KonMari 2017 - The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up

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Grass snakes are endangered, so it's illegal to harm them...be careful when you move them. You could just leave them, they are harmless and don't cause any problems.

GreyQueen

I wish I had a grass snake, or even a tribe of them, on my allotment. They hoover up slugs. Regard their presence as a blessing, I know I would.

Floss

I haven't seen a grass snake for about 40 years but DH & I saw an adder last week on hols in Pembrokeshire

[Deleted User]

I never knew that they ate slugs, I wish I had them too, slugs seem to be getting bigger and bigger

Up bright and breezy, jobs to do before the rain. I filled the whole car again yesterday afternoon, that will be three loads in one day. Some for the `give away` area but mostly old to be tipped and re-cycled. I look around me in each room lately and imagine a stack of cardboard boxes to be packed, so far it isn`t a bad scenario, in most rooms. Imagining me packing the boxes is making me buck my ideas up re my downstairs craft/dumping room for example. I sold an item of fleece prep (as in spinning) yesterday, made £100 for my house move pot and happily passed ownership to someone else. I have beautiful magazines, old fashioned knitting patterns for the likes of old fashioned fair isle tops and cardigans. I think I will start selling these and also some beautiful simple hand spinning equipment, hand made in gorgeous woods, never used and bought to admire. Luckily I kept cardboard tubes etc, so am ok for packing to send

Todays MK jobs: take car load to the tip/re-cycling
Plan food because I have to MK the freezer contents until I move
Continue in garage, making good progress so far
Start combining my dozens of lock n lock boxes. They are staying with me but take up a lot of space. I am always using them and would not know which ones to take to cs anyway
Maybe try and clear the outbuilding floor, so I don`t have to step over stuff

PollyWollyDoodle

Gosh Kittie, I wish I had your energy! You're doing exactly the right thing - when you come to move, it will be so much easier because you have got rid of the unnecessary stuff before you start packing Bob

Daisy, your story about Jacko is heartwarming (I had to Google to see what he was though!) that's what MK is all about - releasing stuff to someone who can use and love it.

I have my Granny's wedding present china in a box, admittedly quite a small one as things like moustache cups, yes there was one, and milk jugs have been disposed of. My grandmother, whom I never knew, was married in 1916. I can't bring myself to sell it/give it away, I did have it on display once, but never used it. I'm hoping one of my nieces will turn out to have a taste for vintage stuff - I'm conscious of not passing on things to other people just to get rid of them, but I'd like it to stay in the family.

GreyQueen

I'm off out to the juntique shop this morning to answer an SOS with regards to The Paperwork. I capitalise it as my pal has a deep and abiding fear of all matters paper-ish. I will deploy the shredder over some of it, I'm sure, and file the rest.

The folks have done another dump run this week and two of the three windows have now left the building (their dump only allows one window or one door per week, I guess to discourage builders from trying to offload commercial quantities at the household facility). These are three windows which had somehow disappeared inside a smallish garden shed. Quite how you can lose three windows in a structure which itself is only 6 x 8 foot is beyond me, but there you go.:rotfl:

There is also a small cache of items for the hazardous waste amnesty day in a few weeks' time including a coffee jar of mystery pellets from Grandad's shed. My Grandad pre-deceased my Nan by seventeen years and we have no idea if they're rat poison or fertiliser pellets, but don't want to take any chances with them.

I did nag my Dad several times over those seventeen years about sorting out this shed, since 90% of the contents was absolute trash by the end and could have usefully been dealt with a bit at a time, instead of all in a rush as part of clearing the rented bungalow and handing it back over to their council.

Maybe he's internalised my nagging and decided to do something about his sheds (he's not allowed into Mum's workshop shed, I have limited access under close supervision).

My own decluttering has slowed down, due to being very busy about other matters and also due to some things being works-in-progress or seasonally dependant. The recycling is leaving today, a print cartridge went for charitable recycling yesterday and some books will be given away asap I've finished reading them.

Onward and upwards, my lovelies, hope everyone has a great day. GQ x

Fen1

I am lying on the sofa having my breakfast, two blankets on my lap, and YouCat on top of them. I cannot believe how quickly the temperature has dropped. Just a few weeks ago I couldn't imagine being swaddled in multiple blankets. I have the windows wide open in the sitting room as I love fresh air. But it is nobbling!

VJsmum

Groan - having stashed most of DD's uni stuff somewhere in the house, we had to do a run to the Swedish warehouse that men hate to set up DS. (to be fair, he is having a lot of DD's stuff plus some caravan stuff but pink duvet covers and plates weren't his thing :rotfl:, so we are a little overrun with stuff again (though only for a week).

Some observations:
1. Never sit near the childrens section of the restaurant :eek:
2. Men hate Ikea - even (or maybe especially) 18 year old men
3. 18 year old men don't give too much of a flying fig about sheets, plates, bowls, duvets, laundry baskets (as long as they are not pink!) the only thing he contributed to the trolley was a bottle opener and a pint glass :beer::rotfl:
4. Ikea at this time of year is full of bored teens and fussy parents....
5. There is a vast amount of tat in ikea....

On the upside, i got him to sort out his clothes - and he did it with no nagging. The 'out' pile was vastly bigger than the 'can't wear cos it's too small but want to keep pile' :T. The latter comprised only of 2 prized football shirts. Bless him, he has been wearing boxers for a boy aged 12 - 13. My rag pile has grown exponentially :rotfl: (I will confess to keeping two pairs of shorts and a shirt from the 'out' pile. I think his tastes will change in the next year and they still fit him. If he still doesn't want them next summer, i'll donate.)

I also have permission to recycle all of his A level notes...

Eirlys

Often have slow worm, grass snakes and adders in the garden. We live right next to a Nature Reserve so must be expected. Love slow worm; don't mind grass snakes and am sensibly wary of adders. Had a very large one on the terrace two years ago, so large, husband kept saying it must be a grass snake. It wasn't!
Once had a grass snake in the hall. Front door was open as it was a very hot day ; flooring cool. Husband saw it and thought it was a rubber snake, until it moved. Had to get a broom so it could curl itself around it and then be transferred to the garden.

Snakes like compost heaps as they are warm. Grass snakes lay eggs in them, I believe.

Eirlys

Have been sorting out stuff for the Guides' Jumble Sale in October. They are well-supported and usually raise around £1000. Not quite so many jumble sales around these days as people give to charity shops and sell on eBay and car boot sales. Pleased to have one large bag ready. Now for the next one!