Anyone else do this sort of thing?

[Greybeard]

We used Terry nappies so the machine worked hard for its living. That machine lasted until the kids were teenagers.

Those must have been some big nappies. 

Richard L.

You know, I just knew you'd say something along those lines 😁

[Rex]

My old man would make a point of fixing and repairing anything that could possibly be fixed ("lived through the war" "make do and mend blah blah blah") and yet when seeing me renovating a Velocette back in the hot Summer of 1976 he said "why are you messing around that worn out old tat when you could have a nice leak-free and reliable Japanese bike?"
Contrary old sod that he was..

[Greybeard]

Restored the McIntosh stereo amp my mom bought when I was about 15, the one on which I first heard the Beatles.

Have you seen the movie 'Yesterday'? Anyone who likes the Beatles should watch that fillum.

[Greybeard]

The thing is, those of us in Europe after the hardships of WW2, were conditioned to make do and mend, waste not, want not, recycle and reuse. When I was a boy my mother would only allow me to have 2" of water in my bath. Additionally, people were used to repairing the stuff around them; bicycles and shoes for instance.
When I worked at a Honda Puch and bicycle shop in the early 1970's I was shocked to see people bring their bicycle in to have a puncture repaired. Sad!

[Minto]

Talking of bicycles, Im always astounded by the bikes I see lined up at our local recycling centre/tip. I've asked a couple of times if I could make a donation to the tea fund in exchange for taking one, the answer's always the same!! Such a wasteful society.

[Black Sheep]

None of that at our local recycling centre, or coup as it's known locally. If you want one of the bikes, just wheel it away. I really should have taken that Raleigh 3 speed ladies model that was there but I already have the place cluttered with bikes...

[terryg]

Recover, recycle, re-use. The new 3 Rs.
It’s a way of life for me. I’ll not only repair items but also make stuff from ‘scrap’, typically things for the garden or workshop.
I’m trying to be a role model for my sons and grandsons - and I think I’m having some success.

[berger]

the big problem is many things are not made to last but that keeps people spending money on new stuff . the lady next door bought a garden fork from a well known shop for a fiver!! i couldn't believe it was so cheap untill she bent the prongs within a couple of days. i straightened them up and the next week she told me the handle had come out of the fork. it had been cheaply and nastily riveted in and was a realy poor job so i drilled all the way through in two places and bolted it in for her. the problem with things like this is that there are millions of items like this that people buy because they look the part but are far from being capable of doing a job, i still have my dad, mum, and grandads garden tools but they weren't made in a factory far away destined for a bin very shortly after being bought.

[Greybeard]

Talking of bicycles, Im always astounded by the bikes I see lined up at our local recycling centre/tip. I've asked a couple of times if I could make a donation to the tea fund in exchange for taking one, the answer's always the same!! Such a wasteful society.

Our local council refuse centre has a charity shop that sells donated and rescued-from-the-skip stuff very cheaply. There are many bicycles and sooo much golf kit.  I always go through the boxes of small items looking for Imperial spaniards.

[terryg]

My brother-in-law arrived at his local recycling centre (tip!) just as a woman was dumping tools that had been her husband’s.
That day he went home with a sizeable collection of Snap-on spanners and sockets etc. Lucky bu99er!

[Rex]

When i think back to the push-bikes we used to knock from discarded parts we never got beyond fixed wheels or 3 speed Sturmey Archers, yet some of the bikes at the local recycling centre look to be all alloy and with about two hundred gears. What we would have given for those way back when..

[Greybeard]

My brother-in-law arrived at his local recycling centre (tip!) just as a woman was dumping tools that had been her husband’s.
That day he went home with a sizeable collection of Snap-on spanners and sockets etc. Lucky bu99er!

Wow! It's very lucky that he caught her before she dropped the stuff in the skip because the operatives will not allow you to take anything out. Why would she not have put the tools on eBay or Freecycle or even a local charity shop.

[Black Sheep]

My dear sons have announced that they won't be arsed to go through my stuff and will just call in a clearance firm. Now half of me wants to get things cleared and in order before I depart and the other half says stuff 'em, their loss.
Bear in mind this is a small farm with loads of farm stuff not to mention tractors, bikes and Land Rovers. If any of the sons or grandkids showed any interest in taking over the place they would happily get the lot but as they don't and just want the proceeds I'm in no rush to sell off anything just to line their pockets. Harsh?

[Greybeard]

My dear sons have announced that they won't be arsed to go through my stuff and will just call in a clearance firm....

That's harsh. Do they not love their daddy?

[Rex]

I've often wondered how much unobtanium gets skipped when the old boy passes on and those doing the clearing out have no clue what it might be or what it's value is.
Prior to the first lockdown I was making a conscious effort to clear parts so this wouldn't happen to my stuff, but lockdown etc put a halt to it. Some riding mates have garages full of stuff they won't use in ten lifetimes.
Shame really.