TRUE STORY - A WOODEN TABLE AND INORGANIC COLLECTION Yes, a true story full of coincidence and luck and we all like that when it happens! THE WOODEN TABLE BASE It begins with finding the base of a wooden table that would be perfect for a much needed additional kitchen worktop or bench. Our kitchen is a bit shy on work surfaces. So weve been talking for a while about getting another table. But its never happened. Instead, it was when we least expected it and we were driving home after swimming and a playdate that I spotted what looked like a table in the inorganic waste collection. Inorganic waste collection is when we all turn into scavengers to see what treasure others have thrown out. Its when you declutter and hope you find some better treasure than the trash youre putting out for collection. Everyone (yes everyone!) puts their junk outside their house and the Council collects it over a week period. It happens twice a year. Its needed because we all have so much rubbish in our houses and sheds and garages. It causes havoc on the road and is a menace but its fun! Piles of junk on verges in an entire suburb means cars stopping, cars doing U turns, UTEs driving up and down, people driving around with trailers, dog walkers, joggers and everyone stopping for a nose. Youll see the serious scavengers who sell the useable stuff and scrap metal to make a raise; youll see the opportunists (like us) who drive by going somewhere, get distracted with rubbish piles, see something, stop and pick it up if possible; and youll see the hoarders (like our neighbour) who picks up more stuff than they put out each year! Well, out we jumped; 6 year old, 4 year old and me. We eyed up the table base with 4 legs and a low shelf. We liked it. It had a bit of damage, but well it would do. We will just make a table top out of some wooden planks we had at home (might even be a bit of jarrah). Yep. Lets take it. It was free and it would be fun. Small Transport Problem One problem. We were in the small car (and it is small). So we knocked on the door of the house where it had been thrown out to ask if they could look after it for us, until we could return later in the day with the bigger car. No answer. So we walked across the road and asked a neighbour opposite who we had seen out in the garden. Yeah sure, he said after wed explained the situation: we didnt want to lose the table (as someone else might pick it up, blah blah and can he keep the table here until later?). He helped me carry it over to his house and we put it under shelter. After 7pm were be back I said, when I have the car. Back later, at about 7.30. It was cold, dark and not inviting so a real effort. No-one in at the house where the table was. No dog, nobody. I wanted to let them know it was me making the noise outside loading up the car. I opened the boot. And what did I see? Two bags of pool salt. They had been there all week! Partner had driven the car around with 50kg of salt all week and we had forgotten to unload it. So typical of us. What a pain. The bags were heavy. They were in the way laid squarely in the boot. I dragged each one to the edge of the boot and tipped it on its side to maximise space. It was dark on a Friday evening and I wanted to be home with my family (aaah). Another Transport Problem Now back to the table base. Did it fit in? No Would it go in the boot? No. Would it go along the back passenger seat? No. It was just too long. Too long by far. Either the table was bigger than I thought, or the car was shorter than I thought (probably the latter). Idea 1 - Take a child car seat out and fold the back seat down. Problem - couldnt get the car seat out. Couldnt unhook its seat strap from the safety catch on the roof. It was too taut. But it wasnt too taut if I lifted the child car seat up about 15 cm. Problem was I couldnt unhook it from the safety catch, so I needed someone else to do that. No-one around on a dark Friday evening in a quiet street. Aaahh, I thought. Get something to wedge under the child car seat to raise it so I could unhook safety catch. Tried to loosen the seat strap itself at a point just above the chair which looked like the answer, but couldnt do it. Too much plastic and a mechanism too clever for me. Sod it. Moved on to another idea. Idea 2 - Take out the other child car seat. It was a different make and model. It might be easier. Was it? No. Same problem with the seat strap. Sod it. Idea 3 - Phone partner to ask how to take out child seats. I was doing it wrong. He would explain as hed done it loads. No answer. Idea 4 - Leave table base where it was and collect later or in the morning. Hated that idea. Just too frustrating to return. Idea 5 - Use the two salt packs (25kg each), to weigh down the table base whilst I drove home like a really slow granny, with the boot open. Used some string to tie the boot down and a blanket to wedge between the boot and table edge. The salt bags were perfect! They nestled neatly onto a low shelf of the table. I thought sod it again, lets do it. It was less than a kms drive. It was quiet on the road. Got it home. Salt bags turned from a real pain to my little angels! THE TABLE TOP Two days later on Sunday afternoon after returning from a family trip to a local market and park, we found ourselves driving down a road near to our house to have a look at the junk heaps people were throwing out. And yes, along that road (it was the only road we drove along), was a table top. A solid pine table top in good condition with a bit of damage (that a sand and varnish could sort), that looked like it would fit over our table base. Yes, could it really be the perfect fit? It was the top of an old coffee table but the table legs had seen better days (a bit like mine really). Another, yes another Transport Problem And again, the table top wouldnt fit into the boot of the car, nor across the passenger seats (especially with two tired children). Idea 1 - Dont take it. It would never fit. Dont be stupid. Make our own table top. But the more we looked, the more we realised our woodwork would never be as good. This was ready made. Ready to go. Less effort. Easy. Idea 2 - Would we leave it there and collect later with the back seats down (minus 2 children and car seats)? No way. This wasnt about anyone else taking it. This was personal. It was meant to be! We needed to seize the moment, get home, see if the table top fitted, if it did do a dance and a wey hey. If it didnt, so what, we would put it out for junk and revert to making our own table top. Idea 3 - This was crazy. Would it work? Yes. We could pop the table top into the boot resting it carefully along the ridge of the rear passenger seats. I would hold it secure in place from the front passenger seat while partner drove. It would be a little precarious with two children sitting either side of a big plank of wood in the rear, but it was less than 300 metres to our home. We did it. I had a good grip and the children were switched on leaning towards the windows away from the wood. A minute or two later, at home, the wooden top was introduced to the wooden table base and the rest is history. They were meant for each other; the top slotted into place just perfectly. A wee bit warped but nothing that some glue and packing (wedges) couldnt sort. THE TABLE TOP AND LEGS MET A dance and a wey hey later by the parents and we had a table. The sanding and varnish might never happen. It only just got a clean before it was being used to make a jam sandwich, honey sandwich (thats all the children wanted was to be fed). Two lucky finds from other peoples rubbish and two transport solutions later; we have a new table. By the way, what goes round, comes round. A lot of the rubbish we put out has been taken: an old kayak trailer (that never fitted); a 6 year old 2 seater buggy (that had seen enough adventures and tantrums to go into retirement) and a couple of boogie boards (that were falling apart). Recyling. Cant fault it. Have a great week. The Team at Great Garage Sales
Posted on: Sun, 13 Jul 2014 16:45:54 +0000
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