Liquid Mercury? That is a bit - er Poisonous isn't it?

September 4th 2013 - Wednesday

Odd findings in the cabinet

School run done, cup of coffee, boots on and over to the mountain. Today the plan was to finish clearing the playroom.  The stuff in there had been there for probably the best part of twenty years.  My cousin Jane came round at ten and she brought the dusty stuff out to me in the garden and I sorted it.  The dust was horrendous and I could not go in the room.  We opened both front and back doors and left them open all day to blow away the cobwebs. The garden was covered in 'stuff'.  It was a horrendous mess.  I sorted loads of 'stuff'.  I found many old Christmas cards which had been sent to the old stick and many of the sympathy cards received after mum passed away.  Oddly but possibly revealingly, I found a birthday card to the old man from 'Ruth's parents'.   Hmmm.  Who signs a card like that?

There was a box marked 'cardboard'.  Inside was a load of, interestingly, cardboard. Why keep that though?  There were more boxes stuffed neatly with A4 envelopes - all used and empty.  Why keep them? Lots of screwed up tissues, a margarine lid, some old fuses, an old lightbulb, a cut up shoe, a copy of my grandfather's solicitors letters from the purchase of his house - all in the same box. Many letters and diary from 1913 when my Grandad was travelling South Africa.  Bits of wire, more shoes, more green garden clogs. Lots and lots of photos, old maps, old magazines, a bottle of whiskey dated 1949. a box of posh wine and a box of plonky wine.  A pair of underpants (dusters? - we did not want to look too closely), paint, paint and more paint, a broken chainsaw, screws and nails by the hundreds, my old school books, my mother's coat, an old record player, a box of 78rpm records, a wooden elephant, some razor blades, 57 live silverfish, some airline biscuits and airline earphones, many many bits of old televisions with wires sticking out and - er 2 small bottles of mercury!

What the heck did he have those for?  They were very old bottles and been there for at least twenty years.  Two bottles about the size of an average salt cellar used at the average family table.  I left those there as I did not know what to do with them.  There was a small chest of drawers with nothing in it.  

So all the stuff was left all over the lawn.  The important stuff was taken inside - old photographs and letters etc but all the rest has to stay outside until tomorrow.  I wanted to take a day off tomorrow but I will have to go an put all the stuff back.  I know it will get wet as it is on the lawn but the only alternative is put it all back in a hurry and have to go inside and sort it all out again in the morning.

One of the neighbours came over when I was sitting down with a pile of papers.  We had a nice long chat and she spoke about my mum who she told me she fondly remembers. Everyone tells me they have fond memories of my mother - she was lovely, patient, gentle and kind apparently, (so unlike her daughter).  Anyway this neighbour remembers my mother since before I was born.  She mentioned that sometimes when my mother used to want to throw something out she would ask her if she could put it in her bin as she knew if she threw it out my dad would get it back out of the bin.  I have no doubt this would have been the case either - having found so many things which I threw out when I was at school - still in the coal shed.  She said my mum was struggling with the growing issue then.  The neighbour 'Mrs T' brought me a cup of coffee and some ginger cake and a biscuit for which I was extremely grateful as when she brought them over it was 4pm and I had not eaten (apart from some crisps my cousin brought me) since breakfast - and that was only a coffee.

So by the end of the day the room was empty apart from a chest full of tools and two tool boxes.  Lots of stuff will be going back in the room but 75% of it has gone.  We can use this room as a storing room for the junk in the rest of the house.  Tomorrow I will put the stuff back in and this will leave us free to start on one of the bigger rooms on Friday and Saturday.  I hope the weather holds.

Thank you Jane for your help today and for the crisps. When I am on a mission as I am at the moment I forget to eat.  Thank you Mrs T for the coffee and the ginger cake, it gave me another 2 hours.  

Tomorrow I will take a picnic over to the mountain.

I did not bother calling the bloke today.  He works 4am until 8am and so says he is 'too tired' to help.  He has briefly visited the mountain over the last few days.  He comes, loads his car then goes to the skip and home.  I refuse to nag him.  I want him to help of his own accord.  He acts as if it is not his problem.  I am so glad I have good friends.

Feeling knackered - just made myself a bucket of pasta with loads of hot pepper sauce and cheese.  I am sitting on the sofa all alone again.  Alone, by myself, all quiet and I love it.

:)