I Found These (Part 1)

I live in a high density medium cost apartment complex. Apart from the malfunctioning lifts (which happens quite often), the littering, the occasional break-in and domestic squabble, this place is also a treasure trove (in my opinion).

Human beings can be very wasteful creatures. We discard thousands of tons of otherwise reusable items every single day. Where I live, people throw all sorts of things away all the time. Maybe because production processes have made things cheaper, we choose to discard rather than maintain and repair (whenever possible).

What I've also noticed is that people these days just don't have the necessary skills to carry out such repairs. They lack the necessary imagination and resourcefulness. The keyword here is 're-purposing'. This word has become part of me these days. I've lost track of the number of re-purposing projects I've done these past few years, partly out of boredom, partly out of interest and partly out of necessity.

There were a lot of furniture discarded here recently. I theorize that being the end of the year and most businesses are giving out bonuses, many of my neighbors went on a spending (and dumping) spree. Among the old mattresses and old sofa's, I came across these items:-

These boards were from a free-standing shelving unit. I think it
is pine wood.

An old computer table frame. Notice the assistant
photo-bombing in the background

Let's see what some ingenuity, imagination and resourcefulness can do.

How Time Flies

So it has been five years since I last posted anything. A growing family and a new job takes up much of my time these days. Has is quenched the fire? Most definitely NOT. Although I do need to be prudent with my time these days. Unfortunately for me these days, it's more of a case of the 'willing spirit versus the weak flesh'.

Children and and do sap whatever energy you have left after a long day at work. So get around this, one must box smart these days so I choose to combine both. I spend time with my children doing the stuff I like to do - killing two birds with one stone.

At the time of writing, I have a four year old 'teenager' and an 18 month old. I allow them to get involved with my work to a certain extent. They learn how to handle and respect tools and more importantly, learn what their boundaries are. They are taught not to handle any tool when I'm not around and the toolboxes are always locked.(Luckily, I found a few padlocks with keys when I was clearing out my mum's place some time ago).

I am slowly learning the difference between spending time around my children and actually spending time with them. Being at home and just being present is not good enough. I have chosen to spend time WITH them also. We spend a lot of time playing, learning new skills, they work-out with my wife and I, we pray together and they 'do all the repairs in the house, while I help'. A good friend, Anthony Morris shared an invaluable bit of wisdom with me. He said children mimic their parents and that's the absolute truth. The pictures speak for themselves.