My five-week challenge

Lynplatinum

Hey Lisa

Have been mending house with ds2 who has now gone back home! ergo not read on here for a while but i think you are doing really well - i have now decluttered pile of books - but need to see if i can sell them to actually get them out of the house!!!!
keep going ! Tc

DundeeDoll

just popping in to check on progress ;-) well of course if ever your boss has a spare ticket at twickers just let me know :rotfl:
work has been over hectic, but have been inspired by your updates to start working on the great declutter when i get back from my hols in April

lisa110rry

Thank you so much Lyn and DundeeDoll. DD if I ever get two tickets I'll invite you!

Well, it's been hectic. A huge deadline on Wednesday and a bit more to finish up on Thursday, but as we're having a new boiler before my husband returns, I've had a few extra things to do. Got DynoRod in (through our home insurance) to clear the nearest land drain (not foul drain) to where the 'condensate', ie water, will be expelled from the boiler. Big success, it was completely blocked with soil and I hope that will make our back garden drain better. (I like gardening.)

However, today I feel refreshed and after a nice long walk with my little dog, I put the remaining food from my freezer into our 230/12 volt fridge and defrosted the freezer, well started it, and while waiting I did a couple of hours in e garden, needed to clear the area where the new, compliant with current regulations, flue will emerge from our house (about four inches from the current flue, but hey ho).

So that's another thing off my list!

I also liberated 500g of very high quality mince and 750g of chicken breast from the freezer before defrosting it. Tomorrow the slow cooker will make eight portions of chilli and the following day, Easter Sunday, as I will still be on my own, I shall make sixths portions of Thai Green Chilli, and portion them up to put in the newly defrosted freezer.

As I've texted to my husband, there have been times when I've been a bit lonely, but lonely sits lightly on me. I've used my alone time well to get my home in order. I do do all this sort of thing at this time of year, but how much more easily it is when on my own,

I have truly not minded not being in the sun of Dubai, I don't mind the weather, whatever it is, because I walk my dog twice a day in any weather, but Spring is coming to Britain, hurrah!

Lynplatinum

Had a lovely walk in a truely beautiful sunset tonight with my walkies friend - having previously helped them with carfuls of stuff moved to their new gaff. It did not take me long and the walkies was reward in itself!

I dont mind being on my own either - especially when I ve got stuff to do!! At the moment keep on being distracted by work or helping friends out but I have a lovely day on my own in prospect tomorrow so I hope to get on with decluttering piles of paperwork and finally getting stuff on flea bay!
I too batch cook and put meals in freezer - I have had to eat em up and now my freezer is looking very empty!! It is a weird feeling!
Nite all

lisa110rry

Hi Lyn, your last post is so lovely and sounds so much like me speaking that I've sent you a personal message. If you don't feel like replying, that's okay.

Today, my final day off for this challenge, I did a massive tidying job of all our paperwork. I found a P45 dating back to 1998! First, I made two piles for keep and dispose of. Then I filed all the keep items properly, then went rough the massive 'dispose of' pile again, sorting between recycle and shread. The recycling is collected tomorrow so that's by the pavement and the shredding is in a massive box in the back of my car to be put with my firm's confidential waste for shredding. Wow! What a lot of stuff I have kept over the years, including energy bills dating back to the millennium (we have had quite a struggle with several suppliers over the years, so there is Energywatch correspondence and all sorts).

So this means, of the fifteen 'to dos' I eventually put on my second list on this thread, I think only two didn't get done. But they will in the fullness of time, some wet weekend.

Thanks to all of you who have read, thanked and contributed, I have truly appreciated your help. I think one of he reasons I've had to do so much sorting is because we have lived in this house so long (especially the paperwork chore). Special thanks to Lyn and DundeeDoll.

All the best for Spring, folks.

DundeeDoll

Well done Lisa it's been a privilege to accompany you, albeit virtually, and such a lovely idea. X

tooties

very well done Lisa,
I have been following your thread with interest (and more than a little jealousy),
take care

lisa110rry

Thanks DD and Tootie. The challenge is all over now, husband is home, and as you can imagine, we're getting his suitcase sorted, laundering, tidying and all that. Kind of regret that my kitchen (and all the rest of the house) are no longer 'new pin tidy' when I get up in the morning, but hey ho, the big things are done and I did have some 'me times' along the way.

Now, as the weather is getting better, I need to focus on the garden. I've planted three new asparagus crowns in the raised beds, but there is much to do. Need to get the compost from the bins on the beds, plant onions and sow peas, cosmos and nasturtiums. Have strummed and put down Spring fertiliser on the lawn (and it rained right on schedule), but can't yet mow.

Lots to do!