Have you ever collected something unusual?

[floo]

Have you ever collected something unusual?

My sisters and I retrieved pieces of wreckage from plane crash in one of our fields when I was about 13 in 1963! Whilst we were at school a plane crashed, killing the pilot and co-pilot and injuring passengers on board. My father and his staff were first on the scene, which was pretty gruesome I think the pilot had been decapitated.  Anyway when we got back from school we wanted to see for ourselves the crashed plane (the victims had been removed) so we went to the field. The police let us through when we said it belonged to our Dad, and they actually let us take home pieces of wreckage as souvenirs! Could you imagine that happening these days? We kept the wreckage, some pieces a foot or two long in our large toy cupboard for a few years . But in the end Mum threw it out without asking us first, we weren't pleased with her!

[Brownie]

Shoes and handbags.  I need a room to put them in!

I used to collect various pieces of fine china but stopped because I don't use it.  I have an art deco dinner service stored in a huge old ottoman which belonged to my m-i-l.

I stopped collecting a few years ago because it seemed pointless;  it depressed me to be so excited about things that I will possibly not live to enjoy.

My husband, on the other hand......

[Nearly Sane]

Not that unusual but i have a collection of vintage ties, somewhere around 500.

[BeRational]

Bits of brass from sunken ships from SCUBA diving days.

[floo]

Not that unusual but i have a collection of vintage ties, somewhere around 500.

Do you ever wear any of them?

[Rhiannon]

I collect 70s art pottery although most of it has yet to emerge from storage after I moved. I buy it mostly from charity shops. I sold most of my vintage accessories collection to buy stuff for the house.

However, much more like Floo's OP, one of my daughters collects worn bricks whenever she finds them on a beach. They have to come home in the boot of the car and if there are markings on them she researches them on the net.

[floo]

Apart from those bits of wreckage, which I would have kept had I been giving the opportunity to do so, I have no interest in collecting things, I am much more of a chucker outer. Mind you, when I do have one of my frequent clear outs I ensure my husband isn't around, he hates throwing anything away!

[Nearly Sane]

Do you ever wear any of them?

On occasion but much less than I used to, which is why I stopped buying them.

[SusanDoris]

 Rose

I have just read your post. That is mind-bogglingly frightening!!
I am entirely the opposite of a collector.

[ad_orientem]

Back in the early 90's when I used to go raving I collected flyers advertising raves. I had hundreds of them. I covered all the bedroom walls, ceiling and door with them because I couldn't be bothered to put new wallpaper up

[Rhiannon]

Ok, weird. I just opened a half-collapsed box in my shed and found my missing art pottery.

[Brownie]

Well that is a coincidence, Rhiannon.  Often happens when you talk about something.

I have so much china which I no longer want, I am thinking of selling it for charity.  On ebay now, they will put you in touch with people who live locally who are happy to do that for you, for a small cut.  It is boxed up in the garage (apart from the art deco dinner service which I love).

Chucking out is very sensible, floo;  we can't take it with us after all, far better for someone else to use and enjoy.

[Rhiannon]

Brownie, I got rid of so much when we moved, and not just because of downsizing. Although I'm a bit of s magpie I'm very precise on what I buy and never gave anything I don't love or need.

Another thing I've noticed is that because I'm now settled and happy I don't feel the need to distract myself with buying stuff or ordering stuff online. It's amazing how easy it is to slip into the habit of dealing with boredom or unhappiness by acquiring things that aren't necessary.

[Enki]

Used to collect all sorts of things. I still have a fossil and rock collection from exploring the Yorkshire coast and various quarries. I also used to collect coins, tokens, military cap badges and medals. Eventually this evolved into a friend and I running a market stall at Beverley Market, buying and selling all sorts of bric a brac. It was at a time when old postcards(mainly Edwardian) were cheap to get hold of, and they were starting to become very popular. We sold thousands of them, occasional ones made out of cork or aluminium. Some of the things we sold were fascinating, and, to some extent, I regret selling them e.g. a complete Daily Mirror issued on the day after the Titanic sank, a diary kept by someone who took part in the Boer War, small parts of an airship which sank in the Humber. I still have a small collection of coins(mainly early milled crowns) and a small selection of early postcards. Unusually I have a small collection of Victorian and Edwardian breavement cards, and, although I think I have mentioned this before, I discovered I had a vinyl LP of the Beatles 'Please Please Me' in stereo, which turned out to be the first ever issue, and is ranked in the top ten rarest vinyl discs.

Nowadays the nearest I come to collecting is 'birding' where I keep a record of every bird species that I have ever seen in the wild, both in the UK and abroad.

For me, I suppose, collecting is in the end just a means of learning and discovering more about the world about me, both by looking at human artefacts and natural things. It's like a stepping stone which can lead to any manner of ideas and personal discoveries.

[Sebastian Toe]

I collect jokes.
I catalogue them by subject and by the comedian who tells them.
I've got one empty space in my collection though as I cant find an actual joke or even a witticism told by an internet joker, (sometimes known as) Vlad.
Can anyone help please?
 

[Bubbles]

Rose

I have just read your post. That is mind-bogglingly frightening!!
I am entirely the opposite of a collector.

We just both find learning about new things inspiring.
We are both hobby people.
Neither of us do it because we are unhappy.

Just as well we are alike enough to
Understand each other.

We share hobbies too, although I don't do the knife making.

Me and my hubby have a lot in common.

It's good if you share interests.

[ippy]

I have collected, collective nouns, there are so many of them, weird and wonderfull and largely they don't relate.

I also collect words that are strange to me, whenever I hear a new one I have to write it down quickly before I forget it..

I could list them and leave them open to correction where necessary and it would be good to hear any new ones.

ippy

[Brownie]

Rhiannon: Another thing I've noticed is that because I'm now settled and happy I don't feel the need to distract myself with buying stuff or ordering stuff online. It's amazing how easy it is to slip into the habit of dealing with boredom or unhappiness by acquiring things that aren't necessary.

That definitely strikes a chord with me, Rhi.

[Bubbles]

Rhiannon: Another thing I've noticed is that because I'm now settled and happy I don't feel the need to distract myself with buying stuff or ordering stuff online. It's amazing how easy it is to slip into the habit of dealing with boredom or unhappiness by acquiring things that aren't necessary.

That definitely strikes a chord with me, Rhi.

Doesn't with me, we are all different I suppose.

I've always been a gadget/hobby  person, for as long as I can remember, even as a child.

Also what is necessary is subjective, the reason we have so many outdoor cooking facilities is because we have a field and we love to entertain friends, inviting them to camp and cooking for them.

Which we fund, they just bring their booze.

I also love the opportunity to learn something new, or try a new interest.

IMO that's what life is about, trying out new things.

Funnily enough, I love being like that and I'm lucky enough to have a man in my life who not only understands that but allows me the freedom to find my own interests and inspirations

[Rhiannon]

Rose, I'm not talking about hobbies, learning and fun stuff. Brownie and Floo were talking about the. benefits of getting rid of unnecessary things - travelling light, if you like - and I was commenting on the fact I've found that much easier to do - and much easier not to acquire more stuff I don't really want or need -now that I'm settled and happy. In fact not being bogged down by stuff means more time and money for creating new memories and savouring new experiences.

[Brownie]

Indeed it does, Rhi, as well as freeing up space in your home.  I keep saying, "Tomorrow....".

Rose, it's good that you and your husband enjoy things together.

Mine collects car spares and car magazines and, up to a point, old cars  .  I have no interest in cars.

We do enjoy cooking together.

My son collects musical instruments, his house is full of them.

I collect nothing now (except dust and cobwebs).  Perhaps I'll get rid of those, maybe tomorrow......

[Shaker]

Rose, I'm not talking about hobbies, learning and fun stuff. Brownie and Floo were talking about the. benefits of getting rid of unnecessary things - travelling light, if you like - and I was commenting on the fact I've found that much easier to do - and much easier not to acquire more stuff I don't really want or need -now that I'm settled and happy. In fact not being bogged down by stuff means more time and money for creating new memories and savouring new experiences.

I generally don't do new year's resolutions but when the Christmas decorations came down last year my resolution for 2016 was to give the entire house, top to bottom and garage too, a really brutal and swingeing clear-out, something I've been doing ever since on and off. And I feel so much better for it. I've got rid of a huge amount of extraneous clutter (happily, some sold, much given to charity, most recycled, very little destined for landfill). I never used to be into minimalism, but as I get older I find that I'm more and more bothered and distracted by clutter and more and more attracted to clarity and simplicity - the stripped-back, travelling-light life. I find that apart from the essentials (which to me means books - not remotely unusual but I do collect them like a maniac), I try to get rid, not get, and cast off baggage, not acquire it.

[Brownie]

Your post is inspiring and has encouraged me, Shaker;  I am determined to do the same, I'll certainly feel better for it.

[ad_orientem]

I hate clutter. It makes me feel anxious.

[Rhiannon]

Your post is inspiring and has encouraged me, Shaker;  I am determined to do the same, I'll certainly feel better for it.

You see, I did this. I'm brilliantvat it.

The kids on the other hand...