Space, the final frontier

I don’t know about you but I’m always looking for more space. Space to store stuff, space to grow stuff even space to keep livestock.

I’m not at the stage yet where I have any livestock though. I’m looking at chickens, ducks and fish. Potential for some rabbits and maybe a goat depending on how much space I can acquire in the next year or so.

I’m not happy about storing things on other peoples property or storing things in these storage warehouses that have expanded over the last few years. Unlike the US the Stasi here have easy access to these stores and even perfect;y legal items will have to be proven yours and its function explained. So unless you know someone you can really trust or a location that is not likely to be searched then you must keep things closer to home. Plus can you get to your stuff when you need it? Potentially not.

This means that I must make the most of my own space. To do this I’m always looking for new ideas on where to expand on my property. I’ve already fitted out the loft and I’ve also fitted out a unused front room and I put all my stores in boxes and containers there. I’m looking at a few caches out in the garden instead of my sheds and garages. Both are full of the many items that I have gathered over time. I’ve pretty much filled all the available space

So that leaves two areas for me. Up and down. I’m looking at putting solar panels on the roof to reduce the electric bill and putting a shallow garden on the extension and garage roof to grow crops in. The produce should be out of the sight of most people although not my immediate neighbours. The panels though are more of an issue. These panels are going up all over my area and they certainly attract the eye. I can only see me having the potential to put up some aerials but little else above ground.

That leaves me with down. I’ve not dug down on my property for a long time. It isn’t the best soil in the country and it is hard to dig. I’d have to use a mini JCB or something similar to dig any significant amount. Because of the garden layout I would only be over looked by two neighbours although I could put up a blind for one the other I just couldn’t hide from. In saying that they go away for several weeks of the year and those times would be ideal to dig down.

The problem I have is that a small JCB will enable me to bury caches but not much else. I certainly couldn’t build a panic room or a bunker. Not that I want one of those anyway but my problem is that although I can live in my little home it is the aftermath when the hordes that are going to be looting for food that I am trying to cover. That means I need a panic room or a bunker as well as some caches.

So, I decided I’m going to cache and store in my home but move to another house and use that as a panic room. My home will be my stores and potentially written off but as long as the food and water are not discovered then it will be fine. I’ll simply live a few houses away.

To prepare for this all I need is to move into an abandoned house and take a BOB with me. Enough for a few days food and water and the tools to access my caches.

All to mitigate my main risk. The hordes. I’m not expecting many where I am but you just have to prepare for it.

Until I can get my 5 acres smallholding anyway. Then it will be more traps and disguises.