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.

[Weedsnseeds1]

Honey and lemon ( with a bit of ginger or cloves) as a hot drink is soothing for coughs. Takes the tickle away a bit.

[Sprayitall]

@Coughsyrupsucks Yes, I have been giving her piriton syrup for kids at night. May be I should give it twice to see if it works.

@Weedsnseeds1 You are an expert baker I should say. Lovely to see your loaves. I tried my hand at baking a no egg no brandy fruit cake and it has come out well. I thought I should wait to add candied peels but then found out the dry fruit mix comes with them anyway. Now thinking of ways to save them. Made three 1 lb loaves, sent the neighbours one and saving one with one to eat. Pretending it’s just two I made 😂

[Sprayitall]

@Weedsnseeds1 her cough is going on and off since January. We went to the gp’s twice in jan/feb and all they advised was to do nothing about it. She was prescribed an inhaler to use only if she is having a wheeze and is struggling for breath.

[Coughsyrupsucks]

It might take longer, antihistamines build up in your system to protect. So it could take a couple of weeks or more depending on the allergy etc. I have to start mine in Feb, and then by May they kind of work. Hope they kick in for her soon.

[Sprayitall]

Oh I didn’t know that @coughsyrup. I thought it’s enough if I give it when she has symptoms. The syrup was prescribed by her paediatrician in India - It is similar to piriton in ingredients except it also has phenylephrine. Needs to be given only when she has symptoms and not more than 7 days.

[Coughsyrupsucks]

Oh that sounds a lot stronger than regular kids piraton or Benadryl here. Maybe talk to a pharmacist here and see if they can advise? I respond much better to cetirizine than loratadine, so maybe swapping might help? Good luck!

[Weedsnseeds1]

It won't cure the cough, but is soothing and can help redu e the urge to cough. It's awful when you just can't get any relief.
Glad your cake came out well. That kind of cake, wrapped in foil or in a tin keeps pretty well.
I'd you drink alcohol and have any spirits, "feeding" the cake keeps it even longer, but it should keep several weeks uncut anyway.

[Weedsnseeds1]

Sprayitall just re-read your previous post. Nobody will be refused treatment because of their ethnic origin.
There does seem to be a higher percentage of BAME people dying, but there are all sorts of factors, which are not entirely understood yet.
Higher proportion in public facing roles - health service, public transport, care workers etc.
Genetic pre-disposition to type 2 diabetes
Vitamin D deficiency
There are all sorts of theories, truth is, this virus is too new for anyone to be certain yet, but I promise, you will recieve the same care as everybody else, should the worst come to the worst.

[Weedsnseeds1]

People in this country, who may have had different views previously, are realising, with a short, sharp shock, that they owe thd food on their plates, the delivery of goods, their health care and, in some cases, their lives, to people from all sorts of countries.
I sincerely hope they remember that in the future.

[Barbararara]

Dd is prone to everlasting coughs too, and my gp’s view is that you cough and irritate the lining of your throat and then you cough because your throat is irritated so it quickly becomes a vicious circle.
I make her sip warm honey and lemon, and take a spoon of honey after she coughs. It helps keep it from getting too bad. There’s a barking sound that puts the fear in me! Anyway this has worked well over the last couple of years.
Before I started doing that, the gp would prescribe a course of steroids. To calm the inflammation and give the throat a chance to recover. I think gps can have strong views on prescribing steroids and mine was probably a bit quick with them but it certainly worked. That might be an option to discuss with yours?
Another thing to look into is dust. It may not be an allergy (and an allergy test could be another thing to ask for), but if you already have a cough dust can be extra irritating. Cuddly toys can be a culprit so try and limit them, and if she has a special lovey, tuck it down away from her face after she falls asleep.
Extra pillows, and sleeping on her side (not on her back) can help. Sorry if I’ve gone on a bit! Can you tell how much sleep I’ve lost over the years

[Sprayitall]

@Barbararara I can understand and I’m losing my sleep over this too. If I am worried and sleep deprived my blood sugar levels take a hit. It’s like a chain of reaction which I have no control about. I’m trying my best to keep the home clean of dust. Yesterday I also cleaned my vacuum cleaner and cleared all the tangles in the brushes. I’ve been meaning to do this for longer so it cleans properly.
I think dd is allergic to pollen than dust as our fruit trees in the front garden was in full bloom last week and the windows were open. So may be that’s the reason. Once this lock down is over I am planning to travel back to India, stay there for a month atleast and get her tested for allergies. I’ve never been offered one here yet even after me requesting them so many times.

Also I have this weird concern, Ours is a small garden, there is a narrow walking path on one side of the house that is in between an open ground and our fence.( This is just one of the small narrow walking path that connects a neighbourhood to the main road and there are many other walking paths around for the same neighbourhood that’s much more open to the air). People are not staying inside as the weather is warm and they keep walking with kids or with their dogs in this tiny path. Dd wants to spend time in the garden but I am scared of this because I have seen people coughing and walking. I can request it to the local neighbourhood group but I don’t know if I will sound stupid or harsh asking them to stay home than walking around. I don’t know how to put it nicely either. Poor dd is scared and stuck inside for most of the time because of this. We are not going out but I don’t want her to stay inside all day as she loves to play in the garden. Looks like the virus might last for three hours in the open air. How do we even put it nicely so people might listen and not use that path? I’m also concerned because the other two elderly neighbours are sharing their fences just like me. Someone walking with cough made the elderly lady neighbour who rarely sits in garden startle so much the other day. she says she is now afraid to come to the garden which isn’t good for her mental health either.

@Weedsnseeds1 Might be true but all my experiences have been different here, it might be unintentional but it surely made me think.

[Weedsnseeds1]

The problem both pollen allergies is that people are often not allergic to all pollen. Some people are triggered by grass pollen, some by fruit blossom, thets by fields of rape seed.
If you get her tested in India, she might test negative to the pollen from plants there, but still have a problem with a group of plants here, or test positive in India to a plant that doesn't grow in the UK.
My OH has hay-fever at the moment from the fruit trees ( lots of orchards here) but I get it later from rapeseed ( which fortunately isn't grown here much as we are mainly apples, strawberries and dairy cattle)

[Sprayitall]

@Weedsnseeds1 i can understand and I really wish they get her tested here but what to do when they won’t get her tested . They just send me away asking me to get piriton or prescribe inhalers. I think I should ask the private gp appointment for the same after this lockdown is over

[Sprayitall]

Does anyone know what to buy for a fire pit with grill.. I have one at home that can be used with coal or wood but have never used it. Thought I would buy some fuel just in case and for having garden camp nights. My dd is keen on roasting a marshmallow so we thought why not. What should we buy? Kindling wood? Charcoal? Or both? How do you even start a fire in that one?

[Weedsnseeds1]

I would use BBQ charcoal, or seasoned, hardwood logs. You will need a bit of kindling to get it going and some newspaper.
You can get BBQ lighter fluid, but personally I don't like it as it seems to leave a flavour on anything you cook!
Logs will take longer to be ready to cook on than charcoal.

[Weedsnseeds1]

Sourdough pizza tonight, with the classic sourdough culture ( first bake using it)

[Sprayitall]

@Weedsnseeds1 thank you. I have ordered them now. Ooh the pizza has turned out so lovely.. I’m just back from outside the garden .. dd wanted to stay up late to look at the star link satellites today and I saw couple of lights not sure if it’s a flight or a satellite though 😂 Did some one here spot it? I know it has been going on for a long time now but we wanted to watch for it today .. after this lockdown started dd’s bed time has gone haywire and this bedtime reading is going on and on .. because the days are longer she thinks it’s not night yet - I’m dreading July and August now.

[Weedsnseeds1]

Blackout linings for her bedroom curtains?

[BiddyPop]

Sprayitall, if you want to use the firepit to cook on at all, potentially, don't order coal as you could only use that to cook food in pots but not in a BBQ type way. If you need to order fuel, I would either order wood, or charcoal. Both can be burned as a fire (wood would be a nicer fire but both work fine) but both are safe to cook on (many's the Scout camp that survives on wood scoured from the trees around the site!! But charcoal is easier to cook on).

I'm collecting veg plants from the garden centre (operating on a delivery or click and collect basis only) this afternoon.

And contemplating trying to get to a different supermarket one evening this week as a lot of my condiments have been used up and are out of stock in the local one. (Local shop is 1km away, larger one is 3.5km by road but just about outside our 2km "exercise" cordon as the crow flies so shouldn't be a problem to go there).

[Oxyiz]

Just to say plan for being stuck indoors during potential heatwaves too - frozen fruit, heavy dark curtains, fans... I remember that year where it was 30 degrees for months on end, hope to god we don't get that as we'll melt in our flat!

[Sprayitall]

I come from a place where the temps are 35 c even in December. I love it here when the summer lasts longer. But I don’t like the grey skies or the cold winter weather at all here and find it very depressing. Thankfully we have Christmas in December that makes the winter a little bearable with all the festivities and friends. So I can understand when you say why the heat is unbearable here. I would suggest to have some coconut water in stock - natural electrolyte, fans at home, blackout lined curtains along with insect net/ sheer curtains, mosquito repellent and also a hand fan. The Indian palm leaf or vetiver hand held ones are really good so if you can get one or ask your South Indian friend for some, that will be very handy. I get it for all my friends here everytime I visit as they always request me for more. It is eco friendly, handmade and from little small scale cottage industries that also helps support a small weaving and making community in India. It’s not like the Chinese hand held one and is like the picture attached. The vetiver one has lot of cooling and health benefits. I would also suggest you to remove the rugs, keep open the north side of windows but close the south facing windows with blackout lined curtains during the day. Spray some ice water on the curtains when it’s breezy. Having lived in America for few years and visited Australia Nz I find Europe to be very different in not having centralised air conditioning and heating together as the norm. I think that would be very useful isn’t it

[Weedsnseeds1]

Problem is modern housing is built to retain heat, to meet energy efficiency requirements, so are way too hot in the summer usually ( as you point out, we don't have air conditioning as standard).
My house is built from stone and is old, so remains a bit on the cool side all year round.
You need the fire lit or heating on in winter, but it's an oasis in the summer!

[Weedsnseeds1]

I am now fermenting tea, which is bubbling away nicely and it's just occurred to me I can make home made fizzy drinks! I have a ton of dried ginger, so ginger beer?
Watch this space!

[Sprayitall]

@weeds Mine is something similar to yours but an 80’s build.. Later we found that it was first registered in the same date and year when I was born. We were amazed by the coincidence lol. Many think a north facing garden is a no no but I think it’s good in a way that we have shade in the patio for longer during summer and the house is really cool except I can’t have veg patch or lot of plants as the garden is small and I’m sure having a veg patch in the front garden will surely raise some eyebrows lol
I’m surely one that’s waiting for your ginger beer recipe. Love Ginger beer and it reminds me of Enid blytons famous five picnics. How I miss the summer picnic now.. every year we used to have a lovely picnic when it’s sunny outside. Last year was wonderful with my parents visiting us here. I still can’t believe I can’t enjoy a picnic now. May be I will have a small one in the garden 😂

[Weedsnseeds1]

Miner's '80s build too, 1780s!