Good Morning + your weather report

morning all
sorry I have not posted this week
I have been ill with that stomach bug that's going around 
hope non of you get it its awful :;smile:

jenkay wrote:

morning all
sorry I have not posted this week
I have been ill with that stomach bug that's going around 
hope non of you get it its awful :;smile:

Hope you're feeling better soon Jen
Off to Preston today to the charity shop with loads of books, VHS tapes and clothes.
We are having a clear-out purge that is going to last for weeks !!
So much stuff collected over the years.....it all has to go !

morning all
nothing but charity shops in Preston Malcolm  
only time I go into town is to go to the bank every shop seems to be a charity shop 
if I need anything I go to the  retail park nr the north end 
this year we are going to the Trafford centre to do the Christmas shopping

Inclined to be misty here first thing getting worse as the Sun comes up. 
7° C at present but 17° C promised for later on.

morning all
another dry start to the day  :;smile: :;smile:

Heavy rain earlier but cleared up now.

Good morning - A sunny start here after yesterday's rain. It was yesterday that I agreed to go for a 3 mile walk with a friend who belongs to a U3A walking group. I got soaked. :)

A big step has been made in sorting out our Son's problems this week. I am just approaching 74 (thanks Beast :) ) and I hope I can now get a bit of retirement from the worry of them. Still some way to go but getting there.

Very many sincere good wishes to Mart from me today, I truly hope you have a very pleasant and happy day  

morning all
wild and windy here

8° C here and cloudy.

Good morning - Thanks for the Birthday banner. :)

Grey and rainy here. I went to do a bit on the allotment but didn't stay long. I should cycle over to see my brother later but it depends how the weather is.

Happy Birthday Mart..  Enjoy your special day.  

Thanks Irene. :)

Raining here at present !
My son is coming over for lunch and to look at my CD's and LP's before they go the charity shop.
There are some 'collectors items' among them, I hope he can also take a Hi-Fi unit and turntable.
We are having a clear-out and I have already taken hundreds of books, National Geographic and Vogue magazines, clothes and sundry other items and I have loads more stuff to go....it is hard work for us both physically and mentally

I don't envy you - my wife works one day a week in a local Hospice charity shop. They don't sell any electrical items because they need PAP testing which is not worth the cost to them.  Some charity shops do however take a chance that the item is safe.

I never cease to be amazed at the stuff that gets handed in - at the top end Burberry handbags and Rolex watches - at the bottom end encrusted sauce and frying pans - even bags of unwashed grimy smelly underwear and unwearable clothing that not even the poorest would be prepared to pay for. My wife wears long sleeved rubber gloves when she is sorting. I honestly don't know why she does it but at the same time admire her thoughtfulness in supporting a worthwhile charity.

The problem of being donated rubbish, is in part due to the fact that the public recycling and waste tip is 7 miles away. In our area of Solihull there are numerous retirement apartments and private retirement housing estates (we live in one). House clearances are a regular thing with such a high concentration of oldies like me and it is easier for relatives to dump their parent's stuff in the local charity shop than take it to the tip. Hence roughly 70% of donated stuff goes straight into the shop's waste and recycling bins and skips.

Another interesting statistic is that shoplifting is a major problem and probably worse that in commercial retail shops. Staff are usually minimal and too busy sorting through the donations to monitor the shop. Plus, some people think that because the charity was given it free - then it's not really stealing.

Makes you wonder if we will ever get back to the social standards we were brought up in.

Having said all that - I'm sure that the reason the task is such a chore for you Malcolm is perhaps because, like other caring people, you are carefully sorting the wheat from the chaff.