Bit of a breeze (again)

[K9medic]

How did everyone manage with the latest storm to roll in this weekend?

We got off lite here in mid-Northumberland, lost power intermittently Saturday morning, and driving my Van was "interesting". But no real damage this time around.

Smooth radio were interviewing people in the Northeast this morning, nearly all of them said they now had a box of candles & spare batteries. At this rate we will be seen as "Normale" by Easter

Just breezy here in comparison. Though it was very noisy. Different to normal.

When it is windy under warnings, I usually fill some flasks and have everything fully charged. I probably should do that more often.

Had to cancel my Cub Scout meeting as we had been due to meet outdoors in the local woods - it was close to our limits the previous week and another Leader had noticed a couple of trees coming close to snapping/falling even before the higher winds forecast this weekend. Den was in use for Leader 1st aid training - so cancelling was the only choice.

But while it was a particularly windy day, there was very little rain with it so that really helped.

Two named storms coming. How are you prepping?

Me: charging up the power banks
Charging phones
Will fill a flask with water. Think what we need in the car for traveling to a medical appointment

This time around it's more about preparing the outside of the house for me.

I cleaned the single-story gutters this morning and rodded the drains, it's an old house so all the toilets, wastewater, and rainwater go into the same drain. They didn't need rodding, but I did it anyway. I also half drained the water butt as this slows down the amount of water going into the drains

This afternoon I double checked all the "movable" stuff in the garden was either secured or moved into the shed.

Tomorrow I will double-check indoor stuff (including the penny in the cup trick I keep in the freezer). All the electrical stuff is charged, but it does not hurt to check after the kids have gone to school.

I know my grab bag and Hi Viz are up to speed, but I will move them from my home office to downstairs in case I get called out in the middle of the night, that way I wont wake the family.

I have camping lanterns at strategic points around the house at the moment - battery ones are charged, I have 1 wind up one beside the front door/bottom of stairs etc.

I am charging power banks too - DD used my big one (again!), and I used my one in my work backpack while travelling.

I am not getting out my emergency cooking options - but they are easy to retrieve from the shed if needed (I checked them at the weekend).

Garden is secured, cover tied onto BBQ, etc. I happened to clean gutters 2 weeks ago (couple of buckets of moss, leaves and sludge now gone).

I'm not thinking about Friday yet, as we are due to be travelling 2.5 hours (normal time) to visit DMIL for her birthday. DH and DD definitely coming back on Saturday, but I might stay on to visit my DPs, so that would mean 2 cars. Or that I need to book a train back and persuade a DSis to drive me to the station.

Ex's glass table dismantled and brought in. All other stuff weighed down with bags of compost. A brick put on the upturned BBQ. Next doors manky bathmat tipped off the wall back into their garden.

Ex has been instructed to put some rubbish in his bin.

We may be solving the recycling problem here. (Two missed collections.) The recycling will be blowing eat into Northamptonshire/Leicestershire/North Sea.

Sorted the hospital bag for Friday. I hope they cancel if Amber Warnings go out.

right, all power banks are charged up.(2 little ones and four solar powered ones) I have a flask of hot water for coffee if necessary. the two solar charged lanterns are charged up. (new one by cable, old one by sunlight. )
keeping phones charged up
filled car up with petrol
shopping has been delivered.
cooked some of the raw meat... we can eat that cold now.
I have done some washing so there will be clean clothes.
I need to wash up so there will be clean pots

emailed a couple of people to let them know the amber warnings are in place.

What are your plans for food, if no electric (in my case property has no gas), and avoiding opening fridge? I have some fruit, may get some more. Have avocado. Have a bag of cashew nuts. Any good protein sources that don't need refrigeration?

Not sure about the refrigeration (I think fridges keep things cold for a certain amount of time if power goes). We're buying and cooking a gammon joint today, so tomorrow we can have gammon, bread, cheese and pickles if no electric. Unless you're veggie could you have tinned tuna, salmon or corned beef @nannynick?
I wish we had more power banks, one between 7 of us 😧 ds with autism needs priority on that. Loads of tealights, got an asda delivery coming today. I'm trying to charge up my old kindles and download some kids films onto my laptop. Need to find torches and some sort of nightlights.

Nuts and seeds.

Nuts was the things I thought of. Fridges do keep cool for a while but not if keep opening them. So trying to plan ahead for how to avoid opening fridge if power goes at lunchtime on Friday.

I'm freezing my cool blocks today, that if power goes out will go into the cool box along with milk, dd fruit, butter etc - the things we open fridge for a lot. So opening cool box more frequently where cold air just sits at the bottom not falling out the door is slightly preferable.