2025 - Freecycle and similar Free stuff

Yesterday I swapped books with another bookworm.
Today I collected a Remoska cooker https://www.lakeland.co.uk/31945/standar...ass-lid-2l .I already have one that I use quite often but its good to have a spare, and I'd never pay that sort of money for a new one.
Also IN came some Dental chews for the dogs and a bag of Maryland cookies and other biscuits and chocolate bars.

OUT went a clump of Forgetmenots and some seeds in response to a request. The lady's grandson had "lost" a family member and he wanted to grow some forgetmenots to remember them by. Its a bit late for these now as they're going to seed but I managed to find some that weren't too far gone.

Went to the Church Book & Clothes giveaway. Gave away some books & came home with more.

Called at the church on Friday, returned with a olive loaf, brioche cobs and some mushrooms.

Yesterday, I collected an electric Soup maker - something I would never buy! However, as it was FREE I'll give it a try. It chops up the veg and blends it into the liquid and heats the slurry to make a soup in about 25 minutes. I've read that its good for making pasta sauces so I might give that a go first.
While I was collecting it, the donor said that she'd noticed that I collect out of date food and would I be interested in............I said YES before I knew what she was offering.
It was two, week-old, Sainsbury's cakes - a Victoria sponge and chocolate cake (£3.50 each).
Today, I collected a big bag of used towels and blankets which are perfect the dogs, some are good enough for the kitchen too. OUT went all the old towels.

Today I went to the FREE Food Church but was a bit too late! Everything had gone apart from bread and potatoes and some salad dressing. But I'm not complaining - I can use all of that. The potatoes are all small ones - Jersey Royals, Jazzy and Maris Peer. - sold as "Baby New Potatoes" or "Miniature Potatoes". The Miniatures are really small - even smaller than the ones I'm pulling from my pots!
I'll try chitting some of them and plant them in the empty pots.
This week I've also picked up some dog food, 4 bars of soap and a Fussy refillable deodorant case with a new refill. Also 7 Magazine cases - I use them for all sorts of things other than magazine - like chopping boards, cooking trays, rolls of greaseproof and cling film, bottles of shampoo etc.

An elderly lady (101) still living on her own. With carers coming in to see her every day. Finally left the village around October/ November. With the decision that she couldn’t stay in the house another winter. So she was moved to a nursing home down south somewhere, closer to family. Unfortunately she passed away just before Christmas. Her granddaughter has been here this weekend sorting things out. As everyone knows Bob is a wood turner he was contacted to see if he wanted the lathe that was in the garage. Especially as Bob used to cut the grass for her. We also recently found out the this lady was an artist. So was asked if there was any chance of one of her paintings we could have to remember her by.
We got there and the granddaughter said the family is keeping a few bites, but most will be going to house clearances. So if want anything to take it. We came home with a car full of some of the most random things you could imagine, lots of tools some useful some just very old and cool. And at least 6 of her paintings.
We’re going back tomorrow afternoon for a Welsh dresser and some crockery and lot of plant pots.
We will be making a donation to RNLI.
I do feel like a bit of a vulture   . But someone who knew her have some of her stuff and making a donation. Has got to be better than house clearance making money out of all her things.

Finally managed to get back for the Welsh dresser. We’d kinda given up on it because we’d asked several times if we could collect over the months. With no response. But we got it just in time, house clearance is going in on Monday.  We got a few other bits as well and we had to collect a few bits for other people. We got some lovely old cutlery, an old serving plate, a pasta machine, 2 mason cash mixing bowls, and couple of other bits from the kitchen. Some old toy cars, an old lantern like they used to take down the mines. Bed pan thing you put hot coals in. A big oval mirror.  A little bench almost like a miniature church pew with a tapestry seat. Hopefully the right size for a window seat for skew ( he likes to know what’s going on) . Also got an set of old garden sieves , galvanised watering can, 3 old gardening books, old stone hot water bottle, about a dozen terracotta pots, a stone frog, a few gardening tools and a jacket .

One of the items we collected for someone else was this lovely 1800 sofa.      . Which to be honest we hadn’t paid much attention to. When we got it home and had to take measurements so the lady could check it’d fit in her car. We realised what a stunning piece of furniture it was. Anyway someone else wanted it and that was that. We’ve been asking her to collect it since then. Last week we brought an item off our local buy & sell group. That just happened to be in the same village as the owner of the uncollected sofa. The cheeky **** saw we’d brought something . Messaged Bob and asked if we could drop off the sofa when we went to collect the other thing! I wasn’t amused. Bob contacted her today to get her address as we’re going that way tomorrow. Turns out she made a rush decision and now didn’t want it. was going to see if a friend wanted it or take it to the charity shop anyway. So we’re not taking it to the other end of the island tomorrow. We’re keeping it. And I’m very very pleased about that. I’ve just arranged for a friend to come up next June to reupholster it.

SC that's lovely sofa it'll be stunning once its reupholstered.

I called in at the church on Friday came home with a fruit and nut loaf, hotdog rolls and some spring onions.

That's a fine sofa and a lovely load of loot. You're not a vulture you're a recycler/repurposer. I'd love to see the faces of the rag & bone men, ooops sorry, house clearers, when they see what isn't there to collect! I assume they gave a price on the value of what they inspected and the return they expected.

Yesterday, I collected some of my favourite sourdough olive and rosemary focaccia and some olive ciabatta. Also a book of old photos of Cardiff - brings back memories of childhood. (Yes, its a long time ago.)

That's a fine sofa and a lovely load of loot. You're not a vulture you're a recycler/repurposer.  I'd love to see the faces of the rag & bone men, ooops sorry, house clearers,  when they see what isn't there to collect! I assume they gave a price on the value of what they inspected and the return they expected.

House clearance were the last ones in. I don’t think they’d visited before. Which I think would make pricing the job a little tricky. It was quite an odd arrangement. As far as I know the person doing the house clearance . Just did it as a one off. Not actually their profession? Didn’t even have a van. So no idea how they did it.