Perth Tales....A verge collection, a new (old) coffee table and a HUGE spider

April 2011

When we were living in Perth a few years ago, we used to take a trip around our neighbourhood every few months before the verge collection and see if there were any bits being left out that we could use in our little (already oddly) furnished rental. We collected all sorts of handy items, from a pale pink leather recliner chair (well worn but very comfortable) to crockery (which we soaked in bleach and boiling water before using) and we rescued a lovely coffee table that had been left in the sun too long and had gone almost completely white. 

The photo below isn't very clear, but that's M standing by the verge where we found the table, just in front of the biggest spider web I have ever seen. 

The web stretched between the two lemon trees, with multiple layers of web and a trail of dead wasps behind the spider

I spotted the table from across the road and ran straight over to take a look. I'd just bent down and was leaning in to take a closer look at the state of the table top, when M said, very calmly and quietly, "Claire, don't stand up, but there is a huge spider over your head...." My skin was already crawling as I twisted around carefully to see where the beastie was and because I was so close, I couldn't actually see the web at first, just the spider dangling about 2 feet away from my head! I gasped as quietly as possible and pretzeled myself backwards so fast to get out from under the spider, then did a little dance while wringing my hands in the middle of the road...half convinced the spider had somehow gotten onto me.

The Spider, with a convenient dead wasp to show scale

We're pretty sure she's a Golden Orb Spider - which as it turns out, aren't deadly. The effects of a bite are nausea and dizziness and thankfully, they're usually reluctant to bite humans

Close up of some of the spider web, we didn't touch it of course, but it looked really strong and quite tough

So after all the excitement of nearly getting eaten by a spider...ahem...we carefully took a look at the table and realised it was actually a really nice solid piece of furniture, slide it out from under the web and carried it home. Then we returned later that afternoon to photograph the fabulous - just don't let it touch me - spider

Work in progress in our back yard - M had already started to sand the table and the grain was starting to come through  the white sun bleached varnish

Finished sanding, now for the varnish

M spent about three evenings sanding the table (I sanded some of the legs and the sides) and once we'd sanded all the white varnish away and the grain was clearly showing, it was time to re varnish it. That took another two evenings and a few coats of varnish so it would be properly protected. I loved how much the table changed over the space of a week from a white, sun damaged piece of indeterminate wood, to a beautiful, detailed - albeit still indeterminate - coffee table.

Detail on the legs of the table - I loved how a natural ying and yang shape emerged through the grain 

Close up of the table top - this had been almost completely white from all the old varnish and resin baking in the sun

The finished table

If you're not familiar with verge collections; they used to happen every 4 months or so while we were living in Perth. We'd get a notice from the local council advising of the date and people would start to leave their old furniture, white goods, bikes and general oddments on the verge - the grassy patch in front of the house - in the week before the collection and we - as well as other groups of optimistic upcyclers - would wander around and collect any bits and pieces that looked reusable or interesting. Our little town house was already furnished, but sparsely, with an odd mix of tables, chairs and side units and we added our loot to what we realised must have been previous tenants spoils from verge collections past.

There was something similar in Barcelona when I lived there a few years ago and it was always a thrill to find a handy side table or in my flatmate's case, a fabulous dark wood wardrobe with beautiful carved doors that had to be carried, dragged and pulled up five flights of narrow stairs to get to our apartment on the top floor. And was it worth it? Definitely!