Hello from London!

[Le Mouse]

Well I found my way over here from being a long-term lurker on MSE

My interest in prepping probably comes from my Nan who is a complete squirrel when it comes to food - she always has food hoarded. Now it's more chocolate and sweets for grandchildren and great-grandchildren, but she's kept it up!

My priorities in prepping are mainly protecting myself against redundancy - in the last year and a half, the company I work for has been sold twice. I've been thanking every lucky star in the firmament that I still have a job, because plenty of other people I've worked with haven't. So I got myself debt-free this April and have started saving a cushion of money just in case. I'm also working towards having a decent food store, but that's quite hard because I'm a lodger and only have a room to myself!

My other priority is a little bit tin foil hattish (is this the smiley? I think so ) Being in London at the minute is a bit iffy with the demonstrations that have been happening. I live in North London, but work in town. My office is about 5 minutes off the route for the student demo march happening on Wednesday and seeing as during the last student demo there was kettling and resultant chaos I'm going to make sure my EDC is a very effective GHB (have I got the acronyms right?) in case I have to walk some of the 8 miles home. There's another demo at the end of the month and threats of all sorts of action so having safe routes out of town are a must. I'm also perfecting my BOBs - cycle panniers that I can stick on the back of my pushbike with my tent if I need to get out of London completely.

Apart from that, I'm mostly prepared for power cuts (candles, more torches than I can count, trangia stove for cooking if necessary), but probably could do better.

Long term (hopefully by the end of next year), I want to get the heck out of London and move back home to my home town. That way I can create a comfortable bug-in home, try and get an allotment and keep an eye out for my family.

Wow. Didn't expect to write that much! Well, anyway, hello!

[scoobie]

Hello and welcome to UKP!

My office is also right by the route for the March on Wednesday, so I'll be keeping a keen eye on how it develops..

Anyway, hope you find what you're looking for here

[Le Mouse]

Hi Scoobie! Thank you for the warm welcome!

This place is great! I've read loads of posts and learnt so much already!

Stay safe on Wednesday

[Scablifter]

Well I found my way over here from being a long-term lurker on MSE

My interest in prepping probably comes from my Nan who is a complete squirrel when it comes to food - she always has food hoarded. Now it's more chocolate and sweets for grandchildren and great-grandchildren, but she's kept it up!

My priorities in prepping are mainly protecting myself against redundancy - in the last year and a half, the company I work for has been sold twice. I've been thanking every lucky star in the firmament that I still have a job, because plenty of other people I've worked with haven't. So I got myself debt-free this April and have started saving a cushion of money just in case. I'm also working towards having a decent food store, but that's quite hard because I'm a lodger and only have a room to myself!

My other priority is a little bit tin foil hattish (is this the smiley? I think so ) Being in London at the minute is a bit iffy with the demonstrations that have been happening. I live in North London, but work in town. My office is about 5 minutes off the route for the student demo march happening on Wednesday and seeing as during the last student demo there was kettling and resultant chaos I'm going to make sure my EDC is a very effective GHB (have I got the acronyms right?) in case I have to walk some of the 8 miles home. There's another demo at the end of the month and threats of all sorts of action so having safe routes out of town are a must. I'm also perfecting my BOBs - cycle panniers that I can stick on the back of my pushbike with my tent if I need to get out of London completely.

Apart from that, I'm mostly prepared for power cuts (candles, more torches than I can count, trangia stove for cooking if necessary), but probably could do better.

Long term (hopefully by the end of next year), I want to get the heck out of London and move back home to my home town. That way I can create a comfortable bug-in home, try and get an allotment and keep an eye out for my family.

Wow. Didn't expect to write that much! Well, anyway, hello!

Hello, I have been away from this site for a while, but welcome anyway. If your Nan is still around talk to her and ask her questions, she will be your best resource for info. Cherish her whilst she is still around.
SL

[itsybitsy]

Hello and welcome from East Yorkshire

[Le Mouse]

Thank you both

My Nan is still around. It's because of her that I have a hankering after a vegetable garden - before she got too old to manage, she grew the most amazing tomatoes every year. My aunt has taken over on that score, but I want to have a fully fledged veg patch / allotment and grow enough to help out the entire (slightly extended) family.

Nan moved into a granny bungalow in my aunt's back garden a few years ago, but for 50-odd years before that she lived in an old council house that has seen many changes. It never had central heating and had an open fire until I was nearly grown up. Only got an immersion water heater in the 70s. Before that, water had to be heated in the plug-in copper and lugged up stairs to the bathroom in buckets. The kitchen had a proper larder and there was a scullery - none of your utility rooms here!

A lot of her prepping ways came simply from being skint. I think the food storage is a hangover from rationing during the war - what food you had you jealously guarded I suppose. She used to make her own beer. That wasn't from enjoying making it as such, but because she wanted a very cheap way of having a lot of booze! Her signature dish - stew and dumplings - is cheap, filling and delicious, and she always has the ingredients in.

I can honestly say that she's been one of the major influences on my life. She's taught me independence, bloody-mindedness, that the old ways are often a lot better than the new and that a well-stocked larder and freezer is a very good thing!

[diamond lil]

Hi Mouse - and I like your nan a lot ! Thinking back to all the old houses with sculleries in and when you had one you didnt know what the hell to do with it as it was baltic in winter and you hated going in there..now I realise they were perfect cold storage!
My entire family were very independant and bloody minded. I find it helps a lot in life. Stops you expecting the world to give you things on a plate.

[preppingsu]

welcome - hope you find us helpful, friendly and not at all nutty!!!!
Keep safe in your travels around London.

[pseudonym]

Hello and welcome.

[Attack Warning Red]

A warm welcome to UKP, Le Mouse. You sound similar to me. I maintain a decent EDC for when I'm working in London. And I'm always expecting things to go pear-shaped in the city, so that's the basis for my preps when working. I've also started a small emergency food supply at home (I live about 15-20 miles outside London).

Your nan sounds awesome. Sounds similar to my wonderful Northern Irish nan who died 20 years ago now. She was very self-sufficient - again, went through rationing and (this always amazes me) actually MOVED to London during the blitz! I'm only in my mid-30s, but sadly I don't have any grandparents anymore.

'EDC' and 'GHB' are correct. Although technically they're initialisms, not acronyms...

Welcome!