Prepping For Pandemic..... 11

[ItsNotJustTheFuckingFlu]

Thread 11.

This prepping for a pandemic pack was posted one one of the previous threads, I thought I’d post for this thread as there’s more people joining the threads. I had a quick scan through the last couple of thread to find a list that’s been posted a few times but couldn’t find it. The pack seems a bit end of days in some parts buts it’s got some useful ideas.

Pandemic Preparedness Pack

The Emotional Prep thread started by @Neome might be worth a look for those of us feeling anxious as things ramp up.

Emotional Prep Thread

Also attached a screenshot of a post on previous threads by @blackeyesusan (hope you don’t mind) with storage ideas for those of us living in smaller homes.

@nellodee I am worried about some of the neighbour’s cats. There are three and one is the trouble maker. I’m sorry to say this I love cute kittens but don’t like the neighbours cat coming and littering everywhere in my garden, scaring my dd by pouncing from the fence etc (My dd now never goes into the garden and runs inside if she hears the meow) I have tried saying them politely but they can’t train it. As a cat lover , what would you suggest I can do as I don’t have the heart to put cat sprays or anything that might harm the kitties? That’s one reason I am thinking to keep the pots in front garden

@ofwarren how stressful, sorry you're having to deal with that on top of everything else.

Woman in Vietnam tests positive for coronavirus after returning from London t.co/jdagkW1K6x t.co/ZNFIQ9YvfR

This is not good news..

If I started a new thread I think it would be moved to the gardening topic? So maybe just chat in here?

This is the book if anyone wants to see what I am talking about.
amzn.to/2TK0TPb

We made a raised bed with decking - We just followed the instructions in the book but it seems to have worked out well. We have harvested the spinach we grew over winter and have enough for four meals for the family now in the freezer and enough fresh for my salads for the week. We also have 'perpetual' cut and come again spring onions that I harvest, chop and freeze and have been doing that all winter so quite a nice full bag worth in the freezer. They are in a separate pot next to the veg bed though.

puppycorn it is only my second year of growing but I do have a north facing garden and found my beds and plAnters were fine, they are west facing I think, on the right hand side with my back to the back door but would be better at the top of the garden but prefer them nearer the house. If fruit trees are happy then can grow stuff in the same spot and if raised then will catch more rays than if at ground level

I grew potatoes in sacks then carrots, peas, parsnips in the bed and tomatoes in a grow bag

I have perpetual spinach still going from last yeAr, we feed it to the guinea pigs

Salad stuff, esp lettuces prefers shade in the hottest part of the day anyway. Last summer I had to put up a beach umbrella over my salad bed.

We have a little bit of land at the front of the house, separate to the garden and have thought about planting there but worried stuff may get taken or dogs allowed to wee or something. I would not want to move tubs around as they are very heavy

Well, the best thing you can do is to get a dog . I've heard people talk about orange peel or peppermint repelling cats. I think some have tried nerf gun water pistols (a little mean, but it sounds like it's well deserved in your case).

To be honest, I'm quite relieved that my cat hardly goes anywhere and uses our raised beds. I hope it means she's not using the neighbours' gardens. We do have a litter tray in the house, but it's just never used. An outdoor cat is a bit of a selfish pet to have, when you think about it.

But I do love her.

Nellodee can you construct some kind of frame over your raised beds to keep the cats off? I did with mine, but they are rather small frames and I used part of a metal greenhouse staging pack I had spare, then fastened butterfly netting over that and some chicken wire on the top.

Puppycorn Your situation is similar to mine except physically I've all but lost the sight of one eye over the past year and need to be careful not to hang my head right down, or I could get a bleed, and my balance is bad anyway. Knocking 81 doesn't help either! I like the idea of using pots - not just so you can move them round in the sun, but maybe the neighbours won't recognise that the contents are vegetable if you have other stuff already growing in the front? Or you could disguise them by having extra pots with flowering plants just to confuse them? And if they do recognise them then perhaps they should be growing their own

Also, DS just came in with his girlfriend having gone to the shop. They have decided to make brownies and have warm with icecream (they bought everything themselves.) they are currently eating their lunch from the chippy but he complained he couldn't fit his ice cream in the freezer

I've just popped into boots on the way home. Bought Paracetamol, Ibuprofen, Calpol and other painkillers. Also found the last bar of dettol soap on the shelf.

Tesco deliver looks promising so far. Only 3 out of stocks when I checked earlier. I am expecting quite a few more when I collect it. Going to do some batch cooking tomorrow, just not sure what to do!

@Puppycorn, have you been referred to audiology re your balance issues? The Epley manoeuvre is an amazingly simple and non-invasive way to deal with symptoms.

Puppycorn PestBye sonar cat repellers have worked for me for a few years. They can be bought online (Amazon) and I think the older version had better reviews because you can adjust the frequencies; the newest one is set specifically for cats but not all respond. My neighbours pair were spooked at first but seem to have sussed ways around it; then I tried the water filled ketchup bottle squirt which also worked, but now it's just the sight of me in the offing.

My Tesco delivery was fine today, though the regular TP was subbed for an eco version. Nothing else.

Closed for 40 minutes for a deep clean, fgs surely it takes longer than that!*

In a hospital, they release chlorine gas to get rid of a MRSA outbreak. Not sure how long that takes but the gas can into every nook and cranny. Its nasty stuff so I would guess even that takes more than a hour? Seal everything off to the outside. Release gas, leave to do its thing then ventilate well as chlorinegas kills better than the mrsa......

I'm also going to have to do some kind of frame with chicken wire over my raised bed for my own damn cat.

I have four, but the large boy cat hasn't got the memo that they aren't supposed to go in their own garden and comes in with my raised bed compost all over his feet every day.

I tried putting some netting over some metal plant spike things but it was all very flimsy and as soon as I'd finished he decided it was a great game to bowl straight through the whole thing pulling all the netting down and trapping himself in it at the same time

@Jumpingintotheabyss less flour and longer kneading. Also what flour are you using?

@ofwarren I’m sorry, but you need that sitting no matter how slow growing it is, if there are certain changes it tips into different treatment and you don’t want it to go to the next stage before you deal with it, just because it’s worse recovery, more invasive etc

Dealing with not “sitting” 😳

@MyHipsDontLieUnfortunately yes, tried epleys already and also been referred. Unfortunately they can’t do anything about it. Also I have this vertigo and whooshing tinnitus associated with them so being conscious about my posture was the only advise given.

@MoreCoffeeNeeded ooh that’s a lovely book. Ordered my e book right away. Thank you very much.

@lexloofah For me the garden is north facing, and there is a walking path on the west which has a row of tall trees. Some parts of the garden gets some sunshine in the afternoon. But I think for now I will go with the pots and do as @GeistohneGrenzen suggested hiding them with flower pots. Thank you geistohne :)

I used garlic granules to get rid of cats, also ground pepper, just the standard stuff, they don't like the smell. Obviously you have to renew when it rains, but if you clear up and then put the stuff down it does discourage them over time. I did hate my garden smelling of garlic though!

I"ve planted courgettes, just about to put tomatoes in and some carrots, plus cut and come again salad. I did grow stuff last year, but this has given me a kick to actually get stuff in on time!

Also bought a seed sprouting jar in Lidl yesterday. We used to do them when I was a kid, and they're quick to grow and great nutritionally. Just happened to see a sprouting jar, so thought it was worth a go.

Not sure if anyone mentioned this yet... but Heirloom seeds are proper Preppers seeds! I bought some Agee weeks back from www.realseeds.co.uk

"Because all seeds are open-pollinated (non-hybrid), if you wish you can even save your own vegetable seed for future years, using the instructions we supply. There's no need to buy new seed every year."

It's an investment, but pays for itself eventually.

Yeah, I'm going to attend Nato
I will be wearing my FFP3 when I attend because of my son's health condition. I'm going to ring to make them aware though, so it's not a surprise.
I just worry that medical staff are going to think it's ME that's ill.

@savethecat

Thank you, I had read that about Dr John. I just find him a source of reason.

@KundaliniRising the spinach is a good idea, do I just buy seeds and put them in a pot in the windowsill? I'll get a basil plant from the garden centre as I have had success with that in the past, not so much the Coriander!

@Puppycorn I looked at those in Costco too but my budget won't stretch that far. I'm thinking more of grow bags etc.

@lexloofah and @BanKittenHeels you both sound very knowledgeable what would you suggest to buy? Think of gardening for dummies and you have an idea of my level of experience!

@Effieray oh yes, I think he is smart bloke :)

Thinking about the difficulty of avoiding touching our faces I came across the ‘Everyday Mindfulness’ website where a poster wrote

When I feel an itch or any other form of discomfort when meditating I follow Jon Kabat-Zinn's advice and lay out the welcome mat for it. That's to say, I don't fight it. I simply become aware of it and, if it seems appropriate, breathe into it. It then goes away. It's not unlike acknowledging a thought that bubbles up. With the thought, I welcome it with compassionate awareness. Then, like a bubble, it wanders off or it bursts. Either way, it goes. Whereas if I try to push it away, it pushes back and refuses to budge.

I hope they don’t mind being quoted. It’s making me think about spending a few moments deliberately being aware of sensations on my face and just noticing, not touching, as a way of increasing my awareness at other times.