Hoarding - Springing Ahead

silvasava

Wow - the motivation fairy seems to have cast her spell - everyone seems to be on a mission! Fantastic!!!

GreyQueen

Corblimey, pavlov, I'm feeling faint just reading about all that stuff!

I'm just chilling out tonight, not thinking about decluttering at all. I did darn a pair of socks, one of them whilst waiting for my meal to cook, the other whilst chatting on the phone to family. I am Wumman, see me multi-task.

Silvasava, have seen your PM, will see the pal tomoz and let you know. Got to go uptown anyway on an errand so easy enough to swing by.

Medals are pretty interesting things. There are published books per regiment of those who died, so you can look up any medals you have, probably accessible via the internet or via regimental museums. Pal says often medals belonging to the same man get split up, typically if there is no direct line of descent and one goes to this cousin and one goes to some other rellie. Some collectors love nothing more than re-uniting sets of medals each with the other and spend years striving towards it.

Also, for those who died in WW1, there should be a bronze death-plaque about the size of a teaplate, with a classical figure and a lion, and the name of the fallen in an oblong frame. It can be confusing if the person you're researching shared their surname and their intitials with someone else as you might not be onto the right individual with the death plaque as it doesn't have their serial number, just their name. There were 1.3 million of these made but some were melted for scrap in WW2. That is so wrong in so many ways, isn't it?

Righty, time for some further interwebulation and then I shall put this pooter to bed and see what gives with the elves and the druids.........

whitewing

I would not have the faintest idea how to darn a sock.

GreyQueen

whitewing wrote: »

I would not have the faintest idea how to darn a sock.

Darning is easy-peasy. If you don't mind hand-sewing, you probably won't mind darning. I've been known to do embroidery and hand-sewn patchwork, as I find it quite restful.

For a sock, put something roundish like a darning mushroom (or a small ball/ orange) inside the sock. For ordinary socks, use a doubled length of sewing thread and just weave under and over like a basket. If the fluffy part of the sock has worn away, leaving just the honeycomb bit, just go from one side to the other, weaving through what's left. If there's a hole, do side to side and then up and down.

Only two things to remember; don't pull the edges of the hole together or you'll get lumps which will rub against the foot. And don't tie a knot in the end of the thread when you start or stop, just back-stitch over the thread to hold it.

The reason for using a curved surface to darn against is to replicate the curve of the heel or the toe. I've got Grandma's darning mushroom but you can buy them new for a couple of quid.

skeeter93

Dolly, I find the emotional stuff the hardest. When I get stuck over stuff like that, I leave it and try to find something easier, like old bills etc. Next time (sometimes weeks, sometimes months later) I find it easier to let go of things, and those I don't, I keep again. Someone once described it as peeling back layers. *Cue Mum's donkey impersonation from the Shrek movie*

Lately I am finding as I clear space somewhere, I get distracted by somewhere else, so I never finish off a room. Then, as I clear somewhere else, things get moved into my other space, and everything is messy again. And so it goes round and round...

Hermia

Ooooh, can I join? I used to accumulate clutter like mad, but have really become interested in a minimalist lifestyle over the last few years. I am slowly working my way through stuff.

Today I received £11 from Amazon for trading in books and £7 from MusicMagpie for trading in DVDs. I also took two huge bags of books to the Oxfam bookshop.

dollyblue48 wrote: »

I don't think I can tackle mum's stuff yet - I just pick something up, look at it and put it down again - even thouigh it is the most important to clear as it is in the way, in plain sight, I have to choose something easier to make a start on !

One thing I find useful if you are mentally getting stuck is to just say to yourself I will clear 10 (or 5 or a bag full) items a day. I find that easier than choosing a room or a cupboard etc. It doesn't matter if it is just 10 old magazines or 10 cans of out of date food as long as you stick to your goal.

My mum was a hoarder and looking back I was glad I didn't have much time to clear her house after she died. It meant I could not spend time dithering.

anirtak191

Jusy been catching up a bit.
I know exactly what everyone is saying with their get up and go going without them. I'm feeling like this at the moment. And when my dr asked about my sleeping I had to say. I'm going to bed tired and getting up tired with no energy for doing anything. Just getting the basics done seems like such hard work. The other night i actuallt went to sleep before 1 am and slept right through my alarm and didn't wake up till 2pm. Good job I didn't actually have to be up for anything.

Altho I did manage to get to mind on This week. Got given information going to try get back there on Tuesday with the form I need to fill in.
I really need to do more than open a cupboard and close it again as well.keep wanting to sort a couple out but I'm looking at it and back at square one.
Doesn't help I got my coffee table full of some craft stuff as I need is dnto make a start on making Christmas cards, I've done a grand total of 2 lol. But I have put together about 20 decoupage images ready to go on to my cards. And no idea why as I know I won't use them. But put together about half a dozen mini gift boxes that came in a kit I had.
Well I think I'm going to try an get an hours sleep. Hubby went out last nightnwithnsome people from work and didn't get home in a very good state so I have to make sure he's going to be up for work.
Just watched the wrong programme as I am now hungry. Man v food. Should know not to watch it as I cant re create the foods on there and the steaks always looks nice.

Will keep reading and try and update if I mange to get anything done.

parsniphead

Man V Food makes me hungry too anirtak191. I don't know why as I'm disgusted when watching it but small portions of some of the food would be nice.

Pavlova Dog, do you find you spend more time faffing during the long summer holiday as it seems like you have forever. I seem to get it into my head that it will never end and can't believe that I only have one week left. I do love the holidays and wouldn't trade it but really struggle with having 15 weeks salary deducted each year.

I have been having a few days off from de-hoarding after spending so much time on the back room which is now finished apart from putting up a few pictures. It's nice to have a proper room finally but the rest of the house is looking incredibly cluttered and shabby.

The room when have just moved out of is going to be a music (DH has lots of instruments) and sewing room for me. I want to be able to get all of my equipment set up properly in one room so I can use it properly and make a bit more money from it which can be used to do the big jobs on the house which are needed. We still have single glazing and definitely need to get this sorted soon.

I also want a wood burner/open fire but that is a luxury so comes down the list.

Off to get dressed and start clearing out another room.

whiteguineapig

parsnip head could you make the wood burner an ebay project??
i sold my complete collection of something on ebay and raised enough to buy one and put it in (it took a bit of effort but it was the only way to avoid dipping into savings)

editing to add that it was worth it i love my wood burner

silvasava

Many thanks GQ - I also remember seeing one of those death plaques but where it went to.........! It may be lurking in my loft somewhere :eek: Got some more photos done for fleabay this weekend - getting rid of DH's old 'toys' slowly & surely haha
Have a good weekend everyone