The Loft. The story so far...

[anotherdad]

Many years ago when I bought my first house, my father came round the first weekend to help with a few DIY bits and pieces. One job was to add a load more insulation to the loft. When I bought the house, the vendor was moving to Spain so did me a deal on all his furniture and appliances and the day I moved in, I realised he'd left all sorts of useful things like garden tools, a stepladder, broom, buckets, etc. A godsend for a first time buyer. I should have realised that the large mirror on the wall behind the bed gave an insight into the previous owner's tastes and what else he may have left behind...

Now, my father is a very straight-laced man of very few words. He's in the loft, clearing out anything left behind in readiness for laying the new insulation. I'm at the foot of the ladder with a bin bag. Item one: a cardboard box. Item two: an old torch. So far, so normal. Item three: a riding crop (*shrug* - they're into riding). Item four: a single ladies' shoe with a stiletto heel you could knit with. Then comes the bonus item. Best part of a foot long and made of polished wood, handed down - literally - from one generation to the next with not a peep. To this day it has never been mentioned and 22 years later, I have no idea whether my father entertains the slight chance it was mine.

[Tinkers]

No such finds.
However given some of the mail we used to get for the previous occupant, I suspect he may have had similar ‘tastes’ to yours.

[Amber]

One house we moved into had a safe still attached to the wall under the stairs. When we finally hacked it off we couldn't get into it and called the police. That turned out to be just as well as it had a couple of guns in, bullets, and an old betamax video which apparently contained material implicated in a local p orn 'scandal'.

At our current place the previous owners kindly left us their ride-on mower. It only came to light a few years later that they were naturists and always mowed the lawn stark naked.

[Sally-Anne]

After my father died a few years ago, my mother was turning out his tool shed and discovered, completely unbeknown to her during almost 60 years of marriage, that he was the proud owner of two rifles - the real thing, shotguns not air rifles, together with a fair quantity of ammunition.

She decided that if she took them to the Police she would probably be arrested , so instead she hunted down a gunsmith some miles away, wrapped them in a blanket and took them to him.

Neither of us have any clue as to how or why my father came to own them, but the same goes for the 38 spare hosepipe connectors, 10 TV remote controls, many dozens of spare light bulbs [insert pointless collectibles here] that we have also unearthed over time and are still disposing of.

[Tinkers]

Having a big garden, I never have enough of the right type of hose pipe connectors, despite having pots of them. I will probably leave behind a similar number...

No guns found. Yet. We do have swords in the house, but that’s DHs fault.

[KS10]

No weird and wonderful stories here but I did read somewhere that a couple who decided to redecorate the house they’d moved into found a message from a previous owner:
https://www.google.co.uk/amp/s/www.bbc. ... a-44710704" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[Tinkers]

No weird and wonderful stories here but I did read somewhere that a couple who decided to redecorate the house they’d moved into found a message from a previous owner:
https://www.google.co.uk/amp/s/www.bbc. ... a-44710704" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

When we move out, if anyone rips out our kitchen they will find a whole array of entertainment.
We were without a kitchen for 8 weeks when we found out what was under the Lino. (Effectively bare earth). We needed it all digging out, a foot of concrete pouring in, damp proof course and the walls replastering. All before we could have the kitchen fitted

When we got around to actually painting before the cabinets went in, various things got written (with mention of the wait) and a 7 yo DD did lots of little drawings...

[Tinkers]

Moving on form the loft, DD is tackling the ‘baking’ cupboard in the kitchen. She is the one that does all the baking in the Tinkers household, so it’s all her responsibility. If she doesn’t she will know where it all is.

Found so far.
Very old yeast. Well past it’s date. (We use the stuff regularly so this just got lost).

Chocolate coated popping candy, best before was last year. Doesn’t pop anymore.

Cream of tartar. best before 2009. Who uses this stuff anyway and what for?

Gold edible spray on glitter. I banned the use of this in the house after Mr Tinkers used it on a cake he made for a company bake off. It forms a very fine mist that covered everything in the kitchen. (Cake won though). I thought I’d given it to my darling brother for my nephew. (Revenge is a dish bested served gilded)

[anotherdad]

I cleared out a large cupboard we have built-in to our bathroom last night. anothermum is under strict instructions not to buy any more shampoo or mouthwash for a while. She usually does the weekly shop and has clearly been seduced by the end-of-aisle 3-for-2 deals. If a no-deal Brexit endangers supplies of either product we'll be ok. For a few years.

[scary mum]

I cleared out a large cupboard we have built-in to our bathroom last night. anothermum is under strict instructions not to buy any more shampoo or mouthwash for a while. She usually does the weekly shop and has clearly been seduced by the end-of-aisle 3-for-2 deals. If a no-deal Brexit endangers supplies of either product we'll be ok. For a few years.

My family are also under instructions to buy no more shampoo or conditioner after I tidied out the cupboard in our bathroom. Here it is scary dad who can't resist a bargain! Also the many half bottles abandoned by scary daughter when she discovers a new "flavour" must be used up.