h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Well, I guess I've identified the main problem I'll face during post-a-journal-a-day November. I can generally dredge up a journal topic out of the recesses of my addled mind on days when I've been out and about doing things and watching people (one of my hobbies). Unfortunately, on days when I'm just at home and I don't see anyone and I don't watch the news or listen to the radio I end up with very little to say.

Which isn't to say I'm not content.

But you'll know I'm having a very quiet day if I post a journal about radical new ways to stack a dishwasher or, indeed, the fact that it's bin night.

Which reminds me of my grandmother. She would scour her house and garden on bin night searching for things to throw away. You see, she wanted to make it worth the binman's time. There's logic in there somewhere, hiding in a burrow, just showing the tip of its nose and a couple of whiskers, but it's still a bit odd.

Proust wrote of madeleines triggering a long, long sequence of memories. I'm writing of bin night. At least you don't have to pay to read this.

Ivan.

Ah, but I have a question now! By bin night do you mean that's when you put it out (and they come in the morning)? Or that that's when they empty it?

We don't have bins here, only council bags at $3.30 a pop, ones that the dogs like to tear open. Hence no bin night.

No bin night! What can there be for you to write a journal about?

The bins get emptied in the morning, just after 7am, so most people put them out tonight. In my case I just make sure everything I wanted to get rid of is in them because I leave the house at 6:30am and can push them out the gate at the same time.

There are two bins - one smallish, for absolute garbage, and one much bigger for recyclables. The garbage is collected weekly, the recycling fortnightly. There are plans to introduce a green waste bin one day, but I can deal with most of the green waste by mulching it etc.

Who knew we'd be able to make a thread on hootoo out of garbage?

I think there's plenty of precedents.

We have the council bag and a recycle bin that get collected weekly. Some people have wheelie bins too I think. I compost all my compostables (feed em to the worms).

I'm still trying to identify a good place for a compost bin/heap/whatever. The aesthetics keep getting in the way.

Woohoo, it's bin night here too.

We have 3 large wheelie bins and maybe we're on the same bin run as you because the collect them at about 7.00 in the morning - I always put mine out on Sunday night.

We have a black bin for regular landfill rubbish, a green bin for recycling and a brown bin for garden waste and a little brown basket thing in which we can put food waste (wrapped in a 'special' food waste bag, supplied).

Our bins are collected alternate weeks it's the black bin's turn this week and next week all of the others can go.

I seldom have any food waste because I have two dogs, very little garden waste because I've mostly paved paradise, some weeks I don't put my bins out at all because I only like to do it when they're full.

What a great journal.

If we're on the same bin run, I think the garbos are vastly underpaid.

I've just spent the best part of an hour trawling through Fizzy's journals for her encounter with a wheelie bin. I didn't find that particular journal, but I now have tears in my eyes from laughing and my sides ache having read so mayn other journals of her. Thanks for this journal, Ivan.

I'm just glad that I could put together something people like from nothing at all.

Since some of my journal entries seem to be missing I'll tell you the story of my bin related drama.

There was a storm and my recently emptied bin had blown down the village. I went down the village to bring it back home. The rain was still pouring and the wind was still blowing so head down I pushed the bin back towards home.

Suddenly, a gust of wind blew and lifted the lid of the bin which hit me right on the top of my head (where I keep my glasses). I didn't know what hit me for a moment and the little nose things of the glasses put two little holes in my head.

Don't worry, I acted kind of casual and just closed the bin and sauntered home with it hoping against hope that no-one in the village noticed what had happened.

I went in to the house and screamed!

Lesson learned, when bringing a runaway wheelie bin home pull it behind you do not push it.

>> You see, she wanted to make it worth the binman's time.<<

We tend to fill the bins up the last night as much as possible, as we have to pay for it anyway. So there are people desperately trying to find something useless.
Well, unless the bin is too full anyway. Which is the usual case with our house.

Fizzy, I'd never previously understood how dangerous a bin could be. That is alarming. I'll never trust mine again.

Hati, we don't get charged extra for having the bin emptied and it doesn't matter whether they're full or not. The main thing that gets me about my grandmother (with regard to rubbish bins - there are many other issues that bother me about her, as you know) is that her house was full of things that she could have thrown out at any time, but she kept it all. We threw it all out for her after she'd died...

We only get charged for having bins emptied.

As for collecting useless things, it's a national tradition. We have this saying "even flea's skin may come in handy in 7 years time".

"We threw it all out for her after she'd died..." Isn't that what families are for? So you can wonder why all that tat was kept - but then in the middle of it all there is sometimes something that makes it all worthwhile.

My father amused me on Saturday by saying that he & Mum have made a suicide pact, it's just that when "they" jump, he is only going to be holding hands loosely . . .

Hati, the old girl had a small room full of flea's skin. It had been there since 1960, some of it. Oh dear.

Johnny, there was stuff that made it worthwhile but there was other stuff that just boggled the mind. Some of it wasn't necessarily legal either.

I have this "collector" thing in my brain as well. The only thing that really helps, is moving houses once in a while. Also not having any storage space. Last time I moved, I sent 2 (two) tons (TONS) stuff to junkyard. Well, some of it was from the previous owners. And there was a lot of storage space. Now this house is getting to stuffed...

I know what that's like - I think I need to find another house already. This one's full.

Ivan, I have really enjoyed reading your journals and everyone responces to them, thank you and

I am posting my thanks here because I feel have been this week about dealing with my clutter, paperwork piles are reduced by half, I am keeping up with the day to day houework and I have made a good start on sorting the garage

and

Peanut

Good luck with the garage, Peanut. May I put you on my friends list?

Of course you may *looks chuffed*