I've set off to do my walk three times today, and each time I've been interrupted. Tonight I finally finished it. I went out this morning, got to Janet's house round the corner and saw her new car in the driveway so I stopped to have a look. She invited me in for coffee and a natter. Then it was time for lunch so I went home.
I set off again just after lunch, and a bit further on past Janet's I saw a skip parked on the driveway at Karen's house. Wow some interesting stuff in there so I knocked the door to ask if I could take some things. She said, take anything you like. They are moving from a big four bed detached to a small cottage. I sorted through it and stacked some things on the side and went to get my car. Straight back home, and set off again to do my walk.
I got a bit further the next time, and blow me down, found another skip. It was full of garden waste, looked like they had removed some decking. On the top was a large brown ceramic table lamp. I got it out and could see that the people were in the living room. I was going to knock on the window to ask if it works, and ask if I could have it. When I got close I noticed that the two people in the room were sprawled out on the sofa fast asleep. I decided not to disturb them so just took the lamp.
It was a bit bulky to carry and I didn't know if it worked, so I called in to Christine's house to ask if she had a bulb to fit it to test it. Yes, it did work, so I scrounged a carrier bag off her to make it a bit easier to carry. I decided to cut my walk short and went straight home. Tonight I have been out again to finish the walk, in doing so I had another look in Karen's skip and found a few more things. She said they have the skip for a week, so I shall be going back again, it's on my walking route.
Anyway, this is what I found. There isn't much that I will be keeping, most of it will be donated to our cat stall, and to charity shops. The big round table lamp I shall be jazzing up with some colourful crochet.
There are seven new box files, an old Italian sewing machine which doesn't have a cable with it to plug it in. I was hoping it would be a hand one. A machine for polishing the car. A new electric drill, I will keep that. There is a bag of all sorts of small items. It would have taken too long to sort them out so I have brought the whole lot home. There is a 6ft artificial Christmas tree, a clothes dryer. Dumbells, head torch, chess set, two jackets, a kite, a basket, little footballers, and perfume,
Thank you all for logging your walking miles. It's brilliant that people are still keen to carry on. If you haven't yet clocked in you can go back to that post any time.
Just a little note about the search facility on the side bar. If you want to see if I have written about a particular subject in the past you can put a few key words into the box and it will come up with a selection of posts.
That's all for tonight. I'm going to wind down, all this excitement of skip diving has tired me out, ha ha. Thanks for popping in, we'll catch up soon. Have a nice Sunday.
Toodle pip
Well done what a great haul!! May we have a closer look at the perfumes please Ilona, I can't make out which ones they are- if I'm looking through people's skips, I like to see everything they've chucked! Hehehe! Jokes aside, it always amazes me what people throw out. Such a waste. I was thinking of you today as I was painting my shed, mines a bit boring. But. I'm going to jazz it up, I'm going to get the tester pots of paint and paint a beach scene on the front I'm thinking. Did you get yours from B and Q did you say? Xxxx
ReplyDeleteHi. No, I got some from Woollys when they were closing down, 4p each. Some fro the Scrapstore, and some from Wilko selling them off at 10p each.
DeleteThe perfumes are David Beckam Instinct, Intimately Beckham, and Justcavalli.
I'll sleep easy now that I know that- nosy, me?!! I don't think I'll get my paint as bargainous as yours but I'll have a look around. A bit of green, yellow and blue should do it!
DeleteI never throw perfume away,I will always use it somewhere.I used to work on a perfume and cosmetics counter years ago and have only recently stopped my addiction to buying it.These days a bottle of typical perfume costs £40.I only use it very rarely now.Great things there Ilona-I like the look of the jackets too.I must find my headtorch-it's somewhere around x
ReplyDeleteI was a bit gutted last night..My Mums neighbours cat has gone missing so we were allout there calling his name,knocking on loads of doors in area to see if he maybe could be in their sheds.As i was walking round with no success,i came to a garden that has about 35 bags outside..plus a computer chair...with a big sign saying....Do not ask for anything.You can see that there are Christmas bubbles and trimmings,in one of the bags!!.It then said that the Scrap man is taking it so to leave it alone.I was even more gutted cause we couldnt find the cat and most of this stuff the scrap man wouldnt be wanting..Why just didnt they leave a note saying ...Help your self???.People living nearby,say its been left there over a week.Bothers me that most of it will just end up in landfil,Debi,Leic,x
ReplyDeleteI would have knocked on the door and given them a right mouthful.
DeleteNew electric drill, car polisher, box files etc.,wow, what a haul ! You have been busy. We have a funnier name round here, we call it skip ratting. Lol.
ReplyDeleteDid a bit of fiddling around with my phone, and found something to try. Maybe this will work better, will see. Jean.
Omg - can you believe that those items were just discarded. How wasteful - I can't understand- why not take them to a charity shop at least. I would have thought it will be a standard fitting on the sewing machine - I would hang on and check. You could ask them if it's lying about anywhere. Well done - it wouldn't happen round here as we are generally all in the poorer income bracket - I've never spotted anything decent in a skip - a skip is a rarity in itself as it costs money 😂😂 Happy skip diving - keep up the good work !!!
ReplyDeleteI know you don't do Christmas (or keep it in your own way) but that Christmas tree would be fantastic to display your felt Christmas tree ornaments that you sell at your cat stall :) Great finds. I love people who keep things out of the landfill, no matter what you do with it
ReplyDeleteWow and wow again, those are great finds, and lots of them. It is pretty amazing what some people throw out, rather than donating or recycling; I am glad you rescued the stuff.
ReplyDeleteYou would think that they would have sold the drill - can't believe what some people just throw away. So wasteful. Glad it's got a new home with you as much better than it all going to landfill. Sally xx
ReplyDeleteThis is an exciting post for me. I haven't had much luck skip diving, there seems to be a distinct lack of skips in my suburb, but yesterday I was gifted an apple TV which made it feel like all my Christmases had come at once.
ReplyDeleteI'm amazed too by what people chuck out too - no imagination! They must have oodles of money is what I say. Natalie
ReplyDeleteWell done Ilona on finding some wonderful items for your charity. Why didn't the owners take it to a CS wonder what you would have found at the bottom if the skip. The only things round here on skips is rubble and earth or empty oil cans. We sometimes see things outside a house but that is usually fifthly dirty or broken.
ReplyDeleteEnjoy the day,
Hazel c uk
To be fair, they started de cluttering weeks ago when the house was sold. They took stuff to charity shops. Now the deadline looms when they have to move out, so they are tackling the last bit in the quickest way, by hiring a skip. I shall be keeping an eye on it until it is taken away.
DeleteAt least your cats charity will benefit.
DeleteHazel c uk
I would love to have the box files! When my husband was home for his father's funeral two years ago he tried to find me some box files. He couldn't find one anywhere.
ReplyDeleteI would say they are priceless!!
Helen
those older Necchi sewing machines were workhorses. hope you can get the fitting for it. Try Helen Howes who has a stock of stuff for older machines.
ReplyDeleteThey obviously dont do Gumtree ....believe me you can sell anything on Gumtree. Failing that why not put it on freecycle rather than skip it. Good job you came along to savd some if that stuff I absolutely hate waste. Rae x
ReplyDeleteThriftier than Thou here again, Ilona.
ReplyDeleteI have also hit the jackpot with a couple of nearby skips in the past few days: Enough good quality hardwood to keep the wood burner going for much of the winter/two very good old fashioned brooms/a little tablet-style computer which looks as though it might come back to life/plant supports for sagging tomatoes and there's also an artificial Christmas tree there which cost 54 pounds originally apparently which we are thinking of taking. The gal whose skip it is is usually a bit stand-offish, but since knocking on her door and asking if she minded me taking stuff she has been extremely friendly!
Other skip finds: a lovely fire surround which our neighbour kindly fixed to the wall for us in return for some courgettes from the allotment, and a fantastic old fashioned dresser, two bedside tables which I painted up, bookshelves, knocking round the house clothes, huge pots for putting trees in for our tiny garden, sewing stuff, etc etc
It really is the most enormous fun! My husband used to find it embarrassing but he no longer shows any particular surprise when I appear at the back door with a fire-surround over my shoulder!!
T than T