Beth from BabyMac introduced me to the idea of doing #onething (complete with hashtag – though I’m nowhere near cool enough to pull off a hashtag) last year. The idea is to try and do one thing that is not on your everyday list. Not the essentials in life, but the things that you always say “I really should…” (usually this thought occurs just before you go bed or some other similarly inconvenient time).
In 2016 I’m embracing the idea of getting more of these bits and pieces done, and first up on the list is getting our first aid kit up to date and fully stocked.
In December Hannah had an unfortunate run in with her cousin on a peewee 50 (motorbike), where the peewee 50 won. While Hannah was OK, she did get a burn on her arm where the motorbike landed. Of course we did the full first aid and ran it under cold water for a long time, but we then needed to keep is covered and clean so that it wouldn’t get infected. I grabbed our old first aid kit, and made do with what we had. While her arm has healed, I made a mental note that we needed to get a much more comprehensive first aid kit than we currently have.
Out here, it is quite a drive to the hospital, and the chemist (also a good drive) closes at 1pm on Saturday, and doesn’t open again till Monday. Accidents always happen on Saturday afternoons or public holidays (just my experience). For the past four years (yep – since we moved here), I have been meaning to get a fully stocked first aid kit, and just never remembered at a good time.
Nearly a month later, I have actually ordered a first aid kit stocked with multiple bandages and everything else we might possible need – fingers crossed we never do. While I was at it, I got a smaller kit for both of our cars.
So with my one thing done, I’m feeling very virtuous.
Have you got a first aid kit? Get on to it now! What’s next??
I have basic kit here in apartment. When we had place in bush at Wollombi we had a much more comprehensive kit. That was needed as we were building with lots of scope for injuries and rocks to climb and dry creek beds to tumble down etc and more. I did not buy a commercial kit. I have a friend who was in St John ambulance and had been for many years since a cadet in his teens. He gave me a list of basic supplies and quantities and I stocked it myself. He said some kits have too much of some thing and not enough of others.
That kit, in tins to keep things clean, lived on top of the fridge and new visitors were shown it on arrival. Rarely needed, thank goodness.
Also on top of fridge was a separate snakebite kit with lots of crepe bandages of different widths and lengths. Thankfully, never needed but we were over an hour from any type of medical help at Cessnock. Again in a tin. Black snakes, browns, tiger and death adders were all seen.
I bought a big canister from op shop and stocked that with candles, lots of shapes and sizes and several boxes of matches. We were last place down the electricity line and had plenty of blackouts with fallen branches on wires, lines down in wind. It sometimes took electricity people a while to find cause of power outage.
Top of fridge position was handy and available and nothing else went there.
What first aid kit did you get? This is something I have been meaning to do.
We got our from here. I’m super impressed with how well thought out it is. http://www.survivalfirstaidkits.net.au/