Finding Things
Things are often thrown out and left in streets in Manchester, some of the stuff my be broken but with a bit of creativity they can be repaired or transformed. Recently I’ve found two working suitcases with wheels on, a hamster cage which I turned into a bike basket, a tricycle, a pram, cabinets and a television which needs a new fuse. There are always doors, furniture and fridges lying around. A good time to find furniture is after the students move out and the landlords throw out the old furniture which might only need a little repair, a clean or a bit of patchwork. If they aren’t re-used they are taken by the council and sent to a landfill.
Similarly to finding things on the streets things can be found in skips, those big yellow skips outside some houses (especially posh ones) You never know what you might find (a computer maybe?).
And remember… money doesn’t grow on trees BUT food does!
The city of Manchester has many fruit trees and numerous green spaces where you forage for food. This is a great way to get to know the place where you live and remind yourself that Manchester is not made solely from cement. Check out http://veginthepark.blogspot.com/ for a few starting points however half the fun is in exploring the natural world around you and discovering the free gifts it has to offer.