Mundane News

[Andy in Germany]

Looks like someone's bolted a cut-down door to a pair of cast iron legs. Does have potential, though...

It is, or rather was, a very nicely made tabletop, clearly built with some care. Unfortunately someone then dumped it outside for a few years which hasn't helped matters.

Either way I want a 1m x 2m table so I'll have to make or scrounge another top.

 

[Andy in Germany]

I think my Brother was consumed by guilt at not being on good terms with my Father.

I felt (thought) that he was trying to throw out my Father's possessions without any thought.
My distraught Mother was witness to all this, but my Brother could not keep a civil tongue in his head. There were, of course, items up in the attic that belonged to my Mother.

Broken people who don't sort out their brokenness often end up damaging others, sadly.

 

[biggs682]

I've been sent to Wellingborough now.. 🤯

Hope you got the normal friendly welcome ??

 

[biggs682]

Well that's my working week completed , bring on some weekend miles

 

[PeteXXX]

Hope you got the normal friendly welcome ??

Last visit, I was on my bike and there were men wearing skin tight white hotpants...

Not so this time, though

 

[Speicher]

Broken people who don't sort out their brokenness often end up damaging others, sadly.

Yes, I wholeheartedly agree. Over the following ten or so years, my relationship with that Brother ended with him refusing to speak to me.

The other Brother, much closer to me agewise, could not be more different. He also had a disastrous relationship with my Mother. However he single-handedly sorted the contents of her house, mostly good furniture, china, bed linen, clothes and items from their travels around the world. He also "dressed" the house for sale and, as "chief" (?) executor, oversaw the sale.

 

[fossyant]

Sadly you are being very logical, in a good way.

When clearing someone's house after a death, logic could be in short supply, or non-existent. (Present company (@fossyant ) excepted.)

Three of the most traumatic days of my life were spent clearing the attic of my Parent's house a few years after my Father's death. My mother was still living there. My Brother was supposed to be helping me.

His idea of "help" was to put everything in the skip, including artwork created by my Uncle for my Brother. It was a beautiful panorama about fifteen feet long depicting the Bristol skyline.

Also an antique rocking horse kept by my parents for my niece, until she had a house and children of her own to put it in, and about umpty-twelve other items of sentimental value.

He should have just left me to clear the attic. I would have brought down the good, usable items and gradually re-homed them. Years ago everyone kept the boxes from things they bought, so they could be removed last, with all the resident spiders and flies.

There was room in the house for the larger good items to stay until their new owners collected them.

We've had not just her mum's stuff, but her dad's and brother's to clear (brother's stuff wasn't touched and left in the garage for 15 or more years) FIL died about 8 years ago. They've made progress but one sister keeps taking 'junk' to her house to 'sort' - she's taken 4 really old ink jet printers - to even check they work will cost dear in ink, and none have been used for 8 years - I think she wan't me to 'fix them', but I've said no way.

 

[classic33]

Sadly you are being very logical, in a good way.

When clearing someone's house after a death, logic could be in short supply, or non-existent. (Present company (@fossyant ) excepted.)

Three of the most traumatic days of my life were spent clearing the attic of my Parent's house a few years after my Father's death. My mother was still living there. My Brother was supposed to be helping me.

His idea of "help" was to put everything in the skip, including artwork created by my Uncle for my Brother. It was a beautiful panorama about fifteen feet long depicting the Bristol skyline.

Also an antique rocking horse kept by my parents for my niece, until she had a house and children of her own to put it in, and about umpty-twelve other items of sentimental value.

He should have just left me to clear the attic. I would have brought down the good, usable items and gradually re-homed them. Years ago everyone kept the boxes from things they bought, so they could be removed last, with all the resident spiders and flies.

There was room in the house for the larger good items to stay until their new owners collected them.

That "logical" part was so that only stuff from the house being cleared got put in the skip. None of this "we can dump it there" from the rest.

I've an idea what you mean about throwing stuff. My grandfather wanted the crane, from over the fire, out of the old house. No-one else would go in, so I got it out. In three pieces, as it was damaged when the roof was knocked. It now sits in my aunt's garden as one piece.

 

[classic33]

We've had not just her mum's stuff, but her dad's and brother's to clear (brother's stuff wasn't touched and left in the garage for 15 or more years) FIL died about 8 years ago. They've made progress but one sister keeps taking 'junk' to her house to 'sort' - she's taken 4 really old ink jet printers - to even check they work will cost dear in ink, and none have been used for 8 years - I think she wan't me to 'fix them', but I've said no way.

Stick to yer guns on that bit.

 

[Speicher]

Yes, I wholeheartedly agree. Over the following ten or so years, my relationship with that Brother ended with him refusing to speak to me.

The other Brother, much closer to me agewise, could not be more different. He also had a disastrous relationship with my Mother. However he single-handedly sorted the contents of her house, mostly good furniture, china, bed linen, clothes and items from their travels around the world. He also "dressed" the house for sale and, as "chief" (?) executor, oversaw the sale.

I did offer to help, but he said he could do it alone, by staying there for a few nights at a time. He, of course, carefully kept a record of the costs involved.

 

[Speicher]

We've had not just her mum's stuff, but her dad's and brother's to clear (brother's stuff wasn't touched and left in the garage for 15 or more years) FIL died about 8 years ago. They've made progress but one sister keeps taking 'junk' to her house to 'sort' - she's taken 4 really old ink jet printers - to even check they work will cost dear in ink, and none have been used for 8 years - I think she wan't me to 'fix them', but I've said no way.

After eight years of not being used they will be jammed up with ink and dust. As you say, a new ink cartridge to try them out, is the road to nowhere. They can go in the receptacle for electrical items at the skip.

 

[oldwheels]

In those circumstances I would hire a skip. Bearing in mind the cost of your petrol, and the size of the skip it would be easier, imo. You can spend more time emptying the house, and less time driving to, and queueing at, the tip and putting things in the right receptacle. The sisters can then pay one third each of the cost. You do not risk lots of creepy crawlies in your car.

Last time that I had a skip outside the house, I put things at the side of it, and then some people had a use for the item, for instance

Giant sheets of bubble wrap went to someone for insulating their green house.
Large quantities of clean cardboard went to a second hand book shop
Old hot water tank went to someone who was building a ground source heat pump ...water "wotsit".
Lots of plant pots (small, black, non-recylable) went to someone starting a nursery.
Garage door was given to someone whose garage door was even older than mine.

I think the skip was filled three times over, but only collected once.

We used to get an annual council skip for garden rubbish but they discontinued that without telling anyone. At about the usual time of year a skip appeared which somebody had ordered for a house clearance. Before they could get started on the clearance it was full of garden rubbish dumped by others who did not know it was a private skip.
Red faces for hundreds of yards in each direction when the mistake was found out. Most forked out a bit of cash to get the skip emptied on a communal basis and returned empty.😊

 

[oldwheels]

Not that, but I may have found a new one:

View attachment 653874

It may need a bit of work though...

Sand down then a light coat of varnish followed by antiquewax applied using fine steel wool. Sounds strange but I was given this tip by a furniture restorer and it gives a nice finish.

 

[Andy in Germany]

That girl's really earned her ice cream

Totally get what you're saying. Kids bikes, especially the ones at the lower end of the price spectrum, are essentially seen as disposable. Why fit good parts to something that's going to be used, abused and then binned? Or ignored, and then binned.

That was about half way. Unbelievably as we went through the last village but one she expressed a desire to go to a Playground.

Both my Wiggins bikes were very well-specced for the money - Claris on the road bike, along with Microshift brifters and Tektro brakes. The hybrid has an Altus drive train and matching trigger shifters. Can't remember what the mechanical discs are, but most probably Tektro as well. I take care of my stuff, so there's life in that lot yet. Shame they've stopped making Wiggins bikes, as they were a good alternative to Frog at that particular price point.

The Raleigh on the other hand... The only components left from the original bike are the canti brakes and the seatpost. Everything else was given the grand order of the boot. Plastic brake levers... FFS!!! It's such a shame the components were made of cheese, as the frame itself is nice (albeit a touch heavy) and feels very sure-footed on the gnarly stuff.

I hear you. I have to either totally rebuild the nexus gears on Tinybug's future bike (sitting in the cellar) or get her a new one; I've got my eye open for anything useful that comes in.

And, yes, the plastic brake handles thing, what is that about? Worse, plastic brakes... Awful.

 

[Andy in Germany]

After eight years of not being used they will be jammed up with ink and dust. As you say, a new ink cartridge to try them out, is the road to nowhere. They can go in the receptacle for electrical items at the skip.

I thought "Offline" was the default setting for printers? "Jammed up" is just a variation on the theme...