KonMari 2016 - The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up

[Deleted User]

My inflator came today and I am very pleased with it. It is a neat white unit in a small black case and easy to keep in the boot. Charis, thank you for the emergency beacon info, I will also order one of those. I try to avoid driving at night, last time was when I was having to drive along unlit fast roads from the station an hour away. I had to use the trains then, in december as my sister in sussex didn`t have long left. Driving was awful, all those glaring light coming at me. It definitely gets harder as you get older but sometimes it has to be done and a beacon would potentially be a lifesaver. I have a high vis jacket in the boot and a few other things

I managed to sort out a new water feature today, three tall stainless tubes in different sizes, solar but the overground black bucket it stood in was disgustingly ugly. No bucket in the descriprtion. It really was vile, I woke up with a solution in my head. Took measurements and went to a very large garden centre and found a lightweight, very nice, textured, large plant container, dark grey with tiny flecks of white. Put the bucket in that, set it up and put beautiful washed grey and white small pebbles on top of the lid. It looks fab, when yesterday it had looked like a monstrosity

Loads of packaging being kondo`ed to the tip tomorrow morning, much polystyrene with tiny balls coming off left right and centre, its about time that evil stuff was banned worldwide, or mixed with tarmac for roads

Plumber coming late tomorrow to discuss toilet problems ie syphons are breaking down and the toilets are not efficient without extra added water. Hes a good honest chap and will probably say to just replace the syphons. I am thinking that there must be better, more efficient toilets on the market

I curled up in a chair yesterday, usual comfy position but when I stood up my left knee was sore. Big warning red light, it was being curled up so often. I definitely want to look after my knees. Did some knee exercises, squeezing a pilates circle and stood on the edge of a step to relax my calf muscles. Also went on my inverter, the amazing thing with that is I wasn`t able to reach the floor behind my head until I had wiggled my spine. It always stretches me, knee feels fine now but like my weight and health, no second chances and no more curling up. The inverter is tethered these days, I don`t hang fully, too dangerous on my own

elona

I seem to be kondoing money just now. SIL found a joiner with a good feedback to look at the staircase which was creaking alarmingly and felt lopsided somehow.

Turns out it had not been fitted properly and the lower half of it and small middle landing might need to be replaced completely. Worst scenario is the whole thing might need replacing but he will try to salvage what he can. Discussed his coming round next week to get things started and will make sure only one person at a time uses the staircase for safety's sake :eek:

Discussed the upstairs bedroom and the idea of some low built in storage to "square off " the room and make best use of the space. If a dd is over at the weekend we can discuss ideas.

I need to do a tidy up, dust and hoover tomorrow and check whether a dd is coming round so the place is not a tip.

Siebrie

I made 30 Hungry Caterpillars from thin bamboo sticks, green grapes, cherry tomatoes and melted chocolate for my dd2's treat at school. She'll be 6 tomorrow How's this related to kondo? Well, the packet of bamboo sticks has been lying around for at least 7 years......


Last weekend, in bits and pieces, I read The Cursed Child, and it was so good that I wanted to slap everyone that interrupted me and drew me back to the present. Can't wait to have a few uninterrupted hours and read it again

GreyQueen

Hoping my fridge hasn't just kondo'd itself.

Came in from work and was fixing myself a snack. First time I opened the fridge, light came on as normal. Now it doesn't. Was cooking so wasn't able to investigate if it's actually working and placing my ear against it gave an ambigious answer to was it still making a noise - there is a completely separate appliance, a table-top freezer, standing on top of it.

If anything, I was expecting the freezer to go first (2007 model) not a Miele which won't be five until June this year!

Will let my omelette settle and will then stsrt further investigations. It may be the lightbulb inside rather than the whole appliance. I don't think it's the fuse in the plug as the trips here are set very sensitively and a blown fuse takes down all my sockets.

Oh burger-y, just what I need......... :rotfl:

MMF007

Oh, I hope it's just the bulb, GQ. Bulb went in my fridge years ago. Replaced it once, that blew soon after, have done without ever since!

Had an idea this morning while rounding up a few things for CS - I suddenly thought that the small square lamp shade that was due to go may actually be better on my bedside lamp that its current one. Immediately trotted upstairs to try it and it is much better! Substituted original lamp shade into CS bag

Kondo'd the HM marmalade to friends. 3 hour natter over lunch was a real tonic. We had a great laugh and caught up with the various goings on in our respective families!

Right, need to ring another friend to see how her cataract op went. I shall get her some shopping and make lunch tomorrow. I have already dropped off HM soup last night.

[Deleted User]

oh no GQ, I expect it will be the bulb, bulbs aren`t made to last

I am expecting the plumber soon and have decided to firmly say that I want two new toilets. I have the exact make and type written down and they are available. I am fed up with improper syphons and this toilet has very good reviews for flushing. Better seat fastenings too and inexpensive with a 10 year guarantee. Much better than messing with syphons year on year. Now I have to be authoritative, cos he is a nice man.

I have been looking closely at my very big wooden retaining wall repair and preventative work, from last autumn and have to say that I am ultra pleased. We did have some weep holes and I put more in, the previous weep holes had filled with wood destroying fungus and this fungus, masses of it caused the rot and extremely hard work. It was a woodpecker who alerted me. Just been up there and all the holes are still completely clear, I emptied them. Whoopee, ok I would have been distraught, now all I have to do is spray on a preservative coat every year. It is thin and colourless and easy with a pump sprayer. I moved a huge amount of soil and gravel to get to it all, was aching for weeks but I think, did a better job than a man. It took me three weeks of full days and I inserted about 2 tonnes of small rounded pebbles, bought in small bags and rolled from the car, all had to be carried by the half bucket, up many steps. Oh I cringe when I think about it, cannot believe I did it. Used expensive filler, very expensive hardener, expensive preservative and fungi destroyer,expanding foam and very expensive wide aluminium tape used in insulation. I think I spent about £600 in all but have saved a fortune because it appears to be working and the wood is sound. My neighbour does not do diy and showed me some of his today, the bit at the front, easy to see, it is rotting away very badly. He has 1/3 the amount of wood that I have in my garden. A stitch in time, so true

Tip visit today, ok round trip of 10 miles but lovely to see a pile go. Then slug nematodes, can after can of water, was quite hard but all done now and will be good all summer and probably still have an effect next year as in no slugs to make slug babies. Please can I have rain on sunday. It all has to be kept moist for two weeks

No time to kondo house stuff, only from the fridge and freezer, I knew it would be the case

GreyQueen

Have done some checking and it isn't the bulb, the whole fridge is impersonating a dodo. Have checked socket functions with another appliance (yup) and that it isn't the plug's fuse (nope) and have just seen what looks like a long-standing leakage of something (coolant?) down the back wall of the fridge's inside.

Not lookin' good.

Have divided the purchase price by the weeks of ownership and although it isn't five until late June, it's cost me £1.27 per week. I am cutting my losses and will go up to JL to order another one tomorrow. Will not be having another M*ele, frankly, as expected more durability from the brand and paid accordingly, will probably go for a JL own brand model.

I'm expecting a delivery slot Fri/ Sat next week so will be sans a fridge for a week or so. Unphased, have lived without one for 3 years at a time. I'm five minutes from the shop and can tweak my life to shop-cook-eat as necessary.

Am just cooking up a couple of things which will leave just vegetables, some butter and some nuts and seeds in the fridge. Oh, and some cheese. All should survive OK without rotting or giving me food poisoning.

Feeling very smug that my freezer is a separate appliance and is thus trucking along nicely. Although, I suppose, only going to have to buy your third fridge by the time you're in your early fifties isn't too bad going.

Although in my defence, m'lud, I didn't own any appliances bigger than a kettle or a sandwich maker until I was in my thirties.

Expect a blip up in consumer spending for Q1 of this financial year, as I crank open my wallet and allow the moths to fly free......... :rotfl:

ETA; Oh deep joy, my fridge has started working again, if I put my head beside it I can feel the vibration and hear it humming, and it actually feels cold on the outside. Happiness is a chilly fridge - it must have realised I was texting my pal to see if she could drag it to the tip for me once the new one had arrived.

Shan't try opening it until tomorrow now, hopefully it'll be OK - phew!

maryb

GQ I bought a JL own brand freezer and it's a big disappointment sad to say. It gets frosted so quickly I can hardly close it. I also have a Zanussi freezer which is a darling - works well and only needs defrosting once a year even though it's not a self defrosting model. After that experience I wouldn't recommend JL own brand refrigeration.

Hope your fridge lives to fight another day. I keep reading that a new fridge is so much more efficient yada yada but my 30 year old Husqvana seems not to use that much more electricity than a new A+++ fridge if my plug in monitor is to be believed. And it has solid metal grille shelves instead of plastic.

So if you take the total carbon cost into account of scrapping it, plus the carbon cost of manufacture of a new one, I'm not convinced any marginal efficiency savings would outweigh that.

GreyQueen

:j Fridge is cold, fridge is cold!

So pleased. :D:D:D:D:D:D

maryb, I'd second Zanussi as a good brand, I have been very satisfied with my table-top freezer which was 10 this January and has never given me any trouble at all - when it eventually dies, I shall have another. Good to know about the JL brand not being worthwhile.

silvasava

GQ when my freezer died I posted on Freecycle & a lovely lady gave me hers as she was having a new integrated one fitted that day. It hadn't even had chance to be defrosted. Still going strong & it's a Proline - Curry's I think. Maybe your fridge is giving you advance warning?