General Chat

I should imagine tools, screws etc would be welcomed by the local 'Man Sheds'.

Vera, dad is nearly 86 and has great plans to put up collages of pictures on the hall wall. he has bought another fruit machine to repair and resell and still ha a jukebox to finish.

He has finished making a well in the garden and paved the ground over.

The day he stops repairing and fixing will be the day he passes sadly :-(

Florence, I feel much the same about my OH. He'll always have some sort of project to hand. I did manage to persuade him to have a painter in last year but when I suggested an electrician to put right some wiring and replace an outside security light, I was told very firmly that he would do it, (he is qualified). So yesterday I heard some banging outside and found him on the top of a rather wonky step ladder but the job got done and he did agree that the step ladder was a bit unstable so has now straightened and reinforced it. He's fine but I'm a nervous wreck! I just have to close my eyes and hope for the best.

Maggi, whether we clear out the garage-cum-shed or the kids do when we're no longer around, it will only be the real rubbish that goes to the tip. We don't have a Men's Shed near us, though I understand there is one in development, but there is the Tools with a Mission charity or our local Freecycle which we have put things on before.

I meant to say Maggi, how lucky you are to have all those old letters and postcards etc. My Dad had been a bit of a hoarder and had lots of old photos and mementos but in his later years he had quite severe dementia and burned all the photos if he didn't recognise the people in them and got rid of all his souvenirs if he didn't know what they were. My late brother found out what was happening and managed to rescue what was left. We can see family resemblances in the photos we've got but have no idea who they are. A few years ago I put the most puzzling one in my Keepsafe for members to help with dating the clothing. Even then I couldn't fit it in with anyone on my tree but there is a strong family resemblance.

Getting rid of photos grrr!

My mother got rid of photos as we ‘wouldn’t know who anyone was’. But she got rid of everything. Luckily I had lots of cousins who came up with some of them but there are no pictures of of family holidays etc.
cousins acquired a load of family photos and got rid of all those they didn’t know - which was a great shame as one side of the family were great photographers. I had already made contact with cousins from the wider family who would have welcomed some of those.

I have de cluttered more stuff from my room, hubby was surprised at what I saved "just in case" old hearing aids, B M D certs which weren't mine and I couldn't find anyone that wanted them :-(

Vera ............ my husband is 85 this year, still "plans" to do x, y, z

I did eventually get him to agree 5 or 6 years ago that getting someone to cut the grass would give him more time actually in the garden, but he still plans to climb the ladder and prune the kiwi vines out of the cherry tree, double dig the veggie patch, etc etc. When he does climb a ladder, he expects me to stand there "in case" and to help steady the ladder. That's beyond me now, but he won't accept it.

He was a university professor, and luckily realises that he can't mess around with electrics, plumbing, etc.

We have unknown amounts of screws, nuts and bolts, his tools, his father's tools, etc etc in the basement (no garage), and I'm getting to my wits end, not only on how to get him to get rid of "stuff" but to stop doing dangerous things like climbing ladders.

BTW .................... man sheds are VERY uncommon here. I think they're just beginning to appear in places like condos where there are several retired men who push it.

Erm, what is a man shed and how do I find a local one please? I'm assuming it is some sort of club thing.
Thanks.