Re-purposing/ upcycling

Tweet

As many of you know I hate to throw anything away and am always keeping things just in case they come in handy one day… Sometimes though I really don’t need whatever it is and then, if it doesn’t seem like the sort of thing a charity shop could sell, Freegle often comes to my rescue – it’s quite surprising what other people can make use of. This time the item in question is my old wooden coffin-style violin case. It dates from my childhood and has been storing my violin under the bed for years. But not long ago both girls decided they would like to learn to play the violin, so out it came again. The violin itself was in excellent shape but the case was heavy and unwieldy, even the teacher laughed at it. The violin would only fit inside if you inserted it in a certain way, with a bit of a twiddle, it was heavy to carry to and from lessons, and the catches were not too secure meaning there was a risk the case might open and the instrument fall out. So I looked around and found a nice padded lightweight replacement. But what to do with the old one? Obviously no-one would want it for a violin. I didn’t want to just chop it up for firewood – and anyway it’s painted so we shouldn’t use it in our stove. I offered it on Freegle in case anyone wanted it for a stage prop or something like that, but for once no-one did. I was just about to re-post it for a second shot when I suddenly thought – could I re-purpose it as a bird nest-box? Some birds (like sparrows) like to nest in groups; I could fit some internal dividers and cut a row of holes. I could even use the rubber from my old Wellington boots to water-proof the ‘roof’! I suggested this to my partner and yes he did laugh – but then he suggested that perhaps we could use the whole thing as an owl nest-box! What do you think? All rights reserved. © Text and image copyright Fleur 2023.