Leave a bit for the wit?

As part of our quart to pint pot move we gave away immense numbers of books which had trailed around the world with us. 300 alone to Embra University -the nucleus one imagines of the Huttonian Memorial Library. As many to the Charity shops with the racier titles discreetly placed in the Oxfam bin outside Sir Morrisons (No, don't rush, that was some time ago)

Despite buying up most of IKEA we are still desperately short of bookshelf space. Every inch must be used:returning (for the antepenultimate time) from house clearing in the Old Manse, I noticed a tiny space in the smallest shelf of the narrowest bookcase-too thin for a Wisden, too short for a Penguin; then I found just the gap filler-it fitted easily: a slim volume indeed:

Scottish Wit and Wisdom

Sample from John Masters-(Page 86 a Wit or a Wisdom per alternate page)

'Join a Scottish Regiment, my boy. The Kilt is an unrivalled garment for fornication and diarrhoea'*

*But not simultaneously, one imagines-Blog-ed.


(John Masters was English, funnily enough-npi)

Labels: Moving house, Scottish Wit, Small House in Duns

  ¶ 4:55 PM (0) comments

  Beyond Help?

Yes we move tomorrow. Shunters and their van at 0930. Are we ready?


No

(We have our washing hung up on our line at the SHID. And our washing machine installed.
And on the world's slowest broadband. Now down to .09MB)


That's something I suppose.

Labels: Moving house, Shunters, Small House in Duns

  ¶ 1:05 PM (0) comments

  Duns! Here we come? Perhaps

D Day minus 7



The work on the extension has not started!The wood burning stove is still somwhere but not where it is needed. Like in our small house in Duns. Ditto the associated piping. The decoration is just under way and it will not be finished in time

The Old Manse is a shambles.

And its next Monday we are talking about.

A week may be a long time in politics. But in a hyper spatial move time blackhole

Its a blink of the eye

HELP

Labels: Moving house, Old Manse, Small House in Duns

  ¶ 11:24 AM (3) comments

 
Berwickshire Freecycle. Come and Get It! R-e-s-p-e-ct-f-u-l-l-y



I don't know how we could have ever managed our move out of the Old Manse to the Small House in Duns without the marvellous Free cycle network. Broken Motor Mower, rotting carpet liner, children's toys, past their normal playtime date, model cars mostly wheel less, excess unattractive carpet,ancient leather pouffe, Computer tower, odd glasses-some very odd, miscellaneous picnic stuff with extra Wadi Rum sand. Once advertised on Freecycle they are usually taken away by some kind person within twenty four hours.

The rules are straight forward . To quote from the world wide freecycle blurb (obviously geared to the Transatlantic market Created in Arizona in 2003, apparently):



KEEP IT FREE, LEGAL & APPROPRIATE FOR ALL AGES. This means, for example, no Alcohol,
Tobacco, Firearms or Drugs, legal or otherwise. Two strikes and you're outta the group.
This is our main Freecycle rule to live by and it's a pretty easy one at that. No
advertising your yard sale, though, as you're looking for money and that isn't free...
SUBJECT LINE OF YOUR POSTS. Use these phrases to make it easy for others to delete
or view:

OFFER: loveseat, downtown. [Offering more than 1 thing? Still keep it in 1 e-mail,
please]
TAKEN: loveseat
WANTED: loveseat, any condition. [Please use this sparingly and don't offer money.]


2d above all else, don't ask for an extravagant item like a TOTR laptop, new car,
brand new computer etc, which we'd all like to have or the strike rule will kick in
- see #1 above. ]

3) PLEASE DO NOT POST THE SAME "WANTED" POSTING MORE THAN ONCE A MONTH.

4) NO POLITICS, NO SPAM, NO MONEY, NO PERSONAL ATTACKS/RUDENESS, NO
PROSELYTIZING/RELIGION. It's all about R-E-S-P-E-C-T. Two strikes & you're out, i.e.
you will be unsubscribed by the moderator after two inappropriate postings.




So far Huttonian has survived strike free. But it is not always gratitude that you will get for your open handed generosity. The lady who snapped up the non working lawn mower was indignant that the grass box was missing.The pouffe was criticised as being too big-but they took it none the less.

Despite the two strike warning about pushing your luck we do have one or two chancers around-they usually begin their post : I know its a long shot....but anyone with a spare motor caravan they are not using....offering Stradivarius violin-almost new. I jest, slightly And as I write the latest wanted posts include a 1250 cc motor bike and a horse box -http://groups.yahoo.com/group/BerwickshireFreecycle/ . Lots of optimists out there

No love seats that I have seen but some people seem to have an endless supply of massage benches.

(I am not sure if Fickr devotees really know what a love seat looks like-this image is said to be of one but perhaps more suitable for a couple who have just had a flaming row)

Labels: Berwickshire Freecycle, Moving house

  ¶ 6:26 PM (0) comments

 

Are we mad? I wonder. The sun is warm, the sky a hazy blue, everything in the garden blooming, the tadpoles in the pond humming with contentment and the Old Manse basking in the glow of a Borders sun. Give this all up for a small, dare I say, poky, house, with a small garden, in a nice but unremarkable town? With a close up view of surrounding buildings rather than a never ending horizon with homo sapiens nowhere to be seen. Only gentle coos, carpe dieming like crazy.

Are we mad?

I refer the Honorable Gentleman to the reply I gave a few posts before.

And I better resume my seat before I change my mind

Labels: Moving house, Old Manse, Small House in Duns

  ¶ 10:02 AM (5) comments

  Tat for Free or nearest offer


Until we finally dispose of the Old Manse our life of Entre Deux Merses continues. Some nights in Duns, some in Hutton, some, it seems, in both. Which is Dr Jekyl's residence and which Mr Hyde's? The wife, already in mourning for the OM can only think of the small house in Duns as a holiday cottage, not as the permanent feature it will one day become. It is indeed a very small house-not so much down sized but shrunk. To the extent that we are going to have to build on an extension so as we will eventually have space to breathe out as well as in. And even after disposing of over 500 books, several heavy pieces of furniture to various family members (also living in smallish houses) we still have much to get rid of. Some Tat and surplus-to-never-requirements have been wafted away on the magic carpet of Berwickshire Free cycle but we are still stuck with lights, one, pendular, complete with fittings which tout Berwickshire has so far ignored-the 0 Gauge Hornbys, 00 ditto, cricket gear, picnic collection, lawnmower (broken) carpet, underlay, miles of lagging (not required by British Gas)were all snapped up no sooner had I clicked on the Post button. But the Light fixture languishes, lonely, unloved, apparently unwanted, next to the bird food.

Go on.Make it's Christmas.

Labels: Duns, Free Cycle, Moving house

  ¶ 2:09 PM (0) comments