Calverley Spring Clean

March 16th 2013

This morning my daughter, Isobel, and myself left the disabled cycling club early (I volunteer on a Saturday morning there).  There was to be a Spring clean/garage sale in a village on the outskirts of Leeds and Bradford.  We went last year and really enjoyed it.

The idea is that the locals who live there hold sales on their drives, in their garages or outhouses etc.  Mostly second hand stuff but also crafts and baking.  You purchase a map for £1 which shows all the addresses that will be holding sales.  Our friend Gemma came with us today and she had a bit of money for a change.

For the first few stalls we didn't have a map as these stalls were near to where we had parked.  When we got to the end of the road we managed to buy a map and start working our way round a bit more methodically.  Gemma soon found a small Karrimor rucksack for a quid and a jumper and a sweater dress for £2 each and some items of make up.

My first purchase was an audio book 'L'affaire' by Diane Johnson for 50p.  I recently bought an MP3 player and already had a couple of audio books that I thought would last me a while but no, two long dog walks and they were done.  Yesterday I had bought a couple of more in a charity shop but if they were going to go as quick I needed a small stock of them.  Then I found two Alan Titchmarsh ones 'Folly' and 'Love and Mr Devon' both 50p each too.

Isobel then bought a PS2 game for £1 as she knows she can trade it in for more than that.  Soon after that we found some climbing shoes and boots. The shoes looked too small for Isobel but she tried the boots on and they were miles too big.  So she tried the shoes on and they were perfect - £3 and they were ours.

The end of the road and turn left and there was a solitary stall - Gemma spotted a set of knives and lo and behold they were in a red holder which goes with other items in her kitchen.  After a bit of negotiating she got them for £5.50 which was fabulous as they are Sabatier knives.

Walking back up the next road it was getting to the end of the day so we knew we weren't getting round to all the stalls no matter how we tried.  The next house we got to the man looked cold.  He said his feet were aching and he was glad it was nearly over.  He wasn't miserable though.  He then said if we wanted anything we could take it!!!  Not wishing to appear greedy I noticed that there was a chocolate fountain in a box.  I asked about it and he said take it.   Isobel nabbed it just as another family came down the drive looking interested in it.  Gemma took a shine to a set of glass bathroom scales and after trying them out she tried to pay him £1, the price on them, but he insisted she take them for nothing.  Bargains indeed!

There were a few more drives after that but we bought nothing else, partly due to having no arms left to carry anything more.  Walking back to the car we reflected on our purchases and what a great afternoon out we had had.  Roll on next years Spring Clean.