umbrella

london 9.53am rain 14C sunday 2019

i found an umbrella yesterday. it was in the recycling area. and it rained last night and still going on this morning. it is nice and cooling when it rains. i like it. 

Digital StillCamera

Digital StillCamera

isn’t it a pretty umbrella.

found things

london 1.21pm 11.2C cloudy tuesday 2019

Digital StillCamera

Digital StillCamera

Digital StillCamera

i found some plates and a teapot recently. the white plate (there were 3 of them) is gold rimmed, and looked very nice. procelain too. and made in poland it seems. at the back it has chodziez brand on it. the other two plates are staffordshire ware. the teapot has no brand name but it is very cute, and unused.well, as BT said in the BT advert, everyone needs plates.

there must be lots of plates hanging around all over the world, and by rights there should be no need to buy them, they should be easily found free. all my crockery have been found , or in my earlier life, bought in charity shops. it was only late in life, in the last 10 or 20 yrs i think, that i realise there is no need to buy them as they are freely found on the street.  

free sausage, and found a spiderman bag

london 2.01pm 11.4C cloudy friday 2019

 

 

Digital StillCamera

Digital StillCamera

i went earlier this morning to islington, it is a new opening of a restaurant that sells specialised sausages from international sources which seem to imply from all over the world (though i suspect they are sausages from europe ) today they are giving away a free meal. i got their special, costing about £10. i dont know where this sausage come from… it looks like one of those german sausages. it was a lovely long size. (i have seen other’s orders  and their food is sausages inside a bun, so not as much as mine) the mashed bits are chick peas i think and beetroot i think which gives it its red colour. i was amongst the first few  to order so i got my food quite quickly. its quite nice. you might think it is pricey, but the price is normal for this area. its fun to try these places when they are doing a opening promotion and giving away free food.  

on the way back, i took the tube to pimlico, and decided to go to the library nearby and passed by a recycling bins and saw this, a spiderman child’s bag. its quite nice isn’t it? i think so. i like the 3-D effect. and i find the size very suitable for my things. i find it is better to have a small bag, so that i dont get tempted to put too many things in it. i have been using a gym bag (it’s a sleeping bag cover)but it is getting frayed and have holes in it. it is about 2 and a half yrs old. and it is still serviceable. i think it got an extended life because ian sewed the bottom with his sewing machine and that sealed the seam very effectively. i might keep an eye out for a tubular bag like that (a ex sleeping bag cover is what i should look out for) in case in the future i revert to using such a bag instead of this spiderman one or when this spiderman bag gets too worn. 

i think this spiderman bag is a lunch box. and an insulated one at that.  it has a label -disney store. this spiderman bag is too small to take my chromebook, but i can put it in there as long as i dont zip it up. so it is a bag i can use if i am not bringing my chromebook with me. or if i do, i need to find an elastic to secure it with the top unzipped. it even got a label on the inside where u can write your name. 

added. i was curious to see if people really send their children to school with packed lunches, and found this article about it. there were a lot of warnings about keeping the food warm or cold, and warnings about bacteria, that even i got to wonder if it is worth it. after reading it, even i felt it is too dangerous to make a packed lunch. and i have been packing my lunch for years and think nothing of it.

in all the years when i have eaten my packed lunch, i have never had any problems, and i never keep the food in insulated containers. or even in the fridge at my workplace. and i know people in malaysia never bother with all that either. and none of us have even got ill and we live in the tropics where it is a lot hotter than here with more chances for germs to grow. but here we all hear or read of food poisoning, and warnings not to eat leftover food. dangerous to eating leftover rice, is one that i keep hearing about. it is enough to frighten u off making your own lunch ever again. 

i found a carpet

london 5.32pm 13.8C dry, (highest 19.2C about 4pm) sunday 2019

i think one of the nice things about living my life in london is finding things lying around.

i was on my way to the bus this morning to catch it for paddington library, which i normally go to on sundays, when i saw this rolled up carpet. i took it back and unrolled it when i got back just to see what the pattern was. it is quite nice.so i shall keep it.  then i went out again to continue my library travel. part of the fun of finding things is the not knowing what i will find. it is that element of chance. and the unexpected. it makes for an interesting life in a nice way. because the surprise is a nice one. as well as satisfy my crave for acquiring useful things. you could say it is my hobby, and a inexpensive hobby that i can indulge without needing money to run it. 

its too dark now to take a picture of the carpet so i shall delay posting a pic of it till tomorrow when i can get more light. the back of the carpet has a label with gewell, mattex the carpet i found you can see in the catalogue, under sultan. it is blue. size 120/170 

added mon 25.2.19 in the cold light of today, i see it is actually black with white borders and centre . 

Digital StillCamera

Digital StillCamera

Digital StillCamera

Digital StillCamera

Digital StillCamera

 

 

this element of chance, seems to run throughout my life in the things i like to do … like finding free food offers given by eating places to promote themselves. also finding reduced priced bargains of all kinds of food in the supermarkets. all are unplanned, and unexpected, and surprising.

i have been thinking what i would be doing if i were to retire in malaysia, instead of ending up in london. i have a feeling i wont find it so enjoyable as here.

i saw a article about a malaysian guy about my age who came to london on a tourist visa in 2005 and overstayed and was caught working illegally in 2016, and had been trying to get a permanent stay here, unfortunately, it seems the home office dont believe he is gay. saying he dont have a boyfriend… which is really a strange reason for saying someone is not gay… haha. not everyone of us have a boyfriend. that article i have not read before, and it gave more details of his case. it said they could not find anyone to vouch for his being gay, sex partners i think they meant, and it is rather unusual to not be able to find any… after all it is the very freedom in london to find gay guys to befriend and have relationships with, that makes it so nice to be here in london. on the other hand, he came here when he was in his 50s, and that might be difficult to get into the gay scene, where youth, or the appearance of youthfulness, is quite highly priced. 

 

i found some comfy cushion seats

london 1.04pm 5C cloudy thursday 2019

i need to replace the cushion seats in my sofa bed which i have been using as a sofa to lie on. it was formed from an old foam mattress and is fraying and has lost all its bounce. but funnily enough i did not notice it until i found those sofa cushions and took off the cover and saw it. 

and last night i saw in the next courtyard someone had thrown out their old sofa set, it consists of two two- seater sofas, and i decided to take the sofa cushion seats, and the two soft cushions.

i had seen these two sofas earlier in the day, but it was broad daylight and they were placed just by the entrance to the block, so i was not sure if they were just being thrown away or awaiting delivery. but as i passed through that courtyard to return home last night, as i came back from my bargain hunt in the supermarket, i saw they have moved the sofas to a out- of- the- way area, so i figured they must be getting rid of it. i took two cushion seats at first, but when i got them back and fitted them on my own sofa bed, and sat on them, they are so firm and comfy that i decided to go back and take the other two… and the two throwback cushions while i was at it. haha . i felt a bit bad at breaking up the sofas, because without their cushions no one can use them as sofas. and i always prefer that they be left intact if possible so that other people can use them for their original purpose.

but this morning i passed by them again, and saw in the cold light of day that they are quite ordinary sofa frames and not anything special and when i saw the back cushions that i did not take, which were faded from the sun, i realise i was right to take what i could. i think the only nice thing about the cushions were that they were very firm to sit on. and not many like that degree of firmness perhaps. it is only me who like it that firm as they dont sag when i lie on them. and they really give me a lot of pleasure to sit on them. i love their firmness. 

the sofa frames  will be heavy to carry away, and would require our estate removal service to get rid of them,i think. i wonder that they did not take it to the nearby recycling area, but maybe it was too heavy. 

 

 

Digital StillCamera

Digital StillCamera

Digital StillCamera

as usual when i find things, i look them up in google, just to see what sofas are like, and saw a huge variety , but i think i like the what they called ‘english style’ sofas. exactly what i have. they are the most comfy i think. 

i am beginning to get some idea of what i want from sofas. first off , the cushions, i want firm cushion seats. then they dont sag with long use and saggy cushions seats are really awful. but soft cushions are really nice to sit on, so i am wondering if i might miss that with my firm cushion seats. can you get soft cushions that dont sag with use? or is it two contradictory requirements that is not possible to fulfill. ah well, just as well i am not in the market for buying sofas. haha. as it is i got what i want and did not need to spend a penny on it.

this sofa bed that i am sitting on now is one that i found on the pavement, thrown away by someone; so that didn’t cost me a penny either. it must be a long time ago, because i cannot remember when i got it. it is the right length for me to sit on it and still be able to  accommodate my whole length. that is why i like it, even though it is quite old and the metal bed has got loose from its fixed screwed attachment to the frame. just as well we dont use it as a bed.

but now all is perfect for me to lie on it and watch tv. haha. 

nice find

london 6.58pm 6.2C night dry saturday 2018

Digital StillCamera

Digital StillCamera

i have wanted to find some trainers or at least one pair, and this morning i found it. quite an interesting find i think. a pair of adidas trainers part suede and part leather. so they might not be trainers at all, but street shoes. and they are hardly worn down … the heel is still unworn and the soles too retain their ribbed pattern. i sometimes wonder what is the story behind them… who and why did that person get rid of them? i am glad he did and for not putting it inside the bins, and my thanks to him for giving me a bit of joy today.

i wonder what else i will find.

at this time of year, when people are decluttering, a lot of things are being thrown out. so it can be a lot of fun finding what it is that is left there. 

found thing

london 4.31pm 12.1C sunny sunday 2018

 

Digital StillCamera

Digital StillCamera

the bag has a fine stippled pattern which is rather pleasing. its a deceptive bag, its base is small, but it spreads out above it to a very wide opening. i have never seen such a design before. you can carry a lot of things in it. the front flap has D TURKMAN on it. i thought it was the initials of whoever threw it away… a novel idea i thought to initial your shopping bag with your name so it does not get mixed up with others… but i googled the name and it seems it is a brand. but there dont seem to be a company website.

i found this shopping trolley placed beside the bins of an old folks home. it was actually not as nice looking as this when i first saw it. the bag  was all crumpled up on the frame , it had no  base cardboard. only later did i realise the base cardboard was taken out … i dont know what made me take the trolley, maybe because i was on my way to the tesco supermarket and thought a shopping trolley will be useful. it was only when i was waiting at the bus stop nearby and was examining it, that i realise it has not got a base… so i went back to get it, because earlier i saw a rectangular board covered in black plastic lying near it… and put two and two together and realised it might be the base. it was, fitted perfectly  which was good to have, as it firms up the base of the bag and let it rest securely on the frame and enable it to support heavy things in the bag.

the wheels were white and look like new. usually the threads are worn down with constant use. but not these. and it turned out to be just what i needed to carry lots of vegetables that tesco was selling cheap.

i bought cabbage, carrots 1kg, brocolli all 3 for £1. and celery for 29p. this trolley is quite compact so that it is easy to carry around , it is very light when empty, which is an important factor i realise, because i have another trolley that is quite big and heavy when empty and i find i am reluctant to carry that around when i go shopping. it is useful for those times when i know i am going to buy rice… because the trolley is quite long handled, and that gives it a lot of leverage and make it very easy to carry very heavy loads.

its quite a fun thing, to come across  unexpected things in the rubbish bins that turn out to be so very useful. 

i found that fr###ging tv remote

london 12.32pm 25.9C sunny wednesday 2017

oh what a bother! i am in the library and was rummaging in my bag, and saw this… the freaking remote control for the tv. how did it get in there!! i must have put it in there without realising it. i think in my haste to put in the adaptor, i must have grabbed the remote as well. though if it has been sitting on the side table it would not be anywhere near the adaptor. i am trying to think back but it is all a blank. i dont switch the tv on in the morning as there is nothing on tv in the morning that i want to see. so by rights this remote should have been sitting on the side table far from the sofa where my adaptor would be. 

that is the naughty remote hiding in my bag, and i found it just now. i wonder if simon can cancel the order . maybe not.

 and i got a message from someone who i have lost touch with from my past. it was from the meetup group that i recently joined, the one that organised the naked sunbathing session. he joined yesterday it seems  and saw my photo, and sent me a message asking if it was me, and if i am in london. i was puzzled at the message because i did not recognise him. but anyway i replied saying i am in london and why did he ask. and he said its been sometime since i went to malaysia. that was when i realised it was him, and i went looking in my address book and saw his telephonenumber in the address he was living it at the time, near marble arch, and i called him and he answered . he is still living there after all these years. i last went back to malaysia to look after my father in 2008 i think. it seems he called when i was away and simon told him i have gone back to malaysia and dont know when i will be back. so he thought i have gone for good left the country.

he said he left a message on the phone, for me to call him back if i got back; but when i got back many months later, simon forgot to tell me he called and i did not access the messages in the phone and so i forgot all about it. now and then i did wonder what happened to him. but i think i forgot his name and so did not think of looking up his number in my address book.

i can be very casual about keeping up with friends actually and have just forgotten friends.

ah well, it seems he got married to his thai friend who he has been having a long distance relationship for many years. and when they got married the guy was able to come to london to stay with him. well i shall be seeing them tomorrow so i shall be able to catch up with him on his news then. so it looks like i have found two items that i have lost. one a few days ago, and the other a lost friend of something like 10yrs ago. 

coffee and cake

london 12.26pm 12.3C cloudy wednesday 2017

this morning i was reminded that i still have a voucher for free cake and coffee/tea at john lewis oxford st store. so i decided to go to the marylebone library instead of the local ones,as it is a short walk from there to the store.

well i took the bus, as it does not entail a tube change , and anyway today is a tube strike. i suppose i shall be reading of all those office workers stranded at the station later today. but around midday, the roads were relatively quiet.

i got a cheese cake, which is what i wanted. they are not as sweet as a cake.

i think it is lovely to be able to just come here and relax and just enjoy the fun of people watching and also to browse the shop and look at the stuff.

i used to do a lot of window shopping in the past. even in those days i dont have the urge to buy stuff, so my window shopping trips never end up with me spending loads of money buying unnecessary things.  to those who cannot resist i would not recommend they do this. but it is a very enjoyable way to spend some leisure time. now of course everytime i see something, my immediate reaction if i like it is to wonder whether i can find one like it in the recycling bins… haha. hehee.

in the past , at one stage of my life, i would wonder if i can find it in a charity shop. now i want it free or not at all. like this lovely fleece jacket that i found in the recycling area. it is a brand called guise. it is a large size, but great for me as a house coat. or if simon wants to wear it he can too. it has a very luxurious feel. 

Digital StillCamera

 

 

 

banoffee cheesecake.

found things

london 4.07pm 8.6C cloudy saturday 2016

Digital StillCamera

Digital StillCamera

i havent found many things recently so i am right happy that these few days i have found quite a lot of things. the kettle and kitchen stuff i found this morning on my way to the library in marylebone. someone have left it near the recycling bins.  there were a set of frying pans and saucepans too but i did not take them as i got a lot of those allready. the saucepans did not look like they are stainless steel otherwise i would take them as i am looking for them for my induction stove. that flat dish i shall use as a butter dish, to replace the one i broke. i got the cover for it. though when i put them together, i found the cover was too big for it. we have been using the margarine container in the background for our butter. the margarine container may not look all that great but it is actually quite useful for that.

this morning i saw there was a broken up mannequin in our estate recycling bins. it was  a woman mannequin , with detachable arms and torso and slim legs standing upright. and there was another mannequin but minus its torso and arms. a man was looking at them and he began to put one torso in his car boot.he asked me if i want them,  i told him, no, you can have them and dont forget her arms. hmm, if it were of a man, i might keep the torso. haha. 

the kettle works and will come in useful when our old one conks out. we got two but  one of our old kettles is leaking, dont know why it should do that, as we have not knocked it to the floor or anything like that. i could not find any obvious hole or anything like that to account for the leakage. and it does not leak all the time, only when i tilt it in a certain way. it is a mystery that . kettles are so useful. 

the mug i found another day lying on the ground beside the roadside. any mug with a message on it costs money. i see them being sold for £1 . this one says go greener, respect the environment. a long message that goes right round the mug. we could do with some more mugs because for some reason quite a lot of my mugs have gone. simon must have done a clear out. or he broke them. haha. they get cracked and broken very easily. its a lot of fun picking up these things for free. and very useful things they are too.

the kettle is really nice. 

Digital StillCamera

Digital StillCamera

added 12.1.2019. jsut to say that kettle has been replaced , cant remember exactly when but about a month or two ago. nov 18 perhaps. it still works but the lid tends to open easily, so simon bought a new one. i still keep it in my spare room as a spare, just in case we might need it again.