Wardrobe Weeding

Following on from Thursday’s blog.

Regular readers will remember that last week I visited the Marie Curie shop in Wallsend Forum, and the 

St Oswald’s Hospice and Salvation Army shops on Chillingham Road.  

This Friday I had another trip into the Forum (for fruit for the knit’n’natter ladies) and found a short sleeved white cotton shirt and v-neck Cotton Traders’ t-shirt in the almost empty MarieCurie shop, for a pound each.  

Yesterday morning I went up to FourLaneEnds for Ferretfingers’ prescription and took the opportunity to look around while I was up there.  

I took a bag of rags to St Oswald's and bought two paperbacks (Ian Rankin and PDJames).   

Popped into Benton Cat & Dog Shelter Shop and found another pair of cool summer trousers (£5!).   

Then I discovered the pharmacy was shut so it had been an unnecessary journey.

But I had the hwyl so, when I got home, I dragged the suitcase of things-that-may-be-useful-sometime out from under the bed.   

Two pairs of shorts and three pairs of trousers, which will only fit me in the unlikely event that I lose 4 stone, went into the bag.   

Next I got everything out from the top of my wardrobe.   

Any garments I want to keep for sentimental reasons are now in the suitcase back under the bed.  

I tried on all the trousers, jeans and jeggings, and those which I would have to lose more than half a stone to fit into went into the bag.   

As did some tops which I’d kept in case they ‘came in handy’.

There are now at least a dozen pairs of trousers for all seasons in the wardrobe, as well as a good half dozen pairs of leggings, and some shorts.   

Not to mention dungarees, hoodies and swimsuits.  

The aim is to launder the garments on the chairdrobe when they need it, or the weather dictates they can no longer be worn, and put them away tidy up there until they come back into season.   

At least now there’s some room.

There are two and a half Sainsbury’s bags waiting to go up the road.

Half way through the proceedings Fester decided to come up for a lie down, but I was not put off and continued to sort things out around his recumbent posture. 

Middlesister would be proud of me.

 

POST SCRIPT 

The blue short sleeved shirt I got last week was far too big for me (must have been mis-sized) however it fits Fester, who has only just learnt that women's garments button up on the other side.

"What's the point of that?"

You might well ask. 

Cat Tales #46 Season's Change

Last Monday I blogged about the return of Felix to the martial bed; putting it down to the change in the weather.   

Neither cat has been upstairs for a couple of months.

It hadn’t occurred to me that our time in the office hadn’t been disturbed by a cat for the same amount of time.   

This has made life a lot easier and considerably reduced the amount of cursing.  

Fester continued to swear at his laptop and keyboard.

I managed reduced that somewhat by clearing out all the cat hair that had accumulated in the hole below the little red light under his mouse (do have a peek and do the same if your mouse is misbehaving).   

This idyll ceased the night before last.  

Fester and I were sitting, silently, companionably, at our right angled work stations; me on my desktop; him with his desktop but also using his laptop as a tv.   

Then suddenly, 

WOOMPH

THUD

and the sound of scrambling

as Felix landed on the bench.   

The mouses went to the left, the laptop to the right and Fester up to the ceiling.  

Later, when Thunderthighs joined me downstairs I regaled him with this story and we spent the rest of the evening giggling as the stream of invective at Felix filtered down from above.

 

Still Summer?

Matilda 2000-2016

Had it not been for the hot-house-plant act you’d have seen this yesterday (Fester is fine by the way).

From Facebook Archives

27 August 2012 at 14:34

OK! Who moved the clock forward to October?

Henlady  That's certainly how it feels outside today. How is Matilda?*

Bentonbag  She's spent most of the day as far under the sofa as she can get, deigned to lick fish paste off my finger but refused to come out.  So it's furniture shifting + medication time!😠

Miss Fiddle  Resorted to putting the gas fire on this pm - trying to resist the heating...

Dulcima  Went to Edinburgh yesterday, so we left the Rayburn unlit, so the house was cold when we got back.  Put the electric blanket on to warm the bed up - and this is still August - in theory!

 

*https://bentonbag.blogspot.com/2021/08/cat-tales-28-more-annus-horribilis.html

Best Laid Plans

From Facebook yesterday, and following on…

26 August 2026 at 08.40

Today, after I've taken Ferretfingers to the Day Centre, I shall pick up my new glasses.

I've half a mind to go through the top of my wardrobe and take out a few things I no longer wear. 

There is a bag and a half of stuff in the hall and I may as well make two. 

This is because last Friday the Marie Curie shop in the Forum (Wallsend shopping centre) was having a moving premises sale and I came away with four pairs of summer trousers, two tops and a clear plastic water jug (our old one having cracked beyond use) for £13.50.   

This means at least 6 things need to go in the bag.   

My old pair of cream coloured summer trousers were entirely worn out so are in the rag bag, but I now have another pair - albeit slightly short in the leg

HOWEVER (written 26/8/26 at 14.19)

Having visited the opticians, as I was on Chillingham Rd for the first time in ages, I had a look around the Asian-selling-everything shop (because you never know what useful thing you'll find in one), St Oswald's Hospice Shop (very different to FourLaneEnds' one but still good) and the Salvation Army Shop.  

Came home with loo blocks, eye-mask & ear plugs, a mug from Blackfriars Day of Dance (an event Phil and I were at) in 1987, birthday and sympathy cards and a blue blouse; which means another garment has to be found to go out.

Returning I found the hall-airlock door open and wondered who had come in and left it that way (I always shut it as our front door is glass and I don't like people being able to see in when we're out).  

I hellooed a couple of times.   

No reply.

Then I noticed Fester’s shopping bag at the foot of the stairs.

He had left for the Mining Institute with a cheery “I’m off” at a quarter to nine so I wondered whether he’d left it behind or come home early.

Nobody in the kitchen

Back door still locked.

More unanswered “helloo”s. 

“Where is he?” I thought “Is he dead?  Or merely incapacitated?  Will I have to call an ambulance?”

Came upstairs to find him doing his hot-house-plant act again. 

Lying fully dressed on the bed sighing and harrumphing and weakly claiming 

“I’ve got an infection … I’ve had loose bowels.”

Oh joy oh flaming rapture oh thirty-three years of bliss!

So I’ve removed his shoes and trousers, filled his water bottles, taken in the bucket (don’t ask), opened the window and closed one of the curtains.

The bed being occupied I have nowhere to sort things out of the wardrobe.