[Bodger]

My must have has got to be a damned good fire to come into and red hot water for a nice soak in the bath at the end of the day.

, we are busy stocking up on logs, we are running out of storage space!
I love the idea of a nice hot soak at night but as we have lodgers who use the bathroom I do not feel that I can take a soak and have them all forming a que for a wee!

I'd tell them to p*** off !

[Rosemary]

What you need are hot flushes - I'm never cold 

[funkyfish]

Lol rosemary! :-)
I'm hypothyroid so I'm always cold! My thyroid is not happy at the moment, have upped my dose but won't feel well for a few more weeks. .. hopefully before the weather gets cold! I need double the layers to stay warm.

Will def invest in sealskinz they look fab!

[Victorian Farmer]

High pressure looks like building next week and the prospects for the the last third of August look very good with a lot of fine and warm weather which could stay with us for the bank holiday weekend.

[funkyfish]

woo hoo thanks VF!

[Anke]

Good quality, non-scratchy (but hopefully still wool) thermal underwear... saw a pair in Tiso's, but it was reduced    to 35 quid... Is that how much you pay for good quality long johns nowadays?
 
 
 

[ellied]

On my budget even those prices are not in my budget, I can't imagine paying £35 for anything to wear for myself these days

I had a couple trees taken down after last winter damaged roots, so they wouldn't fall on the house or hens, paid in 2/3 of the wood so have a smaller stack than usual but it's stacked and ready and it was better than finding money to pay someone.  I am looking at a couple of others wondering if I should have had them down too before any high winds, but they'd not season in time - may still be worthwhile for peace of mind tho..

My farmer (Dunlop?) wellies at £12 are heading into a third winter undamaged, the coats aren't that waterproof now but I have kept the older zipless one as a spare, and when I save up for waterproofs to step into like my vets I know now where to find them, so thanks

I've got a supply of oat straw to supplement the rather too nice hay so the fatties don't explode eating it ad lib, my preparations are more how to deal with the ones that need a little more but are mixed with ones that don't, how to arrange supplementary feeding rotas for the different field combinations, that kind of thing.  And mental preparation for the return of deep mud, which I find particularly challenging..

[happygolucky]

What you need are hot flushes - I'm never cold 

but then you cannot summon them up when needed....mind you, I only get cold sitting around, when walking the dogs I often get too hot and steamy.....I hate wearing hats.........I have given up caring what I look like in a  hat but they either fall over my eyes or pop off!! I get more concerned about slipping in either mud or ice...good soles are my priority and lots of layers!!

[Ina]

Good quality, non-scratchy (but hopefully still wool) thermal underwear... saw a pair in Tiso's, but it was reduced    to 35 quid... Is that how much you pay for good quality long johns nowadays?

Lidl do much cheaper ones at times - depends on how sensitive your skin is; I'm fine with them. Mostly wool/angora. Lived in them last winter, day and night!

[jaykay]

And if you keep your eyes open at Aldi, you can get good ski underwear/hats/gloves/socks at reasonable prices.

[Bodger]

I've been preparing for next winter since the end of the last one. Like most people, I love getting something for nothing and this is especially so when it comes to getting fuel in to see us through the oncoming cold weather. I have a couple of sources for wooden pallets and I manage to get some most weeks. Here are some pictures of my stash and I'm still adding to it.
 
 

 
 
 
 

 
 
 
 
The electric saw soon makes them woodburner size.

[happygolucky]

woooow Bodger, I love playing with pallets, I so want to build a shed or something with them, we collected a load that were nice and clean too but build log stores out of them, some in the garage and some in the garden, all self supporting!!!  I have pallet envey

[AndynJ]

Well its nice to see that others are as planned as us, we have 3 baskets of logs by the fire 2 days ago, bought new willies in the summer sale, I use sealskin socks (brilliant), I wrote a list of jobs to do prior to end September and I started them yesterday, just bought 2 more roles of insulation.
We too get pallets but we do have lots of tree cuttings that are 10mm to 100mm
I need to find a way to cut them up quicker though (any suggestions) as we also supply a couple of our lodge guests with wood as well so we used about 10 cubic metres last winter.
I have 8 cubes cut with another 4 not cut up yet, I will buy in 2 cubes of large oak to mix with my small stuff.
Bodger whats this electric saw you use ?
We also made paper briquettes last winter I thought they were rubbish wife liked them.
 
 

[MAK]

Thermal socks and long vest ABD layers that I can pull of quickly when i come in and the fire is bashing it out.
Wellies when wet but snow boots when its dry and cold make a fantastic difference.
I must have a scarf otherwise I feel cold all thru.
It is very rare that I use gloves - odd really.

[Bodger]

First word second line? I hope that's a slip of the tongue.