More wine tasting

Taph and i recently paid a visit to a wine tasting. The wine they had for tasting were very good

It was a winner with taph too. She tried a few fantasy wines, and they had a salvos store next door, and a knitting chair too.

Good Karma

I had an interesting week. On Sunday Taph and I were in the queue at the local Aldi getting our groceries.

A lady asked is she could jump ahead of us as she needed to buy one of the Aldi trolley tokens. Following my free range money challenge, I have managed to collect 15 of these little buggers tokens, so I offered her one, and suggested she pay it forward.

Later that evening, Taph reminded me that my parents wedding anniversary was coming up, and what was I going to get them. At the time I had no idea, so I said, I don’t know, however, something would turn up.

The next day I was in Salvos at Belconnen, when I spied this vase on their shelf.

This vase, along with another vase I had picked up earlier were both Johnson Brothers Summer Chintz patten, and would match thier dinner setting. I figured these would be great presents for their anniversary.

Later, when I mentioned this find to Taph that she said that Karma had decided to repay my previous good dead in full.

And the toy car? Dad collects the old matchbox toy cars, and I just gave it to him. .

Op-Shopping on Family and Community Day

On Monday we were faced with a public holiday in Canberra but across the border it was a normal working day.

Hooray Taph said. Let’s go op-shopping across the border.

So we piled into the sub-zero, and set a course for Queanbeyan. Our first stop was the Red Shield Store on Morrisett Street.


Fate seems to shine on us as we got rock-star parking outside the door. However the fate gods left us as there was nothing there that followed us home. However, they do have a good supply of 4xl and 6xl Mens S/S Shirts.

We did a short walk to the Salvos Store, and all we found there was a Country road linen shirt and a jar.

Feeling that the Frugaling gods would shine on us at our next two stops, we moved the car closer, and were rewarded with another Rock-Star Car Park.

Taph picked up a jumper, and a vintage knitting patten. I found a CD for the Collection.

But our luck ran out at Bargin Hunter, and we left empty handed.

We had a quick Brunch at the Central Café as we shared a Big Breakfast.

A quick visit to SpotLight for some needles, also turned up some bargain wool.

We were finished in Queanbeyan by 12, so we set course for Cooma.

Our first visit was to the Red Shield store. For the grand total of $10 we got a shirt each, a Tupperware mixing bowl, some genuine Croqs and a selection of knitting patterns.

We headed down to the Vinnies and got a Book, Shirt and knitting pattern.

We decided the day was still young, and Adaminaby was 30 minutes away. The cruise control on the Sub-Zero got us there well before closing.

It is easy to find, there is one main shopping street, and it is supporting the Snowy Mountains Museum.

We had a lovely time inside. I picked up a pair of xc-skis for $5. The Bases are shot, but I will use the bindings on another pair of skis.

Taph got a pure wool jumper, Tupperware rock and serve, Cheese knives and a cook book. All up this cost us $11.50.

We took the back road home via Namadgi national park. It is a lovely road, but don’t do it if you are in a hurry.

The search continues

My search for the new dinner setting continues. Recently in Salvos Mitchell I spied these. They only had the cups and saucers. I left them there as I have enough cups and saucers, and this way they could be part of a catch and release program.


This find also meant that there are still bits out there, and that the search will go on.

Of course if I was searching for the Athena Patten, or for a Sheffield Bone White set, I would have finished my search ages ago and i seem to find them everywhere.

Oh My God Moments

In my search for a new dinner setting I have had several "Oh My God, Oh My God" Moments when i have found items in my search for the new dinner set, but i have had two recent events that are worth putting up here.

The first was while up in Sydney with Taph. In the vinnies at Summer Hill, i spied this little collection of Johnson Brothers china on the shelf. And even better it was half price. There were four cups, eight saucers and six dinner plates. I left four Cups and Saucers as part of a "catch and release" program, and took the Plates and the other four Saucers.

Then a couple of weeks later on another visit to Salvos in Mitchell i suffered a major OMG moment. On at Table, just inside the door, was a Johnson Brother Setting for eight (including the Dinner plate, Breakfast plates, Side (or salad) plates, Cereal Bowls Cups and Saucers, Teapot, Sugar dish, Milk Jug and a Gravy dish and Gravy Plate. These were all new, still with barcodes stuck on them and most also had boxes (like i said it was a major OMG moment).

it was not for sale until the following morning when it would be sold to the first person who was able to get to the counter and say i want to buy these, and according to the shop assistant, it had caused a considerate interest.

I made a quick phone call to my Father (whatever used we do before we all had mobile phones) and he and mum came out to have a look at it too. Their decision was they were not going to try and get it, but if Taph and I decided to use our bulk to Jostle, or even Maori sidestep, the other buyers in the mad rush to the counter, then they would take them.

I felt it would be fun to go and see how much interest there was in these pieces, but ended up sleeping in and having a leisurely breakfast instead.

Stop Press: I found some pieces in my patten that came up on E-bay, I decided that i should scale back the search to a watching brief (if i found any bits in op shops i would get them but otherwise i had enough) however the search for matching bits would continued. On a recent visit to Vinnies in Woden, Taph found a Johnsen Regency Platter.

Once i pay off some debts I will be buying some bits from the US sellers on E-bay.

Growing My Johnson - The second pilgrimage to Sydney.

One day while surfing the net I revisited the Peters of Kensington website. I had not visited their site for ages as i believed they were out of Regency White Patten. However i was wrong, for there, on their site was a listing for a setting for four.

It was not the fact that they had a setting for four on their web site, but when i was there before, i thought i had bought their last set, and if they had found another set, then what else did they find. I felt this was worth checking out.

So several weeks later Taph and i set off for Sydney. Our first stop was to the Tempe Salvos Store. It is a massive store, well by Canberra standards, and Taph and i left with armfuls of stuff.

Leaving the shop we saw the Google Streetview car going down the street on the opposite side of the road. so when Streetview comes out we will have to check and see if we can see ourselves in the photos.

Our next visit was to Sydenham. I wanted to visit the Wine Society shop there as i owe my father a couple bottles of Johnnie Walker Black Label, and i wanted to see how much it was there. Taph wanted to visit the Bonds outlet shop, which is 50 meters away.

Walking back to where we had parked the car, we saw a sign for a garage sale. We had to visit it. as it was in the direction of our next stop, and we felt it would offend the op-shop gods if we did not. Taph had some luck and picked up several Storage bags.

Our next stop was at Victorias Basement in Alexandria. When i was in Sydney before they had some accessories in my Johnson Brothers patten, so i figured it was worth a visit.

From there we headed to Peters of Kensington. They had some stock, in the Regency White patten, but nothing that took my attention. However i figured i should not waste the trip and picked up four more coffee mugs. They also had some coffee mugs in my parents patten (Summer Chintz) so I made a quick phone call to them, but they said not to by any as they had enough coffee mugs.

As we drove away from Kensington, we saw a Vinnies Store in Kingsford that was open. We had to stop in and after parking the car, we walked past a Salvos family store around the corner from the Vinnies. When we got to the Vinnies we discovered that the Vinnies shops in that region were having a half price sale.

This resulted in us going to the Vinnies store at Maroubra. Needless to say after visiting that many op shops in one day, we returned home that evening with a boot.

We picked up many items that day. Some of the most notable were:

• Vintage sheets for fabric stash $4 at Salvos,
• 4 x Ikea storage bags $2 at garage sale, and
• several half price tops for Taphs Mum and myself at the various Vinnies we visited.
  

Growing My Johnson

I have had a couple of successes in my Johnson challenge. To start with, i was in Salvos Mitchell a couple of weeks ago, and i was gobsmacked when i saw a Coffee pot behind the counter. My heart was set racing when i as i looked at it and saw, that there was no staining inside it, so it must have been unused. And it had no price tag on it.

My conversation with the sales staff there went something like this.

"damm, it does not have a price tag on it, how much do you want for it?"

"About $7."

Put my best poker face on, and count to five. "mmm, do you have any other matching pieces back there?"

She has a quick look, "Nope"

"Well i guess i will take it."

So i now have a Johnson Brothers Regency White Coffee Pot for my collection.

I have picked up some other bits, but i will talk about them in a later blog.

My Teapot (that i bought retail) and my Coffee Pot.

Growing My Johnson.

I have been doing the search for the pieces to grow my Johnson collection with, and i have had quite a few false positives as i spy plates that look like the set i am searching for, only to turn them over and discover that they are completely the wrong thing.

On their own the "Sheffield Bone White" looks like a "Johnson Brothers Regency White", but when you put them side by side you can see they are very different.

My reactions when finding these pieces (and one set) has ranged from an "oh dam-it" to one occasion where it took every bit of my self restraint to stop myself from smashing the pieces in disgust.

The plates at Salvos jammo

Having said that, if you are looking for replacement pieces for a Sheffield dinner setting in the Bone White Style;

• Vinnies Gungahlin have a setting for four (well they did last week),
• Salvos Jamison have 7 dinner plates (but one is very chipped),
• Salvos Phillip have a dessert fruit plate,
• as does Aussie Junk in Mitchell.

Oh well my search continues, and i hope this post helps in yours.

A quick update. Here is a photo of two plates found at Aussie junk.

And Salvos Belconnon have two cups and saucers.

M-Yass or MY-Ass

I saw a photo of this sign on the net several years ago. You would have thought Macas would have fixed it by now, seems as how it has that double-entendre thing going, but it is still next to the road between Goulburn and Yass.

When Taph and I saw it on our recent Goulburn – Yass opp shopping trip, and we could not resist taking this photo.

And for the record, MY Ass is not open 24 hours.

My Momma told me, you got-ta shop around

While at Aussie Junk on Sunday with Taph, she saw that they had the bottom of a Tupperware microwave steamer. We gave Aussie Junk a fair looking over for the rest of it, but to no avail, so we left it there figuring we would never find the rest of it.

Predictions like that and me never seem to go well, and on Tuesday I was at Salvos in Belconnen, and "strike me pink", they had the top half of the steamer. A quick trip to Aussie junk in Mitchell followed, and behold, one complete Tupperware microwave steamer. total cost (not counting petrol) under $5.


But wait, there is more.

On Friday i called into Salvos Belconnen again, and while ferreting around i found many orphan Tupperware lids. I made a short trip to Second Chance, where i found an orphan Tupperware bottom, that i realised matched one of the orphan tops at Salvos.

When op shopping it always pays to remember the mismatched junk you find at other shops.


If anyone wants a Tea for Two teapot and two matching cups (with you and me written on them), then the Teapot is at Salvos Belconnen, and the cups are at Aussie Junk Mitchell (or at least they were last time i looked).

Things to do with fallen fruit

Taph and TSS invited me to join them on the great apricot adventure of 2008. The problem was that there had been a major storm the day before and this had caused a great number of apricots to fall from the tree and start to rot on the ground.

Taph and TSS were happy to leave these on the ground, and just rake them up for compost, but I could see a much better use for them.



If we were to collect them, ferment them in a beer brewing kit, and then use a pressure cooker to form part of a still (just do not tell the customs and excise department), attach some copper tube as a condenser to the pressure release nozzle and I could make my own brandy, and then use the left overs as compost.

I even found this pressure cooker at Salvos, Mitchell, and the only wanted $8 for it. Just think, for an outlay of under $10, I could make my own brandy and vodka. I left it behind as i did not think the rubber seal was in the best condition.

That is the easy part. The hard part would be keeping the still at a constant 78 degrees. Actually after spending a night doing jam, i am so sick of apricots in my house that i have now given up on this and we have used them as compost.