2020 - banish the clutter

Mrs_Salad_Dodger

1. WRITE AND USE “TO DO LISTS” - MINIMUM 30 MINUTE BURSTS OF ACTIVITY AT LEAST TWICE EVERY DAY

2. KITCHEN WILL BE LEFT CLEAN & TIDY EVERY NIGHT

3. I WILL ENDEAVOUR TO BE NICE TO EVERYONE & TRY TO SEE THE FUNNY OR PECULIAR SIDE TO AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE
4. DAY TO DAY DECLUTTERING WILL CONTINUE

Sunday & Monday were both overcast - some rain on Sunday but none on Monday. 

Ashamed to say that I only pootled for 2 days - lots of knitting, cleared down quite a bit of the TV planner recordings, bit of work in the garden. 

Remember the peanut feeder that DH upgraded with stronger wire mesh to stop the squirrel - it has a stopper in the top to cover the filling hole. The stopper was constantly being removed - courtesy of the squirrel or so we thought 😉 Saturday night DH set up a camera to film the peanut feeder - lovely thing was that we had pictures of a greater spotted woodpecker having a feed & then shortly after the ‘stopper vandal’ was revealed ..................... wait for it................... a great tit just flipped it off onto the ground - looking straight at the camera - cheeky little beggar 😉 Sunday night DH set up the camera to film visitors to the sunflower hearts feeder & caught a fox standing on its hind legs with front paws resting against the 3’ fence dividing our garden from ndn. It was having a good old stretch 🙂 either that or it was trying to look over the fence to see if there was any food 😆 
A solitary green grasshopper caught up in the hg chard I harvested - safely captured & released back into the garden.

DH cooked cheesey pasta Sunday night - very tasty. Monday night I cooked - oven baked salmon fillets & cherry tomatoes, dry fried farm shop bacon pieces, added a little oil & stir fried hg chard (leaves & stems) seasoned with ground black pepper + boiled hg potatoes.
Absolutely delicious 😋 & more so as 50% of the food on the plate was hg 🥳

1342 - 1347 Kitchen recycling, 2 large cardboard boxes, drinks cans, cardboard packaging - Recycled
1348 - 1349 Two bags of kitchen detritus - Binned

Great work Nicnak 👏 I especially approve of decluttering wine from the fridge 😉

What a lovely 😊  post basketcase 😊 Although the new wormery hasn’t arrived yet I will happily accept a medal from you 👏 I cannot comment on dehydrators - not enough room in my kitchen to even consider one ☹️ Not seen the RSC’s version of Dirty Dancing but I seem to remember a comedy sketch 🤨

Ooh 😯 boazu - so jealous of your rhubarb & ginger jam 😊. How many rhubarb plants do you have? I have just the two so have to be sparing with it ☹️ It sounds like you have a proper pantry/larder - another twinge of jealousy 😞 I bet you cannot wait until the nursery room is occupied 😉 but what a lovely time to have with your Granddaughter until that happens 🙂 What a brilliant plan boazu - I have everything crossed 🤞 that you & your Hubby will execute your plan in a timely fashion. 

Noaidi, I agree with basketcase you should count every weed - your gluten will thank you 😉

I’ll book a date in November Primrose - just so I can partake of your French Beans 😉😉

😖 garden_girl_2 - don’t you just hate that 😡 

Great work nannywindow 👏 what a wonderful idea for your funeral & I am sure you will be able to dance like Cyd Charisse when you meet Patrick 😉 

Steady decluttering TC77 👏  Stand firm TC77, you will be happier when the item/s are gone 😉 

Great work stellata 👏 sometimes it is not the numbers that are important but the amount of space created 😉 You should revel in that space 😉 but don’t be tempted to refill it 😉


BE KIND. STAY SAFE. BREAK THE CHAIN. SAVE LIVES.

MrsSD ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️  🏅

1349/2020

Michellelh

I sorted my pjs before work yesterday morning, it’s created a bit more space in the ottoman that I store them in. I had so many pairs that were suitable for the same kind of weather when really it’s only the winter pairs that I need two of. All the summer/lighter weight sets can be washed and dried and ready to wear between breakfast and bed time.
Todays decluttering/organising I think is going to be scarfs, hats and gloves so I can see if I need to replace any of them before winter.

[Deleted User]

We inherited a big clump when we moved here and because it was so huge we split some of the roots the first year and planted another 5 plants in a row and they're coming up to three years old now so we can begin the harvesting without harming the plants.  They've grown big and strong and are starting to give reasonable pickings.  It will be lovely when the family can come and visit and stay so the nursery will be used again but I'm so much luckier than many to be in on the bath times most nights, thank heaven for modern technology that lets you chat in face time and see in face time on the screen.  If there had to be a pandemic that meant separate lives for safety then we live in a time of advanced technology when we can see our loved ones every day, not just talk on the phone and I'm mighty grateful for that.  We have a store room, quite small and it houses the boiler and the understairs cupboard and that's what I use as a larder.  We've lined the walls with shelving and the boiler keeps it from being too cold in the winter so things like sacks of potatoes keep happily in it. I'm also lucky to have some tall storage in the kitchen which is what I'm going to rearrange all the kitchen equipment in when I get the shelving from the study freed up, it's currently got all the 'in use' things in and I keep things decanted in big jars which I used to keep on shelves out in sight before we moved here as I had a much better laid out kitchen.  We were on the verge of getting this one replaced and making some structural alterations when covid came to play so until it's over I'll have to make the best I can of what I've got. I'll have a proper larder with equipment storage when I can get done what I can see in my head but it will probably be some time away eh?

basketcase

   Mrs S_D You're welcome to the medal - well-deserved.  You're also welcome to pootle   I've spent the last 2 days doing bits n pieces instead of anything mega-productive and it makes me feel less guilty!

   Just as well I haven't really decluttered anything, as I still can't update my $£^^*% signature! grrr

   BTW - before I forget (again) I like your Covid mantra - MUCH better than Westminster's. We've got Stay Safe, Protect Others, Save Lives up here. (And there are only 3  rostra, so we couldn't use yours! )

   Ooh!  I have done something - I've decluttered my TV To Watch List.  Not wholly by watching the programmes, films etc...  I justify it as comfort food for the brain - I've been discussing job applications with DD for large chunks of the weekend and helping her put out the odd flare-up of anxiety.  I'm not complaining about that - but I do need to chill a bit too.

   Rhubarb.  Don't really like it, except in limited amounts in rhubarb and ginger jam, but DD happened to mention liking rhubarb gin - and, in fact, liking the taste of rhubarb. 

   I didn't have any on my newly acquired lotty and was thinking I needed to get a crown.  Went down to the lotty to weed, picked up a bit of old stick from a place I thought I'd cleared, and stone me it was a piece of a rhubarb crown!  I have no idea where it came from.  It wasn't there the time before.  A passing bird?  An anti-social fellow-allotmenteer?  A Benevolent Being, impressed by the fact that I was prepared to grow something I'd previously tried desperately (and unsuccessfully) to kill?  Who knows?  But I took it home, stuck it in weak tomato feed to rehydrate it and it's now in a plant pot on the verandah waiting for me to prepare its permanent home.  At which point (because I, personally, wouldn't give the stuff houseroom - or even verandahroom) I shall count it as decluttered!

   Oh well, can't let things slip any further.  Back to the grind. 

ETA:

PS, Mrs S_D: Loved the story about the bird feeder

basketcase

boazu said:

Morning all, a cunning plan was hatched yesterday and I have persuaded Hubby to replace the shelving units that are in the study (all mismatched and all different heights and widths and colours ) with some new ones from Ikea that will line the back wall and also match the desk we already have.  I am going to take back the largest 5 shelf unit which started life many years ago in my store room and have found wall space for it in the kitchen where it will hold all the jars of dry stocks that are currently in the larder cupboards.  Then I can have a huge sort out of equipment and move what only gets used occasionally our of the kitchen area and only keep the things I DO use all the time close to the cooker.  I can also go through all the crockery and as there are only the two of us now only need to keep enough for day to day purposes, the rest can go into storage for when family are able to come and visit again.  It will make a substantial difference to the efficiency of working in the kitchen, woohoo, it's a PLAN!

Well done, boazu.  I do like a plan.  Especially a Cunning one.  Does it involve turnips?

[Deleted User]

The emails have been decluttered. I've umsubscribed to much of the marketting emails that just seem to be attracted to my inbox. 

I've sorted through the hot drinks shelf and demoted them all to the snack cupboard. They will have to get along with the cream crackers because the  tinned fruit have swiped their seat.

All the old cushions that I store just incase we get an influx of family and friends wanting to stay over have been bagged and will be skipped. 

short_bird

611: Book to charity shop pile.
612: cereal box of assorted paper to recycling
613: plastics and metal recycling to to out
614-616: 3 items lost at the back of the fridge
617: tea cosy binned as wouldn't come clean
618-619: a couple of decorative pieces flung
620: One big life maintenance issue sorted.

[Deleted User]

It will when I've got the room to store them but they've done very badly in the garden this year and are still only the size of radishes despite the care and water that's been expended on them.....maybe it will have to be shop bought ones.

TC77

Michellelh  - sorting through PJs sounds quite advanced. I keep all mine esp now I'm getting up later without the communte

1427 parcel returned

1428 paper declutter

1429 -1430 clock and fur scarf to CS bag

1431 key admin tasks

Mrs_Salad_Dodger

1. WRITE AND USE “TO DO LISTS” - MINIMUM 30 MINUTE BURSTS OF ACTIVITY AT LEAST TWICE EVERY DAY

2. KITCHEN WILL BE LEFT CLEAN & TIDY EVERY NIGHT

3. I WILL ENDEAVOUR TO BE NICE TO EVERYONE & TRY TO SEE THE FUNNY OR PECULIAR SIDE TO AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE
4. DAY TO DAY DECLUTTERING WILL CONTINUE

Tuesday has been mostly bright & sunny but not quite as warm as recent days. DH left 8:00 a.m. for Round Britain Rallying with an overnight stop - Cheshire & Yorkshire. Phoned twice & was having dinner in the hotel with a couple of fellow bikers. Apparently his room is wonderful - double bed, alcohol wipes & hand gel, kettle + coffee pods machine.

Today I watched the last season of GoT + Thronecast - yes, yes, I know over a year since it finished 😱 but until today I never felt the urge to watch it. Overall pleased with the ending but dear heavens they killed off soooo many favourite characters. Must say it is about time Mr Martin released the next book 😖 
Dinner for DSis & I was lo cheesy pasta with added mozzarella & slices of tomato covered in foil & baked. Yummy 😋 
Have also finished an 100g ball of wool knitting hearts. Now the time consuming part - stitching them up & stuffing ☹️

1350 - 1351 Kitchen recycling, drinks cans - Recycled

1352 Bag of kitchen detritus - Binned

1353 One 100g ball of wool from stash

Good work Michelleh 👏 No nightwear for me - just cuddle up to DH my own personal hot water bottle 😆 

Definitely jealous 😞 now boazu - 5 rhubarb plants 😞 Keeping fingers, toes etc crossed 🤞 that you eventually get the kitchen of your dreams 😉  We had considered moving, but getting older & rather like having access to lots of public transport & nearby surgery, small shops, barber, hairdresser, Post Offices, supermarkets etc. etc. 

Unfortunately I cannot lay claim to the COVID mantra, basketcase - it is courtesy of the NZ prime minister - Jacinda Ardern. Serendipity strikes - a rhubarb plant & your DD liking rhubarb - win double 😉. The birds, mice, foxes & squirrels provide endless hours of entertainment 🙂 One year it was ants that DH & I were fascinated with 😉 - we removed the brick surround & then spent hours watching the ants moving their eggs to other locations 😂 An hour long task took us over 3 hours to complete 🤣 

Great work on the electronic decluttering Noaidi 👏

Good work short_bird 👏 

Good work TC77 👏

BE KIND. STAY SAFE. BREAK THE CHAIN. SAVE LIVES.

MrsSD ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️  🏅

1353/2020