Cold and winter

The house

Lag pipes, know the stopcock, and bleed radiators while the boiler still works. A small leak in a freeze is a flood in the thaw. Clear gutters before the rain sits in them. If you use solid fuel, have the chimney swept and a carbon-monoxide alarm that is in date.

Store drinking water indoors so it does not freeze and split. A frozen barrel is both a mess and a shortage. Torches kept in an unheated shed deserve lithium cells or a plan to bring them in.

The body

Hats, dry socks, and a windproof layer beat another gadget. Keep a wool or fleece layer in the grab bag even in September. Wet clothes are the emergency; a bin bag is a poor raincoat and a fair vapour barrier in a pinch. Eat. Cold people who skip meals get clumsy.

If someone is shivering hard and confused, that is not “toughing it out”. Warm them gently, dry, with sugary drinks if they are alert, and get help. Know the signs before the night you need them.

Food in the dark months

Appetites rise and shops get busy before storms. Top up oats, soup, tea, and tinned fruit in October, not on the morning of a red warning. Log a winter inspect date for the fuel canisters and the blankets. Holdfast will not remind you the loft is freezing; you set the date so it does not have to guess.