Becoming Domestic

As someone who used to have a job as a crisis management coordinator for a big global firm. I realised this weekend while talking to my uncle about oil prices and how heavily our island society depends on oil to transport food that my young family is currently woefully ill-equiped to cope with any kind of disruption to everyday services.

Yes we do have a few potato, tomato and courgette plants growing but we certainly do not have enough basic supplies to keep our family healthy if there was ever an emergency which meant supermarket shelves ran empty (eg. no haulage firms willing to transport food if oil costs soared to unprofitable levels).

I’ve decided to invest in a contingency stock which will include enough food, water, basic medicines, washing equipment and enterntainment for us five if something untoward creates chaos in the supply chain to supermarkets and shops. I’ll need to store it all in the cellar in lidded crates so no errant rodents get to it before me.

My uncle’s stock consists of the following:

• Dried beans, mixed lentils, tinned foods, etc, and plenty of the basics such as tea, coffee, soap, toilet rolls, washing powder etc

and he assumes he would use water from a nearby rive or rainbutt. I would have to add children’s items such as kids’ painkillers. Our wind up radio and wind up torch may also come in handy.

Apparently it is key to check your stock every 6 months and use/replace items which are near their sell-by date.

It won’t take much effort or cash to put together these rations but may well be a real life saver if the unexpected occurs to our delicately balanced society which depends so heavily on various factors.

In the long term we’re putting plans in place to equip ourselves with skills which would be useful in leaner times (eg. rearing chickens and other animals for food, carpentry or plumbing, fishing, shooting), brushing up on first aid knowledge and also looking out for mechinal machinery which doesn’t require electricity (eg. carpet sweeper, hand operated drill, a rotary lawn mower, scythe).

If at the end of our lives we haven’t needed any of the things then we can pass them on to our children and they can do the same but at least we will have been prepared (one of the campaigns I ran when I worked in crisis management was “Expect the unexpected!”).

[NB: My crate of Tesco Value contingency food stuffs was delivered yesterday. Here’s what we now have in a dedicated crate to enable us to stay healthy for approximately 1 month. The sum total was £50 but would have been £37 without the 2 x Value Vodka!]

5 x Tesco Value Tinned Sweetcorn
10 x Tesco Value Instant Mash
10 x Tesco Value Baked Beans in Tomato Sauce
5 x Tesco Value Spaghetti in Tomato Sauce
10 x Tesco Value Tuna Flakes in Brine
4 x Tesco Value Long Grain Rice
20 x Tesco Value Bacon Flavour Instant Noodles
3 x Tesco Value Dried Skimmed Milk
4 x Tesco Value Eveporated Milk
5 x Tesco Value Clear Honey
3 x Tesco Value Jam
5 x Tesco Value Still Water (2 Litres)
2 x Tesco Still Water (5 litres)
5 pack of child resistant lighters
4 x Boxes matches
4 x toilet paper
2 x Paracetamol packs
2 x Ibuprofen packs
2 x Calpol packs
2 x Tesco Value Vodka
1 x Tesco value toothpaste
1 x jar instant coffee
1 x  bag tea bags

A sobering story of how deadly meningitis can be

Today I was in the supermarket checkout queue with my twins after their first ever swimming lesson. We were all tired and grumpy and my daughter was pulling her brother’s hair and wouldn’t let go. The woman in front of me said to my girl ‘Oooooh that *hurts* when you pull hair!’ which shocked the overtired tot so much that she started wailing. The poor woman was mortified and immediately tried to get Edie to cheer up by asking her all about swimming. I told the woman I could tell she was a parent as she had such a lovely manner with my child and asked her how many kids she had. I was unprepared for the response that she now had two but three years ago she was mummy to three.

Not being one to shy away from such topics I told her how sorry I was for her unimaginable loss and asked how old the child had been and what had happened.

She showed me a picture in her wallet of the most beautiful child I have ever seen and told me her name was Emily Davidson and she had caught meningitis when she was 7 but she would have been 10 years old now. Obviously I was weeping by this point.

Apparently Emily was her youngest child and was so hot and poorly that she phoned the doctor and NHS direct who both advised paracetamol and plenty of fluids. The next morning she found her dead in her bed.

What a story. I couldn’t believe it as have never really thought of meningitis as something which could actually harm my children - just assumed it would be unlucky others who would have their lives blighted by grim tragedy.

As a tribute to this lovely brave woman and her poor dead child I’m going to type out some info I have on a card in my file about mengitis symptoms.

Her parting words were ‘If your kids ever have a terrible fever take them to the hospital and don’t take no for an answer’.

Meningitis Symptoms in Babies:

• Fever - possibly with hands and feet feeling cold
• Refusing feeds or vomiting
• High pitched moaning cry or whimpering
• Dislike of being handled, fretful
• Neck retraction with arching of back
• Blank staring expression
• Child is difficult to wake, lethargic
• Pale blotchy complexion

Meningitis Symptoms in Children & Adults

• Vomiting
• Fever
• Headache
• Stiff neck
• Light aversion
• Drowsiness
• Joint pain
• Fitting

NB: Some bacteria that cause meningitis can also cause septicaemia (blood poisoning). Septicaemia can develop quickly. The spots or bruises do not turn white when pressed. The rash must be taken seriously & a doctor called immediately.

Always keep a note of your doctor’s name and number in your wallet and also the location of the nearest hospital with emergency facilities.