Putting the basics by will get me through all this

There are lots of mixed messages right now. We’re all told to stay home yet we can volunteer or help others. Confusing. I’m just staying home. Protect our NHS that way.

WITH reference to Fred Turnbull’s letter “Shoppers not selfish, just being prudent” on

I thought your readers might find the following interesting.

I was born at the beginning of WWII and, from an early age, I noticed my Mum storing tinned goods in a cupboard in one of the bedrooms, preserving eggs from our hens in isinglass (also called waterglass) in a large crock in our cellar and drying apple rings on a string attached to the fireplace. Every piece of string, brown paper, elastic band etc was saved, as was clothing to make rag rugs.

I must have inherited this habit and have a store of tinned goods on a shelf. I hardly throw anything away which I think might be useful.

In September, all three of my daughters, their partners, my six grandchildren and other relatives came from as far afield as St Just in Cornwall, Chislehurst in Kent and Droitwich in the Midlands to celebrate my 80th birthday.

During the weekend, one of my granddaughters, Eva age 15 saw my stash of tins and asked, “When’s the apocalypse?” and everyone laughed.

Five months later my middle daughter Lisa posted the following on Facebook.

“When we visited my 80 year old mum in September, Eva saw all my tinned goods and asked, ‘When’s the apocalypse?’ We all laughed. Who’s laughing now? (Bronwen – that’s who )”

I replied that she hadn’t seen the contents of my two freezers, but I forgot to mention the soap, toilet rolls and cleaning products I store in a cupboard at the top of the stairs.

This means that I have not had to panic buy and I can make nourishing soups and meals from items I already had before Covid-19 came on the scene which will see me and my husband Stan through quite a few weeks of self-isolating.

The only things I will need in future are fresh fruit, vegetables, bread and eggs which my daughter Vicky and family will, hopefully be able to buy for us. I have also been online and found out that I can store eggs by whisking them up and freezing them – due to be tested tomorrow morning when I have scrambled eggs.

Still, I do think some shoppers are being extremely selfish by clearing supermarket shelves.