Prepping amidst Pandemic - Thread 17

[Sprayitall]

Hi all, starting this thread to continue from preppers thread 16. Because we are amidst a pandemic now, I have changed the title to prepping amidst pandemic than “for pandemic”. I hope all of you keep well amidst this and get all the help, support and hope needed to cope during this challenging times. Feel free to add your thoughts, preps and ideas here.

Once we were inside it was as if there was never a lockdown

Exactly like this in Sainsburys this afternoon, couples browsing, entire families, one or two including a baby. Second lockdown surely coming within weeks.

I bought enough for at least two weeks, several bags for the store and the freezer, that is our budget for the month but it is fine, I am in no hurry to go back again. Ever.

There is no way schools will be opening in June.

@lexloofah There is no way schools will be opening in June - I really wish so. Got a pushy email asking to reply the parent questionnaire right away backing the govt decision. With the news going on, I am seriously wondering what’s the true motivation behind asking all 5 year olds to be back in school. Personally I feel the disadvantaged, vulnerable and keyworkers kids of all classes should be prioritised still and people who can educate from home should be encouraged more so that they have enough spaces for all and safe classrooms for them? Me and dh we’re discussing about home educating dd if things get out of hand. No one wants to be a number at the end of it .don’t think schools should open as it’s very risky - even after the Chinese doctors warn that the virus has long term effects including psychological disorders. Source : www.mirror.co.uk/news/world-news/worrying-long-term-effects-coronavirus-22036296

haven’t gone out of the house even for a walk yet though I would love to - but I know my neighbourhood. it’s amidst a busy place and not near nature walks , we have a park nearby but heard that’s dodgy looking offlate with lot of pesky teens out who can’t just stay home and meeting friends. with multiple work outs also being allowed they are all out whirring away on their bikes, coughing while they pass by and doing all sorts. The local group posted warning messages about them. So I’m just walking around the garden for sometimes and doing some gardening to keep fit along with tidying up home. Dd does her workouts with cosmic kids yoga and andys wild, runs around. We have a small front garden so dd is learning to bike there all day with her dad saying hi and bye to neighbour kids if she sees any of them. had a home delivery from the local Indian shop couple of days ago so I am managing. Don’t want to risk the second wave so no new purchases for a month atleast except for Veg n milk delivery here.

Yes I went to M&S the other day & they were spraying trolleys but no one way system, no limit on folk in shop. One woman was itching to get to the stir fry even though I was clearly waiting my distance. It was grim, yet 2 weeks ago id gone & it was quiet & lovely.

If schools reopened here now, I wouldn't send dc. It's so hard though when they'd really want to go & see people.

I'm maintaining social distancing & restraining myself from going to the shops much but we have today decided to stop 'cleaning' the groceries apart from milk as I can't maintain this level of neurotic indefinitely.

@wheredowego I didn’t see the picture at all either. felt very uneasy looking at that . just scrolled to the news part of it quickly to know what’s happening. don’t want to pass on my fears to dd either but dd said though she misses friends and school she doesn’t want to risk catching the virus now as she is scared of bad colds . she misses her class teacher who left the school just the day the lockdown was announced so that’s also a reason she doesn’t want to go back I think. Kids have their own fears and sometimes reassuring helps but I can’t give her false guarantees and lie that there is zero risk. Isn’t it. Explaining her that there will be social distancing, fewer children, no toys and you can’t hug anyone when you are upset is more damaging to her as I know her. If it’s not going to be normal ever again I think a year of homeschooling is a better choice for my dd than putting her through all this. Her mental health is also of paramount importance to us. That’s what we are thinking as of now.

Plants have been repotted except I am running out of containers. dd has outgrown her sand and water table so made that into a planter for herbs and now I am enjoying watering them through all the spirals and water toys lol how to prevent snails does anyone know? Is there an alternative to the beer trap? I’m grossed out by that. I’m grossed out with slugs as well. how do I attract birds that eat slugs and snails? I don’t think the birds are interested in the bird seed roll we made recently. They haven’t touched it! Thought of a bird bath but we have neighbours little miss kitty paws who loves to scare the birds. So thinking of an idea really as I don’t want to use nematodes in the veg pots. I have put slug tape around few though. Growing all from seeds - tomatoes (the normal round ones, cherry ones and the huge one, chillies, peppers, potatoes, carrots, pumpkins, mint and coriander so far.

Why not nematodes? Other than that, the only way we've been able to manage them is a (usually drunken) midnight hunt to gather them up. But if you don't want to kill them, they may survive in the crow bin but they all crawl up to the lid & I find it's really quite scary when you open it afterwards!

My dd is 6 & loves using houseparty to talk to her friends. She had been doing a journal on the laptop at the start which was mainly 'this is boring but Boris says we have to stay in the house' etc. I asked her to add something to it last week & surprisingly she wrote 'I'm getting quite used to it and it's not too bad'. That really buoyed me. We made a little care package for 3 of each of dc friends & dropped them off on their doorsteps-they loved that.

I was wondering if any of the seeds for veg-mostly salad, could be grown indoors over winter? I have a little red& blue square grow light thing that might help with that. Will have to investigate.

I ordered a kilner butter making churn last week on one of my random browsing evenings. Will maybe add it on as a stocking filler for one of the dc!

@buckeejit my friend added that to her garden and it was full of those little buggers once .we never knew they can’t be gotten rid of. All the plants were damaged. The gardener suggested each veg plant has specific beneficial nematodes and damaging ones. Also they aren’t effective against snails.

I know no-one has a crystal ball, but I'd really welcome opinions on how likely a second wave is. In my mind it seems pretty likely, but I'm basing that on my gut which could be way off. I'm prepping either way!

This thread was my lifeline in Jan and Feb (and to Brexit) and meant I saw the pandemic way before people at work etc thanks to all the knowledgeable people here. It feels like we're at a crossroads now, and that the future is a bit harder to predict. Does anyone else feel like that?

I meant to say I've seen health professionals on here say they expect a July spike and then one in Nov, and I've just watched the Gwent hospital doc and the staff on that said exactly the same.

Just my guy also but think there will be another/more waves soon. I'm even getting fed up of lockdown & I'm more concerned than most people I know so think there will be too much mingling at the earliest opportunity & it will be like wildfire

*my gut - not my guy. Unfortunately my guy is too lazy to think & leaves all that to me. Would love to have a prepping partner but I guess we'd always be at different levels of preppiness anyway!

A huge thankyou to everyone on this thread i have been lurking since january when this virus was just starting to be reported and to be frank if i hadnt been watching these threads and taking your advice it would have been a nightmare however i was fairly well prepped. I need to do a stockcheck tonight and look at what i need to replace. I personally think July it will all kick off again. Once again thankyou

I have found that liquid soap seems to have finally come back into stock in the past week - I've bought 4 for the moment (we had finished our stock and were halfway through the last bottle at 1 sink, and using shower gel at the other 2 sinks), so 2 have gone into regular stock that DH and DD know about, and 2 have gone back into my backup stock.

I will buy some more this week for that backup, as well as replenishing some other stocks. I am actually working this week and next on clearing out freezer space of older things, as there is a small window of heading more towards normal - which will allow me to restock better for what we seem to be using right now. My plan is to go out late one evening to the large supermarket relatively close to us, ostensibly for a few bits to keep us going but will also get some more long term items we've run through and restock my backup cupboard.

Because while we were able to eat ok throughout, there were things which we missed and it was hard to get DD to eat some things we could get, and I also found that we wanted a drink more often but couldn't get tonic anywhere for weeks. Nor orange squash (for diluting with water).

So I think it is prudent to restock these.

I'm actually a little more optimistic than many that things will become a little better until around October/November I think we will see some fruit and veg shortages through the summer, and food will be more expensive, but I think we will hang in there now, with clustered outbreaks rather than widespread outbreaks.

I am going to keep using fresh as much as we get hold of it, while slowly restoring our store cupboard back.

I’m also expecting a second wave soon but more mild I should say. Don’t think supplies will be affected except for soaps, disinfectants, Hand gels, masks and gloves as such. Costco is selling 5 litre handgel if someone is looking to prep ahead. Saw them when I was ordering snack packs for the local helpers group so might be worth checking them out. Was measuring something out in the garden when the tape cut my finger slightly deep (thankfully have some plasters in my prep cupboard) looking to buy a greenhouse for my tropical plants. Can someone suggest what’s good to grow exotics here please? don’t want a cold greenhouse but something that helps the tropical plants thrive even in winters and is also good for tomatoes?

If things continue as are I would be ok with my kids going to school. I've been in anyway as a key worker 🤷‍♀️

Thanks for answering everyone, it's really interesting to read your thoughts. Preppers are always portrayed as paranoid hoarders, but I find this thread to be very measured and realistic!

OYBBK, do you think there will be another wave then in the winter?

I realised quite quickly that food and our family traditions and routines around it were really important to me. So pizza on a Saturday, roast of some variety on a Sunday, home made takeaway on a Friday, pocket money sweets for kids on Saturday etc. So planning for those more than the lots of tins and pasta.

So am stocking up again on baking stuff, have maintained deliveries of milk, eggs etc from milkman, will maintain and rotate the freezer stocks of meat etc

I want to get a sack of potatoes for the garage, and to stock up on seeds and compost for winter/spring planting

I think its possible george and the issue is of course that symptoms wise it will be hard to distinguish between colds and flu, so we are going to get a disproportionate number of people self isolating. Its absolutely vital that the government get a handle on turning tests around quickly and making them easily accessible in all communities.

Has anyone seen decent museli oats for sale in bulk please? I'm fed up of eating what is effectively cold porridge.

Spray - you mean like an orangery? I'd love one of those!

We have been getting a takeaway every Friday night since lockdown - there are lots still delivering near us, so we've mixed up what we have, but it has been really good to have that piece of normality. And have 1 night where no one is cooking and no one is grumbling at someone else about the food (whether it's the wrong ingredients being available, or somebody didn't like the results, otr the timing was wrong....) - the only grumbles are to someone else outside our household!!

@OhYouBadBadKitten I would love an orangery but I can’t spare around £60k for that. For conservatory I was quoted £30k.. I can afford neither now just a green house that’s suitable for tropical plants

I was having a wistful fantasy moment.
What is the difference between an orangery and a conservatory?