Hoarding - Springing Ahead

GreyQueen

Three bags of donations down the road to Hoxfam, a bag of kipple out into the recycling bin and a new look to the living room.

I have 3 picture hooks on my living room walls. That's two on one long wall and one on the short wall, and that's plenty for a room only 9 x12 feet with a window and 2 doors in it. They used to harbour two framed enlargements of my own photos and a ceramic wall plaque. Then I fell for a framed watercolour painting at the c.s. and it replaced the plaque, which roosted on the back of a shelf where it was a) mostly hidden and b) in danger of tipping over the glass shelf in the wall unit. I thought about getting rid of the plaque but wasn't minded too, atm.

Now I like the framed pix and didn't want to bin them but after about 10 years, needed to refresh my visual environment. I was hanging on for the sales of big arty calendars at this time of year, intending to remove the pix to the album and replace with something from an art calendar.

Only I was in a shop yesterday, looking at calendars and nothing was floating my boat, so to speak. Then I had a LBM.

Result; the 2 matching pic frames are now in the charity shop (they came from a bootsale originally) and the photos are in the big album. A mirror which I fell for and was propped up on the table is now on the wall, the watercolur painting is beside it and the plaque has its original spot back.

I feel that my little living room is now refreshed and I haven't had to buy anything, just shed some stuff and used what I had. I was also tempted by a couple of c.s. books but I passed as they are almost certainly up in the library.

Feeling good. And I've decided not to buy an extra "work" diary but make my regular one serve both purposes, more space and money saved.

ginnyknit

That sounds good GQ, nothing like a fresh bit of decor thats free :j

Finally got a grip on the flu thats knocked me down for the last 10 days so feeling more like myself. Tried various remedies and think the lemsip/bacon butty/ vitamin drinks combo with a side of allsorts worked best. So am looking round now for my next thing to tackle. 2 more parcels to send off will make a dint so may do that next. I like the 15 minute rule, sounds like a lot could be dealt with in bitesized bits that way.

GreyQueen

Glad to hear you're on the mend, ginny. I'm nursing a splitting headache caused by the reek of cannabis coming thru from next door. Grrr! Just love having my home stinking of someone else's feelthy habits.

Never mind, it's small potatoes in the grand scheme of things. Onward and upwards. And outwards!

short_bird

GreyQueen wrote: »

I caught a reference in the newspapers to a new book about why we struggle with stuff; Stuffocation by James Wallman, which I will see if the library might have. Sounds good from the reviews.

Free chapter available from his site...

calicocat

Still lurking every few days, just not doing at the moment. I have fits and starts with this.

Anyhow just popped in to say well done whitewing! Brilliant progress.


I'll be back.

whitewing

Thank you, calicocat. I was just thinking about you and wondering how your friend is?


I have filled an entire dustbin with shredded paper - this is much more than I expected to achieve. It has prompted some negative emotion, especially as I caught myself at one point wondering if my son is more real to me as piles of paper and photos sitting on my shelf than as real life flesh and blood.


I have made such good progress that I am tempted to carry on, but I will actually stop for a bit so I can do some clearing away and make the home environment nicer.


DH is cooking tonight and I am looking forward to that (Chinese). Back to work tomorrow. I'm dreading it, I don't know why. I don't feel that I have had enough time off.

calicocat

whitewing wrote: »

Thank you, calicocat. I was just thinking about you and wondering how your friend is?


I have filled an entire dustbin with shredded paper - this is much more than I expected to achieve. It has prompted some negative emotion, especially as I caught myself at one point wondering if my son is more real to me as piles of paper and photos sitting on my shelf than as real life flesh and blood.


I have made such good progress that I am tempted to carry on, but I will actually stop for a bit so I can do some clearing away and make the home environment nicer.


DH is cooking tonight and I am looking forward to that (Chinese). Back to work tomorrow. I'm dreading it, I don't know why. I don't feel that I have had enough time off.

I haven't spoken to her since that night when it was all terribly stressful. She has txt a couple of times just about seasons greetings etc and about going back to work, but nothing more on the house situation. Which i'm gathering means things have calmed down. Thank you for asking. It will return however, it always does as she will fill any space they have made. I shall arrange to meet her soon and see how the land lies.

Byatt

I've hit the low mood I get usually between Xmas and NY, they are all historical sadnesses (being decluttered by ex) and nothing I can do to overcome them except weather the storm. One minute I'm ok, the next I'm not...I know it will pass, but it's such a nuisance.

I will be off to bed shortly for an early night, have tried to be productive, took the laptops to the metal lockers, and spent half an hour in the rain trying to scan the bu99ers...then I was desperate for a wee :rotfl:so had to go home instead of having a pootle around the town (half an hour away, so I like to combine things). Passed lots of happy people going to the races, all ages, all excited and walking with a purpose. It looked fun.

Came home and have decluttered a pumpkin, it's now soup, only 3 pumpkins to go :eek:

I'm going to take my decorations down tomorrow, well the sparse few I have.

calicocat

Byatt wrote: »

I've hit the low mood I get usually between Xmas and NY, they are all historical sadnesses (being decluttered by ex) and nothing I can do to overcome them except weather the storm. One minute I'm ok, the next I'm not...I know it will pass, but it's such a nuisance.

I will be off to bed shortly for an early night, have tried to be productive, took the laptops to the metal lockers, and spent half an hour in the rain trying to scan the bu99ers...then I was desperate for a wee :rotfl:so had to go home instead of having a pootle around the town (half an hour away, so I like to combine things). Passed lots of happy people going to the races, all ages, all excited and walking with a purpose. It looked fun.

Came home and have decluttered a pumpkin, it's now soup, only 3 pumpkins to go :eek:

I'm going to take my decorations down tomorrow, well the sparse few I have.

Hope you feel a bit better tomorrow. It's poo when you feel down and everyone else 'appears' to be having fun. My birthday (just gone 2 days ago) is now not so great as I don't get to speak to my dad anymore on that day. It will get better though as time passes, as will your feeling of loss.

Have you grown the pumpkins? ...or did you get shop-happy in october/november?? . I like pumpkin soup, I make it with cajun spices.

Hope you feel more positive soon.

whitewing

I have resisted the urge to take down decorations at the moment. We'll take them down on Wednesday. We have a bottle of bubbly for tomorrow night but it will be a quiet night in. New Year's Day will be spent rearranging the airing cupboard. I doubt that much will need to go but different piles of stuff seem to have merged into one big mess, so that will have to be straightened out before the decorations go on the shelve. I just did a typo - New Tears Day - strangely appropriate.


My New Year's Resolution is to drink (more) water. That's my main one. I saw your link on LavenderBee's thread, byatt, so I decided to keep it simple and achievable. I figure even 1 glass a day will be an improvement over the coffees I normally drink. It will also be something that fits well alongside the decluttering/sometimes I do well with resolutions but at the expense of something else.