There are advantages to having dogs. Going out early in the morning or in the late evening before the bin truck has been means that we see things people have thrown out.
Wandering back home after one of my walks, I spotted – in the dark – what looked like a decent chair. I hauled it inside and plonked it in the hallway and then went to boast about my acquisition to Partner. And to ask him to bring it upstairs as feeble me was not up to it.
‘It’s probably tat,’ he said.
Cheek. Who was he to define my taste as tat?
He reluctantly went downstairs to retrieve the tat chair.and came back somewhat surprised.
‘Oh. It’s decent.’
Well yes. Why would I have rescued a tat chair? Huh?
‘In fact it’s a shame there weren’t more. It’s better than the ones we have.’
Well yes.
I like the high back and the smooth lines. I wonder why they threw one out? What has happened to its siblings?
Next up, Partner was doing a house clearance for someone, and cleaning the house.
Nice piece of black granite here. Don’t think we’ll throw that out. Fits nicely on top of the cooker where I do food prep.
And yesterday, out for my evening stroll, I noticed an interesting mirror by the bins. I debated whether to take it home first before someone else nabbed it but instead legged it round the block and, it was still there.
It. Was. Heavy. Like the chair, I dropped it in the hallway for Partner to collect.
‘Oh, I saw that,’ he said, ‘when I was out with Tosca/Snowy.’
‘Well, why didn’t you get it?’
Shrug.
But he went downstairs and brought it up.
‘Oh. It’s quite nice.’
I’d like to put it in the bathroom where we have the worst mirror ever. But it won’t fit in terms of space and really it needs to go on a tallboy. Which, we have at the finca.
I suppose we don’t technically need it. But it seemed a waste to leave it lonely and forlorn on the street.
Yes, the mirror needs a clean, and that is not my forte. The strange Chinese warriors came from a neighbour when he got sick of his Chinese phase. The table …
Meanwhile, this morning Partner was traipsing down the town for something or other.
The chief minister wandered out of a pharmacy with his kid in a pushchair and nearly knocked someone over.
‘Morning Fabian,’ she said.
Surreal. A chief minister with no security at all, and addressed by someone on first name terms.
I can’t quite imagine ‘Morning Teresa’ or ‘Morning Donald’ as they do something as mundane as going to a pharmacy at 9am.
And no. I am so not going to write about Trump. Or the people who voted for him. And endorsed misogyny, racism, homophobia, xenophobia.
Some more evening walk pix:
That chair really is very nice! And I like the way the Chinese warriors look like they are dancing in the mirror. Well done for rescuing these wonderful pieces of furniture – and who throws out granite slabs, for goodness sake?! (It is nice to read a non-Trump article :) )
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I like the austerity. It’s almost Shakerish.
I don’t actually like clutter. Apart from my own of course. But I am getting used to the chinamen. And the bird. And the couple. And the two large pots. And the umbrella holder. And everything else our neighbour gives us on his purges. None of which I want but, there we go.
We have an abandoned marble slab in Spain too :) Not as good as granite because marble stains. But beggars can’t be …
I did think about breaking down the demographics and looking at the criticism of white women voting for him, but, it just didn’t grab me. So to speak. Whereas pikeyness does.
To me, it’s like Brexit, the result is as, and people need to accept it. I agreed with Brexit but not with Trump. But Brexit wasn’t about voting for a person, not Farage, or Johno, or Cameron. To me, it was about principles. Whether that was about erosion of British sovereignty, immigration, the job market and reduced wages, or sheer racism, or the second home in France (Greece, Italy, Spain, Portugal), was up to the individual.
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I think it is a very cool way to gather furniture and such, it makes for a very eclectic home, no doubt!
I am a Brexiteer also, my reasons being that the EU is a foul and corrupt organisation that isn’t fit for purpose. Immigration doesn’t really bother me and jobs and the economy will always go up and down. But having a bunch of un-elected mandarins sitting in Brussels telling us what to do and with their snouts firmly in the trough – that really does bother me!
I think the Trump election was very much like Brexit – so many people felt so let down by the ‘system’ that they would literally vote for anyone who wasn’t more of the same. The fear of the unknown became less scary than the fear of the known. He is a vile and despicable creature but -w ho knows? Some good may yet come out of it all. I suppose only time will tell.
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My furniture is a mix. I did get sick of cast-offsand hand-me-downs not to my taste, but taking from the street at least means I can choose. Or reject.
Indeed Brussels is surreal. EU regs are farcical. And, being old, the UK did not go into an EU but an EEC. Big difference.
Yes, people voted for different with Trump and Brexit. But, I don’t see Brexit as a right vite. Many/most Brexit supporters I know are left.
Anyways, I don’t need to post about Trump. I can talk about it in comments :D
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I like the chair and mirror.
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Me too. Functional and pleasing to the eye.
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How is solid waste managed? You pay a flat rate or is it ranked
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Gets picked up by the bin people. Included in our rates. Rates are charged per sq mt.
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I will add that to my notes in approaches of solid waste management
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Should have said, apart from all that, it is incinerated :(
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Incinerated to generate power or just to reduce the volume?
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Just to get rid of it rather than landfill. I think. I’ll have to check with He Who Knows More.
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Similar in Spain. Throw stuff by communal rubbish bins, emotied daily, anything decent gets picked up and recycled. Included in local council charges, ie Spanish rates. Again charged by sq mt per house.
Both places have plastic/tin, paper/carton and glass recycling. I’ll be taking some paper this evening when I go out.
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Oh, I love the treasure trove of discovery – the chair is lovely and I have a couple in the same style at home – yep, just the odd one! The figurines look so animated in the mirror, midst in battle. Lovely photo. Imagine, meeting the chief minister like that. In Sweden there was no security for any government minister, even the Prime Minister, until Olaf Palme – unbelievable in today’s world, until I read your post. Enjoy your finds and good luck on new ones!
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Thanks Annika.
I must post the other gifts, rather than pikey acquisitions. They are quite nice.
I’m frightened of falling on the spears of the warriors, but otherwise I think they are ok. I like to think they are protecting my house.
A few years back the justice minister (?) was stabbed in the street, but otherwise, life is pretty calm and one does run into ministers from time to time. Not necessarily wanted, I might add …
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Like your style!!!
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Our style is thrift. Simple as that.
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I need neighbours who throw out stuff like that! :) :)
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Missed a bedside table/cabinet. Idiot partner sad, ‘Have a look on your walk’. It. Had. Gone.
Also, no supermoon pix. Flipping cloud. Great evening!
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Could do with a 3 piece :) :) Getting it home could be a problem though. Cloudy here too. Sort of watching Murray.
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Three piece suite? Two armchairs and sofa? Got my mum and dad’s. Grew up sleeping on the sofa. Still do :D
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:) :) Ours is probably as old.
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Ours has suffered slightly from one of the dogs attacking the insides. It’s also been recovered three or four times (not by me). Originally it was moquette or whatever it was called. Some ghastly beige beige stuff that looked pitted. The last time involved a fringe round the bottom. I sewed it back on for my mum when it fell off but as soon as I got it, I just ripped it off :)
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I love a bit of enterprise. :) And pretty sunrises too, and we have one of those this morning. The clouds did part long enough to view Mr. Moon but he didn’t look very super to me. Must have looked from the wrong angle :) :)
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Would love to know why that chair was thrown out. The kind of thing you would pay for in a second hand shop. The story of the chair
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Mmm. Agree. When we bought the flat it came part furnished which included table and four chairs so we managed to sell the chairs for £10 each :) This one is much better. But yes, why get rid of just one chair?
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Better than those modern plastic ghost chairs you find these days. We also have an odd chair I believe it was a Bentwood. Used to belong to my grandmother and my brother left it here. Every chair has a story.
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We pick up any chair. Mostly.
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I love the way your fingers echo the arm action of one warrior in the photo.
Also love that you can find lovely furniture like that on your walks. I once got an armless upholstered chair from our parkade dropoff (when we still had one). Was light enough for me to easily get upstairs, and solid enough that it will support anyone.
My sister is really big on recycling, and drops off things she finds at places that can actually use them. Habitat for Humanity gets all kinds of building supplies and furnishings; and second-hand stores that send all profit to specific causes (such as refugee groups, women’s shelters, hospital fundraising…) — and sometimes gets wonderful things when shopping in these same places. She really disliked my couch set (that I’d inherited from my other sister about 20 years ago after she’d raised three boys on it) and found another one that she thought I’d like. I went to look, and didn’t like the one she chose (unexciting brown, and too bulky for my tastes) but beside it was a lovely red one that I sat in and loved (it felt like a perfect place to curl up and read). It is now in my living room, and I love it! It’s too soft, but the colour makes me happy, and it really is nice to curl up on.
If I see furniture that is left outside I rarely take a closer look, because I’m rather shy of bedbugs and vermin that may be hiding inside.
When I looked at the breakdown of results from the US election (from the “exit polls”) I was amazed at not just the numbers of white women who voted for Trump, but also the numbers of latino and black women who did. And the numbers of people who didn’t trust him or think he was an unsuitable candidate that voted for him were astounding as well. I guess when there aren’t too many choices, you make the one that has a vestige of hope attached. And I suppose the hope of change (and change, apparently) was the thing that attracted many.
I happen to believe that polls should be illegal leading up to an election. Too many people are swayed by what others are thinking, and I’d like them/us all to make up choices independently. If that is possible. I am a firm believer in secret ballots, and I think being pressured to reveal your choice should not be allowed.
Oh — and what bird? I didn’t see one in the pics.
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that should read “(any change, apparently)” — in 3rd last paragraph
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I did take a pic without my hand in, but preferred that one. Although didn’t notice the unconscious emulation.
Parkade dropoff?
We like recycling. Can’t bear to see waste. Far too much consumerism as it is.
There’s a Spanish woman comes around all the bins in Gb looking for anything she can recycle and sell to eke out a living.
One of the hardest things in the UK to recycle as clothes. None of the charities seemed to want them. Yet we’ve bought from charity shops and so have friends. Good quality, impeccably clean, and very cheap.
We’ve not taken anything upholstered or bedding. Invariably terrible condition.
I think the change factor was big. It’s just that one billionnaire compared with another is hardly anti-establishment.
I think no polls would be a good idea. Exit polls yes, but I think they can influence people. Not me, but others may indeed be swayed.
Bird is hiding behind the curtain. With the nude couple. For a later pic.
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Parkade dropoff = the place in our building parkade (parking garage) that was designated as a place to put unwanted things so that other residents could use if they wanted to. Anything unclaimed was either taken to second-hand stores or sent to recycling. This was eventually stopped because people were just putting junk there, and no one wanted to keep it clean and tidy, so the ones who always had to deal with the mess said “enough”!
There is one store here (H & M) that will take any old clothing that no second hand or consignment store will take. Apparently the fibres in the clothing — if it’s not wearable — are used in things like insulation. I don’t know if David Suzuki is well known outside North America but he’s from here, and has a website that has some good info. I also like an associated “Queen of Green” website — the woman who has this provides lots of good info, including green cleaning recipes, and such. I found out about H&M’s recycling of clothes through one of these sites. One day I will take my 50 partnerless socks to them, I think.
Do you have consignment shops there? We have quite a few here — but the last time I took some things in, they were really really picky about what they’d accept. For example, I had one item I’d never worn, and they found a problem with “pilling.” (The top was a pilled top, because that was the pattern/design/weave — it was knobly.) I have not tried to take any other items in.
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Ooh, I love a bit of thrift, me. Especially like your mirror – a great find. I have a marble topped dresser with original tiled back which a friend passed on to me when she was emigrating to Oz, so not a find exactly, just a case of right place, right time…
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I think it’s an old age thing. Younger me would never have been seen dead picking up street junk. Must take a pic of mirror in new situ – after Partner has cleaned it :)
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Hmm…you might be right. I think I rebelled against old stuff in general when I was younger, coming as I do from a family of antique dealers! But what’s in your blood comes round I guess and now I revel in the old and fusty😉
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I think I just got sick of being given/offered other people’s cast-offs that weren’t my taste. But acquiring cast-offs is a different ball game. Sort of like winning a minor lottery!
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Yes! Go you! Skip shopping is the business. I scored a whole load of disability aids for my parents from a skip. Stuff they really needed. I never pass a skip without having a quick shufty inside.
Cheers
MTM
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The good thing about here is that we have communal rubbish bins emptied daily. So it’s just a natural place to dump unwanteds. In the days when Spain had money we must have got at least three bikes. Once someone beat Partner to it, but we knew the bloke so they shared the bike out between them :D
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I’ve only had stuff like lights, chairs, mobility aids and I got some fantastic perspex shelving and stands for my book fair stalls from a recycling bin outside the department store in my local town. ;-)
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Fat chance here….
There are shops selling furniture shipped over from the depot ventes in France…at about twenty times the price – I just can’t bring myself to buy any of it, nomatter how tempting the style.
There are ‘garage sales’ by American leaving the country…prices you would not believe for used tat..
On the other hand, anything I turn out need not go to the dump…put it outside the gate and it will walk…
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I can’t bring myself to buy anything. Apart from vegetables. We need to go to a market and do a car boot we have acquired so much. Just, the logistics defeat me.
In one of our terrace houses we had a nice cobbled back street. Excellent for putting stuff outside. If no one wanted our treasured possessions the rag ‘n’ bone man would take them. I’m a big fan of practical recycling.
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It amuses me that the recycling centre is almost totally unused – except for dumping empty booze bottles. Everything else seems to find a home somewhere…
I would like a decent sofa, though, without paying an arm and a leg for it. I can see that I’m going to have to get someone – or some three – carpenter, stuffer and upholsterer – to make me one. It won’t be any cheaper, but at least I’ll have the satisfaction of not putting money into the pocket of some greedy so and so…
I will also have to wait until the phases of the moon are such that all three can co ordinate the process…
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I just hope someone else wasn’t taking the chairs one ta time and still had the last one to collect. That would be two disappointed people. It’s a nice chair but I love the mirror. It seems to scream Edwardian to me. Anything I abandon thee days is collected by a recycling scheme that offers them out at a very low price to anyone who needs them.
xxx Sending Huge Hugs xxx
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And no. I am so not going to write about Trump. Or the people who voted for him. And endorsed misogyny, racism, homophobia, xenophobia.
Sounds like you’re talking about Brexit campaigners in your final sentence
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I am furiously jealous. We need a chair exactly like that. The chances of finding such a treasure on one of our streets are about the same as Trump saying, ‘Hope you enjoyed the joke. Right, I’m out of here.’
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Waste management is a lot more interesting than Donald Trump. As I understand it Gibraltar disposes of its waste at a landfill site in Spain. Does a Spanish company collect the waste or is it a direct service delivered by the government?
A nice picture of the door but a pity you didn’t move the bollard before taking it!
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The chair is nice. It has personality. :)
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It’s plain which I like. Appearances aside, easier to dust/clean.
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Practical aren’t we?
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Recycling is good and you do it well.
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Recycling. That’s the word. Not pikeying.
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Hahaha, “the pikies are back”….
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They never really left. Just a shortage of pikiable objects.
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You need a horse & cart. (and lots of carrots, brushes etc for horsey) 😀 Seriously though…. Love the chair. We have a granite slab just like yours for food prep too… cost us a bit, though. That mirror looks similar to the one that came with Pat’s vanity dresser… those cost a fair bit even on their own. Good finds! (Er, better check we still have ours. Lol) 😀
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Manure wd be good for garden :)
Chair is good. Trouble is it’s occupied by dictionaries not people.
We had a nice granite work surface back in UK, I do like it. Have pikied some for the finca but not put it in. Sits outside on the terrace. Too heavy for anyone to pikey off with – she hopes.
Photo coming soon of mirror in situ. And no, ours didn’t come from ’Ull.
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😀
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Came here after reading your comment on my post (about the unmentionable brexit!). Fascinating!
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Need to write another post-post if that makes sense, but am brain dead right now. Tax returns due today, so I’ve been out of it for the last couple of days! Gah. At least Gib ones are shorter than UK ones.
Pikies pt 2 hopefully up shortly :) well the weekend, as I wind down from tax return and wind up to beta reading and editing, and cleaning and ugh …
Hey brexit. There’s an eastern european sleeps in a local cemetery, works on the black, what’s your take on that? Gib’s responsibility?
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Lovely finds! I’m the same, I absolutely believe the adage that one man’s trash is another man’s treasure (often mine haha!). I don’t have much in the way of ‘new’ furniture, to be honest.
And I’m really, really glad you didn’t write about Trump. I’ve had enough of him already, and he’s not even in office yet!
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Thanks Helen
I have bought some new furniture in the past, but I intended to keep it and still have it. Cherrywood bookcases (surprise!) and an oak made-to-order sideboard and dining table were the main outlay.
Trump. What is there to say? That hasn’t been said a zillion times alread? Pikey finds are far more interesting. Next pikey post up shortly when I summon motivation.
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Here’s to pikey posts! Long may they distract us :-)
And I do have some new furniture – beds and sofas, mostly. Though I try and buy recycled wood when I can. I just love finding treasure – junk shops are my favourite sort of place to forage :-)
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Yeah, upholstery is slightly different I think. Shops and me do not go together. Something in the street outside? Much easier.
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And cheaper!
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I love this post, K. Those are treasures that you found. That chair back is a beauty, eh? And that mirror seems to be in perfect shape. Well done!
I have things in my house that were picked up by the roadside — various books, of course, 2 kitchen stools, etc. — and then there was the blue armchair I got for my daughter.
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Thank you. With older age and different (financial amongst other) circumstances, we learn that pride isn’t always necessary or helpful. I’ve not had time to think/write but I have taken pix of the mirror now in situ for a follow-up post. We acquired a number of bikes from the roadside but the poor economy in Spain means people are now actually using bikes more rather than throwing them out.
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Fabian Picardo on Andrew Marr show this morning (BBC)
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Sorry A, bit slow right now. Any good or not?
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What finds you grabbed. Wish everyone would consider posibilities and rescue the unwanted/not needed/tired of items.
Less than 3 blocks from here we have a donation center that takes just about anything which get spiffied up by their workers ( former homelss, former addicts, formerely lost and hompeless ones) and then resold in the charity’s shops. Yet so many people here can’t take the time to load stuff in the car – or call for pickup. Perfectly good items set out for the garbage truck – sitting int he rain to ruin these days. A couch was out earlier this week. Someone who’s home was flooded or burned or a new couple might have been thrilled with that piece. Thoughtless. Divorcing homes are the worst as they toss the spouses’s stuff out in spite.
You rescued a fabulouse chair and mirror. Probably better made than most now.
Glad you’re up and about.
May you find miles of smiles, intriguing wanderings, and lots of wonder in the New Year! Paw waves, cheers and onward.
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Happy paw year. Been a bit sick so no posties, etc.
Our finds are so good. Piccies of latest soon. And mirror in position.
I hate waste. I think I was an environmentalist from age 6!
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When I lived in Boston, I used to walk to and from work, which was about an hour walk each way. I would find houseplants people had thrown out. I nursed them back to health. We had a rather large deck and it became a pleasant reading/drinking jungle in the summer time.
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Thrown out plants? And home them. Tell me. But in the end we had to chuck the aloe vera that was dominating the veg plot.
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