Unofficial Christ's Hospital Forum

Well I'm relieved you said that Kerren. You clearly didn't have any instructions with yours, & I'm glad now that I brought the subject up.

So am I.... glad you brought it up. And in the future I will be Ever So Cautious if I decide to use any of the wheatbags in the microwave! I did use one of them during the last snow/ice spell, and it was very comfortable. But maybe it was too new to have 'dried out' beforehand. What a nightmare!

kerrensimmonds wrote:And thanks everyone for the 'headsup' on wheatbags! I have a couple, don't use them very often, but when I do I NEVER put a dish of water into the microwave at the same time. Thank you for the warning. I would never have given it a thought.

If you are slack (Moi? Surely not!) you can smell the grain drying out. Well, I can smell it drying out, but perhaps that's because I am a Sensory Diva, or because I know that I am being, ahem, naughty. Or because I spend a great deal of time sniffing hay and grain to ensure that it's fit to feed to the equines.

xx

And yes, I have been known to raid the feed bins to make wheat, or barley bags, and I do feed horse carrots to guests.

How do I post a photo?
My son has just sent me a photo of the window in his first floor office, with the snow half way up the window, and it was still snowing.

jhopgood wrote:How do I post a photo?
My son has just sent me a photo of the window in his first floor office, with the snow half way up the window, and it was still snowing.

How to post photos


viewtopic.php?f=20&t=70

Thanks

Where is your son, John?

Katharine wrote:Where is your son, John?

Lulea, Sweden

Thanks!

NEILL THE NOTORIOUS wrote:Agreed !
Our heating is timed, but also controlled by a thermostat, in the entrance hall.
We also have, besides radiators, in the lounge, a gas fire, which heats "Coals" to red-hot, and on which toast can be made, with an old-fashioned toasting fork. This is particularly useful for a quick warm-up, on arrival after a walk on the Heath !

I have got a Direct Debit of £180 a month, for both Gas and Electricity --- is this good or bad ?

No comment on your total monthly / quarterly bill but doi remember that those "coals" gas fires can be grossly inefficient with, in some cases, 80% of the heat going straight up t'chimney (I know - I've got one )

How much insulation have you got? I got enough 200mm or 8" fibreglass for my entire roof joists (100 sq metres) for under £50 a few weeks ago in the B & Q sale. That is on top of the 4 and 8" I already had on the floor of the attic.

Kerren wrote:

I stopped paying by Direct Debit monthly, because the energy company (Southern Electric, which scores best on internet searches) kept on trying to hike the monthly payment.

They tried that with me but a phone call immediately got the monthly debit reduced to an acceptable figure. I can understand that on their accounting day in June they want the account at nil but I was able to point out that they had a bad record of forecasting so ........

Neill boasted

I don't think 1000acres is huge and of course one has to support the poorer Tenants on the Estate --------

On that you have enough wood to heat half of Edinburgh or even Bournemouth - even 1/2 an acre should supply sufficient in 30 years time if you get planting now

For those (?few) who don't know there are several insulation systems available which are highly subsidised whilst the slightly older generation get even more help if they know where to ask. That said, I don't think that double glazing is sufficient. You can get a thin plastic film from Tes*o for temporary double glazing - it is simple double sided sticky tape plus polythene which is a great help and easy to instal.

Just spoken to my son in Sweden, who tells me that they expect to have a plague of ticks this year. The reason being that ticks, and I assume other insects, bury themselves in the ground to spend the winter. The extreme cold freezes the ground and kills a lot of them.
However, this year they have had a lot of snow, which insulates the ground so that it does not freeze to such a great depth as when there is less snow. More ticks/insects survive, hence the predicted plague.
Makes one wonder what other treats this unusual winter has in store for us.

jhopgood wrote:Just spoken to my son in Sweden, who tells me that they expect to have a plague of ticks this year. The reason being that ticks, and I assume other insects, bury themselves in the ground to spend the winter. The extreme cold freezes the ground and kills a lot of them.
However, this year they have had a lot of snow, which insulates the ground so that it does not freeze to such a great depth as when there is less snow. More ticks/insects survive, hence the predicted plague.
Makes one wonder what other treats this unusual winter has in store for us.

Tocks ??

J.R. wrote:

jhopgood wrote:Just spoken to my son in Sweden, who tells me that they expect to have a plague of ticks this year. The reason being that ticks, and I assume other insects, bury themselves in the ground to spend the winter. The extreme cold freezes the ground and kills a lot of them.
However, this year they have had a lot of snow, which insulates the ground so that it does not freeze to such a great depth as when there is less snow. More ticks/insects survive, hence the predicted plague.
Makes one wonder what other treats this unusual winter has in store for us.

Tocks ??

The little blood suckers that attach themselves to digs.

a.k.a. Finnish/Swedish Air Force!

update.... the ice is breaking up on the river - very impressive, quite scary in places - vertical shards of multilayered ice!

and the ducks are back!!

pics on facebook....http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=1 ... 6745ad5a93