Inglourious tipshop trawlers, unite!

The election came. The election went.  The sun still shone - well, OK, it rained, but it was the first rain for ages and most enjoyable.  But the world continued to turn.

As previously reported, the domestic archaeological recovery team went on a road trip, like Thelma and Louise, without the headscarves and the convertible, but with a 4 wheel drive and a trailer.  No sign of Brad Pitt, except in a viewing of Inglourious Basterds on Sunday night.We found a new tipshop (new for us - it's been there a while).  We found the Armadale Tipshop. It was so good, we went twice, and took friends.

The City of Armadale shows a real commitment to recycling, with the full range of items for sale, from building materials to homewares to furniture to electricals to clothing. It's well set out, the prices are very reasonable, the staff are helpful and friendly. There seems to be a common link in good tipshops - the staff are committed to what they do and the managing council is prepared to provide some proper resourcing.

We found some very cool things - including an old metal milk crate, and yes, another suitcase.  We didn't see a snake.














It was a very professional operation and a new must-see destination for tipshop trawlers. They're open Thursday 10 -2, Friday and Saturday 8.30 - 4.30 and Sundays 8.30-4.

City of Armadale - a sign or two from the highway would be really helpful. 

We called in at Kojonup in the hopes of catching the opshop open but, as has been the case every time for the past 24 years for me, it was closed.   One day, I'll get there. Tragic as I am, we took photos through the windows.


They don't have a tipshop.

We revisited the Mindarie tip (as reviewed here)again.  This time (a weekend) there was less to choose from, probably because of the larger numbers of shoppers. I got a bag of books for a good price, but didn't really see much else I just had to have.

The Balcatta tipshop ( also reviewed here) was, as always, a happy afternoon's trawling.  Having learned to sneak straight into the carpark, it was quicker to get to the good stuff.  An excellent selection of everything from the rusty to the ridiculous.  The staff were a little more - ahem - laid back that at the previous two establishments but the through traffic was positively hectic.  It took ages to find someone to pay or answer questions, which was a bit disappointing, but then there was heaps of stuff coming in all the time too.  The prices were considerably higher than last time but then it seems that the pricing policy is dependant upon the individual on the day. It remains less organised but way more fun and is still highly recommended.

We haven't unloaded the trailer yet, so there will be more pics next week.

We also found 2 good salvage yards, a pile of timber and firewood, and collected some other interesting bits and pieces.

The Beatles, Santa, and the Jacaranda tree

I love Jacaranda season.  Possibly best tree ever.  The grass under this one was a purple carpet.  The 'trees drop leaves and must be removed' crowd must hate this one.

They have no souls.

'Twas the week before Christmas...' and everywhere, panic sets in.  Because I've been on hols, and busy with markets and making and generally staying out of the shops (other than the opshops, of course), it came as a BIG surprise when I had to go into town this week.  Good grief.  Everyone has that wild-eyed possessed poodle look.  You've had a year, people, is it really a surprise?  

Santa came to me early this year, in the form of the best day's garage saling and tip shopping for about 6 months. (Don't get excited,the Albany tip shop was as disappointing as ever).  The measure of the perfect day is when the owner at the last garage sale will take all the coin left in your purse, for the pile of stuff that no-one else is likely to want because it's 3pm and they have just about had enough.  I came home with no coins in the purse but some oh-so-good stuff, tired, broke, but happy.

But seriously, is there such a huge market for rusty washers that the lady was nervous about taking $2 less than the asking price?  I thought I was the only one who likes them...  Apparently, so does her husband.  Anyway, they're mine now.




There are quite a few 'befores' this week, even though there are a lot of almost 'afters'.  Some new models are awaiting final paint and varnish/sealer.  I made myself leave them to dry properly overnight, after I  stabbed myself in the finger with my pocket knife attempting a complex manoeuvre.  I took it as a signal that I was over-tired and possibly over-excited.

I've acquired 6 antique cricket stumps, the ones with the copper banding and the seriously pointy bit at the other end.  I'm not an expert but I'm led to believe that 6 is a complete set, and these are very early 1900's. The challenge: to do something 'arty' with them that reflects what they are without looking 'sporty'. Or kitsch. Bad kitsch, as opposed to good kitsch, of course.  It's a fine line.

I'm probably going to need someone to cut some stainless steel for me for that one. 

I'm loving the 1962 Readers Digest, the carved deer head and the stack of New Yorker magazines.

 The wooden cheese box, which was stuffed with wooden handled chisels.  The pilot from the radio-controlled plane. The big wooden wheel (no, I don't know, so don't ask.)  

The Beatles cheeseboard.  
Why the Beatles? Look at the pics closely.

Sorry.

As I have often said, there is nothing so sweet as the Sunday of a long weekend.  And when the Sunday dawns clear and cloudless and most importantly, windless, it is to be appreciated even more.

I'd no sooner crawled from the nest and had some breakfast, when the girlchild arrived, bright of eye and requesting scrambled eggs.  After she had demolished her breakfast, we re-upholstered the seats of two dining chairs, and I repaired two sun lounges.

For, it has been announced, she entertains a lot and needs to upgrade the furniture component of her soirees.  Luckily, as in most things, I try to be prepared.

Last year I got two wooden sunlounges from the boutique d'verge - they were each missing one bolt, but otherwise just fine.  One had been given one (bad)coat of white paint,but I anticipate that a couple of spraycans and the judicious use of some sandpaper will have them looking very smart indeed.  There's a red deckchair kicking around from the same collection, and some red and white cushions will tie the whole lot together.

I also have a 60's white metal lounger which I scavenged in Perth about 10 years ago, but I don't know that I want to let go of that permanently, yet. It's California-funky and a sentimental favourite, being that I was on foot at the time and nearly killed myself carrying it across a very busy road. 

Yesterday, the first real day of verge trawling for this year, turned up 2 dining chairs in need of TLC which met with the girlchild's particular specifications.  Get me the staple gun!  It literally took about half an hour to cover the seats and screw them back on.  Total cost was $zero - I used some fabric from the stash, my staple gun, and some long screws from a jar of screws, assorted, from the tipshop last week.

The annual verge collection of rubbish, furniture, etc has started, despite the late or non-delivery of flyers.  As a result, things have been a bit slow, but I expect it will pick up gradually.  There have been a number of finds so far, but I haven't had time to sort them or photograph them, due to getting home after dark. 

Those of you who have read past posts will know that this is my favourite time of year.  The sun is shining (mostly), the streets are full  of discarded items... what more could a girl want? It's like Christmas, without the cooking and the angst.

We filled the back of the 4WD yesterday (although the packing was a bit random) so today we unloaded halfway through, but managed to fill it up again.  The big item today was a stack of jarrah boards, perfect condition, assembled into -well, I'm not sure, lets call them panels - but my verging friend needed same for her daughter's back yard and there they were, already assembled and pre-painted. 

Some more of the enticing finds included a retro desk fan, mint condition; vintage binoculars; tools, various; a container for growing potatoes; a wooden rocking horse; a garden bench; brass drawer handles, 5 matching; glass louvres; fishing accoutrements; a quilt rack, wooden; wooden tables, various; a starburst clock, mint condition; and a small friction driven ride-on motorcycle, which has been claimed by a very excited small boy(his daddy asked us to pick him up a Harley).

Thumbs up to those who mark items as 'still works well' or 'please take this', but thumbs definitely down to those few individuals who deliberately smash everything into little pieces.  Apart from wantonly increasing their contribution to landfill, the broken glass and metal is dangerous for local pedestrians and kids and pets, and will lurk in the grass forever.
 

Zombies, Darwinian selection and more jobs for lawyers

We went to the tip shops today - the local, City of Albany, and the slightly differently philosophised Denmark one.

At Denmark, it was all a-bustle, people dropping off things , chatting, fossicking, looking around. Fair enough, looks a bit tatty but their landfill doesn't seem to be bulging, and there are weird and wacky items which make you smile. (like this)

There were re-upholsterable chairs and couches, tables, cupboards, footstools, you name it, it's there.

At the City of Albany it's all lovely and tidy, because everything but books, shoes, crockery and apparently random chipboard furniture goes to landfill.  It's like a scene from the Walking Dead, with the ever hopeful few shuffling zombie-like around any vehicle which drives through, only to turn away disappointed and watch the seagulls welcome another deposit.

We pondered this at length as we watched a perfectly restorable club lounge chair make it's way straight to landfill.  The nice gentleman who was working patiently explained that there are serious liabilities for Cleanaway, who contract to provide the 'service' for the City.  If you buy a chair or couch or bed or cushion (or presumably any item which involves a porous surface) it may be infested with insects and you could sue.

Taking this to it's logical conclusion, one could say that if I get a papercut from one of the books I bought today, and the papercut becomes infected and my finger falls off, then I have a case for compensation.  If I buy a plate and drop it getting it out of the car and cut myself picking up the pieces - woohoo, new holiday home for me.  Presumably, any timber is expected to be infested with white ants/woodworm and other passing bugs which may leap off and chew my head off, rusty nails on which I may impale myself, or homicidal splinters.  The shoes which are for sale - surely they are a podiatric disaster waiting to happen.  It's a long and lingering death from blisters or bunions.

I can understand the case regarding electrical things.  Not so long ago, I was listening to a man at the Denmark tip shop dealing with an unhappy customer who complained that he had bought 4 computers from the tip shop (for a couple of dollars each) but none of them worked.  As the representative of local government in the area explained, '...it's a tip shop, mate, people don't bring 'em here if they work.'  The apparently eternally optimistic customer kept on looking.  He did not appear to be accompanied by his legal team.

Today, in Denmark, I bought a BGE electric bar heater, age unknown but probably pre 1950's.  It looks all stainless steel and minimalist chrome and space agey and I was assured it still worked, although the person who brought it in didn't want to use it any more.  Certainly, it would have zero by way of energy stars, and in terms of Australian standards, it could be considered lacking.  It would be fair to say that running on full heat it would be a random mass of red hot metal and throbbing completely exposed radiator bars.  Never mind not sticking your fingers in, your whole head would fit.  Items nearby would spontaneously combust.

It's true, the local authority could have wrestled it from me, wrenched it from my fevered grip and consigned it to become some archaeologist's future delight.  In fact, they had the good sense to know that I would not be buying it for use in it's designated field, but rather for display.  They divined, on short acquaintance, that it was unlikely that I test power points with my tongue and/or a sharp metal object and that I can be trusted with such an item. Frankly, if I did use it and it went horribly wrong, I'd put it down to Darwinian selection and call it a fair thing.

If you can put up a sign saying don't fall off the cliff into the water, how about one about purchasing at your own risk?

Our pondering concluded that the Albany tip shop probably doesn't show much profit, because there simply isn't the stock turnover to generate one, because there's hardly any stock.  People are paid to open the shop and collect the meagre 'allowed' consigned goods, and wave the rest through to holes in the ground (various). (And the Saturday guy is improving his golf swing, by the looks). Presumably, the shop is therefore costing the ratepayers double - they have to pay to dump their stuff in landfill AND pay for the relentlessly tidy shop to stay open so they can drive through.

It's not really a recycling service, because very little actually gets recycled beside cardboard and glass.  The rather specious argument regarding liability is apparently ignored by local authorities in major cities and towns all over Australia, which have thriving recycling and re-use via their well run and well patronised tip shops.

Presumably the education centre (who paid for that?) is used to brief solicitors and silks, or possibly archaeologists. Or it's used for plotting the location of the next big landfill project...

"I've seen better tennis playing in a tampon commercial." *

I spotted this while in Denmark today with a friend.  I like it a lot.

We were on a tip shop trawl on a sunny Sunday and as always the Denmark tip shop did not disappoint.  Being that it was also the art market day in that burgh it was quiet at the tip but there were bargains to be had.  My friend picked up a metal based, solid wood topped table to use as a workbench and a solid wood table top for the stash.  I snapped up some mint Doc Martens, a lovely old wooden box, and a book.





Pausing for a pie from the less-expensive-but-just-as-good-bakery at the other end of town, we observed the native wildlife navigating for parking spaces - an endangered habitat on market day - amongst the introduced species (tourists) who overrun the natives at this time of year.

With room in the car we came home via the Albany tip shop, a poor sad shadow of it's country cousin. There's no real spirit of adventure at the Albany tip shop, and it's sad that so much goes through to landfill.  Kudos, however, to the enterprising employee who was doing his bit for the economy by transferring stuff straight from the incoming line to his own vehicle.  Firm direct action to reduce landfill.  Pity about the PR.

There's an enormous space which could be better used there, and it's a retailing adage that the more you have to choose from, the more you sell.  If stuff sits around and doesn't move, cull and get new bits in.  There's no cost for the stock and it's not like they have to go far to get rid of the stuff that doesn't sell.

We did manage to snag some bargains though, real wrought iron veranda lace and standard lamp base,  a vintage atlas, and various other bits and pieces.  End of the day, I think we spent about $10 between us. I also snapped up the following from various trawling hotspots during the week:

*Girlchild, Facebook status, this week.  Who knew she watched tennis?