Emergencies come unexpectedly, don't they? That is why they are called emergencies.
They are unpredictable, seemingly random events that can bring chaos and mayhem into our ordinarily orderly lives.
But is there anything you can do, before the emergency occurs to make it easier for when or while it is happening? Well, I have a few suggestions, which I will lay out below.
Icy Remedy; it is a good idea to keep a spare, full pack of frozen peas in the deep freeze.
The pack will come in handy when used instead of a made-up ice pack, which can be a bit fiddly, especially if your in a panic because your son has nearly amputated his finger of if you are in a daze because you've fallen off the step-ladder changing a light bulb.
It is much easier to grab the pack of frozen peas and apply it immediately, than to have to go upstairs for a clean tea towel, then get the ice out of the ice cube mold and try to tie the corners of the tea towel together.
Minor Burns: if you scald or burn yourself over a small area, cut a slice off a potato, rough up its damp surface to release its goodness and apply it to the wound.
Hold it here for about 10 minutes.
If you do it fast enough, you will completely avoid any pain or blistering with this old Afghan remedy.
Hornet Stings: my Thai wife was stung five times by hornets, whose nest she had inadvertently disturbed while gardening.
She immediately hit the nest for six with a spade.
I thought that this was out of rage, but she picked some of the grubs that had fallen to the ground and rubbed them into the stings, which apparently had started to hurt very badly.
Instant relief.
The swellings, which were like the top of an egg within seconds, went down within the hour and she suffered no more than the initial two or three minutes of pain.
Fish Bones: many people avoid fish because they are frightened that they will get a fish bone lodged in their throat and need an operation.
This, of course, rarely happens and is one of mankind's illogical fears.
However, if you swallow a fish bone and it gets stuck in your throat, mix up a strong solution of bicarbonate of soda and water.
Drink and follow it 10 minutes later with a ball of dry bread.
The bone will soften and be borne away to your stomach, where it will be dissolved by your stomach's digestive acids.
Oil On Troubled Waters: if you get into the bath with your watch on, it will be ruined, if it is not waterproof.
However, if you remove the back plate and fill it full of cooking oil, it will prevent it going rusty before you can get it to the jewelers.
The jeweler-cum-watch-mender will be able to remove the oil and return your watch to you in full working order.
Unfortunately, this tip does not work foe electric or battery watches, but then that is modern technology for you.