The dark nights / Winters coming

[Peter]

Been slowly tickling away at winter preps

Lads now got a down coat and winter ski jacket plus staplolettes and a pair of winter snow boots....

I treated myself to a snukpak jacket for £5 charity shop bargain £95 ISH retail like new...


Plus some army softy trousers ..

Got some more packs of supermarket firewood for the outdoor oven. Just need chopping to length and re bagging..


Got my car sorted over the weekend screenwash boosted with winter mix..

Battery charged on a decent smart pwm charger door rubbers siliconed glass treated with rain repellent.. engine bay treated with spray and a bit of a look over .. know the antifreeze is good I replaced it over summer when it was warm tyre pressures to check next weekend

Thanks for the reminder I need some winter screenwash it’s on the tomorrow’s shopping list.

l have a CTEK MXS 5 smart charger/maintainer which rotates between vehicles, recommended
by an RAC engineer friend.

I have used RainX for many years on the side windows, can smear on windscreen so I just change
wiper blades regularly, the best of old blades kept for spares.

Have tried running central heating combi boiler of the Jackery, no problems, so can use it during
short term electric blackouts, recharge by solar. CH is permanently set at 21C.

Long term emergencies we still have the multi fuel stove and coal, but i’m getting too old to mess
about lugging buckets about

[Yorkshire Andy]

Thanks for the reminder I need some winter screenwash it’s on the tomorrow’s shopping list.

l have a CTEK MXS 5 smart charger/maintainer which rotates between vehicles, recommended
by an RAC engineer friend.

I have used RainX for many years on the side windows, can smear on windscreen so I just change
wiper blades regularly, the best of old blades kept for spares.

Have tried running central heating combi boiler of the Jackery, no problems, so can use it during
short term electric blackouts, recharge by solar. CH is permanently set at 21C.

Long term emergencies we still have the multi fuel stove and coal, but i’m getting too old to mess
about lugging buckets about

I get my wipers from tayna were £4 ISH each for nappa branded blades last time even though big flat modern blades just need a degree in plastic clips and a PhD in decoding pictures to work out what brackets clip to other brackets to clip to the wiper arm .. joking aside my dad had the same conundrum with Bosch wipers


I've a Lidl charger which will also do lithium...

The noco jump starter is in the boot likewise the tyre pump once it gets cold I'll do the tyre pressures

Whilst rain X can smear it's great on faster roads almost negates the need for wipers.

Touched up the underseal over the summer too

Tyres are winter duty all season /light off road on mine and swmbo has all seasons running currently and a set of winter tyres in the shed ready when the cold really sets in or snow gets threatened.. Last winter I attracted the attention of a traffic officer who thought there was a scooter under her car when he saw the trolley jack.. had a bit of a chat about tyres and cars and he was surprised someone took car safety / winterisation seriously

Know the batteries are good had them on the Bosch battery tester at work

But my case I've my mountain bike to get to work now might get some schwalbe studded tyres for it less than 5 minutes to bike to work I'd usually still be deicing / demisting the car so more time in bed for me from my old job 25 minute commute plus deicing time
Any issues I've got a 45 minute lunch break to sort it and a dry warm ISH workshop full of tools and a sports shop a minute walk away that sells bike bits

[Frnc]

Dug out my indoor gloves. I get cold hands due to Reynauds. Seems to be worse in the afternoons, not necessarily only dependent on temperature. I have a pair of wool mitts, and some cotton ones I can just about type and use my trackpad with. Yesterday I used the electric radiator.

At the moment I have the central heating on for three hours in the morning, thermostat on 17.5° in the living room, and am managing to stay on budget, which is dependent on average outside temperature. So my room does cool down a bit by mid afternoon. But it is around 19°.

[Frnc]

Have tried running central heating combi boiler of the Jackery, no problems, so can use it during
short term electric blackouts

I thought about this, but mine is hard wired, so I'd need an electrician to fit some sort of switch. I'm not sure how it would fit with whatever regulation said mine couldn't have a plug.

[ClericalError]

Dug out my indoor gloves.

I find fingerless gloves 80s-style great for being able to use your hands and stay warm, also wrist-warmers. I make these myself and I expect there are some non-copyright patterns out there I could look out if anyone wants them.

I've trained myself to cope with cooler indoor temperatures the last few years, by changing things gradually. And "furry hot water bottles" are great for cooler nights!

[Frnc]

Dug out my indoor gloves.

I find fingerless gloves 80s-style great for being able to use your hands and stay warm, also wrist-warmers. I make these myself and I expect there are some non-copyright patterns out there I could look out if anyone wants them.

I've trained myself to cope with cooler indoor temperatures the last few years, by changing things gradually. And "furry hot water bottles" are great for cooler nights!

Fingerless gloves is a good idea. And wrist warmers - not tried those. There are a lot of blood vessels on the wrist, so heat is lost there. I wear oversized tops, so the sleeves usually cover my writs.

[Frnc]

50 mph wind gusts forecast for Manchester on Saturday. We're not even in the yellow warning area.

[Peter]

50 mph wind gusts forecast for Manchester on Saturday. We're not even in the yellow warning area.

One of the advantages of being ENGLISH (by the grace of God), definitely not British.

We are allowed to MOAN about the weather.

Too hot, too cold, too wet, too dry, too windy, could do with a breeze

[pseudonym]

Dug out my indoor gloves.

Snip> also wrist-warmers. I make these myself and I expect there are some non-copyright patterns out there I could look out if anyone wants them.

Fingerless gloves is a good idea. And wrist warmers - not tried those. There are a lot of blood vessels on the wrist, so heat is lost there. I wear oversized tops, so the sleeves usually cover my writs.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/226975369966 ... R-i3uousaA

I can vouch for wrist warmers

Used them down to -20c on Norway trips with mates.