The Garden Fence - help and support in tough times

Hard_Up_Hester

Hi Candy
I'm here, just got back from the Crick Boat Show and Music Festival, I bought some lovely Turkish Delight, drank real ale, Goat's Milk, Fallen Angel and What the Fox's Hat, hic.
Hubby bought me a hat with flowers on. We watched Alex and the Diggers (Ska), the Goat Roper Rodeo Band (Cosmic Country), Blondied (a tribute band) and Tom Robinson amongst others, all in all a wonderful weekend.
I loved every minute of it and really felt at home, the crowd contained a large proportion of weird, from the mildly strange to the seriously weird, so I fitted in a treat especially wearing my flowery hat. The high point for me was the lovely dancing hippy, she was obviously an original 1960's hippy, dancing happily on her own.
It's now back to the decluttering with a vengeance tomorrow!

candygirl

Hard_Up_Hester wrote: »

Hi Candy
I'm here, just got back from the Crick Boat Show and Music Festival, I bought some lovely Turkish Delight, drank real ale, Goat's Milk, Fallen Angel and What the Fox's Hat, hic.
Hubby bought me a hat with flowers on. We watched Alex and the Diggers (Ska), the Goat Roper Rodeo Band (Cosmic Country), Blondied (a tribute band) and Tom Robinson amongst others, all in all a wonderful weekend.
I loved every minute of it and really felt at home, the crowd contained a large proportion of weird, from the mildly strange to the seriously weird, so I fitted in a treat especially wearing my flowery hat. The high point for me was the lovely dancing hippy, she was obviously an original 1960's hippy, dancing happily on her own.
It's now back to the decluttering with a vengeance tomorrow!

Sounds brilliant hun, especially the hippy, bless.Glad you had some time for yourself, after all you do for everyone xx

monnagran

Hester: so glad you have managed a totally wacky weekend. It will do you the world of good.

Mrs Lyn: I have often thought that some of the prices were a bit optimistic in charity shops. While there are bargains to be had, some prices are far more than I would expect to pay bearing in mind that the goods are all donated and the shops run by volunteers. Also, some of the charity shops I have been in recently have started buying in new stock such as wool and cards. I always try to patronise local charities such as hospice shops. I have an aversion to paying towards some executive's plush office or luxury car.

It's very windy here today. We set off towards the village street fair but when we saw armies of people all heading in the same direction we had a hasty ballot which was in favour of stopping off at the pub for a quick lunch. Very nice it was too.
We came back home and the children and I knocked up a batch of choc chip and banana muffins. Just in case we have visitors.

x

ivyleaf

Hard_Up_Hester wrote: »

Hi Candy
I'm here, just got back from the Crick Boat Show and Music Festival, I bought some lovely Turkish Delight, drank real ale, Goat's Milk, Fallen Angel and What the Fox's Hat, hic.
Hubby bought me a hat with flowers on. We watched Alex and the Diggers (Ska), the Goat Roper Rodeo Band (Cosmic Country), Blondied (a tribute band) and Tom Robinson amongst others, all in all a wonderful weekend.
I loved every minute of it and really felt at home, the crowd contained a large proportion of weird, from the mildly strange to the seriously weird, so I fitted in a treat especially wearing my flowery hat. The high point for me was the lovely dancing hippy, she was obviously an original 1960's hippy, dancing happily on her own.
It's now back to the decluttering with a vengeance tomorrow!

That sounds brilliant Hester! So glad you had a good break :beer:

nursemaggie

Think I would have gone to the street fair I haven't been to something where armies of people went for years. No I lie we did go to a free event in Hyde Park at the olympics, still that was 4 years ago. Before that must have been even longer. I haven't even been to a car boot for at least 10 years.

I could do to go to something I broke my small casserole dish a few weeks back. I haven't bought a new once since the sixties.

I think there are a high proportion of middle class ladies who work in charity shops who have no idea about 1 working class incomes and two prices outside of the most expensive ones. 2 Charities tend to employ people from middle class backgrounds so the manager often lives in a totally different world to the customers.

I recently found out what the daily turnover was in the summer, for a Sue Ryder shop in a small seaside town in West Sussex three years ago.
DS worked the summer in the shop most days. The manager used to send him to the bank regularly.

He said "I used to walk down the high street with £70,000 in a carrier bag. On a really nice day with lots of coach trips of old ladies it would be £100,000." :eek:

No wonder other shops don't like them! Who would have thought all those £3 or £4 added up to so much.

fuddle

Not all charity shops have middle class volunteers

Charity shops are ran as a business at the end of the day but with any business the pricing has to be right for the customer. A shop charging a lot where I now live wouldn't last 2 minutes but shops in the town where I used to live priced as though they were boutiques but always bustling.

camelot1001

Sometimes I wonder if the volunteers are unaware of the price of an item when it is new so put on a price that they would be willing to pay.

I used to visit charity shops regularly but don't bother now but I still donate, in fact I have just had notification that my gift aid donations have raised over £51.

HH - Your weekend sounds to have been the perfect treat for you, so glad you enjoyed it.
fuddle, don't beat yourself up about your DD, what matters is that you now know and are taking action.

Hope you have all had a good weekend.

nursemaggie

I did not say they all were they just tend to have a high proportion. Higher than the rest of the population.

Obviously in an area like mine which is largely working class you barely get any in the shops in town. The two small towns that are now part of the borough have more middle class volunteers because that is where they live.

shanks77

The charity shops near me are all priced really high and I would much rather buy new than patronise these places. It's a shame as there always used to be some great bargains but as others have said some things cost more than to buy brand new.
Hester sounds like you had a great time
Fuddle echoing what the others have said don't beat yourself about it you have found out and are now doing something positive about it good on you
Softstuff hope you feel better soon. I have suffered from a form of vertigo since a teenager and it is horrible I really feel for you and know you will have tried all your usual remedies to diminish the symptoms but sometimes you just have to let it run it's course
Monna sounds like you also had a lovely day
Hope everyone else is doing well xx

monnagran

Softstuff: I'm sorry, I quite forgot to mention you when I posted earlier.
Vertigo is absolutely horrible and scary. I had a tiny taste of it last year and found it very frightening. I hope you soon start to feel better and be able to move again.

x