[Wardrobes and slug barriers]

Our Victorian terrace in Leeds, Chapeltown had a large utility area separating the kitchen from the lounge. We used this space for chopping up wardrobes, chairs and other bits of furniture that we burned to keep warm. By late October we were dragging entire trees in there, that we stole from nearby communal bonfires. And when Bonfire night came along we even let off a few outdoor fireworks in there, just for fun.

Just off the utility area was a small parlour that we used as a dumping ground. Inside was one of Pete Godwin's old portfolios, lots of rolled up paper and some bedroom furniture, though the wardrobe and chest of drawers were the first to get the chop.

We called this room 'the slug room' and Riff used to sleep in there before he moved into the house on a permanent basis. The damp wall under the window was crumbling and became a haven for slugs. If you went into the room early enough, they would be up the walls and everywhere.

To keep our guests slug-free, we created a huge circle of salt around the bed. And in the morning you'd see all the shiny slug trails over the rolls of paper, the wall, carpet, bits of polystyrene, etc, but they never crossed the slug barrier.

Although photographs of the house look bad, by the end of our tennancy, most of the rooms in the house including the slug room were as clean as a whistle as we'd burned everything we could. We lost our deposit of course, but it was cheaper than paying a heating bill.