Saved and Salvaged

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Sometimes it is necessary to buy something new but there are plenty of instances where you can reuse or repurpose something you already own or purchase it secondhand from a variety of sources.

Here are a couple of examples.

Today GMan put up a hanging rail in the new pantry.

It was the one that had been on the end wall previously but it was removed during the renovations. While the rail was in prefect condition, one of the tiny locking screws had been misplaced during the renovations. It seemed a shame to buy a whole new rod so GMan found another screw in his collection that was suitable apart from being far too long. He managed to modify the screw and the rail is now up and functional. It is a small addition but I am so pleased to have it.

I decided a couple of weeks ago that I needed a hook on the back of the laundry door. So, the next time I was in Bendigo I popped into the salvage yard at Eaglehawk and found exactly what I wanted for $2. The cost is not really the issue but more a matter of not buying something new when there are plenty of perfectly good items that can be reused. GMan cleaned it up and attached it to the door.

Now there is somewhere for GMan to leave his clothes that he wears in the yard. They are generally too grubby to put in the clothes hamper with everything else and are often going to be reworn the next day so this is a perfect solution.

Hung Up

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One of the things we have spent time doing is hanging things up. Whether it is pictures, other ornaments or various storage solutions, I am a fan of using vertical spaces.

Here are a few of the things we have hung in the past few days.

Hooks in the broom cupboard helps to keep various items tidy and organised.

There was nowhere to hang a handtowel in the bathroom but we have remedied that now.

We hung this terracotta ornament on the fence above the pond. It is about the only sun I saw today as today is the winter solstice here in Australia and it was very cold and overcast.

GMan is keen to get some more hooks to help in his quest to organise the stuff in the shed. We spent most of the day working on that project yesterday and there is still more to do. I think ‘a work in progress’ is the best description.

Hanging the Handle

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I had a Vileda broom with a detachable handle.  The idea was that you could buy replacement heads for it, however, by the time I decided that I needed a new head for the broom, they were no longer available.  I bought a new broom but the fact remained that I had a worn out broom head and a perfectly good handle.

I had read some time ago that the best way to hang home-made pasta to dry was over a broom handle resting between two chairs.  So I decided that my obsolete broom handle would now be my pasta drying rack.  The next question was where would I store it when it is not being used?

Since the handle will be used in the kitchen it seemed sensible to store it in the same room.  I fixed a hook to the wall of the pantry and hung the handle on it.  Now it is easily accessible when I am making pasta.

Close-up of handle

Here you can see it hanging just inside the pantry door.

Handle in pantry

It is only a small project but makes all the difference when things have a specific location and are easy to find when required.

What do you organise?

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My organisational goal is based on the old adage, “A place for everything and everything in its place”.  I have not got there yet but am working on it.  My ‘thing’ is hooks to hang things on.  Suction hooks in the bathroom for my shower cap and exfoliating gloves, a hook on the side of a cupboard in the workshop for the key to the roller door, a hook in the kitchen to hang my plastic cutting mats on…….and so the list goes on.

There are lots of other things I try to do in order to make my life more streamlined.  Over the coming weeks I hope to post some photos of some of the ‘little things’ that I find really make a difference.

In the meantime here is a short video that has come to my attention.

Till next time…………..