Winter weather

December 14 update. We are looking at severe wind, rain and possible snow in the south, S East and S West over the next 3 days. Anyone traveling please head the warnings and information here.

This current blast of bad weather with snow in parts of the country all ready (December 7th) is expected to be a fore runner for horrendous weather in the run up to, and after Christmas. December the 8th saw us have winds gusting in excess of 165 miles per hour with more to come.

To help get you about here are a few safety tips but please don't think I'm trying to "teach granny to suck eggs" if you know these tips pass them on if not then head them and then pass them on.

If you have to venture out and are specifically traveling out of your home town to work etc then if in a car carry the following.

A SLEEPING BAG, 3 or 4 SEASON PREFERABLY. This will keep you warm.

A THERMOS FLASK WITH HOT SOUP IN. Soup keeps you filled and less hungry for longer than warm drinks.

IF NEEDED A SECOND ONE WITH TEA OR HOT WATER with tea bags or coffee carried separately.

SOME CHOCOLATE BARS. These help keep your sugar up and can have a cheering effect.

A NUMBER OF MRE's OR MEALS READY TO EAT. YOU CAN BUY STEWS AND CURRIES IN POUCHES THAT YOU JUST ADD WATER AND THEY HEAT UP. KEEP AT LEAST 3 PER PERSON TRAVELLING. Self explanatory really. You need food and if you cook it on a hexi burner you get bodily cold whilst doing this.

A SMALL HEXE BURNER AND FUEL TABS AND A SMALL MESS TIN TO WARM UP WATER. A good stand by but the above flask and meals are a better option.

A CHANGE OF CLOTHING AND FOOTWARE. MAKE THIS UP OF THIN LAYERS RATHER THAN ONE THICK JUMPER. Include long johns and thermal vests.

KEEP A PAIR OF WELLINGTON BOOTS OR STOUT WALKING BOOTS AND A PAIR OF THICK SOCKS IN THE CAR AT ALL TIMES. These are in case you need to walk home or to a rescue point because life's a bitch if you try walking in snow with high heal shoes on ... apparently.

A CHARGED MOBILE PHONE, A CAR PHONE CHARGER  AND A WRITTEN LIST OF IMPORTANT NUMBERS. If you can keep two phones each one a different network in case one network goes down. If your phone goes down you might not be able to access your phone memory for the important numbers.

A TORCH AND A PORTABLE RADIO, PREFERABLY BOTH WITH WIND UP MECHANISMS OR IF NOT KEEP SPARE BATTERIES WRAPPED UP AS COLD REDUCES THE STORAGE LIFE OF BATTERIES. Wind up equipment does not rely on your car battery to charge them up so you can conserve that whilst keeping in touch with the news.

A SUPPLY OF HIGH ENERGY SNACKS SUCH AS SUNFLOWER SEEDS, NUTS DRIED FRUIT ETC. Something to snack on, takes your mind off the emergency, keeps your sugars level etc.

AT LEAST 3 LITRES OF BOTTLED WATER. Water is needed to wash with, drink, clean wounds etc.

A MAP IF YOU ARE NOT SURE OF THE AREA. Even if you are familiar with your route via roads a map can help you get home using alternative routes. The main importance here is to KNOW these alternative routes before they are needed and also routes to travel by day and night. By foot and by vehicle.ABOVE ALL MAKE SURE YOU ARE SAFE AND HAVE SUITABLE PERSONAL PROTECTION BEFORE LEAVING THE SECURITY OF YOUR VEICHLE NO MATTER HOW BAD THE WEATHER.

ALSO KEEP IN THE CAR A CAN OF DE ICER, SOME DILUTED WINDOW WASH FLUID AND A SUPPLY OF PAPER TOWELS. Clean windows are a must and traveling in convoy with other commuters makes spray dirty your windows a great deal.

A SMALL COMPACT SHOVEL. You may need it to dig you out of trouble.

A LARGE TORCH.

If you have one with a strobe light attached then you can use this on the roof to attract attention but again be aware of personal safety.

FULL TANK OF PETROL. AS YOU USE THE PETROL NEVER LET IT FALL BELOW 3/4 OF A TANK. IKNOW FUEL IS EXPENSIVE BUT THE TANK IS FILLED ONLY ONCE THEN YOU TOP IT UP. At least you know you have a lot of petrol to keep the heater going if needed. Be aware that a build up of snow can cause a blocked exhaust pipe and this is dangerous.

PORTABLE WIND UP RADIO. IF YOU ARE TRAVELLING OUT OF AREA INCLUDE MAPS AND A COMPASS WITH A LOUD WHISTLE AND KNOW HOW TO READ THE MAPS. Second mention but important.

IF WALKING CARRY A DAY SAC WITH A CHANGE OF CLOTHING, SUITABLE STURDY FOOTWARE / WALKING BOOTS TORCH, GLOVES, SCARF, HAT, A HIGH ENERGY DRINK AND SOME CHOCOLATE BARS. A COUPLE OF POUNDS IN CHANGE / A PHONE CARD IN CASE YOU NEED A PHONE AND THE MOBILE SIGNAL IS DOWN, A CHARGED MOBILE PHONE. A SURVIVAL SHELTER IS ALSO USEFUL AND EASILLY PACKS INTO THE DAYSAC.

LISTEN TO THE WEATHER FORCASTS, TRY NOT TO TRAVEL ALONE, LEAVE PLENTY OF TIME FOR THE JOURNEY, STAY ON WELL LIT OCCUPIED ROADS EVEN IF THIS MEANS TAKING A LONGER WAY HOME.

BE AWARE OF YOUR SURROUNDINGS AND WHERE YOU ARE BECAUSE IF YOU NEED HELP AND YOU CAN GIVE THE HELPERS A SECURE POINT FOR WHERE YOU ARE WILL REDUCE THE TIME YOU NEED BE ALONE AND THUS REDUCE THE CHANCE OF HYPOTHERMIA.

FINALLY WHEN AT HOME KEEP WARM, DRINK PLENTY OF WARM DRINKS AND SOUPS, IF NEEDED ONLY HEAT ONE ROOM TO A HIGH TEMPERITURE AND THE REST OF THE HOUSE TO A LESSER TEMPERITURE. WEAR LAYERS OF CLOTHING AND ABOVE ALL BE A GOOD NEIGHBOUR AND CHECK IN ON ANY OLD, INFIRM OR DISABLED NEIGHBOURS.

We all know the world is changing but what do we need to do to survive the changes? We hope this site will give more information on how we can individually AND collectively dictate OUR OWN FUTURE rather than having it dictated to us.

Over the coming weeks, months and years, we hope this site will expand to become a plethora of information and interactivity regarding the environmental changes we are facing and how we can help change the way we are now behaving in order to tread lighter on the planet.

No one on here will demand you give up your gas guzzling car or your foreign holidays but we do hope you will be encouraged to use the large car less and seek alternatives. Also take local or UK based holidays.

The current crisis in the middle east countries such as Libya et al are starting to send shivers through the western world who depend on so much oil. It is plain to see that the likes of the USA and Britain are joking for position and edging their bets with both the government and the uprising so that whoever wins the tussle for control they will still be backing a winner so to speak This will undoubtedly be the main reason why people will give up their gas guzzling cars, me included if the petrol rises much more.

I remember the first petrol I bought as a teenager with a 1 gallon fuel ! That was back in 1978. Today the cost of that same gallon of petrol has just reached£6.67.

The Uk has some fantastic holiday destinations, it just needs the will to seek them out and maybe even make the journey part of the holiday.

The site will include information on both simple and complex, cheap and expensive ideas that we can all do but may never have thought of doing such as using rainwater for washing clothes, washing the car and for flushing toilets along with the usual watering of the garden.

If you are on a water meter then you can reduce your annual bill by as much as 60% by using this simple idea of water harvesting.

You could take it a stage further and make a water filter that can give you water at a purity rate of 95% - 98% and this filter only costs in the region of £10 sterling to make. If you want to go completely off grid for your water use then I hope to add information on bore holes, wells, ceramic filters and UV treatments but for now the mantra is reduce, reuse and recycle.

Some of this site will contain information garnered from personal experiments and experience, other parts will not but where needed I will always include references.

I hope this site will also expand to take in solar photo voltaic cells and wind generation. You will be able to find information on both stand-alone power set ups such as using batteries and also grid tied systems where you can essentially use the national grid as your back up battery but this does remove the total independence issue.

I also hope to add pages about Solar thermal for water heating and alternative fuels such as wood burning again for space heating and hot water production. Ground source and air source Heat pumps are also good areas to explore although these can be expensive and some need large areas of ground to be effective depending on the system used such as bore hole or linear pipe work but again these are extremely efficient with returns of up to 500%.

Other areas of the site will include growing food, keeping chickens, making different foods such as sausages, burgers, cheeses, cream and bakery products such as scones, pies, cakes etc. By growing your own food you are starting to become more self resilient and less reliant on the big shopping conglomerates.

This site will not assume you have acre upon acre to grow food or the time to do it but you can start with growing herbs in a pot on your window sill and then expand on that idea to as large as you want it to be. This site will be organic in it's approach to the way it is set up and any methods offered will be of the organic nature.

I would prefer and encourage you not to use chemicals where possible for the likes of your food production but it's completely up to you. I fully believe that organic fruit and vegetables are better than those doused with gallons of pesticides, herbicides and false nutrients but that is a personal choice and as such you need to make your own mind up.

Other parts of the site will be including recipes for food and drinks. How about nettle beer, rhubarb whiskey or potato wine for example?

As this site is offering alternative views to the regular every day scenarios it will continue with a section on survival. If you know what TEOTWAWKI, MZBAD or TSHTF means then you will already be aware of the survival traits. For those that don't know what the acronyms stand for all will be revealed on the site.

I will also be adding a shop to the site in the future to sell ethical products and hand made items to help pay for the running of the site either made by me or by closely vetted third parties so if you make quality products then I may be able to offer you another avenue to sell your products on a commission basis.

OK that's enough from us for now so please keep calling back to see the new features added as I get to grips with the fantastic world of website editing.

Self sufficiency for many is a close relative of sustainability and as such this site will be akin to helping people with ideas of living a more sustainable lifestyle. By making small changes over time we will all be able to make Sustainable actions for a sustainable future which will enable us all to enjoy the planet a bit longer.