A cold dark winter...

Lavinia · 05-09-2022 9:46pm

winter is coming...

corner of hells · 05-09-2022 9:49pm

In a cost saving measure October, November and December are to be turned into one big month called Octember , 90 days long.

The Continental Op · 05-09-2022 11:11pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119576641#Comment_119576641

Just wait till the bills come in then. 90 days plus another month approx 120 days (for bi monthly billing) thats would double any utility bill.

The Continental Op · 05-09-2022 11:11pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119576627#Comment_119576627

Yes but its shiny new winter one we haven't had before.

riclad · 05-09-2022 11:22pm

Buy a phone power bank 20ma, any android phone 130 euro, just to use as a back up phone, charge it, should be OK to use during a power cut, we had high inflation in the 70s, I don't think we had any power cuts . We had a smaller population, maybe there were a few queues at petrol stations,

The problem is we use alot more power now, people have pcs, laptops, 4k Xbox, ps4, ps5, consoles even in the 80s even middle class people had 2 tvs and maybe a super nes comsole get water containers, torches. I think there, ll be power cuts all over the EU when the weather gets cold, November december

uch · 05-09-2022 11:31pm

Lads how am I going to manage without Cake!

The Continental Op · 05-09-2022 11:43pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119577202#Comment_119577202

If you need to bake something then provided you have a camping stove of some kind you can get a stove top oven one example is the Omnia https://www.amazon.co.uk/Berger-1301-Omnia-Oven/dp/B000YLJQ5U

Some recipies https://www.amazon.co.uk/Berger-1301-Omnia-Oven/dp/B000YLJQ5U

Haven't used one in years but they really do work.

I know you weren't looking for a serious answer but there you go :-)

Edit> Loads about them on youtube....

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u7jJFWB0QE0

Leg End Reject · 05-09-2022 11:44pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119577202#Comment_119577202

You'll have to settle for a few own brand buns. 😔

thedart · 05-09-2022 11:46pm

Get the coitus into routine now for the winter. Exchange the ice cube for a sod of turf.

lumphammer2 · 06-09-2022 1:01am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119571255#Comment_119571255

+1 ...

Certain media are scaremongering and trying to enact brainwashing ... so much so even governments panic and succumb. It is apparent now that most of this hype over Covid was not necessary ... but the media kept on and on about it. I remember in Feb/Mar 2020 it was all these media outlets predicting how bad things would go ... and then harping on about the government needing to impose lockdowns/stay at home orders. Eventually we all know they succumbed ...

This current energy crisis and scaremongering about power cuts is more of same. First of all power cuts happen all the time. How many ones happen for no reason apparently when the weather is fine? Overload is the reason ... but it comes back on!

What is true though is energy companies are sponsoring charities and sport, paying big salaries to their top mgt, etc. and upping the prices all the time using Covid, Ukraine, situations in the Middle East, etc. to justify it. We are told it is due to scarcity and we are warned about cold winter and it was the same last year ever before Ukraine .. the same old same old scares.

I can trace media scaremongering right back to that first Iraq war back in 1990/1991 .. if Iraq burned them oil wells in Kuwait we'd have a nuclear winter. They talked about that war like it was WW3. Guess what? We had no nuclear winter despite the oil wells being set on fire. They were quenched and life went on!! By the second Iraq war we were lead to believe WMD could be deployed at a minutes notice to destroy any city in the world. Same lies repeated for Iran, North Korea, etc. ... and now Covid and Ukraine.

It is time for all this scaremongering to stop. We do not know what type of winter we will get. This war in Ukraine does need to end but so does this scaremongering ... it is destroying us and creating unnecessary fear. As regards power outages I'd say storms/hurricanes and lightning are more of a threat and are certain to cause cuts to our power. Another certainty is energy companies' prices are out of control and no one is controlling them ... no one is asking them to fund all those charities and sport at our expense. That needs to be remedied. We want to pay for the product not sport charity or anything else ...

Green policies are against fossil fuels and in Ireland turf is frowned on ... coal too. Can we really afford to cut back on these when we have no alternatives in place and blame world events when our green utopia does not work according to plan? Do we need to sacrifice comforts to spend a long cold dark winter in misery? Or can we step back and have a phased approach to effective green policy making sure we have reliable and affordable energy at all times. The latter is the only sensible option ....

freshpopcorn · 06-09-2022 2:35am

Can anybody help with this. Can we use butane calor gas drums(Yellow) with this ring/hob? or can anybody recommend another type of hob?

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B08GSTPRXB/ref%3Dox_sc_saved_title_1?smid=A3L0BUTPC1HZOP&psc=1

Graces7 · 06-09-2022 3:01am

We have the best ESB service out here I have ever known.. So few folk and they arrive in a chopper.

The Continental Op · 06-09-2022 9:36am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119577444#Comment_119577444

No not for butane as it stands but you could make it work but you can just as easily buy a double burner designed to work.

Here are two that will do the job but you will need to buy a length of hose and a Jumbo regulator which you'll get in any builders merchants/hardware store in Ireland.

Jumbo regulator expensive from Woodies should be about €15-20

Hose again rip of price from Woodies but shows what I'm on about then you need a couple of suitable sized jubilee pipe clamps.

Stoves - Typical no name band https://www.amazon.co.uk/Camplux-JK-8620-Portable-Foldable-Windshield/dp/B087LTZPGD/ or a named brand Camping Gaz stove https://www.amazon.co.uk/Campingaz-Camping-Folding-Portable-Compact/dp/B00UALXY6Q/ . There are others on Amazon but I picked out a couple that have a suitcase type design so can be packed away easily.

New Home · 06-09-2022 8:09pm

By the way, while it won't work with a power cut, a dehumidifier is an excellent way of keeping warm. Reducing the dampness in a room makes it feel less cold, while operating it will warm up the air by a degree or two - it makes a big difference and it's cheaper to run than an electric fan heater. Plus, you get water for your plants (or your steam iron).

cj maxx · 07-09-2022 1:42pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119566138#Comment_119566138

Mine have arrived , a bit smaller than I expected ( about 6" high ) but charging now so I'll see what they're like. Definitely safer looking than a hurricane lamp.

The Continental Op · 07-09-2022 2:13pm

I've got all sorts of options for lighting, candles, gas, paraffin, petrol, and of course battery. The first 4 are easy to pack away and store until needed because the fuel doesn't go off and you can keep it forever.

The problem with battery stuff is firstly with non rechargeables that they have a use by date and stock needs rotating although its nice to have alkaline batteries nowadays with expiry dates 5 years hence. Then with rechargeables and I include, power banks here, you can't recharge them when the power is off.

My answer to that is a recurring diary entry (I use Outlook) that just says "Check and charge batteries". So once a month I check any backups are charged and I check if I need any more dry batteries.

Graces7 · 07-09-2022 2:44pm

and please do not forget matches if you are not used to using gas etc, as the auto-ignition on gas stoves will not work in a power cut.. Yes experiential learning taught me that..

The Continental Op · 07-09-2022 2:50pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119584672#Comment_119584672

Or you could go all Bear Gyrills over it and get a fire steel - https://www.amazon.co.uk/Gerber-Grylls-Starter-Black-Medium/dp/B004DT6TEK/ :-)

Completely overpriced btw you can get a perfectly good one for under a fiver.

Hotblack Desiato · 07-09-2022 3:00pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119581249#Comment_119581249

Much more economical way of drying clothes than a tumble dryer, and much less harsh on the clothes too.

Graces7 · 07-09-2022 3:07pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119584739#Comment_119584739

Ah I use matches for lighting the fire and candles..

JohnnyChimpo · 07-09-2022 3:13pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119584672#Comment_119584672

depends on the stove, some stoves are piezoelectric ignition, i.e. apply pressure to button with finger to create spark from crystal. Suggest people familiarise themselves with their appliances ahead of time

tom1ie · 07-09-2022 3:24pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119584672#Comment_119584672

Also long reach lighters.

Graces7 · 07-09-2022 3:29pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119584897#Comment_119584897

Oh absolutely ( your last sentence) When I came here i knew as the electricity was off ( empty years) I would need a way to light the new gas cooker. In fact it took five months and a solicitor to sort it. All winter.

Graces7 · 07-09-2022 5:35pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119584739#Comment_119584739

Yes I always have the cheaper lighter. Just ordered one.

Ubbquittious · 07-09-2022 10:39pm

the important thing is to fill your freezer with Brennans bread long before any power cut actually arrives because that's the first thing that will vanish from the shelves if the going gets tough.

Leg End Reject · 07-09-2022 10:40pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119587531#Comment_119587531

Don't forget the toilet roll in the freezer.

AMKC · 07-09-2022 10:55pm

It's OK people. There is no need to panic. It's going to be a nice mild winter just like last years winter. It's just Europe and out Government trying to scare us. We'll it's not going to work.

Jim_Hodge · 07-09-2022 11:04pm

It'll be grand. Eamon Ryan says we're getting another credit. Maybe the OAPs who still have the last one unused will turn their heating on and use their ovens.

HBC08 · 07-09-2022 11:09pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058261702/a-cold-dark-winter

Candles is this year hysterical toilet roll episode.

Man Vs ManUre · 07-09-2022 11:12pm

A good hot mug of Bovril will solve any problems coming this winter.

HBC08 · 07-09-2022 11:23pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119571255#Comment_119571255

I was going to post but this has summed it up for me.

Most people I know including myself were glued to lots of different media and in full fear mode in the early days of Covid. I'm guessing it broke all kind of numbers,fear sells,that's the way it's going to be for the foreseeable.

There seems to be a tiny chance of actual blackouts,yet the media and some on this thread are taking it as a given.Lots and lots of fear,panic and scaremongering about (worst case scenario) not having power for a few hours (won't happen by the way)

I definitely could understand it with Covid as it was a completely unknown situation but this is a total overreaction.

I'm not taking part in the madness this time.

08-09-2022 1:01am

I'll make some adjustments. I'll go to the gym more over the winter in the evenings to spend less time in the house and use the showers, walk to the office instead of working at home to avoid heating (15 mins away) but like the poster above I couldn't be fucked with getting caught up in the absolute fear mongering going on throughout the media this time.

I know Inflation is there, but I'm not going to let myself get panicked and consumed by it. Just make some adjustments.

Graces7 · 08-09-2022 5:12am

Just normal provisions and precautions.. Like everyone in remoter areas not good to need to ask help from neighbours because you have not prepared sensibly for all eventualities. And sometimes to be able to help a neighbour in unexpected need.

Graces7 · 08-09-2022 9:24am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119587975#Comment_119587975

NB that is " experiential learning" after once running out of bottled gas years ago.. The SMIRKS! First - and last - time in decades!

SnuggyBear · 08-09-2022 11:34am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119587719#Comment_119587719

I was the same. I never took much notice of the news and media until covid. I was out of work then and I was hooked into the misery.

I'm trying to unplug from everything. I might even cut out this website. I have no social media, stopped using reddit, cut out youtube despite music, no news media. This is the only place I see current affairs and probably will cut it out completely.

This winter will be fine, no one will starve or freeze to death. Time to stop worrying about bullshit.

EOQRTL · 08-09-2022 11:43am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119588937#Comment_119588937

People freeze to death every year in Ireland. Just because you don't see it doesn't mean it doesn't happen.

Danzy · 08-09-2022 11:49am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119587908#Comment_119587908

If you are a person that panics, that's the first issue you should deal with.

Add panic or emotion to any task and it becomes a problem.

Learning to stay calm, learning detachment, learning that success or failure in any single thing is not reflection on you, not needing an emotional Perspective on it.

Learnt that the very hard way, well, learnt that I needed to learn that outlook.

Learning and practicing that is the best preparation.

Graces7 · 08-09-2022 11:49am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119588937#Comment_119588937

Old folk die of hypothermia every winter as heating is so expensive already. Either it is a contributory factor or a direct cause.

Hotblack Desiato · 08-09-2022 11:59am

Pensioners who own their own home do very well in this country. A lot better than in the UK for instance. Bertie bought their votes in the 00s.

It's working families with young children, living in rented accommodation who are struggling the most but yeah let's go on for the zillionth time about how bad pensioners have it.

Graces7 · 08-09-2022 12:10pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119589064#Comment_119589064

. Yes families too but they can do more than we can.ie find ways to keep warm whereas many of us lack the mobility,,

An d many of us live in rented accommodation. And we have less physical resilience and mobility.

Severe weather is bad news for many folk of all ages

Man Vs ManUre · 08-09-2022 12:15pm

Why don’t we all go and fight with Ukraine and take the gas from the Russians??

Graces7 · 08-09-2022 12:15pm

Winters in Ireland are easier than the decade I lived up in the wilds of Orkney. Actually I loved the challenge. But it was hard work. Gales that made wind here seem like a breeze. Gusts of eg 124 miles per hour. No ferries for days. And being so far north a few hours daylight in winter and almost continual light in summer t

We burned turf there too. A very similar lifestyle to my offshore life here. But more intense.

HBC08 · 08-09-2022 12:17pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119588937#Comment_119588937

Fair play to you.

I cut out fb but found I needed it for work so just use it sparingly now,I god rid of the Indo app (this was arguably the best thing) I stopped watching Primetime and RTE news as its no longer a current affairs programme.The scaremongering is here to stay now and I find it really intrusive and sinister.More so for older /suggestible/depressed/stressed people,the next segment then is usually about mental health! It's very wrong and is causing a lot of damage.

I really should get off boards aswell but there are still elements of it I enjoy/ find useful.

I've never had a Twitter account which is a healthy choice I think.

Graces7 · 08-09-2022 12:27pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119589009#Comment_119589009

No one is panicking here thankfully. Just making realistic and sensible preparations. It really is a case of needing to hope for the best but prepare for the worst. No harm in getting well stocked with the way prices are rising.

A cold dark winter...

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