Getting
Ready For Winter.
How
many of us actually prepare for Winter?
We
'Spring' -clean our homes and we get out and buy new 'Summer' -clothes in
preparation for the lighter and warmer months of the year but how many of us
actually prepare for the harsher weather months?
Since becoming a grown-up or a more mature,
young -twenty-something at-least, I have embraced responsibility and grabbed
maturity by both hands. I have done my best to take on the associated jobs with
a keen willingness. Assuming ‘grown-up-ness’ has brought with it feelings I
thought I would never have but what can I say, domestic bliss and being a
homely housewife is top of my priority list these days.
Now I am a fully-fledged House-Of-The-Wife,
looking after house and home and all that it entails I find it a joy rather
than a chore although I find myself doing and thinking about things I never
thought I would. Some may think upon me as a boring and bored country homemaker
but neither am I. For I wish I had many a more hour in ones day to get things
done.
You
see I think the secret to one’s happiness is in having one’s home “just right”,
to quote Goldilocks!
“Happy
Home = Happy You!”
Being
in a state of transition in one’s home, never feeling like things are done is
recipe for a minor disaster let me tell you!
Mr N
and I lived in our first home for 18 months and we never felt at home. There
were all sorts of jobs that needed finishing and as for house-wife, well let’s
just say that house and its wife had gotten a divorce. I mostly did my best to
keep it clean and tidy but there were just so many little and LARGE D.I.Y. jobs
that needed completing. Well if we’re going to
be completely honest some jobs needed simply starting! The list was as
long as my arm!
So
before long, we felt like we were just dossing at a house –similar to renting I
suppose (not that I think renting is a bad thing – I just never felt settled or
happy renting.)
So
Christmas week 2011, after 18 months of not ever properly setting in,
Charliepuppy, Mr N and me and our 9 little fish packed our little red spotted
hankies and set our SatNav due East. We vowed upon leaving our old house place
behind that we would make our new house a home.
In
making a grand effort to do so we continue to make sure things aren’t left
undone, well not for too long anyway. And this brings me back to where I began
earlier…
We are
making every effort to prepare for each season or change of weather properly.
Although we are still in the rusty throws of a crisp and crunchy Autumn, we are
indeed preparing our home for Winter, I know, I know I hear you telling your
computer screens that Winter doesn’t start really until December 21st officially the Winter Solstice. But in my book
one can never be too prepared! What with the weather here in Yorkshire and its
unpredictable reputation its always best to prepare for the worst. We saw snow
in late May this year!
In our
preparations for Winter, we have been carrying out several tasks and I thought
I would share them with you….
àMrs N’s Winter Preparations Checklist
ü Remove all build-up of leaves in gutters and around
drains.
(A build up of
leaves can cause longer lasting problems if left –such as causing a blockage
which leads to water that cannot drain away, which can overflow and damage the
stone or brick work and pointing this can sometimes soak through and cause your
home to be damp inside.)
ü Remove all rotting leaves on pathways and garden
flags/patios.
(When the weather
is wet and frosty it can be quite dangerous as it can be like slipping on a
banana skin! Moreover, a broken leg is never welcome especially over the
Christmas period, trying to put an 8lb. turkey in the oven whilst balancing on
a pair of crutches cannot be an easy task!)
ü Seal around the edges of windows and doors with
silicone sealant.
(This will keep
out those pesky drafts and keep the water/ creepy crawlies at bay too.)
ü Go out and buy some heavy-duty salt for your path/steps
outside.
(It is worth it, a
slip or fall is less likely when ice and frost are kept at bay. My wonderful
father in-law always brings us some over at this time of year.)
ü Get yourself a shovel for moving snow from your path
and around the car.
(It’s always handy
to have one just in-case.)
ü Stock up on bulky food items such as tinned foods.
(There’s nothing
worse that having to fetch heavy food bags home from the supermarket when its
wet and cold or icy and snowing outside,
making multiple trips to and from the car. It makes it easier to slip if you
are carrying heavy bags of groceries.)
ü Invest in some grippers that attach onto the bottom of
your shoes.
(They only cost
about £12.99 on amazon.co.uk and are extremely worth it, be careful not to wear
them if it is not icy or snowy because they can be dangerous on tarmac/concrete.
ü Check your household supplies for:
o
Candles
o
Torches
o
Matches
o
Cold and Flu
remedies
o
The numbers of
plumbers/electricians just in-case.
ü Dig out your hats, gloves, scarves and warm preferably
water proof Winter coats. Keep yourself warm and dry and reduce the risk of
colds.
ü Get some insulating covers for your outdoor pipes and
taps. (Outdoor pipes and taps can easily freeze at this time of year and protecting
them in advance could help avoid having to get a pricy plumber out when your
boiler stops working or your water is stopped because it is frozen outside.)
ü Make yourself some draught excluders for the bottoms
of your doors and help keep your energy bills down and your warm up. Have a go
with the help from: http://uktv.co.uk/home/item/aid/647259
