What did you do to prepare today?

Doc Ruby · 17-04-2012 10:38pm

Onanon wrote: »

Got recurring ingrown toenail removed and the nailbed treated with acid.

Ouchie. Better by far to have it permanently fixed though.

bonniebede · 18-04-2012 1:03pm

grapeape wrote: »

Since I last posted
Ive been trying recipes that can be cooked on a gas stove /open fire /hexi rather than in the oven or on a full cooker and stacking up on supplies for them
Getting the kids used to using pmr446 radios and teaching the older 2 basic first aid

Good for you on two fronts...experimenting now, not waiting till it is essential

And teaching the kids skills. Kudos

ShadowFox · 18-04-2012 2:08pm

bonniebede wrote: »

Good for you on two fronts...experimenting now, not waiting till it is essential

And teaching the kids skills. Kudos

Thanks
I was amazed at how much i use the oven/ microwave/ other electric items in the kitchen in day to day cooking so trying to figure out how to basic cook again has been a challenge
Another thing I want to try (if I can get the war office to agree) is shutting off the power in the house for a day to see how we will manage also handy to find out what we need that we dont have

baords dyslexic · 18-04-2012 2:24pm

grapeape wrote: »

Thanks
I was amazed at how much i use the oven/ microwave/ other electric items in the kitchen in day to day cooking so trying to figure out how to basic cook again has been a challenge
Another thing I want to try (if I can get the war office to agree) is shutting off the power in the house for a day to see how we will manage also handy to find out what we need that we dont have

Just make sure you know how to reset all the timers you have on electrical goods :eek: Late for work anyone

ShadowFox · 18-04-2012 2:30pm

baords dyslexic wrote: »

Just make sure you know how to reset all the timers you have on electrical goods :eek: Late for work anyone

only electric timer i have is the heating and alarm clock battery so safe there I mostly want to do it to see how the kids will cope without tv and xbox (and see if i need extra duct tape to stop them annoying me

)

evilmonkee · 19-04-2012 8:22pm

Got a pair of cheap walking boots in Aldi, started breaking them in with a bit of gardening and a good long walk with the dog.
Very comfy, good quality for the price, strong laces, have enough stability to support your foot without forcing stiffness (as I have experienced with more expensive ones I have had) the only issue I would have is the lack of arch supports, but easily sorted with a couple of arch support insoles.
For €23 quid, definitely a good buy, furthermore only €13 for the kids ones.

The kids go to a ladies size 3, which is actually more like a 3.5 as they fitted me (woo, tax free shoes

)

mawk · 22-04-2012 6:37pm

tried a recipe for a seaweed, shellfish and chorizo stew for dinner.

not bad but needs tweaking

baords dyslexic · 22-04-2012 6:40pm

mawk wrote: »

tried a recipe for a seaweed, shellfish and chorizo stew for dinner.

not bad but needs tweaking

you mean cut out the seaweed and shellfish and just eat the chorizo, ummmmm that would be good

Tabnabs · 22-04-2012 6:47pm

Chorizo, the duct tape of the preppers kitchen :pac:

baords dyslexic · 22-04-2012 7:19pm

Tabnabs wrote: »

Chorizo, the duct tape of the preppers kitchen :pac:

An excellent analogy but might give anyone who hasn't eaten it before some strange ideas - I have a vision of someone going into Dunnes and asking for a roll of Chorizo.

bonniebede · 22-04-2012 9:13pm

Today I bought and set up a metre square raised bed. Wanted to make it myself as a diy thing but in the end bought a kit, just to get started. Filled it up using the lasagna method, adn planted up fruit and veg which have been hanging around since i splurged in Aldis.

Also used my new first aid stuff to repair the damage caused while doing the above. :rolleyes: Can anyone say 'Is your tetanus jab up to date?'

Growing lettuce should NOT be this hard.

But maybe it isn't. Could be just me.

My theme song for the day was 'I will survive'. Can't say the same will be true of everything that i planted.:D

I should add I am loving being more active in the garden.

evilmonkee · 22-04-2012 9:40pm

bonniebede wrote: »

Growing lettuce should NOT be this hard.

A large number of people have been having problems getting lettuce to germinate, its warm behind glass at this time of year. make sure the air temperature doesn't exceed 25C, or the seeds won't germinate.

Also if its outside, ensure its protected from frost, which will also stop it from germinating and can kill young plants.

What I'm doing this year is growing an oriental salad mix (supplements my diet in the same way lettuce will). This can be kept at higher temps and so can be left in the greenhouse / coldframe / hot window-sill.

Doc Ruby · 22-04-2012 11:09pm

Not sure if this really counts as preparation, but I managed to finish setting up an encrypted partition on my USB stick, cunningly concealed inside a home movie of my puppy which actually still plays. Big improvement on the first effort, which was so cunningly concealed I couldn't find it again.

Now if only I had something to hide in it...

Onanon · 22-04-2012 11:28pm

Doc Ruby wrote: »

Ouchie. Better by far to have it permanently fixed though.

Done without anesthetic. Definitely made me look at getting locals into the home medkit if there was more serious home surgery to be done. Either that, or heavy belts to strap someone to the table.

mawk · 23-04-2012 12:09am

Doc Ruby wrote: »

Not sure if this really counts as preparation, but I managed to finish setting up an encrypted partition on my USB stick, cunningly concealed inside a home movie of my puppy which actually still plays. Big improvement on the first effort, which was so cunningly concealed I couldn't find it again.

Now if only I had something to hide in it...

you could also make an info dead drop in your house
I saw a neat way of making one by hiding a usb drive hidden inside a working rj45 wall plate. you just plug into the wall and find a drive not a phone line

evilmonkee · 23-04-2012 12:10am

Doc Ruby wrote: »

Now if only I had something to hide in it...

Assuming you always carry your memory stick.

How about a soft copy of important documents, passport, house lease (just the signed part) / deeds of house, if the physical copy cannot be reached/gets destroyed at least you have a backup or some way to prove your telling the truth.

Also pictures of spouse, children, parents, pets etc. If a major event happens and you need to use them for posters, ID etc. always good to have a copy.

baords dyslexic · 23-04-2012 11:20am

evilmonkee wrote: »

Assuming you always carry your memory stick.

How about a soft copy of important documents, passport, house lease (just the signed part) / deeds of house, if the physical copy cannot be reached/gets destroyed at least you have a backup or some way to prove your telling the truth.

Also pictures of spouse, children, parents, pets etc. If a major event happens and you need to use them for posters, ID etc. always good to have a copy.

Only problem I can see is that you need to have the encryption/decryption software to use the hidden data on the USB stick and its a bit obvious if you have that copied on the stick that you might be hiding something

evilmonkee · 23-04-2012 11:56am

baords dyslexic wrote: »

Only problem I can see is that you need to have the encryption/decryption software to use the hidden data

Not necessarily, depending on the encryption (and compression) methods used, some off the shelf software could easily work.
Also, if using an encryption key, it can be as simple as entering the correct sequence of input before being asked for a password, just like a combination lock.

OR, you could simple write the decryption algorithm when needed, If you design the encryption you must have designed the decryption too.

Doc Ruby · 23-04-2012 12:00pm

mawk wrote: »

you could also make an info dead drop in your house
I saw a neat way of making one by hiding a usb drive hidden inside a working rj45 wall plate. you just plug into the wall and find a drive not a phone line

Nice, I was always a big fan of the hidden in plain sight school of thought.

evilmonkee wrote: »

Assuming you always carry your memory stick.

How about a soft copy of important documents, passport, house lease (just the signed part) / deeds of house, if the physical copy cannot be reached/gets destroyed at least you have a backup or some way to prove your telling the truth.

Also pictures of spouse, children, parents, pets etc. If a major event happens and you need to use them for posters, ID etc. always good to have a copy.

Yes, perfect, I've a few of them but this one is on my keyring.

baords dyslexic wrote: »

Only problem I can see is that you need to have the encryption/decryption software to use the hidden data on the USB stick and its a bit obvious if you have that copied on the stick that you might be hiding something

Its a good point, but Truecrypt lets you set up a container inside the encrypted file so you can "give up" the password to the first (filled with important looking stuff) shell, while never saying a word about the second one. Thats if you have to have the decrypting software on the stick.

Of course I've completely invalidated that tactic for myself since I've publicly posted about it on the internet, but I haven't much to hide anyway!

Doc Ruby · 23-04-2012 7:34pm

baords dyslexic wrote: »

Strange it is supposed to have a cleaning effect on the Coleman stoves and lamps. Unleaded tends to block them up so general advice is to use Coleman fuel every 3-4 fills, but never actually bothered as its so expensive.

Okay, I finally got to the bottom of the non-lighting problem, it was the crappy wicks supplied by DX. When I was wiping off the residue I also wiped off the burnt bits of the wick. By pulling up a bit more length it worked fine. I'll replace the wicks in the peanuts and triplexes with good quality zippo wicks when they wear out. The fluid worked fine in an old zippo I had lying around so that's not the problem.

The solar charger arrived pretty quickly, unfortunately it doesn't actually charge anything, so that's going back home to mamma. I did get a cool folding cup as well though.

My keyring is starting to look like some weird techno-totem carried around by a modern day shaman. I've a carabiner with proton flashlight and clip on compass, metal cup, pen knife, peanut and USB key with all sorts of goodies installed in it, plus keys.

baords dyslexic · 23-04-2012 7:47pm

Doc Ruby wrote: »

My keyring is starting to look like some weird techno-totem carried around by a modern day shaman. I've a carabiner with proton flashlight and clip on compass, metal cup, pen knife, peanut and USB key with all sorts of goodies installed in it, plus keys.

Well if you ever get into a confrontational situation a way out might be to shake that lot around while shouting "Unclean" "Unclean".

bonniebede · 26-04-2012 6:29pm

I read this. Not much to it yet but might be worth watching. this is issue one.
http://www.preparemag.com/may-2012

Doc Ruby · 27-04-2012 5:22pm

Just tried out the low cost alternative to vaseline in Dunnes, Health Point its called, for firelighting and it works great. The cotton makeup removal pads they sell are perfect as well, since they are like a flat sandwich of firm cotton with soft cotton in the middle, almost custom made for easy packing and transportation, taking a spark nicely from even the most dodgy of firesteels.

hardCopy · 27-04-2012 10:38pm

Today I put together a mini First Aid Kit for my cycling holiday. We'll be cycling from town to town and weight will be big issue so it's very basic:

Nail Scissors
Medical Tape
Gause
Cotton Swab
Cuetip
Alcohol Wipes x 2
Sticky Plasters x 4
Ibuprofen Tablets x 4
Immodium Tablet

Will also have a couple of survival blankets and whistle with us.

Deus Ex Machina · 28-04-2012 10:00am

I bought a can of medium roast coffee beans which I can use if I ever run out of dark roast. You see I prefer dark roast, and I will always drink that if it's available, so a can of medium roast will only ever be used in the event that I run out of dark roast, so it will last ages.

bonniebede · 29-04-2012 10:17pm

Well yesterday really... Picked up two of the little solid fuel cookers and some extra hexamine tabs in Aldi. One for each bob.

now i have to revise my 72 hour food pack, which was based on the premise of not having a stove of any sort.

Also expandable 20 litre water carrier, and a hose. The hose is really for the new veg in the garden, but it would also make the job of filling water storage containers easier.

Gave away my nice tarp to himself, who after slagging me for buying it, then discovered he had an urgent need for it for a particular project. There's gratitude!:rolleyes:

Today i became Godmother to a friends little boy, its the forth time I got to play that role but so far the only one who is a baby, all the rest are adults. His family are on my 'people I would try and help survive list' so he's another one to think of when prepping. Discovered that his mum was in the FCA, knows all sorts of skills and learnt how to shoot. Who knew? Since I started prepping and thinking about survival group people i have discovered friends with all sorts of hidden skills, like my first aider friend who is, it turns out a crack archer.

bonniebede · 01-05-2012 10:54pm

In the spirit of test driving survival items, today I had a tin of my Tesco ultimate cheapy value ownbrand garden peas. Not bad at all, for sometihng at 20c per tin, even better with a bit of butter and mint.

Especially as the wind carried off all my pea plants and all i have to show for them this year was some tasty shoots in a salad and one tasty pod of peas.

Have been watching the aldi value veg, like cheap onions turnips etc, and wondering if I should buy some to test drive root veg storage options.

baords dyslexic · 02-05-2012 9:58am

bonniebede wrote: »

...
...
Have been watching the aldi value veg, like cheap onions turnips etc, and wondering if I should buy some to test drive root veg storage options.

Some of that cheap veg will have already been in storage for quite a while, you really need to take note of where it was grown in relation to the natural growing season, for example any onions grown in Europe will at this time of year been in store for 5-6 months.

bonniebede · 02-05-2012 5:17pm

baords dyslexic wrote: »

Some of that cheap veg will have already been in storage for quite a while, you really need to take note of where it was grown in relation to the natural growing season, for example any onions grown in Europe will at this time of year been in store for 5-6 months.

good point. Also when bought in the shop they are more trimmed that you might want for storage.

Sorted through the tinned storage food items and reorganised my food storage in general.
Think I have pretty much maxed out my capacity at three months food at my urban location until such time as I get the attic floored. Hopefully sometime this year. Thankfully i have now reclaimed space under trhe stairs for the items of normal life. Repeating to myself regularly 'prepping is not being a packrat'.:rolleyes:

Also righted the little aldi four shelf green house thing which tipped over in the recent storms. I'm wiring together the frame for more stabilty and going to wire it to a fence post to keep it upright. on the plus side, once on its side it started to collected rainwater, and though it sagged and bulged the plastic cover remained intact.

eth0 · 03-05-2012 1:08am

mawk wrote: »

you could also make an info dead drop in your house
I saw a neat way of making one by hiding a usb drive hidden inside a working rj45 wall plate. you just plug into the wall and find a drive not a phone line

would you need a special cable for this since RJ45 isn't a standard USB connector or have they gone about it some other way?

i always wanted to throw a small server in between the two floors of a house, just a small fanless embedded thing with a small SSD for storage, along a cat5 cable that was serving some other part of the house so they wouldn't wonder what purpose it serves. throw in a 5 port switch that runs off the same power supply and run a few more connector boxes off it to a few of the rooms.

it would be even better if you were selling the gaff to someone who'd want a good broadband connection and log into it remotely. the thing would likely die of natural causes before anyone went looking for it

What did you do to prepare today?

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