31840: Help yourself

Now I'm not commuting anymore, I can walk the dog around our neighbourhood in the daylight. One of the things I've noticed, aside from beautiful flowers in front gardens, are boxes of items left out for people to take. Everyone seems to be having a clear out and, with no charity shops or council refuse sites open and less rubbish and recycling collections, they're finding other ways to dispose of items no longer required. Rather than being vilified, this version of skip diving is actively encouraged. The boxes mostly contain children's toys, books and DVDs, but I've seen tomato seedlings and even a wine rack (useful as most people are drinking more, or trying not to). My favourite find so far is a Haynes ownership manual for senior citizens, a timely reminder of how we are trying to protect our older family members, friends and neighbours.