Cold Winter & Power Shortages predicted

Gemini · Post by **Gemini** » 19 Sep 2005, 07:14

http://thescotsman.scotsman.com/scotlan ... 1960012005

Maria · Post by **Maria** » 19 Sep 2005, 10:00

Homer's collection of camping stoves-three at the last count and covering a varied range of flammable materials

- may prove of some use then.

Out of curiosity how many of you still have a working fireplace? Unfortunately we don't

I am a bit of a candle horder though, as coming from the wilds of Teuchtarland I am well used to power cuts. It only took the slightest gust of wind and the lines came down - usually in the middle of some remote and inhospitable bit of moor and often just before a meal was cooked.

Homer spent his first Christmas with my family eating a partially cooked dinner (the turkey was always put on at the crack of dawn so it was at least safe to eat) and playing cards by candlelight. The 'realistic' log effect electric fire was removed from the fireplace, the fire stoked up with peat and logs and we all got 'tinker's tartan' from crowding round the fire. It wasn't that bad at all, y'know. I really miss the smell of a peat fire

PS
However, I don't miss the cutting of the peat and being surrounded by midgies

Dadaist · Post by **Dadaist** » 19 Sep 2005, 10:24

We have a real fire here at Dada towers. We go to the coal merchant at Craigmillar crossroads for all of our various log, coal and peat requirements.

Takes a while for the heat to spread out though, so the central heating does come in handy too.

We've now got two fireguards in front of it - one for those pesky occasional popping coals and one whacking big kid-proof one, which also stops inquisitive and daft cats trying to climb up the chimney.

foxy · Post by **foxy** » 19 Sep 2005, 11:10

Yet another doom and gloom scenario, probably with no substance, like the so called petrol shortages last week

I had a coal fire until a few months ago when I had it replaced it with a living flame gas fire purely for convenience, because I loved my coal fire

(PS I used the "Fireplace Studio" on the High Street who did a fantastic job...cannot recommend them highly enough.)

Oh well I may panic now an go and buy some tea lights and a refill for my Primus Stove

Mimpty · Post by **Mimpty** » 19 Sep 2005, 13:29

Marya wrote: 'tinker's tartan' :

Didn't know it was called that - great name!

Dadaist · Post by **Dadaist** » 19 Sep 2005, 13:37

foxy wrote:Yet another doom and gloom scenario, probably with no substance, like the so called petrol shortages last week

I had a coal fire until a few months ago when I had it replaced it with a living flame gas fire purely for convenience, because I loved my coal fire

(PS I used the "Fireplace Studio" on the High Street who did a fantastic job...cannot recommend them highly enough.)

Oh well I may panic now an go and buy some tea lights and a refill for my Primus Stove

Is that the guy in between the St Andrews and the photo place? We got ours from him too - nice guy, great service.

foxy · Post by **foxy** » 19 Sep 2005, 21:12

Dadaist wrote: Is that the guy in between the St Andrews and the photo place? We got ours from him too - nice guy, great service.

Yes that's the one...the proprietors Donald and Linda Gordon were superb

This weekend I have also received excellent service from Autoglass, Directline and Dyson...what a pleasant change

Sandra · Post by **Sandra** » 19 Sep 2005, 21:20

My gran and grandpa had a coal fire and we loved it as kids. Used to toast marshmallows - yum

dccairns · Post by **dccairns** » 19 Sep 2005, 21:34

Marya, if you lose power you are welcome to shuffle along the street in your slippers and toast your toes in front of our fire.

Maria · Post by **Maria** » 19 Sep 2005, 21:44

Thanks for the kind offer dc . If Mrs Porty can sprint down WBC in her pyjamas then I'm sure no-one will be bothered about me doing a shuffle in my Brentford Nylons goonie. I'll remember to take some marshmallows

Epykat · Post by **Epykat** » 19 Sep 2005, 22:02

We had a coal fire for the first five years we were here and it was lovely. However, it usually took about 3 hours before it was going enough to begin even thinking about heating up the room so last year we had it replaced by Donald Gordon and became another proud owner of a gorgeous fireplace and gas fire - now I can thaw out before 7pm! My friend and I were just predicting a bad winter this morning as we watched a flock of geese on the move down in East Lothian.

arachnid · Post by **arachnid** » 21 Sep 2005, 21:42

Sandra wrote:My gran and grandpa had a coal fire and we loved it as kids. Used to toast marshmallows - yum

I lived in a house with a coal fire until I got married and left home!!!
Didn't have central heating then either, and the Winters were much colder!
We were such a hardy lot then!!!!

Can remember, as children, my brothers and I scraping the ice from inside the window!!!

Drove everyone crazy with the scraping too!!!

There's nothing like a real coal fire!!

Apart from the work entailed to light it,

and the mess when cleaning it out,

AND getting the chimney swept!!!

Epykat · Post by **Epykat** » 22 Sep 2005, 17:31

My Mum had a coal fire in the front room which was only lit on Xmas Day. I have an abiding memory of my Dad melting a plastic bucket when he was putting coal on the fire - probably the most exciting bit of the day after I'd eaten my orange and spent my shilling

Maria · Post by **Maria** » 22 Sep 2005, 17:56

I remember scraping the ice off the inside of my bedroom window too Arachnid. Maybe coal fires aren't that great after all. *boom,boom*

My primary school classroom had an open coal fire and after playtime, we used to put our empty crisp bags on a poker and shrink them in the heat until we had miniature versions. Well, we didn't have Gameboys or Scoubidous to amuse us back in the dark ages of the 1970's.

My son delivered his 'manifesto' (his words not mine

) to his classmates last week during his election as pupil councillor and said that his 'number one priority' was the state of the school toilets. I tried to make them his 'number two' priority but he wasn't falling for it

Anyhow, I told him about my Primary school toilets which were unheated, outside, constructed of wood and lacked a roof. It was freezing in the Winter.

He just thinks I make these things up

arachnid · Post by **arachnid** » 22 Sep 2005, 21:27

Now why would your son think that you make things like that up, I wonder!!!

When I went to " Towerbank" and the old "Portobello secondary school" the toilets were also outside, didn't have heating either so it was quite a thought to "go" when it was freezing!!! We did have the luxury of a roof though!!!

Ah yes, those were the days!!!