22 Foxhole East

f0xh0les

Yes, we have the Alex Rider books. The older two have read them. DS3 is a very young 9 yr old. DS2 has moved on to Chris Ryan (some military action nonsense) but I managed to slip Just William into his bookshelf and I noticed he had read it. I do that. Just slip a book into the pile and wait for them to notice. I sometimes wonder if they think books breed if you put them next to each other.
Plus they read from the school library which makes it difficult to know which books they have read when I come across them in a charity shop. 4 books for £1 in our local Age Concern shop, or less if they do bundles - if they are donated a series, they tie them up in wool and sell off cheap.

I was surprised to hear on the radio yesterday that people were unhappy about the number of charity shops on the high street as they do not pay business rates. I love charity shops, and feel they do an important job recycling things that may otherwise end up at the tip, and it keeps all those pensioners off street corners where they are in danger of getting ASBOs for rowdy behaviour and crocheting in a public place. It makes me use the 'high street' more if there are charity shops on it, otherwise I would just go to a not-so-supermarket.

Anyway, very interested in the budget later on, today I will get another two or three doors painted and the shelves in the back room measured up with marks on the walls ready for drilling tomorrow, and make a big cauliflower not-cheese for tea. No clubs after school on Wednesday (phew!). Have already cleaned out hamster cages and they are whizzing around the living room floor like tiny nutters.

See you later.

EatingTheElephant

I love the idea that maybe DSs think books breed. We have fairies in our house that fix things, DDs used to go out for the day with friends and come back and things had been magically fixed!

Does your high street have other shops apart from charity shops? I think the main gripe in our local town is that there are mostly only charity shops in the high street and not a lot of any other shops.

gallygirl

EatingTheElephant wrote: »

We have fairies in our house that fix things, DDs used to go out for the day with friends and come back and things had been magically fixed!

It's not just the kids that believe in fairies:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SqQgDwA0BNU :rotfl:

kerri_gt

f0xh0les wrote: »

He has no justification for it, he just said he did it because he could. Luckily, I have the spare bits and as it is in comic book format, I should be able to replace the A5 size piece and it will not show. But it will make him think he can break anything and I can magic it back again.

Since it was blatant vandalism and not an accident I would actually make him pay for the damage in some way - be it from his piggy bank for your time to fix it, or (and this would prob have more direct effect as I think some kids often see £ as easy come easy go) make him use his time for something - a household chore he doesn't usually have to do or deduct the time it took you to fix the patch from his electronics time. A direct example of cause and effect.

Sounds like you've been really busy. Must admit I don't get on with one coat stuff, I either find its too thick, or like you say, doesn't do what it says on the tin anyway.

f0xh0les

EatingTheElephant wrote: »

Does your high street have other shops apart from charity shops? I think the main gripe in our local town is that there are mostly only charity shops in the high street and not a lot of any other shops.

We have a Farm Foods, RSPCA charity shop, specsavers, wool shop, the council office, Costas, a newsagents, Sainsburys, cheapy pile it high sell it cheap pop up food shop, Card shop, Santander, Natwest, Iceland, Cancer Research, Another charity shop, Oxfam, Vision charity shop, independent cafe, £land, Dunelm, Edinburgh Wool Mill (or whatever it is called)Boots and Superdrug. Then around the corner is Greggs, Mind charity shop, shoe shops, and 2 other charity shops. So a good range really. Quite a well populated area, lots of footfall and pretty decent parking for a pedestrianised area.

Mind you, at the moment, all I am seeing is B&Q and Aldi. :rotfl:

greent

For DS3 - The Hobbit? - I think I first read that when 8 or 9 - much easier to get into than LotR I'm guessing you've got the usual Horrid Henry/ Wimpy Kid/ Tom Gates/ Jeremy Strong books..

EatingTheElephant

Greent you've just reminded me of a series I loved as a kid that boys might like too, the chronicles of Narnia.

apple_muncher

f0xh0les wrote: »

We have a Farm Foods, RSPCA charity shop, specsavers, wool shop, the council office, Costas, a newsagents, Sainsburys, cheapy pile it high sell it cheap pop up food shop, Card shop, Santander, Natwest, Iceland, Cancer Research, Another charity shop, Oxfam, Vision charity shop, independent cafe, £land, Dunelm, Edinburgh Wool Mill (or whatever it is called)Boots and Superdrug. Then around the corner is Greggs, Mind charity shop, shoe shops, and 2 other charity shops. So a good range really. Quite a well populated area, lots of footfall and pretty decent parking for a pedestrianised area.

Mind you, at the moment, all I am seeing is B&Q and Aldi. :rotfl:

This is my ideal high street!
(I used to live in South Wigston and went over to Wig Magna weekly - happy memories)

My dad told me off once for ripping some wallpaper - he thought that I'd been careless when using the pull down switch. He was singularly unimpressed when I pointed out that it had always been like that, as the wallpapering man had done it when he was putting the paper up! To prove my point, I showed him a couple of other substandard bits of papering, and he believed me. Phew!

Bobarella

Have no beef on charity shops not paying, although you could say that with the hideous rises on the horizon, they enjoy a position which many small useful businesses can't compete with. So is that fair?

Personally I wish that government would tax the business in the building and not the building then impose that on the business.

In my own case I paid over £50,000 to renovate my building. So I have improved my landlords unit no end. Yet if I can't pay the new rates I will just walk away with nothing. Because they don't care what your business is. Only how much the rental space is worth. In my own buildings case, it was a run down empty dirty eye sore really, for at least a year before I took it on. So many people take offence at empty shops and wring their hands about them but when someone actually tries to improve things they get no help whatsoever.

Are we heading for charity shop and chain central?

f0xh0les

Was wondering about you when the budget was on Bobs, could not believe it when Hammond started on the self-employed! I nearly dropped my paint brush.

I have a problem with charities having massive London head offices in ridiculously priced areas, while their shops are run by volunteers with one paid manager between a dozen shops.