Preparing for troubled times ahead - Advice on what is needed.....

[Woody girl]

Hi there. Just noticed your above post. I fully understand the medical limitations. For me, its both hips and first one in 2003 wasn't done properly and I suffer daily. I keep one of those small gardening kneeling foam rectangles indoors for when I need to 'get down'. So I really appreciated Victor Meldrew's joke when he said, you have to consider what else you need to do while your down there.
Anyway, the Outbacker. Excellent bit of kit heavy though. I bought the 22.5 degree Stainless flue connections so I can attach and use the stove indoors at a push and the diverted flue goes out the back door/window.

I already have a multifuel burner in the house, I can't cook on it as it's inset. ( not my choice) I plan to use it more this winter, for heating, but I'm concerned as apart from the work needed , carrying logs, coal, ashes etc, coal (maxibrite) has gone up in price to the point where I can only get 4 bags, where I used to get 6. I'm still waiting for a sniff of the logstore my h/a promised me "by july" us now being halfway into the month.
Plenty of excuses..staff off sick with covid, can't find the work order, etc.
The plan for the outbacker is to use it for cooking, boiling water in a power cut. As such, I will use it outdoors, with a tarp shelter. I plan to make a platform out of bricks and an old bit of kitchen counter top, with the firemat on top of the platform for safety. This will bring it up to a workable height with any luck.
I have a good area just outside the back door so should be fine, I have the bricks, and hazel poles for the tarp shelter all ready and waiting.
I'm waiting on a new knee or two!

 

[Scottieoutdoors]

Unless you like having your govt (Scottish) recommending that everyone takes VitD supplements, then think hard on moving up here

To us it's home. It's comfortable, it's peaceful, it has everything we need. But then, water apart, so does where you are just now.....

In other words, don't even think of coming up sassenachs!

 

[Woody girl]

Bit of a shock today.
Back in January, I decided to save for a small bluetti power brick and solar pannel.
There were rumours of a sale, so I looked and prices have risen to the point even sale prices are still out of reach.
So, I've had to opt for the smallest jackery set up instead. Even this has gone up by £100, since I first looked at them.
So, the advice to buy now, is good advice. I wish I'd prioritised this sooner, and bought it in January when it would have cleaned me out, but I wanted to go to the Moot, and learn more skills too.
I now can't go, so I'm using the "moot money" I've had hanging about for a long while, to up various preps for winter instead. Even my coal has gone up to silly prices, wish I'd bought more sooner.
Lesson learned.
Get it now!

 

[Toddy]

In other words, don't even think of coming up sassenachs!

No, we make folks welcome, if they're that way inclined themselves, just that the reality is that Winter is long, often sodden wet from one end to t'other, and it's so overcast that the whole nation needs VitD tablets ....actually I could be describing most of the year, tbh.
If folks are trying to find a wonderful growing climate, sunny days, and clear skies....well, Fife maybe, but otherwise, hmmm.

 

[Scottieoutdoors]

No, we make folks welcome, if they're that way inclined themselves, just that the reality is that Winter is long, often sodden wet from one end to t'other, and it's so overcast that the whole nation needs VitD tablets ....actually I could be describing most of the year, tbh.
If folks are trying to find a wonderful growing climate, sunny days, and clear skies....well, Fife maybe, but otherwise, hmmm.

Yup, Scottish weather is definitely interesting. I must admit though, I managed to get lucky out trips. In January this year we went to the Cairngorms, it was beautiful, walking in the Glens in the sunlight I was down to trousers and t shirt. On the mountains I was wrapping up, and in the shade it was a but fresh, but overall, gorgeous.

 

[Broch]

Off topic I know - but just to counter Toddy's anti-tourism campaign )) - we've been in shirt sleeves in February on Islay, and we had a glorious 2 weeks March/April this year on the Ardnamurchan when Eastern Scotland was having snow!

OK, it's also true that in July in the past we've had rain, sleet, hail, wind and fog .... all in one day

 

[Toddy]

Oh so true, so true

To us it's normal, there's no use fighting the weather, you just kind get on with it.
I think that's true for a lot of the British isles though.
I'm pretty sure we'd get fed up with unchanging weather, or no real change in the seasons.

It's a lovely Summer, just a tad too warm

 

[bearbait]

Bit of a shock today.
Back in January, I decided to save for a small bluetti power brick and solar pannel.
There were rumours of a sale, so I looked and prices have risen to the point even sale prices are still out of reach.
So, I've had to opt for the smallest jackery set up instead. Even this has gone up by £100, since I first looked at them.
So, the advice to buy now, is good advice. I wish I'd prioritised this sooner, and bought it in January when it would have cleaned me out, but I wanted to go to the Moot, and learn more skills too.
I now can't go, so I'm using the "moot money" I've had hanging about for a long while, to up various preps for winter instead. Even my coal has gone up to silly prices, wish I'd bought more sooner.
Lesson learned.
Get it now!

I believe that part of the reason for the Jackery increased price that you have been punished by (!) is that the price of Lithium for the batteries has rocketed over the last few months for various reasons.

Good advice to "Get it now". Probably applies to many things: supermarket shelves currently seem to be exhibiting similar empty behaviour to that during early Lockdown all those "decades" ago!

 

[Scottieoutdoors]

I believe that part of the reason for the Jackery increased price that you have been punished by (!) is that the price of Lithium for the batteries has rocketed over the last few months for various reasons.

Good advice to "Get it now". Probably applies to many things: supermarket shelves currently seem to be exhibiting similar empty behaviour to that during early Lockdown all those "decades" ago!

Sun's out, silly season is upon us.

 

[Woody girl]

I believe that part of the reason for the Jackery increased price that you have been punished by (!) is that the price of Lithium for the batteries has rocketed over the last few months for various reasons.

Good advice to "Get it now". Probably applies to many things: supermarket shelves currently seem to be exhibiting similar empty behaviour to that during early Lockdown all those "decades" ago!

Very true, had we not the war in Ukraine, and continued China lockdowns, there would not have been such a huge rise in price. About £100!
I'm pretty well set for a while, so only have to get more coal and logs, which I'm doing each week, little at a time. I always start planning for next winter as soon as I switch the heating off in April! Kept me in good steady during covid, as I had plenty of loo roll!
Prices are rising to silly, a bottle of bleach I payed 55p for last summer is now 90p. Luckily I still have 4 left in stock at home, but replenishing is getting pricey.
9%inflation???? Pull the other one !

 

[gra_farmer]

Very true, had we not the war in Ukraine, and continued China lockdowns, there would not have been such a huge rise in price. About £100!
I'm pretty well set for a while, so only have to get more coal and logs, which I'm doing each week, little at a time. I always start planning for next winter as soon as I switch the heating off in April! Kept me in good steady during covid, as I had plenty of loo roll!
Prices are rising to silly, a bottle of bleach I payed 55p for last summer is now 90p. Luckily I still have 4 left in stock at home, but replenishing is getting pricey.
9%inflation???? Pull the other one !

Just before brexit hit, my wife did a massive shop, people in the store looking at her funny and she feeling a little silly.....brexit and covid hits, we were okay'ish for store cupboard items.....still have quite a bit left.

If only I did the same for lumber, wall and floor insolation, bricks, concrete blocks and cement. Oh well, live and learn......

 

[Woody girl]

I didn't bother much with brexit, just a few things that I was particularly fond of, "just in case" but about a month before covid realy hit, I had a bad feeling, and did a mahoosive food, bleach, washing liquids etc, shop, and had everything ready for lockdown a week early. Two years later, I'm still using some of those preps and
I've been adding ever since. Still do, if I go for perishables like milk eggs cheese etc, I make sure I pick up something to add to my store. Freshish, yellow ticket green beans, 55p today, blanch and freeze, sorted!
I've been doing some water bath canning too, and dehydrating, of cheap frozen veg. I found I can get three packets of dried peas into one kilner jar, and no worries if the power goes out. I won't loose them.
Spreads out the risk.

 

[lou1661]

Poly tunnels are great for people but not always the best design in our experience. They are high sided and so wind vulnerable. They also contain a lot of air so don't hear up as well in the early season. Given that they are fixed in place, they can get too hot in the Summer as observed. We find that a plastic raised bed cover that can easily be opened and closed, present a lower wind signature, heat up more quickly in the early season, can be removed easily in Summer or replaced with bird / insect netting and are MUCH easier & cheaper to make

Thanks @British Red , been making do with small net cloches for a while, but just got around to making this for the cabbage bed.

 

[British Red]

Thanks @British Red , been making do with small net cloches for a while, but just got around to making this for the cabbage bed.

That looks the business mate!

 

[swyn]

Fine weave netting be they purpose built or in kit form are a real bonus as they make a huge difference to open grown plants. The difference in our plot between plants is double growth size.
S

 

[MikeLA]

Stop listening to the news !

Best advice I can give, enjoy your life, live your life to the full.

 

[Scottieoutdoors]

Stop listening to the news !

Best advice I can give, enjoy your life, live you life to the full.

Weirdly, I concur. I am not on Facebook, twitter, etc but I am on YouTube, a few forums and I occasionally read and comment on local news. I find the more involved I get, the more agro life becomes and the more I dislike (not beyond a certain just disdain) people.
If I squint at the news to get a rough idea of what they're on about every day or other day, then call it a day on that front, I say I'm informed enough to just get on with how I do things... without getting caught up in political BS of which none of us can particularly do anything about, nor does it really have much of an impact on us. We all do our own thing all the time... if your favourite bar of chocolate sky rockets in price, you then make choices - do I care? can I afford it? Can I absorb the cost elsewhere?... whether its sky rocketed because the manufacturer figured out that they can rip people off, or whether it sky rocketed because costs in general have gone up are, imo, inconsequential... we adapt... or at least those involved in this sort of hobby should be capable of adapting...

 

[bearbait]

I've got the 1000 W/hour Jackery. Three days off power earlier this year? I moved my Jackery around the two fridges and, more importantly, two freezers just to keep all, 'Topped Up'. Did the job so didn't have to resort to insurance claims. The Jackery? - A brilliant bit of kit.
Go for a range of fuel sources. Kerosene, Power Bank, Wood, Coleman gas (6 x 500 currently about £28), Solar panels. I've acquired a wind gennie for winter use and am currently pondering on what's needed for the tower.

I'd be interested to know what wind generator you went for?

My experience with them is somewhat dated: mid-90s on a sailing boat!

 

[GSW]

I'd be interested to know what wind generator you went for?

My experience with them is somewhat dated: mid-90s on a sailing boat!

Was a discounted offer on Ebay for £129 including regulator. No-name I'm afraid but, max 400W; 5 blade, 12V AC. I've just taken delivery of the aluminium scaffolding tubes and fittings so, I'm in the process of a hybrid erection. Don't need max output just enough to top up 2 / 110Amp/hr deep cycles. From these into my Jackery 1000 W/hr. All very well using the Jackery to keep fridges/freezers on the go but when the jackery is out of power/low during the winter and no mains elect? No Sun and cannot charge the Jackery directly from wind needs an intermediate means, hence Lead Acid deep cycles.

 

[bearbait]

Many thanks for the background to your wind turbine. Shall have a ponder.

I bought myself a Jackery 1000 recently and have been playing and testing with it. Certainly pleased so far. It's nice to be able to routinely charge phones, iPads, etc. directly from the solar panels without needing to drain the charged Jackery.