Hoarding...not just on TV

blossomhill_2

Hey Byatt that sounds like real progress, how do you feel about it?

Byatt wrote: »

. I am very aware that out of sight is out of mind with me

This very true of me too, so I keep things I can't possibly forget out of sight to make use of cupboard space - like the coffee and tea making things, cutlery, the food processor, tins of baked beans

I know conventional kicthen design wisdom says to keep frequent use items in handy reach but I actually keep the coffee etc on a high shelf so I have to have a bit of a stretch to reach it, probably my main workout for the day :rotfl:

valk_scot

Jojo_the_Tightfisted wrote: »

Well, I'm home.

But the idiot cat is destroying the house.

I bought him a wind up mouse/rat thing a couple of weeks ago and he has decided it's his favouritest toy tonight. He's sprinting around at warp 10, crashing into walls, windows, furniture and battering seven bells out of the hapless clockwork rodent, picking it up by the tail and throwing it around three foot in the air.

Heaven help the first real one he meets under the shed. And heaven help my house.

Oh, it's Mad Hour then? My cats do that too in the late evening, even portly middle aged Fat Cat who sleeps most of the rest of the time. It must be something to do with them being night hunters.

My last two cats, who did go outside, used to quite regularly bring half dead things home to play with. Shrews and mice were quiet kills but if I was woken up at 2am by furious small rodent shrieks and a lot of crashing around it was sure to be from a vole. Voles are stroppy little things and will keep fighting to their last breath and despite missing limbs, a bit like the Black Knight from Monty Python and the Holy Grail.

I was full of admiration for their attitude, it was brave of them to stand up to two young, fit experienced hunting cats like mine. I used to catch said vole in a jamjar if possible and then scurry across the road in my dressing gown to release it back into the park. Yes, at 2am. Goodness knows what the neighbours used to think.

RosiePuddingPaws

I'm glad it's not just me. I hoovered the hallway last night to clear the feathers from some poor bird. There was crashing just after I went to bed so I got up and rescued the poor shrew - and they can squeal pretty loudly when it's quiet. It was the same one that I caught a couple of nights ago (when someone had taken it into the bedroom and was playing with it while it hid behind some shoes). I use a large beer glass and a cake scraper to catch critters (kept just for this purpose!).

Normally livestock is returned to the garden (and released where they can scurry under the shed). Given the repeat capture of this shrew (it has a funny mark in its fur so I know it is the same one), I wandered up to the end of the road where there is a field. I did quickly dress first though!:p

valk_scot

Okay, I need a plan for what I'm going to attack today. In previous weeks I've had a tottering pile in the hall by Friday, ready to be bagged up and taken to the CS/dump on Saturday morning. Atm I have one small carrier bag full of odds and ends and a beanbag to go out. Not up to quota!

Oh, I forgot, I neglected to say I fished out nine practically unworn bras yesterday, I was keeping them in hope of that mythical day when I lose enough weight to need a smaller bra. I've basically decided that if that day ever comes I'll treat myself to new bras that fit rather than hoping one of The Pile will do.


So what to do today? More clothes? I don't think I feel up to looking at myself multiple times in a mirror tbh. Bookshelves? Craft stuff? Attic? Attic is a soft target tbh, there's so much crap in there it's easy to fill up a couple of binliners very quickly! But I need to get back into my groove, yes.

wannabe_sybil

We bought malevolent cat a wind up toy - she was terrified of it, though she did manage to catch a few real rodents (then let them go, then catch them again, then let them go, then catch them again, then delegate the whole mess business to psycho cat who was very final).

Malevolent cat was a bit rubbish with toys, one squeaky toy terrified her so much that we used it to guard the Christmas tree.

Not doing much but currently working on not bringing too much in. Fail. But at least instead of buying soft furnishings (weakness) or knitting yarn (big, big weakness), I seem to have started on smellies. Well, can't buy any more until I've used the latest lot up! I need to STOP BRINGING STUFF IN! I have got rid of all the easy stuff, but will continue to chip away. I also need to work out why I am bringing stuff in and deal with that. And I am working on de-richarding the freezer.

Little bear is too poorly to eat chocolate (cold virus, I think, or tonsillitis), so I am not doing too much today except use up my stash with the knitting (cuddles permitting).

Jojo - agree with Byatt, you should write.

Elona - hope all is going well. Fingers crossed for all the tests to be sorted out.

Hugs to all

whitewing

How come when I buy 4 new toothbrushes as my only attempt at declutter/renewal for the day, I get to chuck out 8???? There are only 4 of us and this doesn't include the old toothbrushes kept for vague cleaning purposes (ie hoarded in the cleaning cupboard),

DH - I mean DS - wanted Fifa 13, which is out today, but not yet on sale for non-pre-orders at Tesco, which would have been cheapest. So I did get it from another shop when I went for my free Tesco eyetest today. But I have extracted a promise from DH that old PS games and the old PS2 console (sat in a box since they got a PS3) will be traded in this week. That is a small victory in the whitewing household.

Well done byatt on the table. That is a big victory for your change of thinking.

valk_scot

Byatt wrote: »

I've been working on the living room hoard.

Well done you! Do you feel good about it now that you've done a bit? If so hold onto that feeling for next time.

Jojo_the_Tightfisted

Byatt wrote: »

I've been working on the living room hoard. A table has been hauled into the car after I made the decision that having never used it except to pile carp on it plus it was blocking the door to the garden (I have a front door and a back door in this small living place). I have gone through the paperwork, that has been lying on the floor for ages, and have decided to make a small list of to do things as one of the reasons I have piles of paperwork is because I forget to deal with it when I put it away. I am very aware that out of sight is out of mind with me.

So, you have given yourself freedom of movement from front door to garden.

Sounds like a very important, even symbolic act, as you've opted to start by giving yourself some freedom.


Well done!

Byatt

Awweee, thank you! I so appreciate your support. And Jo-Jo I hadn't thought of it like that so thank you for your insight, you are spot on! :A

Currently clearing out books. I still have loads, although didn't think I had, so being ruthless. Twenty odd books to the CS, 9 books traded/sold with Amazon, and about 4 books ready to ebay.

Yes, it does feel good, and I even felt more positive when I first woke up this morning. I am deep in depression, so that was a very good feeling. Wanted to haul myself back to bed though but instead got dressed and started sorting!

Can't do much more today as off the my cat sitting but will be comong home almost daily to carry on.

Had a weird dream last night after all the posts about cats, about the cat I'm sitting for, in which it was bringing in all sorts of furries and feathers and I was stressing because the owners hadn't told me it did this...the thing is, it's an indoor cat so wouldn't be bringing things in anyway. :rotfl:

edit, BH a good tip about the tea bags and such. That will help me actually, so thank you.

wannabe_sybil

Byatt wrote: »

Had a weird dream last night after all the posts about cats, about the cat I'm sitting for, in which it was bringing in all sorts of furries and feathers and I was stressing because the owners hadn't told me it did this...the thing is, it's an indoor cat so wouldn't be bringing things in anyway. :rotfl:

Psycho cat was an indoor cat - he was scared of the sky - but managed to rip the head off a mouse that had for some reason wandered into the house. Not only did he rip the head off as we were watching Cinderalla, just when the cartoon, hat wearing mice were doing a dance act, but right in front of my Dad's then girlfriend who had hysterics. My personal opinion was that psycho cat had sent for the mouse mail order.

Still rubbish day today but I am making a promise to myself that I am going to go round and pick up and root out every bit of rubbish I can when little bear is finally in bed (he is still too poorly to eat chocolate). And need, need, need to stay away from ebay/amazon/anywhere that sells stuff!

hugs to all