Almost daily diary!

Saturday, May 03, 2008

Would you like one of these?!!

Our Saturday was spent sorting out Mums attic. They have just had it insulated. It was an interesting day, with outings to the dump and various charity shops. Just what you need on a bank holiday weekend! The dump was almost as busy as the motorway with queues and bad tempers in equal measures. Small Sprog fell in love with an old typewriter and cried when we threw it in a skip! I had no idea he had become so attached to it, he only spent 10 minutes sitting next to it on the way to the 'Civic Amenity Centre'. (What is wrong with 'dump'?!)

It all went something like this....

Me : So why don't you let me get up the ladder, that's why we're here. (Getting a bit tetchy, I mean, what is the point?)
Step dad (known as Pop) : No, I want to organise it up there.
Me: You've been ill. (And you've moaned about it for a week and a half!)
Pop: I can manage.
.
Lots of 'rummaging' (you'd have thought they'd have sorted out what needs to go back up and what needs to go to the dump before we arrived?!)
Mum: Do you want these?
I hope my face is not saying :OMG, what is that?!
Me: No
.
Later......
Me: Do you want this box to go up?
Mum: No, that can go in the recycling.
There are lots of files and really old papers in this box, and a few things with 'Inland Revenue' printed in bold at the top.
Me: Are you sure? Don't you want to have a look?
Mum: No, it's fine.
Me: What are these? (A scrap from the side catches my eye.)
Mum: Oh, those are petrol coupons!
Petrol coupons, I ask you?
Me: It has 1957 stamped on the front, they might be collectors items, shouldn't we keep them?
Mum: I don't think we'll need them.
Me: (exasperated)
.
More rummaging and sorting.
Mum : Do you want this?
She is holding up an old bean bag which was their ex-dogs bed. Has she noticed we have no dog?!
Me: (politely) No.
.
Me: You don't want these two kettles to go back up do you? The one you use is fine.
Pop: Yes we'll keep those, they can go in the attic.
Me: What for?
Pop: We might need them one day.
Me: Two of them?
Pop: One might not work!
I felt unable to comment on the logic of that one.
.
Mum: Do you want some...
Me: No!
Small Sprog: Granny, granny can I have this?
Me (Oh no!) What do you want that for?
Small Sprog : It's nice!
So we now have a lovely picture of an Alpine church (even mum had been wise enough to keep it in the attic) surrounded by alpine mountains and flower meadows, circa 1950's style. Lovely!
.
A bit later...
Pop: I'll put that old clock back up.
Me: Will it be OK up there?
Pop: Yes, sometimes I go up to wind it.
Me: You make it work? In the attic? (He really has lost the plot.)
Pop: Yes it drives your mum mad!
Me: It chimes up there?
Pop: Yes. (He walks away giggling to himself)
.
All the junk and almost junk is safely returned to it's home in the attic. The copious amounts of cardboard, which constituted a fire hazard, have been reduced to only two large boxes (full of small empty ones 'just in case we need a box'?!!) and it's about time we put the kettle on (but which one?!!)
.
Me: Where's he gone? (Pop is no where to be found)
Mum: I don't know he must still be up there.
Me: In the attic?
Mum: Yes
So up I go to see where he's got to. As my head pops up through the attic hatch, I can see his feet, then the rest of him, lying prostrate on the attic floor.
Me: What are you doing?
Pop: I was just having a lay down.
Me: I thought you were dead!
And so on!
















Mum has a collection of lovely old children's books.
This picture is from Peter Pan with illustration's by Mabel Lucy Attwell.
(click to enlarge)

There has been no word from Tall Girl which is good I guess. Thanks to everyone who has commented, your kind thoughts are so appreciated.

12 comments:

Globus said...

globus always finds going through old stuff just makes you feel old. you uncover (and un-dust) stuff you haven't seen for years, even decades. still, it's a necessary evil from time to time!

MissKris said...

At least your mum and step-dad are still around to explain their odd collections of stuff to you, ha! When my mom died and I had to sort thru her stuff, I went away almost mystified by some of the things she'd stored away. Huge envelopes of recipes -- she rarely cooked. More envelopes full of household hints -- she'd given up on housework years before. She wore a plain gold wedding band, a watch, and a birthstone ring with stones for each grandchild in it --she had TONS of jewelry stashed away that I'd never, ever seen. Enough clothes in the closet to clothe 10 people and most of them still had their store tags on them...she always wore dark polyester slacks and sweatshirts, nothing nice like the clothes in her closet! And here I thought I'd known her quite well. Just goes to show we never know anyone as well as we think we do!

BS5 Blogger said...

Hi Suburbia! just in from a crazy ,daft and terrific 24 hrs!

Glad TG is silent in her camp feedback. Keep chillin', all will be fine and you are a great Mamma!

SS is a fine little chap who seems to take life in his stride.


Have a fine Sunday!

BS5

scargosun said...

OooooH! Keep those books and illistrations!

Dori said...

Hopefully you still have some of that wine left!

So, from your title--are you offering the attic cast-a-ways, or your parents? :)

Rose said...

"Civic Amenity Centre"?? I'm still laughing--that's the best euphemism I've heard in a long time! It sounds like a place you might want to rent out for a wedding reception.
I do hope you didn't throw out the old children's books; those might be worth something to a collector, and if not, they're still beautiful.

this is my patch said...

I won't ask you how your weekends been? Now if the dustman took more rubbish, then we wouldn't have to make all these unnecessary journeys. These councils are all for going green with recycling, but do they ever stop to consider all those exhausts emitting fumes into the ozone, whilst waiting in the endless queues at the tip? Rant over, I love the Mabel Lucie Attwell illustration. x

Suburbia said...

Welcome Globus, thanks for your comment and visiting. I have just been to yours and enjoyed the banter!

Misskris, yes I'm so lucky mum is still around and I hope she will be for a long time yet. How strange that yours had so many clothes she didn't ware.

Hi Scargosun and Rose, yes I have told her to keep the books safe, they were lovely and although possibly worth some cash, too nice to part with!

Hi Dori, running out of wine here!!
The title refered to how mum kept offereing me things which I wouldn't give house room!!! I re wrote the post this morning after you read it as I wasn't that coherant last night upon my return!!

Hi This is My Patch, I'm with you about the rubbish collections, you wouldn't believe how many people were there who didn't turn off their engines while in the queue. If mum had taken her car she would have only got half of it in and it would have taken two trips (it does make one rant doesn't it!):)

Maggie May said...

I did enjoy this post!
I wonder if the Lucy Attwell books are worth something? If your Mum wants to sell them on ebay? I have got a box of such books that I don't want to get rid of....... yet!
Now you see...... I could perfectly well understand the logic of having spare kettles in case one broke then there'd be another. Then if that one broke there would be yet another. Do you see?!!!!!! LOL.
Well you have done your bit! good for you!
Tall girl is fine. She won't want to come back!

Liz Hinds said...

Tee hee, all funny - and all too familiar - but the clock bit's the best! I could see my father-in-law doing something like that!

Barbara said...

Sounds like you had a wonderful time!!!

I have a Mabel Lucy Attwell book a treasured possession.

Jules said...

Oh man! That was so funny! I wish that I was a fly on the wall in your Mum's house. Of course I would have probably laughed so hard that I would have fallen off the wall and been stepped on. But such is life. A little pain. A little laughter. You know!