101 uses for many things.

This book has a number of ways to use everyday household items in all manner of useful ways. I have picked out some of the best ones, so you can imagine how bad some of these are. 1955 was a time of make do and mend and I am not laughing at the ingenuity shown then..I really admire it. A time when men in their sheds could solve any problem.

101 uses for a wooden ice-cream spoon.

101 uses for a hinge

101 uses for a cotton reel

101 uses for a biro

101 uses for a pencil

Pack of pencils found in a POUND shop in Manchester. Using a pencil as a ruler is fine so long as you don't want to use it as a pencil. Once your sharpen it you start losing inches...

101 uses for a wheel rim

These are two photos Archie took for me when we cycled to the local farm shop in the summer.(around June time..) Two metal wheel rims stacked on top of each other to form a stylish yet practical flower pot.

101 uses for a metal bin

There has been a leak on and off from this ceiling for months, today I thought I would record the use of a metal bin from the office being used to catch its drips. Can be seen on the first floor of Chatham, MMU.

101 uses for a gas bottle

The fruit and vegetable stall on Oxford road have found a use for two empty gas bottles..helping secure their canopy.

101 uses for a bale of hay

Seen at Blakemere Craft centre. A HUGE spider made from a bale of hay (plastic wrapped) and some lengths of black pipe.
Seemed appropriate for Halloween.

101 uses for a tyre

Seen at the Liverpool docks, tyres used as buffers to protect the dock wall and the boats.

101 uses for a phone box

This is outside the garden centre in Blakemere. A beautiful old phone box reduced to being a leaflet holder.

101 uses for a narrow boat

I found this postcard at Blakemere today (£1). After seeing two narrow boats yesterday being used in different ways , it was good to see this reminder that canal's were not really built for the leisure industry we know today.
"BOATS BRINGING FRESH MILK FOR CADBURYS MILK CHOCOLATE.
There are 1.5 glasses of fresh full cream milk in every half pound of Cadbury's Milk Chocolate."

101 uses for a narrow boat

Also seen a little way along the tow path from the diesel boat we saw this converted book selling narrow boat with ingenius shelf.
Sorry for the delay between the last post about flower pots ..I am finding things for the blog harder to find.

101 uses for a narrow boat

Seen near Anderton boat lift today. A floating "fuel" station for canal boats...it was waiting to go down in the lift from the canal to the Weaver Navigation. One use for a narrow boat I have never thought of.

101 uses for a flower pot

Seen in the walled garden at Tatton Park. A not very convincing scarecrow made out of a miriad of plastic flower pots. I doubt any fruit stealing bird would be fooled by this.

101 uses for a tie

Seen today in Northwich town centre...a rather tastless tie being given a much more useful role.

101 uses for a belt buckle

Whilst watching dear old Clint Eastwood in the film "Thunderbolt and Lightfoot" on DVD we saw him find the old one roomed school where he had, years before, hidden the booty from a bank job behind the old blackboard. Without even hesitating (indicating that he often did this sort of thing!) Clint whippped off his belt and started to unscrew the blackboard with the buckle to reveal the money. Earlier on in the film he has used two belts to pull his dislocated shoulder back into place...his sidekick Lightfoot also used his own belt to hold his possessions together. Never underestimate the use of the leather belt in American films.

101 uses for a tincan

We went to visit Michael's old pal who lives on a canal boat an hours drive from us...Good use of tin can to prevent rain water going into the exhaust of his tractor.

101 uses for a Norwegian jam spoon

I bought a tapestry in a frame in Norway, which I want to make into a cushion cover..so in the car on the way back from the cabin I improvised a nail bending device by using a spoon.

101 uses for an oil drum

Just back from Norway, spotted half an oil drum being used as a BBQ next to Lake Mjosa near Hamar. (the water isn't usually as high as it was that day)

101 uses for a huge lorry

Again this use isn't that exciting, but I am starting to see a pattern of heavy objects being used as a place to attach red and white tape as a safety barrier. This lorry is outside Chatham Building at MMU. Chatham building is being improved, as well as a new build next to it...so a lot of building work is going on. (The builders were laughing at me..seems to be an occupational hazard).

101 uses for a bag

It really is getting harder to find things for this blog at the moment, I need to get out more. I noticed on the way into work on the train how I, and other people,use their bags as make do tables. I will ask the next person I see doing this if I can take their photo, although as I see them most days on the train, they might start avoiding me.

101 uses for an old railway carriage

As seen on Mobberley station. There is a row of old railway carriages being used as storage sheds. I seem to remember them being at another station when I first started travelling ,to house animals on a small holding.

101 uses for a phone box

As seen in Chester today. Although this was never really a phone box. A cash machine trying to fit into the olde worlde feel of Chester town centre. I can say no more.