30/07/17: Boot sale, Brookmans Park

Back to the bootsale at Brookmans Park.

There were real dogs...

And less real dogs...

 Cats, too...

  
We bought two LEGO models. The tank was £1.50. I had to barter with a slightly intimidating skinhead boy, who – in the absence of any adults – seemed to have the authority to negotiate a price. The submersible was £1 and contained a minifigure. These were real bargains, as elsewhere a minifigure on its own was being sold for as much as £3.

29/07/17: Charity shop hop, Finchley Central

1. North London Hospice. Bought All is Lost DVD, still shrink-wrapped, for £1. This is a tremendous film starring Robert Redford about a man whose boat sinks. Basically: Gravity at sea.

2. Cats Protection League. Joan Baez – "Silver Dagger" 7" EP was £1.99. Tempted, but didn't buy. Also on the shelves: several Duran Duran CDs.

3. Cancer Research. Several Primal Scream CDs, plus an entire shelf of guitar tutorial CDs. There was a man sneezing a bit too close to me, so I didn't hang around.

4. Sue Ryder. Seriously overpriced. A Shirley Bassey vinyl compilation was £3.50. A water-damaged paperback was £2. No, thanks.

5. All Aboard. Tiny selection of CDs virtually hidden behind the till, making for awkward browsing.

6. Oxfam – small shop, overpriced vinyl. Weary by this point. Headed back to the car in the rain.

29/07/17: Charity shop hop, North Finchley

1. The Bothy – saw a white-label record with a message written on the sleeve: "To Steve, Thought this would be a good first record. Good luck, Sam." But what's on the record? Nearly bought the Substance CD by Joy Division. Not sure why I didn't, actually.

2. Cancer Research was closed, even though the list on the door said it should have been open for an hour already.

3. All Aboard. Plenty of DVDs. "Two books for 50p" special offer still running, but couldn't find two I wanted. Or even one. Nearly bought £1 vinyl copies of Commoners Crown by Steeleye Span and Johnny Cash and His Woman, but they were both too beaten up.

4. North London Hospice. Nearly bought CDs by the Sex Pistols (NMTB), Queen (Greatest Hits) and Talking Heads (Stop Making Sense), but again the condition wasn't quite good enough. Various Anne McCaffrey fantasy novels on the crowded bookshelves.

5. RFFR. Bought three vinyl LPs for £1 each:
• Many a Mile by Buffy Sainte-Marie (1965).
• Back Home Again by John Denver (1974).
• Songs of the British Isles by Nana Mouskouri (1976; one of 200-plus albums Nana released).

09/07/17: Boot sale, Brookmans Park

I know it's not a "charity shop", but...

A hot day. We arrived at 10:45, just 15 minutes before the £1 entry fee was reduced to 50p, but they only charged us 50p anyway. It was a delight to walk up and down the 12 or so long aisles of stalls and tables set up in the big field. Some people don't even bother with a table and just spread out their items on bin liners on the grass. After a certain amount of rummaging by punters, these items can end up being a big, random heap of clothes, toys and other bits and pieces. Your commitment to bargain-hunting can be measured by how willing you are to sift through piles of almost-rubbish to find the gems.

There were many unusual items on offer, from a table painted or stencilled with "The Clash" to old mobile phones (some of them encrusted with dirt and mud) that seemed unlikely to ever work again. There were several old-school telephones as well.

There were fewer books this time, and not many vinyl LPs. A lot of fidget spinners, though – both second-hand and "new". With the craze already over, these are going to start becoming very common in charity shops.

I didn't have much change (lesson learned for next time), so was unable to indulge in buying numerous CDs. I did buy one. "How much are the CDs?" I asked the young lady at the stall? "Depends which ones," she replied. "Bruce Springsteen," I said, holding up a copy of Tunnel of Love. "50p," she said.

After an hour or so, the most urgent purchase was something to drink. "How much is a bottle of water?" "That's one pound, love."

One of the sellers had already had enough before midday, announcing that she was going home to drink cider in her garden. And who could blame her?

04/07/17: Spitalfields Crypt Trust

Always pleased to find a new charity shop. This one was in All Saints, near the market and just a couple of minutes from Emmaus.

02/07/17: Row of CDs (Cancer Research)

North Finchley. Nice row of CDs on the shelf, including...

• Portishead – Dummy (fairly common)

• Belle & Sebastian – two CD singles

• Belle & Sebastian – Storytelling (was tempted to buy this, but didn’t)

• Strictly Commercial: The Best of Frank Zappa (very unusual to see any Zappa in a charity shop)

• R.E.M. – Murmur (a nice change: usually you find at least one copy of Monster)

• 24-Hour Party People (film soundtrack)

• Goldfrapp – Black Cherry (two copies: see this one a lot)

• Art Garfunkel – Across America (was tempted to buy this, but didn’t)

• Supergrass – Life on Other Planets

• Daft Punk – Discovery

• Daft Punk – Homework

• Van Morrison – Audley End (a live concert bootleg: tempted, but only slightly)

• Oasis – Be Here Now (three copies: this can be found almost anywhere)

01/07/17: Mugs (North London Hospice)

North London Hospice, Whetstone. Bought a profoundly unattractive One Direction mug, showing the idiotic singing clowns with ludicrously long hair.