Throwing away stuff that even I can't think of a use for. Not so much that it didn't spark joy, as that it did spark 'what in holy hell even is this thing?' I have still got a stash of bits and bobs that I don't know what they're for, but it's smaller now. I'm keeping some of the more intriguing artefacts, at least for this round, because if I chuck 'em I'll never find out what they were. Curiosity and hoarding tendencies have managed to outweigh tidiness once again.

One of the stranger objects I had stashed are some screw-like objects with a fat smooth cylinder in the middle of the screw. So they're not cylinder-head screws, because there's thread before and after the cylinder part, which is considerably thicker than the surrounding screw. So what the hell are those things for? What are they called? I guess they're some kind of screw-hinge device?

[SM] Sounds like anchor screws used for attaching curtain rail holders. One side screws into the wall, the other into the rail holder. If they are beefy then they might be used for attaching sinks and other similar items. If they are massive, then maybe for holding railway rails to the sleepers. All these types have different threads on each end.

Some sort of curtain fastening arrangement seems to be the best explanation. I think I'll call that a win.

*Contentious statement alert* Most unidentified objects in abandoned drawers and neglected biscuit tins of 'things' are to do with hanging curtains. Curtains are the most complicated of household artefacts and no two systems are interchangeable or compatible.

[pen] Ha! You've obviously never had to deal with shelving units...

[Pabbers] Ha! I have a husband to deal with that sort of thing.

[pen] Now that's a bloody good idea! Why didn't I think of that?

The smell of new wood I've got a new fence, 'cos the old one blew down. I keep getting little whiffs of fresh DIY store fence wood through my window. While it's not as nice as freshly sawn timber, it still qualifies as a little pleasure.

OK, this is getting a bit meta, but also: Noticing Little Pleasures.

Because of this game, I always keep an eye (or a nose) out for little pleasures. And because I do that, I'm more likely to notice them.

Also, Getting meta :-)

[Simons] I'm all for getting meta. It's an element of mindfulness. I'm getting better at it on lunchtime dogwalks. Last week it was watching stormy shelf clouds skirting around me, and noticing the ash twigs blown off the trees onto the path looking like broken wands from Harry Potter and wondering what high jinks they'd been up to, this week it was noticing the twigs laid like directional arrows on the ground (did we used to call them Indian signposts or something? A long, long time ago at Girl Guides...). And how good the potato blossoms smell. And how the smell of the next field with onions reminds me of a fairground hot dog stand. Anyway, the point is, the more you look, the more you see.

*pays close attention to SM’s move*

The nectarines are really good this year. Sweet, juicy, not fibrous or unripenable.

Dark chocolate from Poland.
I guess you could say I'm polishing off this Polish bar of dark chocolate.

No quarantining if I visit the UK from next week. The need for quarantine and the costs of tests during it have kept me away from friends and family in the UK for a year and a half. Realising that I can now start to plan visits again is a huge relief.

Do keep your mask around: https://www.sciencenews.org/article/cdc-covid-coronavirus-masks-indoors-vaccinated-people-pandemic The delta variant apparently also produces 1200 times the viral load in less time. So, the aerosols spewed out are massively more infectious.