The pooch and I took a long walk on Hampstead Heath yesterday -- possibly a little too long, as she's still in bed and showing no interest in getting up. We both need recovery time these days.
But before I show you our walk, let me tell you about...
...the mirror.
I took the trash out on Saturday and this beautiful beveled mirror was sitting next to the trash cans. Evidently it was discarded by the Russians, no doubt because of their endless renovating. There are several obvious problems with this. For one thing, the trash guys will never take away anything this large -- it measures 36 by 48 inches and must weight at least 30 pounds. More to the point, why would the Russians simply put something that nice in the trash?!
I knew rain was coming so I brought it inside and cleaned it. (Dave groaned.) Yesterday morning I listed it on Freecycle and within minutes had five people who wanted to come and get it. One of them collected it at about 1 p.m. so it now has a new home. I considered that my good deed for the day.
When Olga and I headed out to the Heath soon afterwards, the guy was still loading the mirror into his car. He looked like he also had a table he'd collected, and he was basically working a Jenga puzzle to get those pieces into his tiny hatchback. He must have managed it because he (and they) were gone when we came home a few hours later.
So, yes, the Heath. The mandarin ducks were out on the pond on Sandy Heath! I love seeing them. I mean, a human wouldn't be capable of designing a more fanciful creature.
We walked far enough to get to the big field on Hampstead Heath Extension, where we hadn't visited in a long time. I love the view of distant St. Jude's Church, so it was nice to see it again. And then it started to rain, so we scampered back to Golders Hill Park, where I got a coffee at the cafe and we waited out the rain in a shelter in the walled garden.
It was such a leisurely walk that by the time we were headed home, the sun was setting! Of course, that happens much earlier these days. We got home at about 4:30, exhausted and damp, but at least I no longer had that gigantic mirror to show me my sorry condition.
Is Freecycle like Buy Nothing? I love my BN site as I've given away a lot I haven't needed or wanted (to people who are thrilled) and also gotten some much needed items for free.
ReplyDeleteThst mirror is great. And what a good idea to offer it on Freecycle. You made someone very happy... even if he only picked it up to sell it. You always have my admiration. Your upstairs neighbors are a piece of work. Maybe they simply knew someone would come along and take the mirror
ReplyDeleteGood to find a nice object a new home...and have a walk too.
ReplyDeleteEvening light can be fun for photography, the quality and angles being different
Your Sorry A$$ Condition Appears Just Fine - Fantastic Walk About With Olga Girl - Stoked For You Both - Have A Beautiful Week Brother Man
ReplyDeleteCheers
From a literary point of view, I loved the way you brought this blogpost to its conclusion and this even made me smile. As for passing the mirror on via Freecycle - well done! I think you need to climb up to the Russians and give them a lecture on environmental responsibility, charity shops, Freecycle and the rest. At the end they should chant, "We must do better!" several times over.
ReplyDeleteI often wonder why people discard something that nice in the trash. I'm glad you found it a new home.
ReplyDeleteLove the duckies.
When we moved here, we sold a wingback chair with its very sizable footstool. The two young ladies who came were thrilled with it. Only problem - they were driving a Prius hatchback. I watched them load it in (which took a good 20 minutes if not more) and still to this day I don’t know how they managed it.
ReplyDeleteYes- a wonderful idea to list it on Freecyle. And you went to the effort to do it! Good for you, Steve!
ReplyDeleteThose ducks need to be the stars in their own cartoon.
ReplyDeleteI haven't been out for my daily walks lately as it has gotten so cold here. Your walk photos inspire me to bundle up and get back out there. It is so good for me and I always feel better afterward. Thanks, Steve.
ReplyDeleteWell done on moving that mirror along!
Good for you for retrieving that mirror. I imagine someone would have picked it up. In my old neighborhood in the city if set out on the street it would have been gone in less than 30 minutes.
ReplyDeleteRaining here too. Minnie got out for a quick walk yesterday when it had stopped briefly.
I love those Mandarin ducks ... they are so beautiful!
ReplyDeleteI think the Russians know you collect the good parts of the trash and figured you would latch onto that mirror!
That last picture! It gets dark so early there! Except when I checked, our sun sets at 4:51. Not so different I guess. I can't stand to see usable things trashed. What do the Russians do for a living?
ReplyDeleteI was going to say that maybe the Russians thought someone would pick up the mirror - and they did! Ha!
ReplyDeleteI love those ducks.
Those ducks are gorgeous. I'm glad someone could use the mirror.
ReplyDeleteMany years ago, I sold a large item. What it was exactly has slipped my mind but I do remember being very surprised when the fellow who bought it showed up in a tiny hatchback. As he paid me, I made the mention that I had to leave for work so wouldn't be around when he came back with a trailer to haul the object away. He responded that he had no such intention and pulled out a small tacklebox of tools and proceeded to take it apart. It was indeed gone when I returned and I've often regretted not taking a picture of his car as he pulled away. I wish I could remember what exactly it was that I sold him but I just can't seem to grasp that straw to pull.
ReplyDeleteThose Mandarin Ducks are so beautiful. What a wonderful sight. Love that sunset photo too.
ReplyDeleteLooks like you and Olga had a nice walk on a lovely day.
You discover interesting discarded things and then you have a good story.
ReplyDeleteFinding a new home for that mirror...job well done!
ReplyDeleteThose ducks are beautiful. There are so many fantastic creatures on this planet of ours.
As much as I love to see Olga photos, my favorite is of the ducks. What a great capture!!
ReplyDeleteHi Steve. Well done finding a new home for the mirror.
ReplyDeleteSorry for not getting in touch earlier about your Brighton trip. The lights are up and there is a small Christmas market by St Peter's on the levels. Not terribly exciting I'm afraid. The seafront is looking a lot better now most of the renovations are complete. There are no restrictions on dogs at the beach during winter. At the weekends, most places are open, but cafes with little or no inside seating, often shut when the weather is bad. The winter ice rink at the back of the pavilion is open. Nice to see people having fun. Unfortunately, assistance dogs only in the Pavilion and museum, but perhaps you can take it in turns. Dogs are allowed on buses, but assistance dogs have priority and you may be turned away if there is already one dog on board.
You may be interested in artists open houses. Have a look at aoh.org.uk. Only 40 this year. Check out the map, but look at individual listing as a few do not open until December.
Plenty of pubs accept dogs. The Camelford Arms has an large menu of pub type food. I rather like it. As ever, nowhere in central Brighton is cheap and you really should book if eating out in the evening. Perhaps your hotel can come up with a few suggestions. Have a good time.
Great Freecycling! A kindred spirit there. Nice conclusion to your post, too, great ending.
ReplyDeleteI would have LOVED that mirror!! And oh my goodness, those Mandarin Ducks are gorgeous!! How lucky Olga is to have you to walk with her, and how lucky you are to be able to see these ducks in person. Thanks for sharing with us. BTW I read you every day, and have for at least several years, but I’m not one to comment very often. I think this is probably my first comment on your blog.
ReplyDeleteMandarin ducks are so beautiful. It's good to see Olga out and about.
ReplyDeleteI always marvel at your skill of “ bringing something home”
ReplyDeleteDo you climb into skips?
Beautiful photos. Those ducks look they were made up of left over bits from other birds!
ReplyDeleteI'm not surprised Dave groaned. At least someone else took it home.
You are so lucky to have a place to view those Mandarin ducks. Gorgeous they are.
ReplyDeleteIt's a nice mirror, but a little large for my taste.
ReplyDeleteI love the mandarin ducks and Olga looks like she was having a nice time out walking.
That last photo of the street -- wow. How beautiful is that. Looks like a great walk and I'm glad you could find a good home for the mirror. It's lovely but you do need a place for it! LOVE those Mandarin ducks!
ReplyDeleteMargaret: Maybe? I don't know Buy Nothing. Freecycle is basically a message board like Craigslist where people offer stuff for free.
ReplyDeleteMitchell: He can sell it if he wants to! More power to him!
GZ: Absolutely. Light changes so much during the day.
Padre: Well, I don't know if it's "fine" but I get around OK.
YP: Ah yes, the time-honored circular construction!
Bob: It's appalling what people throw away.
Marty: Getting a wingback armchair in a Prius IS a feat!
Ms Moon: It's no effort to list something, but fielding the responses can be kind of a drag. At least in this case it went fast!
Colette: They ARE very cartoon-like!
Ellen D: I agree -- I always feel better after I get out and about, even in the cold or rain.
Ellen: Surprisingly I let it sit out there for about eight hours before I brought it inside. I was surprised no one took it in that time!
Marcia: Well, I must admit, I'm a little worried they'll think of me as their Freecycle Disposal Agent!
Debby: We're even farther north than you so it makes sense we'd get darker earlier.
Bug: They may have thought that. I don't want them to DEPEND on me to pick up their stuff.
Pixie: Aren't they gorgeous? I love seeing them, especially in a relatively wild place like the Heath.
Ed: Wow! Taking something apart and putting it together again is quite an investment of labor.
Robin: It WAS a nice walk, and once again I was so happy with how well Olga did and how far she walked.
Red: Stuff on the streets always makes a good blog post!
Kelly: They're made for photographers, those ducks.
Fran: THANKS so much for all the helpful tips! I am hoping to get into the pavilion this year as I've only ever seen it from the outside. Dave will probably be perfectly content to dog-sit in the meantime. :)
Boud: Well, thank you! I just couldn't stand to think of something so nice getting smashed up in a garbage truck.
Angie: Well hello! Thanks so much for speaking up! Glad you liked the ducks and I look forward to hearing from you again. :)
Allison: She always surprises me with her stamina.
John: Ha! I can't think of a time when I've CLIMBED in one, but I've certainly reached in!
Merlot: They do look almost artificial, they're so fanciful. Like, how the heck did THAT evolve? (Maybe they are hybridized -- I'm not sure.)
Catalyst: It's always a pleasure to see them!
River: You'd definitely have to have a place for it -- and a strong wall to hold it!
Jeanie: Yeah, the walk home was nice, even though Olga and I were both exhausted. :)