Installing Indoor Cat Tree

[ali-s]

-12oc around these parts last night. Very frosty this morning, but thankfully no snow yet.

 

I let the Chickens out this morning at 8.30am and gave them a breakfast of hot pellet porridge and a drinker of warm water. Just been back to see them and the porridge has started to freeze and the water also has had a very thin layer of ice forming.

 

The central heating boiler is working overtime so I must check the level of oil in the tank or else we might get very cold.

 

I have tried in vain to drag, sorry take the dog a walk this morning but she is having none of it and is curled up next to the radiator.

 

So today will be spent inside keeping warm and dreaming of Spring.

 

Hope every one else is keeping warm too, especially in the parts of UK with all the snow.

[Richard and Jo]

sounds a bit too cold for me. Any snow? None down here.

[Guest]

Deep snow here and snowed again overnight with a layer of ice on top. Same here with - 7 overnight.

 

When I opend the egg port I actually felt the warmth against my face - so will never doubt the good insulation of the Eglu or that the chooks might be cold.

 

I am doing indoor things as it really is too dangerous to venture far. OH is doing his Scott of Antartica and gone out to see if he can get some milk from the village shop - but we have long lasting rations of it in case

 

Ditto with my oil heating - a bit of a worry when it is difficult to get a refill in adverse conditions. Although we did fill up late summer

 

Keep snuggled -

[Lesley]

We topped up the oil at the beginning of December as we have run out before in January three years ago when I was laid up with my leg in plaster. No-one checked the oil and it ran out and then we had to wait for an oil delivery and also for an engineeer to re-commission the boiler - not much fun when you can't even walk let alone move around to keep warm

 

All our snow has gone now, we had a sprinkling overnight but it has warmed up to around minus 1 now - minus 4 last night.

 

We always get 'underfloor freezing' in the bathroom whenever there is an Easterly or NE wind - I hate it . Because the bathroom is in a loft conversion, it comes in under the eaves at floor level

[Karen & co.]

Cold here last night, -7 and only -1 at midday

 

OH flew to Ireland at 6am this morning, pretty chilly trip to the airport (to see v. poorly father)

 

The rest of us were due to meet up with friends dogs etc. and go for a ramble but it was called off due to the littlies getting too cold, even though ours have ski gear, a few others don't and it's not nice being frozen, best stay inside and snuggle up!!

 

Karen x (keeping fingers crossed for snow)

[SarahJo]

Its nippy here too ..... Graham was at the Airport working at 6am .. home tonight though. Just had the boys and pup out for some fresh air ... all returned red cheeked (except Tori ) and have just had hot chocolate.

[ubereglu]

Snowing down here and it's v. v. v. cold. Chickens had huddled up together on the the back doorstep and were making a nuisance of themselves!

[Cinnamon]

We were doing well temperature wise until Christmas Eve when the Carbonmonoxide detector suddenly showed a dangerous level from our gas flame sove in the living room.

We now just have the radiator on...but it is behind the tree which is really suffering.

 

Very chilly here too tonight

[ali-s]

Well I had to change their drinking water 3 times yesterday because it froze.

 

Managed to convince our dog Scooby a walk was a good idea, so we went down to the beach. It is very strange walking on frosty frozen sand. 20 minutes out in the cold was enough for both of us as I got an headache, like a brain feeze when you eat icecream to fast.

 

Today the frost and ice has disappeared and now it is raining. It feels a lot warmer too.

 

The Chickens will be sweating in the Eglu as I covered it with blankets and rugs last night to keep them cosy. Think I had better let them out.

[chocchick]

Yeah, I have been taking water inside every night, only for it to freeze during the day yesterday. Have bought glycerin now to put in water. Actually got carried away bought 20m green covered chicken wire to give them a temporary smaller run so they are less scaredy, (and ultimately to block off the holes they found in the hedge) a tray to put some compost in for a dust bath and other half put in some barley grain stuff for chickens in the trolley at the supermarket.

Had to go into the lab today for half a day to put liquid nitrogen in our v expensive magnets. It is very dull, now waiting for the lorry to bring us gas, had to get here about nine and involves lots of waiting around. Lucky there seem to be lots of new replies on the forums.

[Lesley]

Chocchick - there was something mentioned a while ago about not using glycerin in chickens water - my memory has gone AWOL so hopefully someone else will come along and put me right.

[Night Nurse]

I remember reading that as well, Lesley...however, Citricidal (which we all swear by) contains glycerine......

Mindyew, you have to use a helluva lot to stop the water freezing!

[Cate in NZ]

Off topic- sorry , but I had to say "hi Andy", I've not seen you on the forum for a while.

Were you working all over Christmas?

Back to topic, I'm finding freezing water a problem too- not sure what I'm going to do when the children are back at school and hubby & I both back at work, as we're currently changing the water 2 & 3 times a day . Citricidal doesn't seem to make any difference- it still freezes

Edited December 30, 2005 by Guest

[motherhen]

Well we were below freezing all day yesterday - lost count of the number of times I had to replace ice with water for the girls and the wild birds. I live in the most densly populated area of Newcastle (only 20 min walk from M&S and John Lewis ) so we get a lot of the "warmer temps in city centre" effect. Dread to think what it was like for people in rural Northumberland and Durham Dales

 

However today temp is rising and the precipitation is more rain than snow

[Night Nurse]

Hi, Kate!

This is the one place we're allowed off topic!!!!

 

Yes, I did work Xmas, and am back on the Noctes for New Year......Was going to post a self-pitying message at about 4am on Christmas Day, but got a grip instead

 

Back on topic- agree re: Citricidal - have given up trying to prevent freezing, and just put warm water out when I get in from work in the morning!

[Cate in NZ]

Festive times are when nights are the most deadly, in my opinion. Everyone makes an effort during the day, the all in it together attitude so let's have a laugh, but by nights there's too few staff around to make the effort anymore, and the patients are sleeping

Midwifery was better on nights though - I delivered the first baby born in Sidcup one year

I'll raise my glass to you on your nights tomorrow night

Are you around for the Kew get together in Jan?

[chocchick]

I heard about adding glycerine from the Omlet site.....

[Aylana]

I too am not far from the city centre in Newcastle (8 mins on the bus) and I am sat in the house cold even though I have the central heating on full! The roads are treacherous round here and we ended up going for a nice little slide on the ice in the car yesterday down near the metro radio arena No damage done but not much fun.

 

I really want to do some shopping in the sales today but haven't managed to work myself up to braving the cold yet!

[Guest]

Aylana are you anywhere near Quayside? My son is helping a friend move today there so just wondered what it was like.

 

Here in Norfolk we had had snow now for a few days, freezing fog yesterday and blizzards today. Yes really, no exaggeration, it is deadly.

 

Of course I was out in it to let out the chooks, feed the mash with warm water, warm water with a couple of drops of citricidal.

 

I am so glad that someone had the bright idea of using shower curtains to cover the run with. I used two so that it is totaly covered so always dry for them. The big pen is deep in snow. Everyday I have been shovelling into a pile around the edges and raking up the wood chips so that it is fresh and soft. I did it early this morning, as the snow had stopped - didn't realise my efforts would be wasted in less than an hour.

 

The girls go to run around up until then though and are now in their covered run. They have all they need, plus greens to eat, and the temperature has risen a bit so their water should be alright until lunch time, when I will venture out again in my wellies and layers of clothing and golf brolly! I will take more warm food for them.

 

One thing I will mention - the Eglu really does do it's job and when I opened the egg port I could feel the warmth on my face and the two eggs were still warm. No condensation, ice, nothing, and really you could not have got worse conditions than here overnight.

 

There is another 4inches or so on the roof of their run again!

 

Keep your fingers crossed that we do not get power cuts

[Aylana]

Kooringa I am about a 10-15 minute drive away from the quayside, I don't think it will be much different from me ie lots of snow and occasional light rain. Not the kind of weather I would want to moving house in!!

[Guest]

Oh NO!

 

His friend has to be out of the flat before lunchtime as they have to catch the ferry to FRANCE where they will be living. They have to drive to Luxenbourg to stay with T's parents over the weekend. Poor poor things.

 

Gary has a new born son, and is helping T (no one else to help I don't think).

 

Oh well, worrying will not help will it. I don't want to phone his mobile as they must be so busy.

 

I will do a sunshine dance But not outside in the blizzard. Any fancy joining me

[chocchick]

I think if we all do a sunshine dance together (inside) it may just be enough.

Still at work, waiting for something to finish so I can pack it away and go

Apparently our chickens have gone back inside the eglu as too cold. It needs to warm up so I can see them again (without cruelly opening the egg hatch and letting in a draught and perhaps snow/rain )

[Aylana]

I will do a sunshine dance (in the house) also. I'm sure the move will go fine and when they get to France it might be warmer there!

[Cate in NZ]

Bizarrely we got a weather report for Cannes along with the UK weather last night, not at all sure why, but I'd missed everything before- literally just switched on for the weather.

Anyway I can tell you that it's likely to be 3oC in Cannes with rain today. Considering Cannes is the French Riviera and generally the warmest part of France that doesn't sound too promising. Warmer than Teeside though

[Guest]

After donning best summer clothes and turning the heating up to do my summer dance (joke) I got a call from my son this afternoon to say that Thierry changed his ferry crossing to tomorrow - so I will have to go through the whole performance of dancing and worrying again! Doh

 

He asked why I didn't phone his mobile, and I said that I did not want to be a nuisance if he was in the middle of carrying things down the stairs.

 

He said that he wouldn't have answered his phone anyway??????? No I can't work out the logic either - must be something he inherited from his dad!

 

Despite the weather forecast on TV saying that we have rain here in Norfolk, where I live there have been bad blizzards all day, but late this afternoon there was sleety rain, but it made not one iota of difference and we still have snow up to the chooks bellies!

 

So I might do a rain dance and see if I have more luck with our local weather.

 

Off to bed to get the energy.

 

 

P.S.

 

My chickens like warm chopped ripe nectarines mixed with cooked cut up fried bass skin!! They ate half an icecream tub full!!