Had an email from Ben H:

here’s a suggestion. one of my trusty rucksacks straps broke the other week. i’ve tried to sown it back to the bag a couple of times but each time it snaps again because of all the stuff i carry on my back.

i’ve decided to buy a new bag because the zip is past it too but still, i am reluctant to throw the old one away. have you got any ideas?

(Photo by worack)

After some in-depth testing last week (closing one eye then the other, note blurriness, rinse, repeat), I suspect it’s time for me to get some new glasses.

I get new glasses every other year or so: partly because with the ones I pick, it’s about the same cost to get completely new glasses as it is to get lenses replaced in my existing frames and partly because after wearing them for at least 12 hours a day, every day, after a couple of years I fancy a change.

Anyway, I have a number of old pairs of specs hanging around the house – as spares and for wearing when decorating etc. But what else can I do with them?

I have a feeling some charities collect them for redistribution overseas – anyone know of any charities in particular?

Or does anyone know any companies that make it financially viable to replace just the lenses?

(Photo by capetan)

Had an email from Tom Beaumont, who has found some out of date condoms in the back of his bathroom cabinet.

I don’t fancy risk using them for their intended purpose for obvious reasons but thought you might be able to come up with some other suggestions!

The first thing that springs to my mind is testing whether the boiled condom over a phone box thing is an urban myth or not – but that’s not terribly practical (because a. it’s pointless really and b. phone boxes are hard to find these days).

Any better suggestions?

(Photo by Wazari)

Since it’s Halloween tomorrow, how about flipping this crazy blog-concept on its head for a change?

Anyone got any good ways to reuse or recycle bits and pieces from around the house to make Halloween costumes?

Recipes for fake blood? Gore? Green ooze?

What about ways to make realistic witches’ warts, zombie-ish decaying flesh or fake spider webs?

Go crazy : )

(Photo by cybersnot)

If you draw Venn diagram-esque circles around concentrations of take-away/delivery places in Leeds, we live where three of the circles would overlap. We get thousands of menus through the door and despite being pizza fiends, we only ever even glance at a select few of them – the rest go straight in the recycling bin.

We can’t compost the menus as they tend to be glossy, colour-prints but we prefer to use stuff around the home where possible before just sending it off to be recycled.

Any suggestions?