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Hello and welcome everyone again to another podcast on the Preparedness Protocol.
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Well, Andrew Price and myself will be discussing the current issues of today on preparedness.
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And I thought today we discussed what will happen when the lights go out, uh i.e.
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power outages, whether it's a weather event or natural made man uh event, cyber attacks, who knows?
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Because there's so much going on at the moment.
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For example, uh Sky News has just put up um a very good video report documentary on what happens when the gas runs out in this country.
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They've been doing a three-four part on more games exercise.
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So I thought we'd just go through some of the little ideas and preparedness plans of what we can do to help you go through those alternative light and heating.
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So I'll just hand you over to say uh hello to Andrew and see what his take is on the current theme of things.
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Andrew.
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Hello, Howard, hello everyone.
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So, what do you think, Andrew?
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What's got going on at the moment with all this uh situation of the three-day and 72 hours and uh uh lack of gas?
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And what do you think is going on yourself?
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There's a lot happening at the moment.
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I mean, we're seeing uh sort of geopolitical events around the Middle East and with Russia and Ukraine.
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So there are a lot of factors at play that will have uh a knock-on effect to us, the people that use energy.
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So, you know, we're already seeing the price of diesel go through the roof and shortages on the horizon of that.
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So I think things like diesel have a huge impact on on our lifestyles, because diesel is the it's the lifeblood of commerce, it's how everything is transported by uh diesel trucks around the world and of course by ship.
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So I think the the the effects we're gonna see with a shortage or an increase in the price of diesel will have a knock-on effect to us in the terms at the very least, in terms of increased cost of goods and services, but quite possibly uh even more of a detrimental effect on on our way of life uh as as a result of that.
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So I think in terms of what we can do about it is to partly reduce our reliance on on diesel.
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So I'm I'm trying to reduce the amount of time I I drive now.
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So I'm using my bicycle a lot more or walking when I don't have to use the vehicle.
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Or if I am using my vehicle, I tend to try and do multiple things rather than just nipping out and doing one or two things.
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I'll I'll try and make make my journeys by vehicle much more worthwhile.
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Even to the point of staying out.
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If I'm if I've got to go a long distance, I might stay somewhere just so that I can do multiple things without using um unnecessary amounts of fuel.
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So that's that's one thing.
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And if we start seeing real shortages of energy, then that could result in uh partial shutdowns and rationing of fuel and things like that.
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So having backups are a very good idea.
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And as we've talked about before on the channel, it's a really just a good idea generally to have alternative means of lighting and heating in your house just in case these things become unavailable, either in the short or the long term.
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So uh I'm a big fan of uh paraffin, premium paraffin as a as a fuel.
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It's very it has a very, very long shelf life.
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It's almost um it's about the only fuel really you can just put away somewhere, preferably somewhere safe outside the house, and it will be good in 10 years.
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As long as you keep it dry and keep it in good condition, it will last a very, very long time.
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And that can be used in oil lamps and paraffin heaters and stoves.
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So it's a I I think it's a very, uh, very useful fuel.
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It's it's the my I suppose my primary backup fuel for for a lot of things.
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So I've got um stoves for cooking that I use um that use paraffin.
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I've also got uh old vintage heaters that I I've got around the house.
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I've got several of those, they use paraffin, and of course I have quite a lot of hurricane lamps or the Fuerhand Um baby lanterns, which are a classic design, and I've got a few of those as well.
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So I can heat my house, light my house, and cook my food all using that one alternative fuel.
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Yeah, it's a good idea.
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Um same here.
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And going back to the the paraffin and diesel, of course, everything is based on petroleum and diesel.
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The kerosene you buy, the paraffin, candles, everything is based on on that uh premise of the petroleum situation.
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Uh, I remember uh many, many years ago, I remember that MP saying, get off on your bike to go look for work.
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Basically, I think we'll be cutting down on uh the petroleum, petrol, and diesel again on our bikes if we've got one.
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Um, but uh I as we were talking today, that it's horrendous weather out here is pouring down and blowing a gale outside here in my area.
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But talking about that, we did mention this before, but it might be worth mentioning it again.
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Some some of us of a certain age.
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Um remember the three-day working week in the early 70s, and of course, that was when um four days a week there was no no running power.
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Uh, alternate weeks you you didn't have for days on end, there was no electricity, you had no heating, uh electrical heating.
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I I lived through that, and I I I was fortunate, I was semi-off-grid.
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So I I those days started my experience of the prepping when in my late 20s.
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So I remember when after 10 days, candles ran out in the shops, for example.
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So candles and anything of a petroleum uh made nature may be a good idea to start thinking about uh preparing and stocking up on.
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And there are a number of outlets you can go to, like the pound shop, home bargains, and many other store sales that often have uh secondhand goods that sell these at very cheaply.
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So um I think that's uh I'm actually in the middle of writing up a piece on how to um manage your food stocks on a very low budget, and in fact, in some cases, you don't have to pay out anything at all.
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I think that's a really, really good idea.
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I mean, food obviously, most foods are are perishable.
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There are some foods that have a very, very long shelf life and can be kept almost indefinitely.
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But uh when it comes to things like candles, they're I think they're a good investment because, as you say, they'll run out.
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But the first sign of power cuts, people will go out and they'll they'll buy them.
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And the candles are very likely to be one of those things that are going to be hard to get.
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Whereas at the moment, there's no shortage of candles, and you know, if you've got the space to store them, I would say they're an excellent investment, and they're also something that you can help other people out with.
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If um if you have extended friend family and friends that maybe aren't as prepared as you are and you want to help them, then candles could be a useful alternative.
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Um, it's probably worth mentioning, obviously, if you are planning to use candles, that you should also have a fire extinguisher, fire blanket, and um utilize the necessary caution if you're using a naked flame to to light your house.
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But that should be common sense anyway.
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Yeah, it's a good idea.
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That's um how fires start.
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And of course, candles, the remains of candles are useful for starting up your wood burner or open fires if you've got one in the house.
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I've got one here and often use all bits of candle to uh make homemade starters.
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The other thing I I um look talking about wood burners, I've got one that juts out in in the house in the room, so I use uh a kettle and a coffee pot on top with um a metal plate in between the top stove to stop any cold water you know combining with the heat, the cracking, and that gives me more or less free hot water on and off.
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And the other good idea is to keep if you've got any spare thermoses or large or small thermoses, to any spare water you have after buying, so put back in the thermos.
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And that over I found that over a week it saved about£10 a week.
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Um, if you've got a family of three.
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Um, I worked it out to that, so well, that's quite a lot, it's£40 a month.
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So, you know, if you can do that, that's fine.
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But um, I I I I swear by that the wood burn, it's really good as long as you have it regularly sweeped.
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I clean mine every every year, I check all the lining, and uh I get very dry kill nine uh kill dried uh logs, they burn the best, they don't leave any uh sort of burnt areas in your liner.
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And um try and I I did used to do a lot of my own logging.
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Um as you get on a bit now, I cut down a bit, but I do use a lot of old seasoned wood.
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Try and ash is quite good, you can season that quite short in a short period of time, but I recommend you use at least uh 12-month-old wood or dry kiln.
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Yeah, same here.
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I mean, I've I have the advantage of managing a woodland as part of uh what I do with the bushcraft courses, so I tend to get all of my firewood for free, which is which is a massive uh advantage of being able to heat the house for free.
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And uh I've got some places where I store and dry my own wood.
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So I I I realize that's not an option for everybody, but if it is something you can do, it's you can save a lot of money and it it gives you that uh level of resilience to have an alternative way of heating your house.
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So that's uh certainly something I would consider if if you're in a position to do that.
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And the other thing, of course, is uh when the power goes out, whether it's to do the weather events, and I think this um I was only reading an article actually from new scientists this morning that talking about the Super El Nino is going to cause a lot of problems.
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Um, and the independence brought out an article as well as well this week.
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They're gonna bring a lot of problems this winter with exceptionally stormy uh weather conditions and going into next June.
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And even after that's uh completed, we still have the sort of after effects ongoing for some time, so possibly another hot summer and another mixed weather event in the spring.
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So I I keep an eye on that situation.
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Yeah, I think we're we are gonna see more extreme weather through El Nino and and whatever else is uh at play.
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Um and I just think it's a good idea to be prepared and you know to have a backup energy source in some way, um whether it's uh just the most basic candles and oil lamps, or maybe something a bit more sophisticated like a uh a lithium power pack, of which you can get lots of different sizes and varieties now.
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And there's lots of companies like um Jackery is is one company that does um very good ones.
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Anchor, another company that seems to be doing quite quite a lot of um different uh power packs and things as well.
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So shop around there, there are some really good ones out there, and get get the power pack that's suitable for your needs.
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So I mean the small compact ones are fantastic for for traveling if you're on the move, backpacking, things like that.
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But if you're working from a home base, then you can buy uh very large power packs, um sort of 1500 watts plus that will will do everything that you need, other than keep things like fridge freezers going, which tend that you'd need a pretty large system to keep one of those going on.
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But in terms of keeping LED lights going and that sort of thing, they're they're a very good choice.
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Yeah, that that company is good.
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Is Pow Pow Key is another one for about 90 quid?
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You can get a very large solar panel and uh 40 watt output on that, just enough for you.
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You mentioned all your your low-key laptops and um torches and that sort of thing.
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That'll keep you going.
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Um, another thing, of course, is the wind-up torches and lights.
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I've got one of those, and I've got a wind-up radio.
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If you if the power goes, it's quite useful to keep in touch what's going on in the outside world.
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Um, you know, it's a good idea.
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Uh, solar charges, of course, another one.
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Um, I've also got a kerosene heater that's uh quite good.
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Uh I noticed that the kerosene prices are starting to rise now this month.
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So if you've got any kerosene um lamps or or heaters, might be a good time now to look around with some bargain buys.
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I think that there were some on Amazon last week.
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Um, let's see how long they last.
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Um, and of course, household paraffin, um, not the um the outside paraffin, but the indoor paraffin.
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The other thing I I got which is useful, I use now and again, is um a caligas uh camping stove with uh two burners and a grill on top.
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That's often very useful.
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You can carry around, and it is it's quite uh very good for doing uh that sort of general cooking.
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Another thing I've got, and I think Andrew, you've got some, is the old um alcohol gel tins.
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Uh always useful to keep things uh warm.
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They last for six hours.
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They're not a brilliant thing at cooking, but if you're not in a hurry, uh they're great.
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What do you think of them?
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Yeah, I'm a big fan of um well, alcohol, gel, and methylated spirit stoves.
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So I've got a tranche and uh a couple of other compact uh spirit stoves which I use for for my trips away.
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And I I think it's just a good idea to have multiples of of lots of things.
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I mean, I'm I I suppose I have the advantage because I work in the outdoors, I tend to buy a lot of these things as part of my work, so I have a a lot of um alternative backups just through that.
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But it's um it's quite important as well.
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I think if everybody has some sort of alternative heat source, and if you can kind of keep them together, keep them so that they all use the same fuel, um that that sort of uniformity makes it a little bit simpler.
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But then as I say, I'm a I'm a big fan of methylated spirit stoves, the light trangiers, because they work very well, they they're they're pretty simple, they're very quiet to use.
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The only real downside is that um obviously they they need to be used outside or in a very well-ventilated place.
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But apart from that, they're excellent.
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I know the weather's not too good at the moment, but I always advise people if they got families to try and if it's got a reasonable weekend, go out uh camping with the kids and try out all your kit so they get all get used to using it.
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So when something does happen at home, it's all a matter of a matter of a methodical approach, and there'll be no panic, and the safety issue is is good.
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So I think that might be a good idea to to try that.
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Um I used to enjoy doing all that, taking the kids out camping and testing all these things out, and they and in turn they've grown up like that, you know.
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Yeah, I think that's what I mean.
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I I I guess my prepping psychology is based on the idea that if something goes wrong in the world, it we're all revert reverting back to um exactly the same methods that I use when I'm camping.
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So you're using the minimum of resources and trying to be as efficient as possible.
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Um, it may not be quite as much fun as going off on a big adventure somewhere in the mountains or somewhere in the world.
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Yeah, but you can turn your living room into a campsite and have have a you know, turn it into a little bit of an adventure, which uh which I I remember as a kid when we used to have power cuts back when I was a kid in the 70s and 80s, and it was a little bit of fun, you know.
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The cat the lights would go out and the candles would come out and we'd play board games and it it felt quite exciting.
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I'm sure the novelty would wear off fairly quickly.
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Yeah, I did that in the in the 50s when I was a kid.
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We used to have these um uh horse clothes dryers, you know, you can put up like an A-frame tent, uh, even in the lounge.
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We used to put that, have a little torch and read by the torch inside this little tent.
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So I think that if you're talking about preparedness at early age, that's that's a good start, you know.
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But I think um the thing, the problem issue is with and people realize now, is that the younger people, especially, have grown up with all these electronic gadgets, everything relies on power, uh gas, electric.
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We we've all gone too much reliant on it.
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It might be a good idea, as you say, to try and put some time aside to try and uh just even for a couple of hours to try and do some alternative um uh lighting.
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I often used to like reading by an oil lamp, it's quite atmospheric, you know, but uh those days are sort of disappeared.
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So that's why I think you need to uh if you've got these solar and um power banks, is to make sure that you've actually got them charged up, ready to use.
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There's nothing worse than uh down, where's that power uh charger when the power goes out?
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Is it charged up?
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It's very frustrating.
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Yeah, absolutely.
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Uh I think one of the best investments people can make in terms of power cuts is to buy, I always recommend several head torches.
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Yeah.
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Um, and the the head torches you can buy now, there's there's whole loads of different different companies.
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There's um Petzl are obviously one of the companies that's been around a lot.
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But um you can almost you know, silver are another company that are making some very good head torches.
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But I really like the rechargeable ones because they're rechargeable by USB, so they can be charged up from your got one here rechargeable,£9, uh with a long light luminous strip which lights up all 360 with emergency side light, you can pick them up on Amazon, 9 pounds, or two pairs for about£12.
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Yeah, and I always tell people, you know, don't just buy one expensive head torch because if you if you've only got one and you break it, you're in the dark again.
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But if you if you buy two or three reasonably good quality, but not necessarily the most expensive ones, at least if you break one or even two, you've still got um an alternative.
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So as we say in the world of preppings, two is one and one is none.
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So exactly find multiples of everything.
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I I got experience of that about 10 or 12 years ago when I spent um longer than actually I bought a very expensive petzel head torch, and uh I spent a week in the desert living in caves with the the Coptic monks, and within two days, this very expensive, well-known um uh head torch disintegrated on me, it wouldn't work at all.
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I couldn't get it to work, but wasn't the batteries, it was something inside that wasn't connecting to the uh electric side of it, so that was a dead loss.
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So we ended up uh having candles and um some of these flame torches that the monks use.
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So, yes, good advice.
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Yeah, it's a well I'm sure that was a good experience, but it's yeah, I think the lesson is always have a backup.
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And um, I mean I've made the same mistake.
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I've I've been on trips with just one torch, and um, yeah, if it goes wrong, you're you're you're in the dark.
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And I remember there was one in one time I was uh hiking in Cadridris and I was on my own and I was heading up and I'd left it quite late in the day to get up to the to the top, so I was doing it by head torch, and as I was getting close to the summit, I could hear people up ahead, and I came across uh an older couple who had gone up there for the day.
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I think the old the the older chap had bitten off more than he could chew, and he was moving very slowly.
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And of course they had no torch and uh they were trying to make their way down off the mountain in the in the dark, and I don't think it would have ended very well, but fortunately I I had a couple of spare head torches with me, so I lent one to them, which allowed them to find their way back down to the bottom of the uh the mountain, and then they left my torch um with a little thank you note on the um on the wheel of my car.
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You know, it it's a good idea to have these backups not just for yourself but also to help other people out as well, because not not everybody thinks the way we do, and I I've given up trying to convince people that they should think the way I do.
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So it's uh yes, I know.
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Well uh same with me.
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And I think uh only a report came out yesterday, uh funny enough, that only 40% of the population of UK, for example, will have any idea or or some kind of alternative backup either with food for three days or alternative lighting like torches.
00:20:47.839 --> 00:20:54.559
So that's how bad it is, and um that I think that's why we're seeing a lot of this thing in the media.
00:20:54.720 --> 00:21:07.599
The the other thing is if you've got these torches, put them in a uh a place where you know you're going to have find them readily in the event of a power outage, such as top of the stairs.
00:21:07.839 --> 00:21:21.440
So many accidents have occurred, trying to find the light switch or where you found left your torch, and people like falling down the stairs and go, and then of course, that you know what that entails, or by the side of the bed.
00:21:21.599 --> 00:21:24.480
I I've got one or two of these, quite very cheap.
00:21:24.559 --> 00:21:27.759
You can pick them up from some of the cheap shops, a couple of quid.
00:21:27.920 --> 00:21:34.160
Uh, reactive lights put on the floor that as you come about within eight feet, the light comes on.
00:21:34.319 --> 00:21:39.200
There are a couple of batteries, that's all, and they've they they go on for about 20 seconds.
00:21:39.279 --> 00:21:44.240
So you've got some light lightway, especially in a dark hallway or by the stairs.
00:21:44.319 --> 00:21:49.039
So as soon as you come approach them, the light comes on, stays on for about 20 seconds.
00:21:49.119 --> 00:21:50.880
So I I think they're they're quite useful.
00:21:50.960 --> 00:21:52.960
You can get them quite cheap as well.
00:21:53.440 --> 00:21:54.240
That sounds good.
00:21:54.400 --> 00:21:57.440
Yeah, the um things like that are always worth having.
00:21:57.599 --> 00:21:59.759
I've I've kind of moved away from anything that uses.
00:22:00.160 --> 00:24:51.440
disposable batteries now because I I find I I tend to either leave the batteries in and they they they go bad or uh yeah they'll you know i I just find them a bit more of a faff and if you if you store them without the batteries in then you've got to find the batteries in the dark and so I'm I'm a big fan of these rechargeable ones which um which are very very effective but it's a good idea to have uh a few different options some that use disposable batteries some that use uh rechargeable and uh that way you've covered your bases and you can also buy very inexpensive solar lights as well so you could leave those out to recharge in the sun in the day and then bring them into the house at night so there there are lots of things we're quite fortunate really to be around at a time when there are a lot of options available to us so I've got I've got a few in the garden um the uh solar lights you know strips of about 100 and get them quite cheap so um they charge up in a day and uh you don't need a lot of full sunlight sometimes just daylight what will uh charge them for some hours I think mine lasts about eight to ten hours uh especially especially these little security lights solar charge they're always useful um and and they can actually be charged up in itself with a uh a lamp so anything with a bright light source can can can do that so basically then we we need uh you're looking at uh torches whether it's solar or rechargeable or wind up a little bat uh radio that uh can be used I've got little um shortwave radio and which is useful because um when the things go up turned upside down shortwave is always on on the go um um got gas camping stone solar charges uh power banks uh oil lamps I think it's always well anything like that and you can people worry about a tight budget and I know the situation very well but you if you shop around you can get some bargains it's just a matter of planning knowing what you need and knowing what your family need and see what you can actually do to to cater with that yeah I mean that's the thing we all have different budgets in terms of what we're prepared to invest in uh in our emergency preparedness and obviously there are people who could have a their entire house set up with um alternative energy and be be completely unaffected when things go down but I'm not in that position yet I'm pretty sure you're not yet Howard but uh no it's nothing it's something I'm aiming for but for the time being it's just good to have uh I know I'm I'm fairly confident I've probably got at least a week's worth of alternative energy or um or alternative lights that will see me through and um and that's not including things like solar lights that will extend that beyond that limit.
00:24:51.599 --> 00:25:45.200
But what you said about 40% of people not being uh or for was it 40% of people are prepared or 40% are not is uh yeah for 40% uh yeah that um yeah that's right yes I would think that's a pretty high estimate actually yeah I I think it's the other way around you know but yeah majority of people aren't aren't prepared for you know to to cope uh with anything uh uh uh an a disaster or local um a power outage absolutely I mean I where I live now I'm you know in a a a relatively rural area so most people I think have got a little bit of space to store things but when I lived in London for a while a lot of my friends there lived in small one bedroom apartments or they didn't have much space and they would often just buy food every day so that they would they wouldn't really have a store of any food or a store of anything.
00:25:45.839 --> 00:25:59.680
So they literally within a within a day of something happening they would all instantly find themselves in a in a position where they had to go out looking for it outside which is the last thing you want to be doing when everybody else is trying to do the same thing.
00:25:59.920 --> 00:26:11.039
So I think what what prepping does it just gives us that bit of insulation that buffer against the upheavals of shortages and disasters and environmental things that might happen.
00:26:11.519 --> 00:27:59.200
And uh it stops us from having to be those people that go out buying up the last of the toilet rolls and the pasta when um when things are in short supply and yeah I mean as I've said before to you how it's one of the things that annoys me the most is the the way the media present prepping is uh when when something goes wrong and everyone goes out and starts buying up all the toilet rolls or the milk and the bread the the media refers to them as preppers going out doing this panic buying but yeah it's the opposite the the preppers are the ones sitting at home completely unfazed because they don't have to rush out and try and stock up on all these things at the last minute so yeah we need to change get the media on board there's um a very a brilliant cartoon clip in during covid when um uh there was a cat in the window and they had a message in front of it but please someone come and let me out I have a toilet roll I thought I thought that was but and of course the thing the the the the issue with big stores today is that um if it's a cyber attack everything goes down the all your uh frozen uh foods like I remember Marx and Sven's not so long ago had to get rid take out all their frozen foods overnight because they had a cyber attack and all the food that was perished no good at all um but this three-day turnaround on lorry transportation is going to be a nightmare anyway uh to to sum up I think it'd be a good idea if people could um look at that interesting um Sky News documentary if they can it's called what happens when the gas runs out it's about 20 minutes a very good report and I think it sums up everything what we actually were talking about today.
00:27:59.440 --> 00:28:15.680
So I'm hoping that all that information that Andrew I discuss would be of use to you and all I can say is be prepared be safe be wise survive thank you andrew for joining us pleasure Howard catch you next time okay thank you
00:00:02.560 --> 00:00:08.480
Hello and welcome everyone again to another podcast on the Preparedness Protocol.
00:00:08.640 --> 00:00:14.480
Well, Andrew Price and myself will be discussing the current issues of today on preparedness.
00:00:14.640 --> 00:00:19.679
And I thought today we discussed what will happen when the lights go out, uh i.e.
00:00:19.920 --> 00:00:27.679
power outages, whether it's a weather event or natural made man uh event, cyber attacks, who knows?
00:00:27.839 --> 00:00:29.679
Because there's so much going on at the moment.
00:00:29.839 --> 00:00:39.600
For example, uh Sky News has just put up um a very good video report documentary on what happens when the gas runs out in this country.
00:00:39.840 --> 00:00:43.679
They've been doing a three-four part on more games exercise.
00:00:43.840 --> 00:00:52.799
So I thought we'd just go through some of the little ideas and preparedness plans of what we can do to help you go through those alternative light and heating.
00:00:52.880 --> 00:00:58.799
So I'll just hand you over to say uh hello to Andrew and see what his take is on the current theme of things.
00:00:59.039 --> 00:00:59.600
Andrew.
00:01:00.960 --> 00:01:02.640
Hello, Howard, hello everyone.
00:01:05.120 --> 00:01:06.400
So, what do you think, Andrew?
00:01:06.480 --> 00:01:14.560
What's got going on at the moment with all this uh situation of the three-day and 72 hours and uh uh lack of gas?
00:01:14.640 --> 00:01:16.879
And what do you think is going on yourself?
00:01:18.480 --> 00:01:20.159
There's a lot happening at the moment.
00:01:20.239 --> 00:01:27.040
I mean, we're seeing uh sort of geopolitical events around the Middle East and with Russia and Ukraine.
00:01:27.200 --> 00:01:34.239
So there are a lot of factors at play that will have uh a knock-on effect to us, the people that use energy.
00:01:34.400 --> 00:01:41.040
So, you know, we're already seeing the price of diesel go through the roof and shortages on the horizon of that.
00:01:41.120 --> 00:01:55.280
So I think things like diesel have a huge impact on on our lifestyles, because diesel is the it's the lifeblood of commerce, it's how everything is transported by uh diesel trucks around the world and of course by ship.
00:01:56.159 --> 00:02:17.280
So I think the the the effects we're gonna see with a shortage or an increase in the price of diesel will have a knock-on effect to us in the terms at the very least, in terms of increased cost of goods and services, but quite possibly uh even more of a detrimental effect on on our way of life uh as as a result of that.
00:02:17.680 --> 00:02:25.439
So I think in terms of what we can do about it is to partly reduce our reliance on on diesel.
00:02:25.599 --> 00:02:29.039
So I'm I'm trying to reduce the amount of time I I drive now.
00:02:29.120 --> 00:02:33.039
So I'm using my bicycle a lot more or walking when I don't have to use the vehicle.
00:02:33.199 --> 00:02:39.680
Or if I am using my vehicle, I tend to try and do multiple things rather than just nipping out and doing one or two things.
00:02:39.759 --> 00:02:44.719
I'll I'll try and make make my journeys by vehicle much more worthwhile.
00:02:44.960 --> 00:02:46.319
Even to the point of staying out.
00:02:46.400 --> 00:02:54.719
If I'm if I've got to go a long distance, I might stay somewhere just so that I can do multiple things without using um unnecessary amounts of fuel.
00:02:54.800 --> 00:02:56.479
So that's that's one thing.
00:02:56.719 --> 00:03:06.159
And if we start seeing real shortages of energy, then that could result in uh partial shutdowns and rationing of fuel and things like that.
00:03:06.319 --> 00:03:09.599
So having backups are a very good idea.
00:03:09.840 --> 00:03:23.360
And as we've talked about before on the channel, it's a really just a good idea generally to have alternative means of lighting and heating in your house just in case these things become unavailable, either in the short or the long term.
00:03:23.520 --> 00:03:28.719
So uh I'm a big fan of uh paraffin, premium paraffin as a as a fuel.
00:03:28.800 --> 00:03:31.120
It's very it has a very, very long shelf life.
00:03:31.199 --> 00:03:40.479
It's almost um it's about the only fuel really you can just put away somewhere, preferably somewhere safe outside the house, and it will be good in 10 years.
00:03:40.639 --> 00:03:45.360
As long as you keep it dry and keep it in good condition, it will last a very, very long time.
00:03:45.520 --> 00:03:49.199
And that can be used in oil lamps and paraffin heaters and stoves.
00:03:49.360 --> 00:03:52.639
So it's a I I think it's a very, uh, very useful fuel.
00:03:52.719 --> 00:03:57.680
It's it's the my I suppose my primary backup fuel for for a lot of things.
00:03:57.759 --> 00:04:02.080
So I've got um stoves for cooking that I use um that use paraffin.
00:04:02.159 --> 00:04:06.479
I've also got uh old vintage heaters that I I've got around the house.
00:04:06.560 --> 00:04:18.079
I've got several of those, they use paraffin, and of course I have quite a lot of hurricane lamps or the Fuerhand Um baby lanterns, which are a classic design, and I've got a few of those as well.
00:04:18.240 --> 00:04:24.240
So I can heat my house, light my house, and cook my food all using that one alternative fuel.
00:04:24.560 --> 00:04:25.759
Yeah, it's a good idea.
00:04:25.839 --> 00:04:26.800
Um same here.
00:04:27.040 --> 00:04:33.519
And going back to the the paraffin and diesel, of course, everything is based on petroleum and diesel.
00:04:33.759 --> 00:04:42.000
The kerosene you buy, the paraffin, candles, everything is based on on that uh premise of the petroleum situation.
00:04:42.160 --> 00:04:48.959
Uh, I remember uh many, many years ago, I remember that MP saying, get off on your bike to go look for work.
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Basically, I think we'll be cutting down on uh the petroleum, petrol, and diesel again on our bikes if we've got one.
00:04:56.000 --> 00:05:04.240
Um, but uh I as we were talking today, that it's horrendous weather out here is pouring down and blowing a gale outside here in my area.
00:05:04.480 --> 00:05:09.439
But talking about that, we did mention this before, but it might be worth mentioning it again.
00:05:09.519 --> 00:05:11.759
Some some of us of a certain age.
00:05:12.399 --> 00:05:21.600
Um remember the three-day working week in the early 70s, and of course, that was when um four days a week there was no no running power.
00:05:21.680 --> 00:05:28.879
Uh, alternate weeks you you didn't have for days on end, there was no electricity, you had no heating, uh electrical heating.
00:05:29.040 --> 00:05:33.439
I I lived through that, and I I I was fortunate, I was semi-off-grid.
00:05:33.680 --> 00:05:39.839
So I I those days started my experience of the prepping when in my late 20s.
00:05:40.160 --> 00:05:45.519
So I remember when after 10 days, candles ran out in the shops, for example.
00:05:45.680 --> 00:05:55.199
So candles and anything of a petroleum uh made nature may be a good idea to start thinking about uh preparing and stocking up on.
00:05:55.279 --> 00:06:08.240
And there are a number of outlets you can go to, like the pound shop, home bargains, and many other store sales that often have uh secondhand goods that sell these at very cheaply.
00:06:08.480 --> 00:06:21.759
So um I think that's uh I'm actually in the middle of writing up a piece on how to um manage your food stocks on a very low budget, and in fact, in some cases, you don't have to pay out anything at all.
00:06:23.519 --> 00:06:25.279
I think that's a really, really good idea.
00:06:25.439 --> 00:06:28.240
I mean, food obviously, most foods are are perishable.
00:06:28.319 --> 00:06:33.120
There are some foods that have a very, very long shelf life and can be kept almost indefinitely.
00:06:33.279 --> 00:06:40.079
But uh when it comes to things like candles, they're I think they're a good investment because, as you say, they'll run out.
00:06:40.160 --> 00:06:43.519
But the first sign of power cuts, people will go out and they'll they'll buy them.
00:06:43.759 --> 00:06:48.079
And the candles are very likely to be one of those things that are going to be hard to get.
00:06:48.639 --> 00:07:00.399
Whereas at the moment, there's no shortage of candles, and you know, if you've got the space to store them, I would say they're an excellent investment, and they're also something that you can help other people out with.
00:07:00.480 --> 00:07:10.319
If um if you have extended friend family and friends that maybe aren't as prepared as you are and you want to help them, then candles could be a useful alternative.
00:07:11.600 --> 00:07:25.279
Um, it's probably worth mentioning, obviously, if you are planning to use candles, that you should also have a fire extinguisher, fire blanket, and um utilize the necessary caution if you're using a naked flame to to light your house.
00:07:25.360 --> 00:07:27.199
But that should be common sense anyway.
00:07:27.519 --> 00:07:28.800
Yeah, it's a good idea.
00:07:28.959 --> 00:07:31.199
That's um how fires start.
00:07:31.360 --> 00:07:38.319
And of course, candles, the remains of candles are useful for starting up your wood burner or open fires if you've got one in the house.
00:07:38.480 --> 00:07:43.600
I've got one here and often use all bits of candle to uh make homemade starters.
00:07:43.759 --> 00:08:06.079
The other thing I I um look talking about wood burners, I've got one that juts out in in the house in the room, so I use uh a kettle and a coffee pot on top with um a metal plate in between the top stove to stop any cold water you know combining with the heat, the cracking, and that gives me more or less free hot water on and off.
00:08:06.240 --> 00:08:16.480
And the other good idea is to keep if you've got any spare thermoses or large or small thermoses, to any spare water you have after buying, so put back in the thermos.
00:08:16.800 --> 00:08:21.920
And that over I found that over a week it saved about£10 a week.
00:08:22.079 --> 00:08:24.399
Um, if you've got a family of three.
00:08:24.560 --> 00:08:28.160
Um, I worked it out to that, so well, that's quite a lot, it's£40 a month.
00:08:28.240 --> 00:08:30.399
So, you know, if you can do that, that's fine.
00:08:30.639 --> 00:08:37.279
But um, I I I I swear by that the wood burn, it's really good as long as you have it regularly sweeped.
00:08:37.360 --> 00:08:51.200
I clean mine every every year, I check all the lining, and uh I get very dry kill nine uh kill dried uh logs, they burn the best, they don't leave any uh sort of burnt areas in your liner.
00:08:51.519 --> 00:08:56.159
And um try and I I did used to do a lot of my own logging.
00:08:56.320 --> 00:09:01.360
Um as you get on a bit now, I cut down a bit, but I do use a lot of old seasoned wood.
00:09:01.519 --> 00:09:11.120
Try and ash is quite good, you can season that quite short in a short period of time, but I recommend you use at least uh 12-month-old wood or dry kiln.
00:09:11.759 --> 00:09:12.799
Yeah, same here.
00:09:12.879 --> 00:09:24.960
I mean, I've I have the advantage of managing a woodland as part of uh what I do with the bushcraft courses, so I tend to get all of my firewood for free, which is which is a massive uh advantage of being able to heat the house for free.
00:09:25.200 --> 00:09:29.200
And uh I've got some places where I store and dry my own wood.
00:09:29.279 --> 00:09:40.639
So I I I realize that's not an option for everybody, but if it is something you can do, it's you can save a lot of money and it it gives you that uh level of resilience to have an alternative way of heating your house.
00:09:40.799 --> 00:09:45.279
So that's uh certainly something I would consider if if you're in a position to do that.
00:09:45.759 --> 00:10:00.639
And the other thing, of course, is uh when the power goes out, whether it's to do the weather events, and I think this um I was only reading an article actually from new scientists this morning that talking about the Super El Nino is going to cause a lot of problems.
00:10:00.720 --> 00:10:04.399
Um, and the independence brought out an article as well as well this week.
00:10:04.559 --> 00:10:12.399
They're gonna bring a lot of problems this winter with exceptionally stormy uh weather conditions and going into next June.
00:10:12.559 --> 00:10:25.519
And even after that's uh completed, we still have the sort of after effects ongoing for some time, so possibly another hot summer and another mixed weather event in the spring.
00:10:25.759 --> 00:10:28.960
So I I keep an eye on that situation.
00:10:30.000 --> 00:10:37.919
Yeah, I think we're we are gonna see more extreme weather through El Nino and and whatever else is uh at play.
00:10:38.159 --> 00:11:00.080
Um and I just think it's a good idea to be prepared and you know to have a backup energy source in some way, um whether it's uh just the most basic candles and oil lamps, or maybe something a bit more sophisticated like a uh a lithium power pack, of which you can get lots of different sizes and varieties now.
00:11:00.159 --> 00:11:06.639
And there's lots of companies like um Jackery is is one company that does um very good ones.
00:11:07.120 --> 00:11:13.759
Anchor, another company that seems to be doing quite quite a lot of um different uh power packs and things as well.
00:11:14.080 --> 00:11:21.120
So shop around there, there are some really good ones out there, and get get the power pack that's suitable for your needs.
00:11:21.200 --> 00:11:27.600
So I mean the small compact ones are fantastic for for traveling if you're on the move, backpacking, things like that.
00:11:27.759 --> 00:11:45.200
But if you're working from a home base, then you can buy uh very large power packs, um sort of 1500 watts plus that will will do everything that you need, other than keep things like fridge freezers going, which tend that you'd need a pretty large system to keep one of those going on.
00:11:45.840 --> 00:11:51.279
But in terms of keeping LED lights going and that sort of thing, they're they're a very good choice.
00:11:51.600 --> 00:11:53.360
Yeah, that that company is good.
00:11:53.440 --> 00:11:56.480
Is Pow Pow Key is another one for about 90 quid?
00:11:56.559 --> 00:12:02.639
You can get a very large solar panel and uh 40 watt output on that, just enough for you.
00:12:02.879 --> 00:12:08.559
You mentioned all your your low-key laptops and um torches and that sort of thing.
00:12:08.639 --> 00:12:09.919
That'll keep you going.
00:12:10.080 --> 00:12:13.279
Um, another thing, of course, is the wind-up torches and lights.
00:12:13.519 --> 00:12:16.159
I've got one of those, and I've got a wind-up radio.
00:12:16.320 --> 00:12:21.759
If you if the power goes, it's quite useful to keep in touch what's going on in the outside world.
00:12:21.919 --> 00:12:23.759
Um, you know, it's a good idea.
00:12:23.919 --> 00:12:26.399
Uh, solar charges, of course, another one.
00:12:26.480 --> 00:12:30.159
Um, I've also got a kerosene heater that's uh quite good.
00:12:30.320 --> 00:12:35.440
Uh I noticed that the kerosene prices are starting to rise now this month.
00:12:35.600 --> 00:12:43.919
So if you've got any kerosene um lamps or or heaters, might be a good time now to look around with some bargain buys.
00:12:44.080 --> 00:12:46.639
I think that there were some on Amazon last week.
00:12:46.720 --> 00:12:48.720
Um, let's see how long they last.
00:12:48.960 --> 00:12:55.840
Um, and of course, household paraffin, um, not the um the outside paraffin, but the indoor paraffin.
00:12:56.000 --> 00:13:06.240
The other thing I I got which is useful, I use now and again, is um a caligas uh camping stove with uh two burners and a grill on top.
00:13:06.320 --> 00:13:08.080
That's often very useful.
00:13:08.159 --> 00:13:14.320
You can carry around, and it is it's quite uh very good for doing uh that sort of general cooking.
00:13:14.559 --> 00:13:20.000
Another thing I've got, and I think Andrew, you've got some, is the old um alcohol gel tins.
00:13:20.240 --> 00:13:22.960
Uh always useful to keep things uh warm.
00:13:23.200 --> 00:13:24.480
They last for six hours.
00:13:24.639 --> 00:13:29.360
They're not a brilliant thing at cooking, but if you're not in a hurry, uh they're great.
00:13:29.440 --> 00:13:30.720
What do you think of them?
00:13:31.120 --> 00:13:36.000
Yeah, I'm a big fan of um well, alcohol, gel, and methylated spirit stoves.
00:13:36.080 --> 00:13:43.679
So I've got a tranche and uh a couple of other compact uh spirit stoves which I use for for my trips away.
00:13:43.919 --> 00:13:48.000
And I I think it's just a good idea to have multiples of of lots of things.
00:13:48.159 --> 00:13:59.519
I mean, I'm I I suppose I have the advantage because I work in the outdoors, I tend to buy a lot of these things as part of my work, so I have a a lot of um alternative backups just through that.
00:13:59.840 --> 00:14:01.600
But it's um it's quite important as well.
00:14:01.679 --> 00:14:16.159
I think if everybody has some sort of alternative heat source, and if you can kind of keep them together, keep them so that they all use the same fuel, um that that sort of uniformity makes it a little bit simpler.
00:14:16.240 --> 00:14:25.519
But then as I say, I'm a I'm a big fan of methylated spirit stoves, the light trangiers, because they work very well, they they're they're pretty simple, they're very quiet to use.
00:14:25.759 --> 00:14:32.480
The only real downside is that um obviously they they need to be used outside or in a very well-ventilated place.
00:14:32.639 --> 00:14:34.399
But apart from that, they're excellent.
00:14:34.799 --> 00:14:49.440
I know the weather's not too good at the moment, but I always advise people if they got families to try and if it's got a reasonable weekend, go out uh camping with the kids and try out all your kit so they get all get used to using it.
00:14:49.519 --> 00:14:58.240
So when something does happen at home, it's all a matter of a matter of a methodical approach, and there'll be no panic, and the safety issue is is good.
00:14:58.320 --> 00:15:01.200
So I think that might be a good idea to to try that.
00:15:01.279 --> 00:15:10.080
Um I used to enjoy doing all that, taking the kids out camping and testing all these things out, and they and in turn they've grown up like that, you know.
00:15:10.720 --> 00:15:12.399
Yeah, I think that's what I mean.
00:15:12.480 --> 00:15:25.360
I I I guess my prepping psychology is based on the idea that if something goes wrong in the world, it we're all revert reverting back to um exactly the same methods that I use when I'm camping.
00:15:25.440 --> 00:15:30.080
So you're using the minimum of resources and trying to be as efficient as possible.
00:15:30.320 --> 00:15:36.399
Um, it may not be quite as much fun as going off on a big adventure somewhere in the mountains or somewhere in the world.
00:15:36.480 --> 00:15:50.879
Yeah, but you can turn your living room into a campsite and have have a you know, turn it into a little bit of an adventure, which uh which I I remember as a kid when we used to have power cuts back when I was a kid in the 70s and 80s, and it was a little bit of fun, you know.
00:15:50.960 --> 00:15:56.639
The cat the lights would go out and the candles would come out and we'd play board games and it it felt quite exciting.
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I'm sure the novelty would wear off fairly quickly.
00:15:59.919 --> 00:16:02.559
Yeah, I did that in the in the 50s when I was a kid.
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We used to have these um uh horse clothes dryers, you know, you can put up like an A-frame tent, uh, even in the lounge.
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We used to put that, have a little torch and read by the torch inside this little tent.
00:16:16.000 --> 00:16:21.279
So I think that if you're talking about preparedness at early age, that's that's a good start, you know.
00:16:21.519 --> 00:16:35.039
But I think um the thing, the problem issue is with and people realize now, is that the younger people, especially, have grown up with all these electronic gadgets, everything relies on power, uh gas, electric.
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We we've all gone too much reliant on it.
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It might be a good idea, as you say, to try and put some time aside to try and uh just even for a couple of hours to try and do some alternative um uh lighting.
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I often used to like reading by an oil lamp, it's quite atmospheric, you know, but uh those days are sort of disappeared.
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So that's why I think you need to uh if you've got these solar and um power banks, is to make sure that you've actually got them charged up, ready to use.
00:17:05.680 --> 00:17:10.480
There's nothing worse than uh down, where's that power uh charger when the power goes out?
00:17:10.799 --> 00:17:11.680
Is it charged up?
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It's very frustrating.
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Yeah, absolutely.
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Uh I think one of the best investments people can make in terms of power cuts is to buy, I always recommend several head torches.
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Yeah.
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Um, and the the head torches you can buy now, there's there's whole loads of different different companies.
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There's um Petzl are obviously one of the companies that's been around a lot.
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But um you can almost you know, silver are another company that are making some very good head torches.
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But I really like the rechargeable ones because they're rechargeable by USB, so they can be charged up from your got one here rechargeable,£9, uh with a long light luminous strip which lights up all 360 with emergency side light, you can pick them up on Amazon, 9 pounds, or two pairs for about£12.
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Yeah, and I always tell people, you know, don't just buy one expensive head torch because if you if you've only got one and you break it, you're in the dark again.
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But if you if you buy two or three reasonably good quality, but not necessarily the most expensive ones, at least if you break one or even two, you've still got um an alternative.
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So as we say in the world of preppings, two is one and one is none.
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So exactly find multiples of everything.
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I I got experience of that about 10 or 12 years ago when I spent um longer than actually I bought a very expensive petzel head torch, and uh I spent a week in the desert living in caves with the the Coptic monks, and within two days, this very expensive, well-known um uh head torch disintegrated on me, it wouldn't work at all.
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I couldn't get it to work, but wasn't the batteries, it was something inside that wasn't connecting to the uh electric side of it, so that was a dead loss.
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So we ended up uh having candles and um some of these flame torches that the monks use.
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So, yes, good advice.
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Yeah, it's a well I'm sure that was a good experience, but it's yeah, I think the lesson is always have a backup.
00:19:12.640 --> 00:19:14.480
And um, I mean I've made the same mistake.
00:19:14.559 --> 00:19:20.960
I've I've been on trips with just one torch, and um, yeah, if it goes wrong, you're you're you're in the dark.
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And I remember there was one in one time I was uh hiking in Cadridris and I was on my own and I was heading up and I'd left it quite late in the day to get up to the to the top, so I was doing it by head torch, and as I was getting close to the summit, I could hear people up ahead, and I came across uh an older couple who had gone up there for the day.
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I think the old the the older chap had bitten off more than he could chew, and he was moving very slowly.
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And of course they had no torch and uh they were trying to make their way down off the mountain in the in the dark, and I don't think it would have ended very well, but fortunately I I had a couple of spare head torches with me, so I lent one to them, which allowed them to find their way back down to the bottom of the uh the mountain, and then they left my torch um with a little thank you note on the um on the wheel of my car.
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You know, it it's a good idea to have these backups not just for yourself but also to help other people out as well, because not not everybody thinks the way we do, and I I've given up trying to convince people that they should think the way I do.
00:20:23.839 --> 00:20:25.759
So it's uh yes, I know.
00:20:25.839 --> 00:20:27.039
Well uh same with me.
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And I think uh only a report came out yesterday, uh funny enough, that only 40% of the population of UK, for example, will have any idea or or some kind of alternative backup either with food for three days or alternative lighting like torches.
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So that's how bad it is, and um that I think that's why we're seeing a lot of this thing in the media.
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The the other thing is if you've got these torches, put them in a uh a place where you know you're going to have find them readily in the event of a power outage, such as top of the stairs.
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So many accidents have occurred, trying to find the light switch or where you found left your torch, and people like falling down the stairs and go, and then of course, that you know what that entails, or by the side of the bed.
00:21:21.599 --> 00:21:24.480
I I've got one or two of these, quite very cheap.
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You can pick them up from some of the cheap shops, a couple of quid.
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Uh, reactive lights put on the floor that as you come about within eight feet, the light comes on.
00:21:34.319 --> 00:21:39.200
There are a couple of batteries, that's all, and they've they they go on for about 20 seconds.
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So you've got some light lightway, especially in a dark hallway or by the stairs.
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So as soon as you come approach them, the light comes on, stays on for about 20 seconds.
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So I I think they're they're quite useful.
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You can get them quite cheap as well.
00:21:53.440 --> 00:21:54.240
That sounds good.
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Yeah, the um things like that are always worth having.
00:21:57.599 --> 00:21:59.759
I've I've kind of moved away from anything that uses.
00:22:00.160 --> 00:24:51.440
disposable batteries now because I I find I I tend to either leave the batteries in and they they they go bad or uh yeah they'll you know i I just find them a bit more of a faff and if you if you store them without the batteries in then you've got to find the batteries in the dark and so I'm I'm a big fan of these rechargeable ones which um which are very very effective but it's a good idea to have uh a few different options some that use disposable batteries some that use uh rechargeable and uh that way you've covered your bases and you can also buy very inexpensive solar lights as well so you could leave those out to recharge in the sun in the day and then bring them into the house at night so there there are lots of things we're quite fortunate really to be around at a time when there are a lot of options available to us so I've got I've got a few in the garden um the uh solar lights you know strips of about 100 and get them quite cheap so um they charge up in a day and uh you don't need a lot of full sunlight sometimes just daylight what will uh charge them for some hours I think mine lasts about eight to ten hours uh especially especially these little security lights solar charge they're always useful um and and they can actually be charged up in itself with a uh a lamp so anything with a bright light source can can can do that so basically then we we need uh you're looking at uh torches whether it's solar or rechargeable or wind up a little bat uh radio that uh can be used I've got little um shortwave radio and which is useful because um when the things go up turned upside down shortwave is always on on the go um um got gas camping stone solar charges uh power banks uh oil lamps I think it's always well anything like that and you can people worry about a tight budget and I know the situation very well but you if you shop around you can get some bargains it's just a matter of planning knowing what you need and knowing what your family need and see what you can actually do to to cater with that yeah I mean that's the thing we all have different budgets in terms of what we're prepared to invest in uh in our emergency preparedness and obviously there are people who could have a their entire house set up with um alternative energy and be be completely unaffected when things go down but I'm not in that position yet I'm pretty sure you're not yet Howard but uh no it's nothing it's something I'm aiming for but for the time being it's just good to have uh I know I'm I'm fairly confident I've probably got at least a week's worth of alternative energy or um or alternative lights that will see me through and um and that's not including things like solar lights that will extend that beyond that limit.
00:24:51.599 --> 00:25:45.200
But what you said about 40% of people not being uh or for was it 40% of people are prepared or 40% are not is uh yeah for 40% uh yeah that um yeah that's right yes I would think that's a pretty high estimate actually yeah I I think it's the other way around you know but yeah majority of people aren't aren't prepared for you know to to cope uh with anything uh uh uh an a disaster or local um a power outage absolutely I mean I where I live now I'm you know in a a a relatively rural area so most people I think have got a little bit of space to store things but when I lived in London for a while a lot of my friends there lived in small one bedroom apartments or they didn't have much space and they would often just buy food every day so that they would they wouldn't really have a store of any food or a store of anything.
00:25:45.839 --> 00:25:59.680
So they literally within a within a day of something happening they would all instantly find themselves in a in a position where they had to go out looking for it outside which is the last thing you want to be doing when everybody else is trying to do the same thing.
00:25:59.920 --> 00:26:11.039
So I think what what prepping does it just gives us that bit of insulation that buffer against the upheavals of shortages and disasters and environmental things that might happen.
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And uh it stops us from having to be those people that go out buying up the last of the toilet rolls and the pasta when um when things are in short supply and yeah I mean as I've said before to you how it's one of the things that annoys me the most is the the way the media present prepping is uh when when something goes wrong and everyone goes out and starts buying up all the toilet rolls or the milk and the bread the the media refers to them as preppers going out doing this panic buying but yeah it's the opposite the the preppers are the ones sitting at home completely unfazed because they don't have to rush out and try and stock up on all these things at the last minute so yeah we need to change get the media on board there's um a very a brilliant cartoon clip in during covid when um uh there was a cat in the window and they had a message in front of it but please someone come and let me out I have a toilet roll I thought I thought that was but and of course the thing the the the the issue with big stores today is that um if it's a cyber attack everything goes down the all your uh frozen uh foods like I remember Marx and Sven's not so long ago had to get rid take out all their frozen foods overnight because they had a cyber attack and all the food that was perished no good at all um but this three-day turnaround on lorry transportation is going to be a nightmare anyway uh to to sum up I think it'd be a good idea if people could um look at that interesting um Sky News documentary if they can it's called what happens when the gas runs out it's about 20 minutes a very good report and I think it sums up everything what we actually were talking about today.
00:27:59.440 --> 00:28:15.680
So I'm hoping that all that information that Andrew I discuss would be of use to you and all I can say is be prepared be safe be wise survive thank you andrew for joining us pleasure Howard catch you next time okay thank you