My war on waste!!!

Pollycat

Justamum wrote: »

I do that with novels I get from the charity shop too. A few months ago I found a few Anya Seton books which I loved when I was in my teens/early 20s. I tried reading them again and was really disappointed, so they went back.

Oooooh!
Green Darkness.
And that one where she loved somebody called Alaric (?) and was captured by vikings (or something similar).

And Jean Plaidy.
I bought Murder Most Royal a while ago from a charity shop - fab book about Anne Boleyn & Catherine Howard.

I'm on the lookout for a few books by Georgette Heyer - These Old Shades, Devil's Cub & Beauvallet.

Going right back to my teenage years now.

Does anyone think that the paperback books now don't last anywhere as near long as the old ones.
I take them on holiday and they seem to come part in my hands.

GreyQueen

Most definately. There are still paperbacks around which are 50 years old and they're pefectly readable, whereas some new ones are in very poor condition.

Have just dealt with a nagging project and am awarding myself a combined tea-break, written project. Onwards!

Justamum

Pollycat wrote: »

Oooooh!
Green Darkness.
And that one where she loved somebody called Alaric (?) and was captured by vikings (or something similar).

And Jean Plaidy.
I bought Murder Most Royal a while ago from a charity shop - fab book about Anne Boleyn & Catherine Howard.

I'm on the lookout for a few books by Georgette Heyer - These Old Shades, Devil's Cub & Beauvallet.

Green Darkness was one of my favourite books, but when I tried it again recently I was so disappointed

I also loved Jean Plaidy, but being a bit of a history nerd I'd had an appropriate history text book with me to check for historical inaccuracies :rotfl:

I quite liked Georgette Heyer too - a better quality Barbara Cartland .

In my mid-teens I read Barbara Cartland and Mills and Boon.:o

[Deleted User]

GreyQueen how are you getting on with your loose leaf tea, and how do you dispose of the leaves , in the garden or down the drain ?.

I can remember coming home from Switzerland in 1960 and telling my Mum about this odd custom of putting a bag with a piece of string on it that had tea leaves in it into a glass of hot water to make a cup of tea !!!

She was horrified, and said I can't see that catching on in this country people like a proper cup from a warmed pot. We always had Brook Bond Dividend, and the stamp on it was saved until you filled up a card, then it was posted off and I think she got a postal order for 5/- (25p)in return.

Bearing in mind the family allowance was 8/- a week (40p)then, it was a nice little bonus now and again.

I can remember the excitement at birthday times when you recieved a postal order as a present and felt so grown up taking it to the post office to get it changed :):)

GreyQueen

I'm swilling the teapot out and shooting the water through an old sieve to catch the tea-leaves, which then go in the compostables, Jackie0.

That's a useful material there, and is captured, as are the eggshells. My lottie soil is incredibly different to the miserable and neglected stuff I inherited when I took on the derelict plot.

Besides, I treat my drains like colicky babies, the washing-up water is always strained through an old sieve (dedicated to the purpose, not the good one I use for cooking) and it's amazing how many bits you capture which keeps them out of the drains.

I've got a nice Twinings tea tin for 50p from the chazzer and have my loose-leaf tea in that, and am enjoying the ceremonious use of the silver caddy spoon. Adds a bit of specialness to the day.

I will be expanding my caddy collection as and when I see suitable tins in the chazzers as I have more than one kind of tea on the go, inc caffeine-free versions to use after 5 pm.

eandjsmum

NewShadow wrote: »

Assuming it's a natural fibre top (given the bleach bleached it), you could consider a dye pack.

When my black work jeans are getting a little grey, I chuck them in the washing machine with a pack of dye and anything else that needs darkening.

I hate new jeans (take ages to feel 'right') so it keeps my old ones going for years.

Thanks its a cotton top and as it has a floral design an the collar and cuffs Just going over with a pen might be better so I don't loose the pretty floral design.

I've also got the t shirt to prove it. In this case brand new present from .Washington.
:rotfl::rotfl:

I'm also going to try a dye pack on some black jeans as the cloth is still good.

meritaten

Pollycat wrote: »

Oooooh!
Green Darkness.
And that one where she loved somebody called Alaric (?) and was captured by vikings (or something similar).

And Jean Plaidy.
I bought Murder Most Royal a while ago from a charity shop - fab book about Anne Boleyn & Catherine Howard.

I'm on the lookout for a few books by Georgette Heyer - These Old Shades, Devil's Cub & Beauvallet.

Going right back to my teenage years now.

Does anyone think that the paperback books now don't last anywhere as near long as the old ones.
I take them on holiday and they seem to come part in my hands.

Awwww Polly - my sis took these titles and about 20 odd more to the charity shop a couple of weeks back!
she had actually got a couple of dozen 'used' copies from Amazon for mum - what a shame I didn't know you wanted them - would have been happy to have posted them off to you! She didn't pay more than 50p per book either - and they were all in really good condition.

and how did I know mum had these particular titles? because she loaned them to me and I thoroughly enjoyed re-reading them!

Lynplatinum

Hiya

eandjsmum - my friend is very good at doing embroidery or creating fabric roses or patches that look like they are special designer stuff to cover up unrepairable bits on her finds from the 50p bucket in charity shops. Folks often comment on how stylish she is and think she has bags of money - actually she is as poor as a church mouse!:rotfl:

Perhaps you can take a leaf out of her book?
Nite all

Pollycat

meritaten wrote: »

Awwww Polly - my sis took these titles and about 20 odd more to the charity shop a couple of weeks back!
she had actually got a couple of dozen 'used' copies from Amazon for mum - what a shame I didn't know you wanted them - would have been happy to have posted them off to you! She didn't pay more than 50p per book either - and they were all in really good condition.

and how did I know mum had these particular titles? because she loaned them to me and I thoroughly enjoyed re-reading them!

Oh nooooo!
Never mind, but thanks for the kind thought.

Pollycat wrote: »

Oooooh!
Green Darkness.
And that one where she loved somebody called Alaric (?) and was captured by vikings (or something similar).

Thinking about it, I might be wrong about the 'Alaric' one being Anya Seton.
Anyone put me straight?

[Deleted User]

GreyQueen wrote: »

I'm swilling the teapot out and shooting the water through an old sieve to catch the tea-leaves, which then go in the compostables, Jackie0.
Besides, I treat my drains like colicky babies, the washing-up water is always strained through an old sieve (dedicated to the purpose, not the good one I use for cooking) and it's amazing how many bits you capture which keeps them out of the drains.

You are my Mum reincarnated GQ she also used the tea leaves in the compost heap and egg shells to stop pesky snails from climbing up the sides of her pots.She also smeared Vaseline around the pots to stop them trying to get to her beloved plants .Bless her she hat a deep and undying hatred for slugs and snails. She too used an old sieve in the big Belfast sink in the scullery to stop anything bunging up the drain, she said it was cheaper than a plumber and you didn't have to make a sieve endless cups of tea :):)

No doubt about it the old ways saved a fortune in the long run :):)