The Annual Exodus

Yes, it's that time again - the annual 'Cleaning Out The Garage' ritual.  I've no doubt many of you have a similar occurrence planned for some point over the summer. 

Ours always precedes G's birthday barbecue, and is instigated by me in fear of heavy rain on the day, forcing everyone inside.  Our house is so wee that I simply couldn't bear to have 20 or 30 people trying to crowd in, so the garage has to be a safe haven. 

It's a total mystery to me how, although we do this clear out every single year, by the next summer it is just as bad (or - whisper it - even worse!).  G blames me - "It's all your crap in here: look, tumble drier, freezer, old fridge, table and chairs, kids car-seats, old high chair etc.". 

Well admittedly, I have deposited a table and chairs there, but they will be coming back into the house to be used at Christmas, as always.  And yes the car-seats are there, but they need to be kept somewhere in between use.  And I can't bear to get rid of the high-chair just yet - hopefully there might be another little visitor at some point who will need to sit on it.  And the tumble drier and freezer - eh, I think they would qualify as a joint resource!  The old fridge will come in handy on barbecue day, although I would have happily sent it to the skip when we got the new one.

No, no, my stuff is NOT junk. 

However, I can't say the same for the boxes and boxes of nails, screws, and cable ties - bought at car boot sales; or the towering piles of plastic crates filled with old tapes and CD's (now transferred onto the iPod thing), or the 300 year old telly (one of those with the big sticky-out back) that used to be used for playing X-Box on. 

Nor for the old bike, never ridden in at least 10 years; or the 3 camping stoves, or the huge piles of old motor-bike magazines, nor the crash helmets and leathers that are hanging up in the old wardrobe. 

Much huffing and puffing later, and my wee car having been used as a flat-bed truck for several runs to the dump, and things look a lot better.  Most utter junk has gone, and we have a pile which I am determined to try to sell at a car-boot sale or on e-bay (we are so lazy, we usually just give it to charity shops).

But there is always the odd thing which is too good to throw out, but we just don't know what to do with. 

Anyone got any ideas for a rocking camel?