The importance of being idle

[Andy Hunt]

So the ex moved out and now I am having a spring clean and packing all her stuff up into boxes, and I realise that there are quite a few electrical appliances which are hers: food blenders/mixers, electric kettle, toaster, George Formby grill etc. And I am wondering if I could actually do without this stuff.

I have the flat bottomed kettle for the wood stove which gives me hot drinks in winter. Do I really need hot drinks in summer?

Toast is nice though, although I do have a sandwich toaster.

Some time ago the 'big light' in the bathroom failed, I replaced the fitting but it still doesn't work and I'm not sure why. So since then I have used just LEDs and candles in there, which is fine, and especially nice when having a soak.

I'm wondering if there is a benefit in simply trying to do without when things fail, and trying to get by some other way.

Not sure it extends to my dishwasher though, I have an engineer booked to fix that!

[JohnB]

Various things in my van have gone wrong. The water system packed up months ago, and I just use a 10 litre water container with a tap on it. Hot water comes out of the kettle, although I do have showers in the house. Having little space, I don't have room for many gadgets, so generally produce simple meals. There's a dishwasher in the house, but it's never been used, although it has to be run empty occasionally when the water in it gets stale and smelly!

When I get to start creating my small simple new home, my aim is to start very simple, and over time make some bits more sophisticated if I find the simplicity annoys me, or is unproductive.

[adam2]

Gadgetery and complexity can certainly be overdone, but I would not rush to do away with electrical appliances.
An electric kettle is a very quick and simple way to heat water, you or a visitor might want a hot drink when the stove is not lit. Boiling water might be required for some other purpose.

An electric toaster is an economical way of making toast if an open fire is not available.

Electric lights are far more convienient than the alternatives in most cases.

Small electric cooking appliances of various sorts often use less power than an electric cooker, and can be useful for hot snacks or light meals in warm weather when the stove is not lit.
Brief use is often viable from an inverter and battery.

[featherstick]

Agree with Adam - it's nice to have a couple of options or some redundancy. Keep a kettle and a toaster at least. You might want to impress a future prospect with some...er...toast and tea...

[kenneal - lagger]

George Formby grill etc.

Is that for producing some hot ukulele music from, Andy?

Sorry to hear of your breakup.

[Andy Hunt]

You might want to impress a future prospect with some...er...toast and tea...

Hehehe good point

At least it's an opportunity to get some appliances which are as good as they can be, in any case.

But the flat bottomed kettle can be used on the electric hob 'in an emergency', and I can quick boil water with my freestanding induction hob.

The toaster might be a necessity though, you're right.

[Andy Hunt]

George Formby grill etc.

Is that for producing some hot ukulele music from, Andy?

Sorry to hear of your breakup.

It's so I don't have to worry about getting fat 'when I'm reinstalling Windows' . . .

It's alright, thanks for the thought though Ken. It's the most amicable break-up ever, I am feeling surprisingly fine about it. It's an opportunity for change and that's something which can be very rewarding.

[Andy Hunt]

Actually, thinking about the toaster, maybe not having one would encourage me to make more of my own bread. Nice thick crusty bread won't go in the toaster anyway

[2 As and a B]

Actually Andy, when you make your own bread it doesn't, as you obviously know, come out pre-sliced, but there is an implement in the drawer called a "bread knife" that can be used to slice the loaf to your own, at-that-moment, desired width, which is, in and of itself, a very liberating experience.

The shower shower hasn't been in use for about 3 years because it was leaking water into the flooring. (The bath shower isn't used because it mostly gets water around and outside the bath.) When we had water meters fitted down our road last week a nice post-installation box-checker called to explain what had been happening and advised me that a shower used less water than a bath. I didn't tell him that I only run the bath finger deep but when I get in it becomes magically two feet deep - OK, a slight exaggeration but, more important than that, I can wallow in the same bath water for hours whilst I scrub my continental-sized skinmass - OK, a massive exaggeration.

Edited back quoted change!

[Andy Hunt]

Actually Andy, when you make your own bread it doesn't, as you obviously know, come out pre-sliced but there is an implement in the drawer called a "bread knife" that can be used to slice the loaf to your own, at-that-moment, desired width, which is, in and of itself, a very liberating experience.

Yes I know, I do make it from time to time. I suppose what I should have said is that real crusty toast as thick as I like it doesn't fit in the toaster. For some reason, a slice thin enough to fit in the toaster just seems to disintegrate when buttered.

You know, proper doorsteps, with real butter and marmalade, dipped in black coffee . . .

< is reminded of the real marmalade thread >

[emordnilap]

I thought at first the thread title was "The Impotence of Being Idle", which would be pretty good for this type of forum.

[2 As and a B]

Aye, and bacon grilled at same time.

[Andy Hunt]

But not with Marmite.

[2 As and a B]

Well it goes without saying. Nothing with Marmite.

[emordnilap]

Well it goes without saying. Nothing with Marmite.

Intermission. No, sorry, that was brown sauce, wasn't it?