Monthly Archives: July 2023

Slant & Schooldays

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We have had done all manner of things since my last post. When we made a trip to Melbourne to deliver the refuurbished step stool we also helped our daughter install some new blinds in her unit.

I have also replenished our freezer stock of soup with 12 serves of leek and potato soup and 11 serves of pumpkin soup. It is great to have a supply of hearty, ready-to-eat meals.

Socialising has not been forgotten either. We met GMan’s cousin and husband for lunch one day, went to a local bar last night to hear a local band and today we watched a movie at the Theatre Royal in Castlemaine. It was not just any movie but an independent Australian film called ‘Slant’ starring Sigrid Thornton.

I must admit that I had not heard of Slant until a few weeks ago when we received the July programme for the Theatre Royal as we are members. You can read a bit more about the theatre here. As well as the prospect of supporting a local independent film it was exciting to read that the event included a Q & A session with some of the cast and crew, including Sigrid Thornton.

The film is described as ‘darkly comic’ which is quite apt. It was quirky, fast-paced, interesting and definitely had its humorous moments. To say anymore would be to give too much away. Please consider going if you have an opportunity to see ‘Slant’ and support independent creative locals.

The icing on the cake was the opportunity to chat with Sigrid Thornton after the event. It is 53 years since we were in the same class at primary school in Brisbane and I am so pleased that I made the effort to introduce myself. She was thoroughly delightful and seemed genuinely pleased to meet me.

Thank goodness for a phone camera to record the moment.

Refreshed, Ready to Use

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It is over 2 years since my mother died and in many ways it seems like just yesterday. Both of my parents were small children during the Great Depression which undoubtedly coloured their views of taking care of their possessions and mending, repairing and upcycling where necessary. Throwing perfectly good items away was simply not in their DNA. Much of this mindset filtered down to my siblings and me so we felt a certain obligation to ensure that Mum’s personal effects were distributed wisely. Some went to various family members, others were sold and yet more went to charities who could use them.

I was surprised when my younger daughter expressed an interest in the kitchen stepstool. It was sturdy but had seen better days and the orange vinyl seat screamed 1970s. Nevertheless, she was keen to have the stool as it offered a practical solution for accessing the top shelves of her kitchen cupboards as well having some special memories of helping in her grandma’s kitchen when she was a young child.

I don’t have any before photos but GMan dismantled the stool, removed the seat and spraypainted the metal frame. We disassembled the seat, scrubbed the vinyl cover, bought a new piece of foam and cut a replacement base from some leftover timber. I used upholstery staples to recover the seat using the same vinyl cover. This is apparently some of the appeal to my daughter.

Here is the end result.

The seat folds up to allow the steps to be accessed. Note the photobombing dog!!

We will be delivering the refurbished stepstool to its new home this week.

Don’t forget that there are various repair cafes and groups who can assist with restoring/repairing items if they are beyond what you are prepared to tackle.

Remember, the most sustainable items are those that you already own.

A Zippy Day

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One of the op shop buys I mentioned in my last post was a vest which had a broken front zip.

Yesterday I bought a new zip and my project for today was to replace the broken zip.

Replacing zips can be a bit of a challenge as they are generally inserted fairly early in the garment construction, therefore, it is a bit of a balancing act to deconstruct enough of the garment to allow the removal and replacement of the zip.

I have managed to achieve my goal reasonably successfully.

Is it perfect? No.

Is it good? Yes.

Am I happy with the result? Absolutely.

New zip inserted

Zipped up.

Wearing the finished garment.

The zip cost me $8.50 which was more than double what I paid for the vest but I still regard it as $12.50 well spent to have this addition to my wardrobe.

Wardrobe Wins

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Yesterday we headed out and about with a bit of a plan which included visiting a specific op shop in a small town some distance from us. It had been specifically recommended so I was keen to see for myself.

The pricing was very modest and I bought 3 summer tops. It is the middle of winter here but I regard this as forward planning because it will definitely be hot in 6 months time.

This sheer floaty top will need a camisole underneath it.

A girl can’t have too many navy/white striped tops. (In my opinion). These tshirt tops appear to be unworn or only very lightly worn. I will shorten the navy one a little bit.

I could not believe my luck as these tops were $2 each! It is almost impossible to get anything for $2 these days in an op shop.

Later in the day I spotted another op shop near the supermarket. Once again, I was in luck.

I had been on the lookout for another vest and spotted this one for $4. The zip does not work but I am not too worried as I generally wear a vest like this unzipped. However, I do plan to buy a new zip and replace it to restore this lovely vest to full functionality.

My final find was this knit ‘dress’. It is a synthetic mix and quite fine but will be perfect with a layer of thermals underneath and teamed with tights, boots and a scarf.

I scored all of these additions for the amazing total of $15.

However, it is not all about the money. My prime reason for op shopping is to minimise my use of new resources. It is scary to see the amount of clothes and other textiles which end up in landfill and this was what drove my decision to limit, and preferably eliminate, my reliance on new clothes. My exceptions are underwear, socks and shoes.

I set myself a challenge in November 2018 that I would not buy any new clothes from retail outlets for 5 years. It seemed outrageous and probably unachievable but I was determined to give it a go.

I only have 4 months to go. So, how I am I going? I have bought 1 dress and a scarf (in February 2021) brand new to wear to a wedding. The scarf went to an op shop after a couple of wears as I realised it had been an impulse buy and was not really going to have a long-term place in my wardrobe. The dress was a bargain – reduced from $179 to $21!! I have worn in many times since the wedding, including to my mother’s funeral, as it is very versatile.

My wardrobe has altered significantly in nearly 5 years and I have achieved that through buying pre-loved items in op shops as well as higher-end recycle boutiques. Some have appeared to be brand-new and it is even more important than ever to save these items from ending up in landfill. It has been a continual evolution as I moved from full-time work to retirement and again as we moved from Queensland to Victoria.

Powered by the Sun

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After 12 days, I am finally starting to feel as though I am recovering from the nasty respiratory infection which has laid me low. However, there has been a bit of action on the home front.

When we first contemplating selling our previous home we realised that we we be giving up a degree of self-reliance which we had developed over a number of years. We depended entirely on rainwater collected on our property as well as having solar hot water, solar panels and a battery system, although we were not completely off-grid.

As we began our search for a new home, we initially were looking for a property with existing solar panels. However, we soon realised that a home with a suitable orientation would provide us with the opportunity to take advantage of the most up-to-date technology in solar panels and batteries.

Once we had signed the contract of purchase we set about making enquiries regarding the most suitable system for our circumstances.

This week our 8.3 kW system with battery was installed.

This is the very compact modular battery and inverter located near the meter box.

The panels are evenly divided between the east and west facing portions of the roof. They are barely visible from ground level but I managed this glimpse from the corner of the backyard.

Even though it is only 3 weeks from the winter solstice there has been enough weak sunshine each day to fully charge the battery each day. We are still connected to the grid but we are reasonably confident that we will be able to cover our electricity usage for a fair percentage of the year.

There was an existing solar hot water system when we bought the house so our next step is to work out what rainwater storage we may be able to install. The average rainfall is much less here than we have been used to but there is definitely an opportunity to harvest at least some of the rain for use in the garden over the hot, dry summer months.

A Rainbow of Scarves

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I like to wear a scarf and find that it often adds the final element which completes an outfit. However, in a cooler climate they have become a necessity rather than purely for their value as an accessory. That is not to say that looking good is not important.

My scarf collection is mostly a mix of finely woven scarves in plains and prints. In the past week I have picked up two more plain ones in my op shop adventures. A beautiful blue scarf as well as another red one. My original red scarf is very lightweight and starting to show signs of wear.

I love the colours and brightness that they add to my mostly black, grey and navy winter wardrobe.

More Bargains

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We have been rather occupied with our guests for the past five days so no time for blog posts.

Yesterday I took my granddaughters to Bendigo. I bought more fruit and vegetables, we enjoyed the Australian Women’s Weekly exhibition at the art gallery and we found time to check out a couple of op shops.

I found a summer dress for Liv – no mean feat as she is 15 and liable to change her mind at a moment’s notice. Also, a warm fleecy black top for Izz as well as a skirt, long sleeve knit top and scarf for myself.

However, the standout purchases were a pair of shoes and a chair.

These shoes caught my eye but did not appear to have any size, brand or country of origin markings. In fact, I think they may be handmade. I tried them on and they fitted perfectly. They have barely been worn and were priced at $8. Lucky me!

I actually saw the chair outside the shop as we approached the door. You may remember that I bought a dining setting with 4 chairs from Marketplace some weeks ago. You can read about it here. I was prepared to have one or two extra chairs and was not too worried about whether they were an exact match. I figured that this one would be suitable so I handed over $5 and it was mine.

I brought it home and here is the recent purchase (on the left) beside one of the existing set. Can you pick the difference? The whole chair is marginally (about 1cm) lower, the curve at the top is not quite as pronounced and the top of the sides are rounded rather than flat.

I am absolutely chuffed with my finds.