everyone else's.
Then the timer needs a reset, which as I'm in rented accommodation, I'm not allowed to do, even if I could get into my loft and knew how to do it.

 

[slowworm]

You may be entitled to a backup from your supplier for your digital landline. I know my mum will be as she has a fall alarm that needs the phone line. I gather they will not last long but better than nothing.

Annoyingly, when I tried to phone the ambulance team that was responding to mum mum a few days ago the land line had been broken by BTOR at the exchange. Hopefully sorted now but no update on when the digital line gets forced on her.

 

[Herman30]

Then my landline rang

Eh, what? You still have landlines!?

 

[Falstaff]

Eh, what? You still have landlines!?

Doc's Reception asked me yesterday what my landline number is as a form of id - I haven't had one for years. Turns out NHS has a database health record for me, even even though I officially opted out, complete with outdated info.

Right now there is an open Petition against what the NHS are now doing with our health data (consolidating & selling indentifiable personal health data), whilst public explanations will only describe aggregate or unidentifiable use.
So companies can see and work within the framework with detailed identifiable personal data "for research". There is no longer a right to opt out of this, if you want treatment you must accept this.
I discovered this is why I cannot get a GKN shingles jab - they are conducting a national outcome public comparision experiment between have's and have not's - following the same successful earlier Welsh experiment on the public

 

[slowworm]

Eh, what? You still have landlines!?

Lots of people do. In many places the mobile reception across all the networks isn't great or non-existent. That's not just remote places but often forgotten areas near quite built up places.

My mum is one such place, you can get basic reception if your mobile is placed against a window, not usable for an elderly lady. She also needs a fall alarm which uses the landline and needs to work all the time. I gather if/when the digital line goes in she will get some form of battery backup but that only lasts an hour or two - not great when you get power cuts often lasting 3hrs or more. That's if the fall alarm will work via VOIP.

It's surprising how many people have to use Starlink and sort their own backup supplies in this day and age.

 

[slowworm]

Right now there is an open Petition against what the NHS are now doing with our health data (consolidating & selling indentifiable personal health data), whilst public explanations will only describe aggregate or unidentifiable use.

A rather tenuous link to that. The hospital mums in at the moment has now converted the parking to ANPR, so each visit my car will be recorded. I wouldn't mind much but it doesn't work very well so I have no idea if I am going to get a fine in a few weeks or not.

 

[Falstaff]

A rather tenuous link to that. The hospital mums in at the moment has now converted the parking to ANPR, so each visit my car will be recorded. I wouldn't mind much but it doesn't work very well so I have no idea if I am going to get a fine in a few weeks or not.

Most NHS hospitals have been "encouraged" to charge for carparking using commercial enforcement companies - fallen foul of that, entered the wrong registration. Parking machines are usually just inside reception.
Aldershot is really cheap, the rest are not, even the staff have to pay with no discount. Faced with losing staff who could not afford it, Reading RBH pay for a free staff bus service from the nearest park'n ride.

 

[Keith_Beef]

GKN shingles jab

Guest Keen & Nettlefolds now makes vaccines?

Well, I'll go to t' foot of our stairs!

 

[Falstaff]

Guest Keen & Nettlefolds now makes vaccines?

Well, I'll go to t' foot of our stairs!

Duh, got that wrong have'nt I ?- GlaxcoSmithKline, GSK

Corrected from the naughty step at the bottom of the stairs..........,

 

[GreyCat]

You may be entitled to a backup from your supplier for your digital landline. I know my mum will be as she has a fall alarm that needs the phone line. I gather they will not last long but better than nothing.

Annoyingly, when I tried to phone the ambulance team that was responding to mum mum a few days ago the land line had been broken by BTOR at the exchange. Hopefully sorted now but no update on when the digital line gets forced on her.

I thought the idea was that the VOIP connection box for vulnerable people had a decent UPS in it.... although of course a UPS is only as good as the health of the battery powering it, and decent ones cost £££.....

Lots of people do. In many places the mobile reception across all the networks isn't great or non-existent. That's not just remote places but often forgotten areas near quite built up places.

My mum is one such place, you can get basic reception if your mobile is placed against a window, not usable for an elderly lady. She also needs a fall alarm which uses the landline and needs to work all the time. I gather if/when the digital line goes in she will get some form of battery backup but that only lasts an hour or two - not great when you get power cuts often lasting 3hrs or more. That's if the fall alarm will work via VOIP.

It's surprising how many people have to use Starlink and sort their own backup supplies in this day and age.

I have Starlink plugged into an Ecoflow Delta. It's a 6kWh system, the dish/wifi router draws 40W typically so I'm good for a wee while. I gather from the installer that Starlink plugged into a power supply suddenly became popular in west Wales following the long outages in the wake of storm Darragh.....

........... one place I know over Brechfa way only had their cable for fibre broadband put back on the poles this autumn (thankfully it had continued to work where it had fallen in the hedges and road edge).

GC

 

[Falstaff]

Waste of time and money trying to put in and maintain fibre in the mountains, should v'e gone to radio broadband towers like other countries with challenging areas.

 

[slowworm]

Most NHS hospitals have been "encouraged" to charge for carparking using commercial enforcement companies - fallen foul of that, entered the wrong registration. Parking machines are usually just inside reception.

I'm used to paying for parking. It's the badly installed ANPR equipment that's replacing the pay and display stuff that's useless. There's still signs up everywhere insisting you pay and display but no machines. The ANPR sign gives incorrect info and after one visit the pay machines stopped working but you have nothing to show for it when you drive out - so no proof if they try and fine you. I mentioned it to reception and they know of the problems.

 

[slowworm]

I thought the idea was that the VOIP connection box for vulnerable people had a decent UPS in it.... although of course a UPS is only as good as the health of the battery powering it, and decent ones cost £££.....

The two battery back ups on BTs site say "at least an hour", I think I read somewhere it can last for two. Not long enough for where my Mum lives and it wouldn't be long enough where we live.

 

[Falstaff]

I'm used to paying for parking. It's the badly installed ANPR equipment that's replacing the pay and display stuff that's useless.

They seem to be all going to paying via smartphone, but to do so you have to create an account and give them your bank details. The Govt recently announced a new system that is supposed to be common to all the parking firms, but take up by the firms appears to be voluntary.