My home is a mess

Emm-in-a-pickle

Sonastin, your neighbour`s attitude stinks! I fully agree with Bearcub`s post on that subject. It`s nice to get something done in your garden, but do it for YOU, not the pesky neighbour! He`s probably just jealous that you`re `re-building` your home and your OH has the skill to do it himself. We`re lucky that our previous next doors and the current newish ones are ok about our wild garden. It looks ok at the moment hough, the daffs are making a magnificent show under the apple trees (they were all flattened under leftover snow when I last saw them) and the weedy grass hasn`t got any height yet.

Emm-in-a-pickle

Bennifred, re the joiner coming - I had a similar panic when they were suggesting sending the District Nurse to me!!! As it happens, I don`t need a visit, and downstairs is ok and she could have checked the biz on LR sofa, but there was that moment when I imagined her noticing the hairy stairs and the piles of books on the landing(work in progress sorting for CS but got halted by cyst making itself known in early Feb) and the cluttery clothes in bedroom. I thought `Oh well, I DO have an excuse now` - but it would be very evident that the mess hadn`t only just occurred!!

mcculloch29

I have a town-house with a small patio garden at the back and a single large flower bed at the front. It's full of daffodils and narcissi at the moment but I'm the only one of my neighbours who bothers with flowers.
Everyone else has it gravelled or bare soil.
I was going to get mine gravelled some years ago and then a Mum in the park opposite told me how much pleasure looking at 'the daffodil house' gave her little girl in Spring.
Well... who am I to deny a small child pleasure? The daffs have been there for many, many years and will stay for many more, I hope.

alec_eiffel

Good to hear you're back Emm.

mcculloch - what a lovely story. I'm not a small child but I do use certain things as markers when we're out and about. My favourite being "Airedale House" where the people must foster Airdale terriers as there are always different ones there.

Emm-in-a-pickle

Buffy - (((HUGS))) to you. I know that feeling so well, every time you have a `window` in which to get things done you look through it - and see this mirage of accomplishment by the end of the break! Then the downer when you`re back in the work routine and thinking about the stuff you didn`t do rather than the stuff you did. That`s me to a T! We all tell ourselves and each other `baby steps` - but still plan a bigger bite than we can chew. Enjoy the weekend and your BF.xxx

Emm-in-a-pickle

Alec E - `Airedale house` sounds great - DGD would never get past there on her way home from school though, she`d be wanting to stop and socialise with every new arrival!

Mcculloch, good on you - There`s enough gravel/concrete/tarmac in the world already!

Bearcub, the mention of the doll`s house really got me going. When DGD was little I bought one at the car boot - very plain but large, hinged in 2 halves. I had it open on an old gateleg table in spare room, and we made a garden in front of it. `Lawn` was cut up old green fleece from CS, double sided sticky tape, voila. We collected little toys to scale, aquarium `trees` & wishing well, and even had a `fishpond`made from the bottom of a blue duffle-style spongebag. It had a small plastic shark in it and a little octopus. Other small toys went to `live` there - DGD put a little plastic cat in one of the trees, and a cut down budgie ladder so one of the dolls looked like he was going to rescue it. We made a barbecue out of bits of card, and collected decorative bits from cards - the stick-on flowers were great, I made rugs & carpets for the rooms from pieces of felt with border patterns done in felt tip. Even made a little round sidetable from an old chesspiece with a jar lid stuck on top. I used to hoard every scrap with a small-scale pattern on....bamboo skewers for curtain poles...we had such fun with it.

bearcub

Afternoon Messies.

Good news about the trip, Buffy. Just relax and enjoy each other's company.

McC, I love the idea of a 'daffodil house'. The previous owners of our house obviously bought one of those huge bulb collections, and we have loads of different varieties of daffs and narcissus back and front. Sadly, a big group in the front came up blind this year, but that's probably due to a combination of all that rain, heavy clay, and ebing at the bottom of a slight slope. Still, we've had loads, enough to cut some for indoors. Apart from freesias, daffs are probably my fave flower.

Emms, I have small dolls house, a shop and a greenhouse in our conservatory, all needing some tlc. When I get round to tidying them up, I'll post some pics. Under the sofa bed in this room I have a kit for a toll house, which I bought 5 years ago, intending to make it up to look like one we, as a family, stayed in, in the Exmoor area. Talked it all over with DD2 who has very fond memories of that holiday, so I really must get started on it.

Have vacuumed the two bedrooms today - suddenly noticed yesterday that there were quite a few crumbs around the computer desk and chair. Now, how could they have got there?

I've been out in the conservatory, and sorted out the bookcase a bit, so I have books to go CS-wards. Also, the rag bag is filling by the day, as I'm getting rid of really tatty towels and tea towels which really have seen much better days. Talking to OH earlier about stuff we have in the loft. We got rid of loads when we moved here, but kept some of the girls' toys, just in case of GC. That's not very likely to happen but, even if it does, I really don't think we need to keep ALL that's up there. So, once the weather warms up enough to make it a vaguely comfortable temperature up there, we're going to have a good sort out. That will enable us to find a home for things that we use occasionally, like my sewing machine, and really could do with keeping, but don't have enough space for in the house.

YORKSHIRELASS

Hi all

Emms, glad to hear it all went well and hope the recovery is progressing nicely.

Feeling flat today. Just one of those days I think. The house is not terribly messy but it could be better. Our little computer room (sounds too grand to call it a study) is really starting to accumulate clutter and half of it I dont even know what to do with!

Onwards with the baby steps I guess, I am going to get the hoover out because thats an easy task and its all I can face for today. I am also going to make myself a plan for the week and will deal with some clutter when I am more in the right frame of mind.

bearcub

Hello, YL. I'm sorry you're feeling a bit flat. It's not the weather, is it? I've no idea what it's like in your area, but I know quite a few places had good weather yesterday, and today. The beautiful weather we were promised hasn't materialised although, after yesterday's relentless heavy rain, the fact that it's not raining has got to be a distinct improvement. Not surprisingly, as often happens on the Island, apparently the weather is much better on the opposite side. Ho hum. Any baby steps can only be good.

I did some washing, hoping to hang it out when I got back from church. Of course, while we were in church, the sun shone. I got home, hung the washing out, then it clouded over and, after an hour or so, it started to rain. No point in being cross, but I brought it back in again. Just as well I didn't do a vast amount. Not going to able to do much at all for the next two days, as I'm on a course, 9.30am - 4pm. I'm looking forward to having something to exercise the brain, but it'll be hard work getting the brain going again. At least the place doesn't look too bad atm, ecept for all the boxes in here, as I try to prepare materials for the craft group.

Emm-in-a-pickle

Hi Messies.
Bearcub, our loft is the only bit of space here that`s completely bare - apart from the insulation, which no longer leaves room for any clutter.
YL- thanks, am feeling better each day now, but still not permitted to do much by OH & DS (&DGD). Annoyingly, I AM in the right frame of mind to do lots of stuff, but I bet that will have evaporated by the time I am allowed to do it!

Messy Status Report -
DGD has washed, hung, and folded her uniform a a few other bits of hers to make up a WM load.
OH has shaken out the 2 woolly rugs from LR and washed them, put the clean ones down, and cleaned hearth.
DS has made teas & coffees all day, plus done beans on toast for all mid-morning AND without trashing the kitchen!!
But, I have not been Idle either!
I`m still getting post-op wind and walking about really helps. According to the physio handout I can now "prepare drinks & simple meals" if working at worktop level, but no stretching up to top cupboards, squatting/crouching or lifting/pulling/pushing anything heavier than 2-pint kettle. OK....so I can do a more complex meal but in stages, resting in between!
So I can (& have!) :-
1)Dusted mantelpiece & found top of LR dresser.(unseen for many months!)
2)Made lamb meatballs for tea, did freezer tetris this am and found the minced lamb near the top, will cook them later (well, OH can put them in the oven!) in the juices from last nights pot-roasted little YS leg of lamb - herby, garlic, lemon juice, olive oil & lemon juice. Was yummy...well done OH!
3) I`ve tidied right to the back of one of the kitchen drawers. It doesn`t sound much, but I found TEN sachets of that flavouring stuff that you get with instant supernoodles, and some dried chillies that had got loose, must have been at least 5 years ago because I`ve only used fresh or the chilli flakes in a little mill jar in that time. And the noodle flavouring COULD well date back to when DD was still at home!!!! I now have about a 3rd of a drawer empty, haven`t re-filled it yet as I had to have another sit-down for the shame.
4) Prepared some red peppers/onion/sweet potato to cook tonight when oven is on, might go into a pork curry tomorrow.
Doesn`t sound much, but makes me feel better!
Hope all Messies are having a good weekend. x