What have you found in your lockdown clearouts ?

If that mincemeat smells all right, I’d def. use it.
At the beginning of lockdown I used a lot of things that were way out of date.

The only things I had to chuck were 2 big jars of cherries, donated by a friend who was moving abroad, after clearing out her larder. They were a few years out of date and probably wouldn’t have killed us, but were mushy and def. way past their best - no use for the clafoutis I‘d planned to make.

A large dead spider ??

Today I was looking through a drawer I haven't been into for years. I found a Bible, given to my maternal grandmother by her godmother, so I assume it would have been a confirmation gift. The print is minute - surely it was never meant for reading! If it was confirmation that would date it at around 1890, if christening, probably 1880.

I’ve come across all the notes I made for my MA thesis, which I did in my 60s. It’s really satisfying to see that I know so much that I have forgotten!

Old collectibles from music concerts, all neatly stacked now, recycling getting bigger, bag of clothes for charity and holiday nick nacks honed down to bare essentials. All balls of wool stacked into a 6 drawer system with knitting magazines in a box under the bed. Checked fridge, Mayonaise is the only thing out of date. Chucked.

Oh, that reminded me, I found a tenner in an old handbag! And several £1 coins in coat pockets (trolley pounds).

I found a £10 note in a tin which I used to save in 4 years ago!

The griddle off an old cooker turned up this morning in the summerhouse - my husband has been looking for it for weeks to BBQ on. Another recycling bin full of 20 odd years old business papers cleared out as well.

I'm another larder and freezer clearer. Huge success. When the date is insane, I revert to the touch and smell test. So far so good!

I found a tablecloth I started to embroider in my teens!
We cleared out the cupboard under the stairs and found a parasol that comes apart and fits into a small bag. It has been very useful in the garden this week. We also found a new, sealed roll of flowered wallpaper that we have never had anywhere in our house! It looks familiar but we can't think whose home we saw it in.

Isn’t it always the way that when you give up on finding something and order a new one, ( in my case my box of watercolour paints that I thought I might use during lockdown) , the original ‘lost’ item always turns up. (In a drawer whose bottom had collapsed and I decided to sort out today.

Old slides in reels from 45 years ago, what a laugh looking at them and such awful colours in the 60's and 70's. All brown and orange wallpaper - yuk! Oh the fashions, what a hoot, better than the telly. How were we all so slim in those days?

My parents both died within the last 3 years, I decided to make a scrap book of things I had found. Driving licence of my dad. A first birthday card sent to my sister who is now 70. Lots of old mother’s Day cards, birthday cards, receipts from furniture my parents had bought some 60 years ago, old rent books from their first house which cost 5 shillings a week. I didn’t want to throw them away so instead I bought some stencils ,butterfly, hearts etc. I am spending ages cutting them out. My scrapbooks are looking really nice. I now don’t feel guilty letting them go as I am keeping a part of them.

I'm with you buttonjugs.

A tapestry kit which my husband bought me 40 years ago for our first wedding anniversary, and for which I have procrastinated about doing it ever since so never started it. It was still in it's packaging and it's moved house with us 15 times. However, I'm a third of the way through now, I am really enjoying doing it and feeling as if I am achieving something. It has 1000's of stitches so hopefully I'll get through it and finish it.

https://www.gransnet.com/uploads/talk/202005/medium-229691-box1.jpg https://www.gransnet.com/uploads/talk/202005/medium-132531-box2.jpg https://www.gransnet.com/uploads/talk/202005/medium-155186-box3.jpg

I found a tatty old box in the loft which I made into a games box. I added green felt inside top and bottom with a pocket in lid for Canasta rule and Yahtzee scorecards. I put felt on the base as it has no feet, so it won't scratch anything I put it on and I made and stained some dividers and glued them in and then polished up the whole thing with Brasso. Still need to stick down the bit of brass trim on the lid but need some superglue for that so it might have to wait a bit.

What lockdown clearout? Why did nobody tell me about this??!

I'm not a hoarder but my Mum is!

She moved to a sheltered flat eighteen months ago so I have a spare bedroom full of "things she might need" but doesn't have room for.

A very large punchbowl, complete with hanging cups and serving ladle.

A bag of handbags, sandals, shoes & hats - at least five of each. We threw out dozens more before she left!

A wardrobe full of clothing "that she might slim into"

A footspa - unused but "too good to throw out"

Three plastic storage boxes full of miscellaneous 'stuff'

Good job I don't need to use that bedroom!

Oh I miss BHS too!

Letters we wrote to each other when my boyfriend, later husband was at university for 4 years. We are re reading a couple a day .

Re the mincemeat, that is a bit old but probably OK. I might try a tiny taste. Then if a bit dry, add some sherry or brandy, and later some chopped apple. And don't tell people till after they've eaten and enjoyed the mince pies.

Embarrassed to find an unopened jar of mincemeat dated 1998 in the darkest part of a kitchen corner cupboard! Should I use it?

I found a huge collection of my brothers comics from the 1960's. I've contemplated selling them on Ebay but with two little grandsons I think I'll keep them in the hope they take an interest when they are older.

One persons junk is another persons treasure. Seems a shame not to be able to find someone who is desperate for Roman armour etc. . Maybe try Gumtree or a local FB site to offer your unwanted finds, when lockdown is lifted.

I loved BHS and even further back, C & A. Wish I could go back and buy more.

@fiorentina51 I have two full sets of Roman armour in my loft! Togas, sandals, armour, helmets with crests, swords, spears and shields.!

My husband and son were Scout leaders and they recreated the Roman Legion for our local Carnival parade ( now, sadly, defunct) They also made a chariot and a ballister, and they won first prize.

It took six months of hard work to make enough uniforms for all the boys and leaders, the house stunk of fibreglass for months, and we came close to the divorce court at times!
I don’t quite know what to do with it all, but I could never throw it out. I’m just glad that the chariot and ballister aren’t up there too!