The Johnson Brothers Challenge.*

My parents have used a Johnson Brothers dinner set in the Summer Chintz patten for over 20 years.

I stumbled over a Johnson Brothers dinner setting (well a nearly complete setting for four) in the Regency White patten.

I am now looking for the pieces to make a setting for 12, along with the other table setting bits (gravy boats, soup tureens, serving platters, etc) and I want to do this for around $2 a piece (well, i may pay a bit more for soup tureens and serving platters), so dear readers, if you see something, let me know.

As I find pieces I will post photos and the cost. The 14 pieces found today cost $25, and I got 4 dinner plates, 4 side plates, 2 cereal bowls, 2 cups and saucers.

*This is not to be confused with a “Johnson and Johnson Challenge”.

Free Range Money

Well a new financial year is approaching, and it is time to start a new challenge for blog posts.

The Quest for free range money.

Aka, how much money can I find in a year just lying around. I can see four main sources for this income.

1. shopping trolley deposits – Several supermarkets near I frequent require deposits for the use of their shopping trolleys. Some people do not return them, so these I will take back and collect the money.
2. Can collecting – Aluminium cans currently have a scrap value of 92 cents per kilo, or about 1c per can.
3. A great man said “a penny saved is a penny earned” so any shopping fuel discount dockets found, and used (however, not the dockets I get for my shopping) can be considered free range money.
4. Any coinage (or notes) found in the street are to be included. This also included gifts of money (but not birthday, xmas presents money).

The goal is to prove in these tight financial times, and also that people are wasteful of the recourses around them.

I will report at least monthly on this blog, and more often if I feel like it.

No need to wine, there was plenty to go round

On Sunday Taph and myself headed off to Dan Murphies for their Shiraz expo. There were nearly 70 different reds on offer and I gave it a good attempt at trying them all. The high-light of the tasting was the 2004 Penfolds Grange, but my pick was the Wirra Wirra Woodhenge shiraz. But it was too much for our budgets, however we were tempted to buy a mixed case of Grant Burge Winemakers and the Kirrihill Clare Valley Shiraz .

We heard rumours that Stuart MacGill (from the Uncorked TV show) was there, but we could not find him and kinnear him, so we had to settle with a bottle of Grange instead.

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.

The Wine Update.

Two quick updates to the wine making adventure.

First, The previous attempt of wine seems to have failed, but instead we think we have a vinegar mother growing.

Second, TSS got me a half box of white wine grapes. These were squashed and put into a separate container and are currently fermenting in the Bathroom.

As we find out more we will post it.

Second Hand Sunday

The ACT government gave me a wonderful birthday present. “Second Hand Sunday”. All I had to do was drive around Canberra and collect the presents that people left out for me.

And what a wonderful day it was too. I picked up a number of CDs (and after listening to some of them I can see why they were being given away).
A barrel vacuum cleaner .
A carry tray with some gardening tools

Taph also picked up some stuff too
11 eleven champagne flutes1 Bodum plunger

And we picked up some stuff that we thought other people might be interested in. We got:
A CD rack (for TSS)
A large collection of plastic pots (which I passed on to a friend who I work with).
Two camp stretchers (for Taph’s brother). An antique sewing machine (for Taph’s sewing machine collecting friend)Baby toys for puppies (for Taph’s friend the Westie breeder)
Magazines for Taph’s mum
Golf buggy for transformation into a beach-going oxygen bottle carrier (For a friend who is on oxygen)

Seven things wk 13

In
5 tupperware containers

Out
Mug Tree
Souvenir bottle
Big sipper bottle
Polar bear sipper
4 old data cds
1 cane basket
1 wad of paperwork
3 old bodysplash bottles (the present you give, when you have no idea what to give)
1 camera tripod