We have had a decided change in our weather today, with
overnight temperatures dropping to 12 degrees Celsius. Today is mostly sunny but there is a pleasant
coolness to the breeze – autumn is coming!
What I wonder about, is how did the pet rats know? Last evening, before the temperatures
dropped, the both of them were busy shredding the newspaper on the floor of
their cage before carrying it up to a top corner and making a ‘nest’ with it. This morning we found them fast asleep
beneath their pile of paper, cuddled up together for warmth. Animal instinct never ceases to amaze me.
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| An autumnal sunset scene |
Son and I cleared everything out of the laundry today. We are reorganizing the room in an
effort to make it more workable. The upright
freezer has been in this room, blocking access to the laundry tub and taps, so
we have now moved it outside into the garage where the chest freezer already
lives.
 |
| Starting to empty and defrost the freezer |
The freezer
needed to be emptied first and I took the opportunity to defrost it. I place a bowl of near-boiling water in the
freezer to help this process along, and use a freezer-scraper to help dislodge
the ice that seems to accumulate around the pipes.
Not everything
made it back into the freezer. I found
one package labelled 2014 (shock, horror!!). Another couple of things found were rather ancient and
suffering freezer-burn of their contents, so they have also been disposed of. I need to get back into keeping a freezer
book so this sort of waste does not occur again.
 |
| Moved, sorted, cleaned - the freezer in its new home |
I am very
thankful that son is much like his father was, and enjoys being a home
handyman. The microwave has been moved
to a strengthened shelf (no room for it in our tiny kitchen), and my next job
is to organize the shelf where our cleaning and laundry products live.
Son has made
a new shelf – it is too high for me to reach easily, but it will be great for
storing things like extra toilet paper. For
around forty years now I have made sure we have extra toilet paper on hand, as
we ran out once when the manufacturing staff went on strike (thankfully my
mother had extra).
I mention
this because it is being reported that Australian supermarkets are running out
of toilet paper as there has been such a rush on buying it because of the COVID-19 threat.
Would you
know what to do if you ran out of this rather essential item?
Margaret.
I gather that some Auckland supermarkets have also been running out of toilet paper.
ReplyDeleteI need to clean out the freezer too. I’ve tried writing down what’s in it but it doesn’t work for me. I can’t be consistent with it.
ReplyDeleteThe first photo is a pretty one, and your laundry looks neat and tidy! I went grocery shopping today and was surprised to see TP was pretty much sold out!
ReplyDeleteGreat pink sky.
ReplyDeleteI always keep quite a supply of toilet paper. What is funny, I had never did that till probably started in 2017, and then in 2018, I fell and had 3 breaks, and had complications where I was off my feet for much longer than normal. I could not drive, and Roger not really safe to drive. I was so glad I had it.
ReplyDeleteAlso, if you have a blow dryer for your hair, that can really come in handy to defrost a freezer. (or thaw a frozen water line.)
A hair dryer sounds like a great idea. I'll have to try it next time.
DeleteOhhh, are there pics of your rats? Clever guys they are for sure!
ReplyDeleteYah. Defrosting, just did that 3 weeks ago. Ours looked much worse... and, yes, some stuff went into the bin. How can the years slip by so fast?!
A freezer book is a great idea!!!
OH! Toilet paper-strike! Help! We also have a shelf for extra that I only reach tip-toeing.
In case... oh, my! Here we ran out of desinfectant.
Hand sanitizer is another thing that is becoming hard to find, and tonight we hear that our most common painkiller (paracetamol) is made in China and imports are not happening at the moment so that will be another rush in the shops.
DeleteGood on you for cleaning the freezer and making necessary changes. Your son is a good old kiwi handy man!
ReplyDeleteI haven't noticed any panic-buying of TP or other products here. I have always been the kind of person who has to have "back up" of all essentials so we could probably go 3 months without having to buy any.
ReplyDeleteDefrosting the freezer is always a big job I don't look forward to. We have a chest freezer inside and another outside which we share with son and family. Both get defrosted each summer.
I always keep loads of toilet rolls, at least 4 spare in both bathrooms, and another big pack in store, and there is only 2 of us. Daughter will pop one in her bag if she is getting low. Our supermarket here in UK are still looking good, but we do not live in a big town or city.
ReplyDeleteHello, pretty skywatch! You are blessed with a son who likes to help, my son like to be a handyman too. Hubby like to stock up the pantry and paper goods. Enjoy your day, wishing you a great weekend!
ReplyDeleteA freezer book sounds like a great idea. I once read that many people ultimately throw out so much old stuff that it eliminates any savings from bulk buying, and of course there is the cost of the energy to run the machine.
ReplyDeleteGetting organized is something I really appreciate! We went shopping yesterday at Pac N Save and there is a 2 pkg limit on TP! I still don't know how TP relates to a flu virus!!
ReplyDeleteI keep a list on the fridge of what is in the deep freeze and what is in the fridge freezer. It helps me keep organized and to be less wasteful!
ReplyDeleteYes TP buying is nuts...if I ran out I would make some wipes out of old towels and wash them...recycle!