Paul fixed it for free!

For today's blip I braved extreme rain showers to get to the Fix it for Free workshop which was being held at Stroud's Lock Keepers Cafe, which I have blipped several times already. Based on a scheme in Holland, the event aims to match up engineers, textile workers and other 'experts' with people who need their garments, or small electronic devices, repaired. The experts donate their time for free, so all it costs the users is a drink/snack from the cafe, and a donation to Transition Stroud, the group that organises it.

You can see a video (12 mins) about it here, though that workshop was held at another well-loved cafe. I had brought along a coffee grinder but eventually decided that as there was a minimal risk of not getting it back together again, that I would keep it as a nut grinder. (I'd already bought another one about a month ago, because we are caffeine addicts). If only I had known earlier! I threw out a whole pile of small gadgets (iPod speakers, etc) back in July because I figured they would never get fixed. It's made me realise, though, how much I enjoyed watching the engineers at work, and that there might be some way of acquiring some of that knowledge for myself. I didn't do technology at school. What girl did, in the 70s? On a scary note, my iPad has a damaged charging port, but I never even thought of bringing that along!

This blip shows Paul Sheridan, who has just finished repairing a food processor. I realise once again that it is not a great picture, but the indoor lighting was bright and the cafe crowded. Note to self: I never even think about the conditions, I just turn up. A bit of planning might not go amiss now and again. Paul then went on to look at a slide projector and a child's toy. Also present was Pete, who fixed an eco-toaster with a shutter (yes, a shutter!) that had got stuck, and an iron, a kettle, and several other devices. We bought a new toaster only this year...I am not buying any more new kitchen gizmos, I swear! Last year I got a free coffee machine from Stroud Freegle, because someone in the group had one they weren't using. I have given away a lot of stuff on Freegle over the years, but it felt like (stress-free) Christmas the day I picked up the machine!

I also spoke to the textile group and asked if I could bring my sewing machine along to one of their sessions. I was given a good little machine a couple of years ago, but am not confident about using it, mainly because of some cutting remarks made by my snippy needlework teacher in 1977! School, eh! Don't you just love it? Come to think of it, my sister TML's needlework was a complete horror, too! She didn't like my sister, and because she was the slimmest girl in the group by a mile, made her share a pattern with the largest girl! She made a mustard coloured sack dress. It could hardly have turned out as anything else ...

Later, I realised that one of the people I'd been talking to was someone whom CleanSteve needed to photograph for his portrait series, so I gave him a call, and he turned up with all his photographic gear. All in all, it was a very productive afternoon.