Rubbish
Oh, by the way, a debenture is a bond, or a certificate proving a debt. Doesn't help that much, does it? Anyway, thoughts turn back to the job in hand today: filling a twelve-yarder skip.
I filled a ten-yarder around this time last year, mostly crap from the garage and the shed and the ad hoc tip beside the shed. It was therapeutic beyond belief. Not just moving things that are not needed into a large yellow steel container, there to be removed and taken to a place we must not think too hard about, but the physical act of lifting and chucking and in the case of some old bits of furniture, breaking apart. Sometimes you have to climb in the skip, which is tremendously exciting and vital. Same drill today, except a lot more sorting this time, as we're dividing up that which never made it into the house after the house-move into four piles: keep (the smallest pile of all, as how much do we need something we never ever decanted from the box into the house?), recycle (those magazines, the boxes themselves once emptied), donate (the charity shops of Reigate are in for a bonanza in terms of books, videos and a backgammon set in a little case) and dump. This in itself is invigorating. Today was even the day for the recycling lorry to come, so we were able to make a hell of a lot of cardboard disappear just like that. The skip itself is not exactly full to the brim, but you wouldn't be embarrassed about having it taken away. Plus, it's here for another four days, so if we have any bright ideas . . .
Because garages are where spiders live I spent a lot of the day encouraging them off the things I was throwing out. It's like a Hammer horror film in the darkest recesses of the garage, with cobwebs that look like they've been sprayed on. I had to pull down some knackered old shelves and break up the workbench, all of which had become home to entire extended spider families. I harmed not one of them knowingly. Indeed, I gently nudged or carried them off the doomed bits of wood and set them free. Just because I'm clearing my life out, doesn't mean I shouldn't respect the creatures that are living theirs behind and underneath and inside my junk. I feel bad for breaking up their webs. But that's the main drawback of the itinerant spider lifestyle.
I ran out of things to smash up and throw into a large yellow steel container by about 3.30pm, so I showered (always weird to shower at any time of the day apart from the beginning of it) and wrote reviews of Syriana (DVD) and Equilibrium (Film Of The Week) for Radio Times, which was a lovely contrast to throwing rubbish into a skip. It was a beautiful day. No sitcom.
World Cup 2006
There is no World Cup 2006. First quarter final is on Friday. I can't wait. Of all the quarter finals, only one seems a foregone conclusion - Italy Ukraine - the rest are all up for grabs. As a refreshing change from watching football, I watched two Channel 4 lifestyle programmes, Property Ladder (new series), which continues to follow the exact same script every week, despite new property developers, and The F Word (new series started last week, like we noticed), with Gordon Ramsay swearing too much. I am not offended by swearing, but now that it's his gimmick, he does it too much. This is a bit of a mish-mash format, with bits of all his other formats lobbed into a pan, and it has no real narrative arc. Man swears at camera, man swears at amateur chefs, man swears at celebrity diner (Cliff Richard), man swears at pigs, man swears at ordinary member of public, man swears at second celebrity in kitchen (Janet Street Porter), man swears at camera. Won't be sitting down to that again, but I will not miss a single Property Ladder - it's compulsive. Amateur developers fail to budget or plan their development, Sarah Beeny tells them what to do, they ignore her, go over-budget, spend too much on a kitchen, forget what they're doing this for, design the house or flat for themselves, Sarah tells them it's a lovely finish but the wrong thing to have done, the estate agents value it at less than they expected, nobody buys it, the amateur developers move in and wait for next spring.
Tired. The proper kind you get after manual labour.
posted by Andrew Collins @ 7:57 PM
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26 Comments:
Debenture Tickets seem to be quite a nice way for the All England Lawn Tennis Ground to raise funds to build food courts, but I think I'd be inclined to criticise them on the grounds that the don't represent value for money; I do not begrudge the BBC has paying(?) for you to have a day out, but for that fact that I have acheived similar (if not higher) levels of special treatment from the kindly staff at Wimbledon by simply taking a limping friend with a solitary crutch.
Is that a little long for a 'comment'? Sorry!
I am one of those people who saves everything (just in case) so can't imagine filling a large yellow bag let alone a large yellow skip. Though maybe I would stop tripping over stuff if I did. Ho hum.
I have been saving my stuff "just in case", for years. That's why it's time to jettison a lot of it. Some of these books should be enjoyed by other people. Also, it will make the ones I choose to keep more precious. They survived the purge! Maybe it's the time of life. I found videotapes in the garage of old episodes of Friends I'd taped to keep, from 1996. We are entering a world where, if I want to see an episode of Friends, I will be able to donwload it in a instant. I have about 20 copies of the Billy Bragg book I wrote. These are doing me no good. Even if four of them get sold on through Help The Aged for 20p, that will be redistribution of stuff. I'll be selling all my vinyl next. It just takes up yards and yards of cupboard space. You have to see it a detox. Imagine the house is on fire. As long as you and your loved ones are safe, wouldn't you be grateful?
They have debenture tickets at Twickenham. What this generally means is that you become a member and get the option on a ticket -- which most people go for and use themselves or pass on to a buddy. I would say this is better than the 'corporate' ticketholders - these people are generally just there for the hobnobbing, the free bubbly and the prawn sandwiches. I've witnessed these idiots at a rugby match - they're more interested in the ManU v Chelsea poofball match on the TV screen in the box rather than take an interest in what's on live in the stadium. It winds me up coz i can never get tickets for Twickenham. (I'm not a 'rugby type' as in WDIAGR - i've just taken an interest since being back here)
It seems 'Real fans' are forgotten about in lieu of the moneymaking exercise. Would you have gone to Wimbledon if it weren't for the freebie?
I'd like to see 'Wimbledon' (and other events) give away a percentage of tickets free to schools in order to raise the interest in the sport. After all they're always complaining that there's 'no talent coming through'
That is a very good way of looking at things, and one I hadn't thought of. I suspect it will still take me a while to psych myself up for a big spring clean though. My problem is I attatch to many memories to things.
Anyways, would you mind at all Mr C if I linked your page on my blog? I think it only polite that I should ask first.
Have a good day.
Debenture tickets are where you pay the club (or whatever) a lump sum up front (which is the debt bit) and then you get priority treatment on tickets. you can buy and sell the debenture seats, usually through the club, to get your lump sum back. (investments can go down as well as up etc etc
Oh by the way if you sign those Billy Bragg books, the charity shop might get more money for them than 20p?
Another essential part of the script of any Sarah Beeny program lately is seeing her get more and more pregnant during the course of the program. Based on watching her last few series I estimate she has at minimum 17 children, perhaps as many as 22.
Hi Andrew,
I'm going through the same clutter-clearing process at the moment. It's a long and painful process - like Lynsey I attach too many memories to objects - but I have started to see the benefit in one room at least).
I've got a question about the videotapes - did you throw them out or find a way to recycle them? I collected a couple of bin bags worth and, after holding onto them for a few weeks while I tried to find a recycle option, ended up just throwing them out.
(nb - your books have survived the purge [/creepy fan-girl comment])
That's probably the most accurate description of Property Ladder that I have ever read. I also find it compulsive viewing for two reasons - you can probably guess what they are...
Just wondered if you'd heard of or use Freecycle? I have used it a few times and find a really good idea although am getting increasingly frustrated by the increase in 'Wanted' posts as opposed to 'Offered'!
Completely agree with your comments re. The F Word, although did find it rather amusing when Cliff described his own wine as rough (which incidentally is also a word I would choose to describe it).
James, on the matter of the free Wimbledon tickets, my wife is mad about Wimbledon, as I mentioned in the blog entry. We've never fancied queueing up the night before though, so it was a fantastic opportunity to go. We didn't just go because it was free. We did it because they were offered. (I hate the idea of corporate tickets too. But not so much that I would turn down tickets that had already been earmarked for the BBC. I make enough protests on matters of principle - this didn't seem like the time or place!) Oh, and Sarah, I've had the nod from two charity shops who will take all the pre-recorded videotapes. The blank ones had to go.
I could be wrong but I think the BBC recycle used blank video tapes.
Even if they do it's probably a bit late if you've skipped them - I doubt very much that you want to clamber amongst the old mattresses, half-used tins of paint, and banana skins for some old VHSes.
I'd also guess that you'd have to take them to TVC rather than Broadcasting House, so not exactly convenient for you either.
Also Andrew, which charity shops do you donate to?
Whenever I have a clear out, all my friends have their own and varied opinions on which charity shops are the most ethical, and which will make the best use of my old tat. Since most of my friends are idiots I don't know who to believe.
I've never thought too much about which charity shops are the best Ians. In Reigate, every other shop is a charity shop, so it's easy to spread the love. I asked two of them how many videos they'd take off my hands, one of them said a hundred, the other said they'd take as many as I wanted to give them, but I can't remember which was which. I prefer not to give to certain medical research charities because a lot of their money goes to the pharmaceutical industy and they test on animals.
Hey Andrew - I've been looking to buy a copy of that Billy Bragg book on eBay. I'll pop a few quid in a charity box if you send one ?
A slightly dull skip story (what a build up) someone told me in the week can be found here: lynseymeaculpa.blogspot.com
Don't know if you allow that sort of thing Andrew, feel free to deleat if you don't.
Allow, Lynsey? I positively encourage links. Let's do it properly.
Thanks Andrew ;) You are a legend. I unfortunately am a shit story teller. Ho hum;)
We have also had a mass clear-out, 6 trips to the tip and counting!. There is something liberating about throwing stuff into the biggest skips I have ever seen.
The amount of stuff you keep is incredible, but we kept saying to ourselves, 'do we really want this' and 90% of the time the answer is 'no'.
To celebrate we have invested in two massive storage racks for Cds and DVDs, instead of unusable piles around the place. They have taken pride of place in my room, (No kids, 3 bedroom house so I'm lucky enough to have my own room!) one already filled with CDs.
And as it was my birthday today we bought a super-duper weather station (rain gauge, wind speed and everything) which will be mounted on our newly de-cluttered shed.
Ian
Blimey Charlie, Andrew, you get about on the internet. Small world wide web, eh?
Like others here I find clearing out incredibly difficult. I start with great enthusiasm but get distracted by memories and 'that'll come in handy' syndrome.
My name is Wendy and I am a hoarder!
I did sort out a suitcase full of books to take to the charity shop, it's sat in the hall for about 4 months so far, can't take the final step......
When I moved house I had a clearout and like Andrew ditched about five bin bags fulled with stuff I'd taped off of the telly -- whole series of diligently recorded Star Trek and Quantum Leap and Northern Exposure, years worth of being in at the right time to press the record button so that I could maximise the amount of episodes on a tape. Gave away the same number of bags of pre-recorded tapes to the charity shop at the end of the road that didn't seem to have had new stock in about three years, and bookcrossed a library's worth of books and generally decluttered my life. Three years later I seem to have filled up the space again but with things I really want rather than 'it would be good to have just in case'. But you know -- I haven't missed anything that I threw or gave away.
I wonder if it would help to take photos of things you throw out, as a less space-hungry memory aid. Or maybe a clean break is better. Generally I think you regret it less when you throw your own things out, rather than someone else doing it.
Simon, you have finally made me realise I am a saddo. The option of taking photos got through to me. I will have a clear out. I will feel the fear and do it anyway. I will probably cry (the memory thing, not the getting rid of crap, honest). I'll get on with it, before my sister carries out her threat to do it for me.... Tomorrow.
Good luck, I've never taken snaps of anything before throwing it out, but have always thought that's what I would do if I did ever throw anything out. You may never look at the snaps but I reckon it might make the process easier to go through with.
I'd love to have the space that my vinyl collection takes up. However, I doubt I could bear to part with any of it even though my turntable hasn't been used in 2 years.
I also keep promising myself that I'll transfer them all onto CDs and my iPod but often I'm too lazy even to transfer a CD to iTunes and that's a lot less hassle.
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