Cherry takes the reins

VelvetFreak

Decluttering comes easy to me because I have crippling anxiety about having to move house one day and then I will be forced to go through all the junk anyway, so might as well do it now. In saying that, my house is still a disorganised mess for the most part :rotfl:

Cherryfudge

I'm back! Lots of decluttering done at the old house, and some spending.

Velvet, I think it's really good to keep on top of decluttering - one day I hope to be there too! There is a Scandinavian thing called something like 'death decluttering' which you may have heard of? I haven't read much about it but I gather the general idea is to live in a state of readiness, environment wise, so that when we die, we leave a minimum for our loved ones to sort out.

ETA: It's 'Swedish death cleaning' - cheerful, huh?

Cherryfudge

I'm not sure I can make an entirely coherent story out of the past few days so I'll ad lib.

On Tuesday, DS2 and I drove over to Mum's old house. Being of the younger generation, he uses a sat nav all the time, so I now know it's a fraction over 100 miles. It took about half the time it does when I go by train, but then DS2 drives like the proverbial bat out of hell.

We stopped at a town about 5 miles from the house where we were able to go to both @ldi (for me)and L!dl (for DS2 to go to the bakery). I spent rather a lot - about £26 at the first one, then more at the second - details when I get as far as receipts. I did, however, get lots of food, a fish slice and a whole nesting stack of those glass bowls that have lids and which some people are using instead of plastic takeaway-type boxes. Someone at work uses them and I decided it would be a more environmentally-friendly option for lunches/leftovers. Really pleased with them so far.

My sister had left the hall full of boxes - long story short, the van they hired was too small to take all the things she was wanting. DS2 and I loaded his car up late on Tuesday and he set off about 8 on Wednesday to drive up to the borders and deliver it all. That done, his phone ran out of charge and it took him ages to find his way back so he arrived, rather worn out, about 6 in the evening. Meanwhile I had done a lot of cleaning (nobody else approves of me spending my time doing this as I 'should' be clearing, but I find it hard to see if something is finished with or worth keeping/passing on till it's clean). I also found my sister had somehow managed to get the jammed windows at the front of the house to open - which as you can imagine, was wonderful in this heat. It also meant I could reach to repaint the outside window sills, which only took about an hour and a half and isn't perfect as I couldn't reach the totality and the paint is not as bright white as elsewhere, but at least it no longer has significant peeling paint. DS2 reckons it's a waste of time as a future buyer will paint it anyway, but I think it adds to curb appeal and also complies with the insurance requirements about making it look lived in.

Yesterday DS was ready for jobs to do, so I had an inspiration and asked him to take things to the tip. He did three tip trips. We also made significant inroads into The tray Cupboard of Doom and The Garage of the Undead, the Undead being the exoskeletons of hundreds of spiders dotted across the biggest webs outside Hammer Horror Studios. Those are now consigned to history, as are some of the more moveable garage contents. I'll do a list later - I had to make one, didn't I?!

As you know, yesterday was seriously sweltering but we set off home about 4pm, just as the storm broke. A few miles up the motorway, I suggested we pull in to services as the rain was so heavy that it impaired driving, and I knew it would only last a few minutes. However, it then intensified to the point where we couldn't safely change lanes so we rode it out and sure enough, a few miles on was dry and sunny again and we went cross-country over the high ground to arrive in time for tea. It was 33 degrees up there on top of the world, but the news says Cambridge reached 37 so I suppose we had it easy.

I have brought back a car load of stuff, though DS2 chose an ottoman and two bar stools for his room so I didn't take all the space. One of my discoveries while clearing was a kitchen cupboard that hadn't been cleared at all, but I saw it quite late on so one drawer and a few items from the base are done. Among these I found some lovely little recycled glass oil and vinegar jugs and as I'd been planning on getting an oil pourer, I've saved a few pounds bringing these home. I found a toy that had been my brother's (he died about 30 years ago) and of course more books... and the rest of the set of teaspoons that I took a fancy to!

The Tray Cupboard of Doom was under the draining board and a bit cobwebby (hence reluctance to tackle it) but not as bad as I'd thought. Out went a rusty vegetable rack, though I kept the plastic baskets to sort/store small items. One of the trays was full of cassette tapes which I've added to a shelf of them under the stairs - most won't be kept but I can postpone that sort of decision to a winter's evening. (Decision making is emotionally very tiring so I pace myself). I found a plastic bag of neatly folded teatowels which was quite fun - I put them all through the wash though they had obviously been put away clean. Some I've left there, others were used to wrap glasswear for the journey home. They are memories from very early childhood - Pat Smythe showjumping, anyone?!

Other than that - the sideboard under the stairs is now clear and clean on top - there were four phones, and answering machine and video security equipment on there! Also some old diaries which I'm adding to my stash.

I managed to open a huge, heavy suitcase which had thwarted us for ages. (Try pushing the catches in, instead of sliding them). There was a lot of paperwork in there and some photos so I've only really made a small start. It was fascinating to find a book of instructions from Dad's work (gas board) about how to deal with householders while converting their premises to natural gas back in 1968. ('In any event the size of the operation is such that a very small percentage of human error causes a good deal of extra inconvenience and in some cases a lot of bad publicity. Some of us are more human than others!')

I didn't do much in the garden but 'Maggie' (the lady who looks after the house and garden when I'm not there) has been on a mission and cut back vast swathes around the front and side of the house. I'm so pleased I'm thinking of sending her a small 'thank you' voucher as well as her usual pay.

I think that's about it... for now. Facts and figures to follow. I have work this afternoon and all weekend and it's still quite warm (mid twenties - quite warm?! Show how hot yesterday was!) so I'm sort of taking it easy, while trying to look as though I'm making progress on the unpacking!

Cherryfudge

Spending over the last few days:

DS2's petrol will be around £100 - I'm waiting for him to work it out - but he did do several hundred miles for us. I'll round it up a bit to help with wear and tear on the car, then claim back from Mum's estate.

23rd
Household £12.48
Medical £1.29
Housekeeping £31.94
24th
NSD
25th
A travelling salesman came to the door and after a brief chat I turned him away as I had no plans to spend and the company he claimed to represent is readily accessible to me (and rather expensive). Then I had a panic that I had given a clue that the house is unoccupied some of the time so I caught up with him and said I'd changed my mind! I also apologised for being covered in cobwebs, as I was cleaning out a garage.. he said he hates spiders, so if by any chance he had wanted to break in (not that there's much of value), maybe I've frightened him off?! . Anyway I bought a nifty dusting utensil for £10.
(Isn't it awful, being suspicious of random people? I feel bad about it and he deliberately stayed on the step rather than inside so I feel he was making an effort to show he was above suspicion).

It was actually one of those 'full circle' experiences: when I was primary school age and younger, Mum used to buy pegs and sundries from a gypsy lady who came round with a basket of things to sell. She wouldn't come in either - I know because I asked her once and she said 'no'! - but she and Mum got on well, though Mum never bought the white heather she also sold. I last remember her when I was about 9, which was the early 70s. I wonder what became of her?

Cherryfudge

Money saving over the last few days:

Oil and vinegar pourers from the house for free.
Mended a seam split in DH's work clothes - he thought they were ruined but it took a few minutes.
2 bars of B0dy Sh0p soap from cupboard at Mum's still in wrapping... now home with me.
Overbuy of food the other day is still feeding us (maybe that's not really money saving?)

Cherryfudge

Today has been an NSD, and I've just totalled up my decluttering from Mum's:116 items! I've just put the full list on the decluttering thread but the biggest item to go was a dining table which was beyond use - badly split. It had two legs with spread 'claws' at the base of each - I don't know how better to describe it - and one of these had disintegrated. I also found a very rusty bike in the garage, a selection of rusted tin trays, umpteen bags and pieces of paper, a veg rack, an ironing board, some roller blinds, a couple of worn brooms and lots of small bits and pieces that were beyond use. Those went to the tip or recycling, and I gave DS2 some bar stools and an ottoman, and some bags of dried flowers to a friend who loves flower arranging.

Today I saw a friend who does crafts and she's accepted the offer of a number of small baskets - I keep finding more of these but won't count them till they are actually in her hands, which will be a few more weeks.

I'm thankful tonight for progress on the house, DS2's help and the offer of help from a friend at work, for being home again and for a quiet shift.

Cherryfudge

No Saturday morning car boot to attend today. The rain is torrential! DH has a work commitment so I won't see him till tonight. I'm hoping not to be shift lead this afternoon, though I've been getting a bit of practice recently.

I don't think I can do any gardening at all today (I managed half an hour last night at work as we had a clear spell after rain and someone was spending time in the garden to cool down so we did a bit of tidying up and smelling flowers ).

What I really should do is tackle the house which is incredibly cluttered even to my undiscerning eyes. I might start with clearing yesterday's laundry that was on the line when the rain hit and is now on the airer. Then the kitchen... which still leaves piles of clutter elsewhere and in real need of attention but at least laundry and kitchen are quantifiable and I have places for things.

I also want to make a couple of puddings for tomorrow as DH's niece, partner and baby are coming and we're all going to A and H's for lunch, so I need to make enough to feed 10, possibly 11 if DS2's girlfriend is coming, which I don't know about. I think a crumble and a fruit jelly - comfort food always works well! However I need to get to the shops first so I had better google a boat timetable...

Cherryfudge

I was at work overnight last night (forgot about it and had to go home for my sleepover stuff) but I got the grocery shopping and DS2 made the jelly last night. This morning I made two crumbles, and got an hour in with the family over lunch before heading off to what turned out to be a rather full-on shift. It may all come to nothing but I've told work to call me if they need extra cover tonight and can't get hold of a manager. I'm very near and au fait with what's going on so it makes sense for me to go if anyone does. That said, it may all be quiet and uneventful, and tomorrow the situation is necessarily going to be different as we will be supporting different people.

Yesterday I did some cleaning and threw out four fridge items, but ran out of time to do more. Quite a lot of laundry was still damp so I did nothing with it. I'm working tomorrow afternoon then I have two days off and I'm looking forward to it! I need to check the status of the mortgage tomorrow - the site was down when I last looked.
Spending 27/7/19)
Housekeeping £2.66
Entertainment £8.00
Toiletries £2.50
Household £7.60
28/7/19
NSD
MS:
Wombled 11p
H gave me a strap for my F!tbit - a really nice one that she'd bought for her old one and doesn't fit her new one.
£2 coin into savings
10th coin into savings 2p
Decluttering:
Four fridge items, two hairclips, three lids and some pistachios.

Today I'm thankful for a lovely family meal and H and A hosting it.

Cherryfudge

Some payments sorted for July: I've transferred the balance of my earnings, minus an allowance for food this week, and divided it between savings and mortgage OP.
Total mortgage OP for July = £314.43.
This leaves me with just over £3,000 owing on the mortgage.
Savings are getting healthier but we will be spending some of the holiday savings in August and September. I am at the very odd stage of feeling we have too much put aside for holidays. I wonder what DH would say if I suggested that?! I might wait till after we've been away, though we've not even booked for September yet. August hols are booked and paid for though I need to check if I've paid back my CC for the train fare (and collect the tickets... that's important).

I will leave sorting the CC for now as I have to be in work in an hour and no way am I ready.

J and L unexpectedly turned up this morning and walked out with J's old bed! Apparently they have decided they are going to use it in their spare room (it's hers) and DS2 - who has gone on holiday for a few days - is going to put his old single bed where J's bed was. I wonder if I can persuade them to make DS2's bed into a flat pack again then I can have the storage space in that room? However, a lot depends on whether DS2 moves out in a few weeks or months... the secret is now out - he has a job! He will be earning more than I do, but that applies to a lot of people, so no surprises there.

Things change so fast but we have been here before: all three of our kids have moved out and back again, DD several times, and two of them have moved partners in and then out again.

Feels like Piccadilly Circus round here.

Right, I need to think about work. It had better be easier than last night, though the fact I didn't get called out to cover bodes well.

Cherryfudge

It's been a pleasant day. I spent the morning having coffee with a friend who is the best laugh going. I always love spending time with her. She also insisted it was her turn to pay, which it may have been but I can't be sure.

L has been over at ours all day, borrowing the Internet and staking up their tomato plants. At about 6pm when the threatened rain suddenly started, he shouted for me as water was coming through the bay window roof. It used to do this years ago but repairs to the flashing seem to have fixed it long since and the inside of the roof was replaced last year. However the water found a completely new place to come through - it was extraordinarily heavy for about 10 minutes. The outside drain that takes the water from one side of four terraced houses was overwhelmed, there was about 1 cm standing in a container that had been empty earlier and there's a goodly amount in a glass dish that happened to be under the ingress of water in the lounge. However, I know there will be people who have really suffered from it: there are reports of flooding and giant hailstones elsewhere. We only had a few minutes of drama.

I've also been trying unsuccessfully to make my overtime claim for work. All I get is a loading signal, despite changing browsers. It's frustrating as it means I'll have to go into work to do it, and it's hard to get computer time there, as well as all the interruptions. There are quite a few items on it though (June and July, as I missed the June deadline) so I'm going to have to find a way to make it happen.

Spending:
Toiletries £3.98
Household £11.05 (I gave in to a lovely vintage dish on 3bay... I am starting to collect an old, old Denby set. No, I haven't magically found space.
MS:
DF buying coffee and a scone for me.
Found cheap version of the makeup setting spray I wanted.
10th coins into savings (£1.20)
My favourite lentil and chorizo soup for tea.
Am I allowed to count not buying the very beautiful old gravy boat that was also on 3bay, and which I most definitely don't need?
Decluttering:
Went all right today: some curry and stock cubes went to L as they aren't to our taste, and some smelly potatoes went in the compost. A bag of towels and tea towels belonging to J and L have gone back to them and three broken plant pots are binned, as is a poor dianthus that dried up completely.

Today I'm thankful for old friends, especially ones who make me laugh so much.