Monday 6 June 2016

Is Op-Shopping as good as chocolate?

When I was in the work force it was a bit of a joke amongst my colleagues that some days that were quite stressful or busy were 'chocolate'  days and we would often do our best to find some around the place and were usually successful :-) However, now that I have given up sugar the chocolate and comfort eating has had to be replaced by something else and I think that 'something else' might just be Op-Shopping in times of stress!


I spied what I thought was a tea cosy in Lifeline a few weeks ago and, while I wasn't sure I really liked it, I just couldn't leave it there as there was so much work involved in making it which I thought one of my friends might really appreciate. However, when I got it home and put it on a teapot I realized there were no holes for the handle and the spout. Hmmm, I thought that perhaps it was a toaster cover but it didn't fit on our toaster at all so now I am not quite sure of what it is exactly.






It is very well made and I wondered why it would be in the Op Shop as it doesn't look like it has been used at all. Do you think someone made it and then realized they had forgotten the holes? Hardly likely!


I don't know much about patchwork so I am not even sure what this method would be called.



All I know is that it took someone clever a lot of time to make it and I would love to know what it is before I offer it to one of my friends. What do you think it is?

I had another visit to a different Lifeline store last week and this really was on a stressful day and I needed to get out of the house. The stress was caused by my very silly and unwise decision to 'upgrade' to Windows 10 from Windows 7. The upgrade went smoothly over the period of a couple of hours and then I had a look around the new format and was able to change things around to suit me. However a couple of days later things changed and I kept being signed in as a temporary user and couldn't find my files, photos or anything else I needed.

Eventually with help from some very helpful online friends I was able to at least find where they were hidden but could no longer get in as an Administrator so every time we turn on the computer I have to go through the whole rigmarole of signing into my email accounts, Blogger and so on and so forth and I still can't access my iTunes, Microsoft Outlook for my email, etc. So I have made the decision to go back to Windows 7 after my son has done an online exam on Wednesday. I have heard that there could be problems with doing that but, as I am already having big problems and will have to get my computer fixed by the IT guys, they can fix whatever problem going back to Windows 7 causes.

I was so stressed as I said that I drove to Lifeline with the intention of having a look for an enamel roaster on the off chance that someone had tired of theirs and donated it. I had read on Fig Jam and Lime Cordial that Harvey Norman's online store had Wiltshire enamel bake roaster pans with a lid on sale for $25. However the postage was $10 and the local Harvey Norman store said they don't stock them so I lost interest.


However, on the back wall at Lifeline I saw these two loaf tins which were very heavy. They were stuck together and I couldn't get them apart so I took them to the counter and asked the assistant to separate them and hoped they would both be in good condition inside..and they were.


They were $5 each and I had a feeling that they were really good quality and that I had seen them before. Once home again I had a look at Celia's Sourdough White Sandwich Loaf where she had mentioned what she bakes this loaf in and I think mine might just be the same brand and the measurements are the same as well . As I normally just make my sourdough in loaf tins these will be more practical for me than the enamel roaster anyway so my stress levels fell somewhat after my fortunate find. Who needs chocolate anyway? LOL!

I hope that all my readers who live on the east coast of Australia have stayed safe during the recent and still ongoing rain event which I believe is on its way to Tasmania. It did reach us although we are not near the coast but we just had rain and wind and we were grateful for the 40mm or so of rain that fell. Our temperatures plummeted the last couple of days and we have been freezing in the icy wind and apparently our 'apparent'  maximum temperature today was 4C so it was no wonder we were cold.

However, we saw the sun for a while today so it is starting to fine up and by Thursday it should be 24C or so. Unfortunately we won't be turning on the snow for Rhonda's visit to our library on Saturday for the last talk on her book tour but I think she will still enjoy the 19C day. She would have liked to see the snow!

---oOo---



29 comments:

  1. It's very pretty but I've never seen anything like it. But I bet one of your readers will have an inkling. Fantastic score on those bread tins! They are a real find. I've given up sugar, coffee, meat and dairy! All for adrenal fatigue and hormonal health. I feel so terrible that it's not as hard if I had to give it all up if I was feeling my normal self. Although it's tough driving in to town because I always stop at a cafe for a coffee and a nice sweet. I'm too scared to upgrade for the exact reason. It will feel like the end of the world for me. I feel so sorry for the people who have lost their houses a long the coast.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Zena, I am not sure I could give up my coffee :-) I hope your health improves as that is a lot to give up .

      Delete
    2. Thank you. It is a lot but I am enrolled in an online holistic endometriosis program. The menu plan is pretty good. I have eaten bread occasionally but only the good stuff. I don't have any reactions to it but I definitely saw what the coffee does when I went on a four day binge it messed with my adrenal fatigue. I'm on lots of vitamins and I saw a huge difference after four days. I won't be doing this forever just until my body is back to normal after crashing down early this year.

      Delete
  2. Very pretty cover for what ever it is to go on and well done on the bread pans they look like the Mackies bread tins. It's amazing what you can find in opshops its a bit like hunting for treasure

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hello stranger. I was thinking about you the other day and wondering what you were up to. I hope all is well in your world.

      Delete
    2. All is good life moving along smoothly I pop in to Emma's blog every now and then. I visit a few blogs when I can its having time to comment and say hi is the hard part

      Delete
  3. Oh - I know what this is. It is a breakfast toast cosy. We had one as a kid that matched the tea cosy. You put it over the wire rack that holds the toast to keep the toast warm. We also had matching egg warmers too that sat on the top of boiled eggs like little caps to keep the eggs hot. the tea cosy, toast cosy and 6ix egg cosys were a set.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Mr.HM. I would never have guessed that.

      Delete
  4. I have no idea what purpose the cover was made for, I hope someone knows because my curiosity has been aroused. Those loaf tins were a great find.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. If my dough ends up rising enough I will be trying out the tins tonight, Sherri. It's not looking good at the moment though :-)

      Delete
  5. What a lovely mystery item? Perhaps you could bring it to the next TSL and someone might have an answer. My tea cosy does not have holes either but then we have an unusual teapot. I have to agree, a super find at an op shop sure makes my day.

    ReplyDelete
  6. I also think it's a toast cosy. I also had a bumpy ride but from Windows 8 to 10..luckily I have a patient and savvy husband who sorted it all out

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Meg, I am downgrading tonight after my son finishes his exam. Hopefully that will fix the problems.

      Delete
  7. As a long term op-shopper I can tell you it is as addictive as chocolate. It's not physically fattening but it can cause your purse to become thinner. Love your cosy but I'm darned if I can remember the name of this quilting technique. May be time to ask at the forum :).

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Robyn, I try not to buy much these days. I couldn't leave those tins there though.

      Delete
  8. Its beautiful! I love your op-shop finds!

    xx

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Emma. I wasn't sure I liked it at first.

      Delete
  9. I think the quilting technique is called 'prairie points'. I guess you could use it to keep anything warm that fitted underneath.
    Good find on the bread tins!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Earthmotherwithin, I didn't know that before. It would have required a lot of patience.

      Delete
  10. Goodness Chel...what a find! The work that's gone into that...arrrrgh! I think Mr Home Maker is correct. I recall having a toast rack on the breakfast table, and whilst the toast never sat in it for long, it was a cute addition to the table setting. This looks to me like a toast cosy too. As for the Windows thing...well double aaargh! I had to have a whole new computer system installed a couple of weeks ago, and I am still trying to find things. Windows 10 has made it impossible to use my usual photo editing software and many other niggly things that just make blogging life difficult. I feel your pain! Lots of love, Mimi xxx

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Mimi, when I first upgraded and it was working alright I was able to change the default settings around so I could edit my photos in the same program I used before as I hated the way the photos came up on Windows 10. I just had it all set up the way I liked it and then started getting logged in as a temporary user with no rights to change anything anymore :-(

      Delete
  11. This is the season for what we call 'garage sales', people advertise on Craigs list and then put all the junk they want to get rid of in the garage or front yard and people drive by and stop and shop. On a good Saturday this is a wonderful way to spend time with friends, if you do enough walking you can have a treat with said friends! Second hand shopping and treats - oops, was supposed to eliminate one of those wasn't I?!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Kathy, because of our weather we are able to have garage sales all year round and most of our furniture and appliances have been bought at them over the years as my hubby frequented them every weekend. Thankfully that has come to an end as we now have too much 'stuff'. LOL!

      Delete
  12. Oh dear, you are one of many folks who is having nothing but bother with Windows 10. Why do they do this to us? Frustrating enough to eat the chocolate AND visit every op-shop in the area. lol ;)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Sally, I have just downgraded to Windows 7 which didn't take long and it seems to have been successful. It is like putting on a pair of old slippers once again. Everything is familiar.

      Delete
    2. Then you would recommend that I stay with my current Windows 8 Chel? ;)

      Delete
    3. Sally, I guess it depends on how old your computer is. Ours is at least five years old so I will just stay with Windows 7 now until it dies or until Windows 7 updates stop. I would have left Windows 10 if this glitch hadn't happened but if you have someone techy around they should know what to do to fix it. I don't have anyone unfortunately so was going to have to pay the IT guy at least $60 to sort out the problem.

      Delete
  13. Op shopping is better than chocolate. Truly Id choose op shopping anyday! Chocolate cgives me a headache but even without that I love op shopping!Xxx

    ReplyDelete

Thanks so much for leaving your comments as I love to hear from my readers. As soon as I check them they will be published. If for some reason you have trouble leaving a comment feel free to email me directly by filling out the 'Contact Me' form on the sidebar at the right.

Printfriendly

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...