I've quit everything. Now what ?

lessonlearned

Good morning......

Warm here too. I was out early, B&Q for paint then Aldi for food, then the bank and garage, now I'm back and relaxing in my cool sitting room.

Will have some brunch and then maybe start painting the top coat on the dining table today. Not too taxing so I won't get all hot and bothered.

Then this evening I am going to have to get the hose pipe out and water the garden because everything is looking parched. Yep. It will probably chuck it down tomorrow. :rotfl:

Speaking of rain storms, got my little handyman popping round today to check the guttering for me. Noticed we've got a couple of leaks so need to get them sorted before winter.

Other than that not much news., took everything to solicitor yesterday to get the ball rolling on purchasing DS2s house. Want to get the sale through quickly. I will probably want to market it roughly this time next year and obviously don't want to fall foul of the six month rule.

Decluttering....... I need to start Round 3. I just don't know where it all comes from but I find if you are not vigilant it does creep back and before you know it you are faced with a clutter mountain.

Electrician here tomorrow so I'll be housebound, that will give me a good opportunity to reorganise the study and tackle the er hem ......."filing system" :eek:

Re Decluttering.

AC. I am sensing some panic. . Relax it isn't a race, no need to set impossible deadlines. I've been doing it for 6 years and I've still not finished. :rotfl:

There is a book by a Japanese woman called Marie Kondo which you might find helpful. It's called "The Joy of Tidying Up"......there is a thread on the Old Style Board about it where people are supporting each other in their decluttering efforts.

I think you would find both the book and the thread very useful. MK is as mad as a box of frogs but oddly enough she does make a certain sense.

I have also read a couple of blogs about minimalism, and there is a film you can watch. It's all interesting stuff, it really helps with getting into the right mindset, overcoming the fear and guilt that sometimes makes us hold on to "things".

You might also take a look at Feng Shuey. Yes I know it sounds like a load of hippie nonsense but again there are some good guiding principles.

One thing that losing my loved ones and having to clear 3 houses has taught me is that ultimately it's only "stuff". Holding on to it won't bring my husband and my parents back. They are gone. And that past life is gone. Whether I like it or not it's a new era and I can't rebuild a new life if I'm held back because I'm overloaded with "stuff" and it's attendant emotional baggage.

I have just kept a couple of special treasures from each of them, things which defined them and which hold special meaning. I still have a few more things to deal with but I'm getting there.

Do it, but take your time, don't try to do it all at once. As Mrs P says, it does take time and you might need to do it in easy stages.

If you are not sure about certain things, then just box them up, put them in the spare room and revisit them, in six months time. Just do a quick sweep for now to get the place tidy for your visitor.

I think you are fretting too much about getting everything ship shape for the visit. He is coming to see you, to spend time with you and have some fun.......he is not there to pass judgement on your flat. He won't care, just give him a nice comfortable bed, good food and be good company. Eat out if you have to. It doesn't matter. Just relax and have some fun.

another_casualty

Glad to see you're getting things done LL:)
I may get that Marie condo book . Think a few of you mentioned her in the past . Feng shui ? Yes I believe it's worth looking into and not be dismissed . It's probably not as bad as it sounds now . Just doing bits at a time Yes , it's just stuff really and shouldn't be holding us back

another_casualty

MrsPorridge wrote: »

It's very warm here too - I struggle with the heat terribly. As you say it can be really draining. Maybe try and do one crate?

Maybe..but I doubt it . :rotfl:

harz99

another_casualty wrote: »

Hi mrs.p
Good to see you have a plan . Today ? Well I met someone at parkstone station as I sold a huge bass guitar hard case on ebsy .
Then I went to dentist . Long walk in new trainers ( ouch ) .

I am now back indoors . It's way too hot for me . I'm expecting a delivery via D p d for some guitar hangers to hang my basses on the walls. James will be back tomorrow to do that . As they're stud walls James can get the special fittings .

I may go through some more stuff. May not . Weather decides .
Also whether I can be bothered in this heat

You should've bought a house up here in the North East, about 13C with a light drizzle at the moment.

You'd have had a lot more cash in your pocket, a lot more space, a lot less work to do, and a more temperate climate. Lol.

lessonlearned

Harz......couldn't agree more.

We northerners have it made........glorious countryside, fabulous cities, all the historic houses, museums, art galleries, theatres and culture you could shake a stick at, sport, shops, good music scenes, great restaurants and pubs ........and .........the icing On the cake.......affordable houses.

But let's not talk too loudly. We dont want to be inundated with Londoners. :rotfl:

In all seriousness Londoners decamping to the Peak District has been quite a problem in recent years, sending property prices spiralling. Several local councils have had to Introduce residency clauses to hold back the deluge of southerners and stop them gobbling up the best properties as second homes.

Where I live now, an up and coming part of the city, it's noticeable how many southerners are moving in. Hardly surprising really when there's plenty of work, transport links are great, airport 20 minutes, motorway links, and it's just over 1.5 hours commute to London, set to get even faster in the years to come.

Why anyone would want to shell out the best part of half a million for a two bed flat or tiny townhouse is beyond me, when you can get something so much better for a fraction of the price elsewhere, not just north but also a bit further west from where AC has settled on.

I agree Harz ........AC could have spent roughly half of what he has spent and never had to work again. But hey, his money, his life, his choices. We have had this discussion before and AC made his decision.

I had a similar budget to AC.

I gave £100k to my sons to get them on the property ladder and had around £180k left to play with. I have bought a great house, in a good area, which is on the rise and which still has potential for further profit when I come to sell......... and I still have a nice healthy bank balance to buy a nice plot of land to build my dream house.

Vivre the North. :rotfl:

another_casualty

Sod that , I'm off to Scotland !:rotfl:
As it happens , I was just thinking about how much I love the flat so far . Those blinds I got reduce the heat somewhat . There is actually a breeze out there . Even outside , i have to give the mgt co their due
It looks great after what they did yesterday .

I thought I'd miss the flat I left just over a month ago . TBH , the only thing I miss is the balcony and the view out there . Having said that , it was an awkward flat if you don't drive . A bit maze like walking down with my shopping . It is a raised gd flr flat,as they put it . Plus the the ceilings are paper thin . Horses for courses and all that .

I could've still been in London

GeorgianaCavendish

AC, no need to buy the book, just google "Marie Kondo tidying tips" - so many big newspapers and magazines have done articles about it over the last couple of years that contain the main points. There is a really good GQ article called something like "What Marie Kondo method is like in real life".

I downloaded a sample of the book but was really put off by her writing style. I know it works for lots of people but it was a turn off for me. I've picked up lots of tips from the articles though, and saved myself a fiver or so

GeorgianaCavendish

Feel pity for me stuck in my tiny, expensive [STRIKE]sauna[/STRIKE] flat. It is always at least 10 degrees hotter inside the flat than outside, no balcony, no communal gardens.
I "invented" a form of air con during the heat wave a few weeks ago, I went to bed with a damp hammam towel draped over me and the fan pointed at me. Bliss!

On the plus side, I've never even switched the heating on in the 2.5 years we've lived here. During winter the oven does a really good job of heating the flat and I can get by with extra thick socks and hoodies for the couple of weeks when I'm tempted to turn the heat on.

another_casualty

GeorgianaCavendish wrote: »

Feel pity for me stuck in my tiny, expensive [STRIKE]sauna[/STRIKE] flat. It is always at least 10 degrees hotter inside the flat than outside, no balcony, no communal gardens.
I "invented" a form of air con during the heat wave a few weeks ago, I went to bed with a damp hammam towel draped over me and the fan pointed at me. Bliss!

On the plus side, I've never even switched the heating on in the 2.5 years we've lived here. During winter the oven does a really good job of heating the flat and I can get by with extra thick socks and hoodies for the couple of weeks when I'm tempted to turn the heat on.

Hi Georgina
Please excuse my short term memory loss. Whereabouts in the world are you ?
You definitely have my sympathy if you are struggling in this weather.
I saw tips like putting pillowcases in the fridge or was it freezer?
If i was living in London again , a ceiling fan would be essential .
I have my dyson desk fan and it does a better job than expected .however they are expensive as you know . Ice cold showers are something I like sometimes .. . So far though I've not gone down that route yet

enthusiasticsaver

I love living down south by the coast. We were only saying the other day as we had lunch overlooking the Plymouth Sound that people retire down here and we are lucky to live here. I am sure though that Derbyshire is also beautiful LL - don't want to start a north v south war