2021 MISSION DECLUTTER and CLEAN

vulpix

We crossed posts 3second memory. I agree with bit by bit, please get it looked at.

 Have a jolly holiday bbb.

 The gardener,I bag rags up for the charity shop and label them " clean rags".

 Vx

mothernerd

Another 28 to add to my total (mostly yesterday but odd bits prior to that) taking me up to 1663/2021. It was fine yesterday so was mostly outside but sat whenever possible and came in side for longer rest breaks. 

I've used up toiletries including a sun cream and 3 ends of antiseptic cream (squidged and squidged, then cut open and finally poked with the nozzle top of some medical eye gel). Mum's new tv is now set up and the box and all the packaging (inc 2 large wedges of polystyrene) dealt with. Yesterday I painted a very old set of metal shelves (older than DS1 and he's 36 yo) using up a half tin of paint and a bit from another can. They were very rusty, I've scraped them twice and will buy the proper paint if they make it to next year (not spending 11 pounds per tiny pot when the shelves aren't worth it).

Five large and 3 small cans of paint/ woodstain have been installed behind the glass half door in the little cabinet in the shed (remember I bought in bulk to get a great price but most won't be needed until next year). Don't like the glass but thought it would be best to leave it where it is for now as less likely to fall/ trip over it. Have decided to use the remainder of the second pot to paint (8?) 40 l tubs (black and basic atm as they have mostly been out of sight but going to have a more prominent role now).

Approximately 12 old edging stones have been used flat on two sides of the polytunnel frame (will have larger pots straddling the chunks of cement stones - some broken bits, so the frame will be in a tiny tunnel underneath and will not be going anywhere when it gets windy). Five large 50 l pots have been emptied and refilled with a mixture of 3 different types of soil, sieved to remove stones and weeds and have part grown potatoes planted in them. The last one is still to do - I managed to sweep out the corner where it is going and put the last edge stone in place but although I sat on my garden chair looking at it for a long while, I could not make myself get up a third time of even move the two steps to bring the final empty pot next to the soil.

Came in, had a shower and climbed into bed (all the dirt and some of the paint came off - didn't scrub my arms as there is still painting to do so hoping all the blue streaks will be gone by weekend). 

Planted pepper and tomato plants and sprigs of the old lavender in the two newest raised beds. This wasn't how I intended to use them but it has freed up 7 10 l pots and a similar number of metal bucket containers, which will be easier to fill, move and organise (can even stack them until I plant them up). The metal ones are being used in a corner to hold the remaining stones (hidden in buckets and little bits on the ground, between edging stones and plant pots).

I filled one bin bag with broken/ rubbish items from the garden and have a part filled one in my room which I will take out and do a trawl round (piled bits of rubbish at various places I've been working). Many many trips to the various recycling bins  and six large items and a pile of broken containers to go to the tip when mum asks someone to go for her.

DS2's old (large) tv and the roku box are now in my room and set up properly and I've made my bed properly with lots of pseudo sheets (two valances and  a duvet cover - hoping to wear out lots of mum's nasty old bedding, clean but faded/ cheap quality and depressing). Atm it's also covered with the remains of my big sort out a fortnight since (lots was donated) but I think I now have drawer space to use. 

It's already very hot and my ankle is still aching but things should get easier once I move the final 50 l container (I am using the dolly truck) so I'm persuading myself into going out. Planning to order more climbing roses, some veg plants and see what else I can start off now (quick look through my seed tin yesterday and I have an all year round cauli that can be started in September). Plan is to have planters on 3 sides of the polytunnel frame (my bower) with climbing plants to cover it and perhaps a second row of smaller planters on top of the large ones. I have half a raised bed, some leftover link a bord bits and the frame for the old garden swing which already has a length of mesh attached to the top bar down to the floor.

Mum seems to be okay with the next stage of my moving home plan. This is to continue sleeping here, so I will be here when she goes to sleep, when she wakes and if she needs help in the night (fairly infrequent but the times she's been most ill have been at night - unable to get back to her bed unaided or needing me to wipe her with a cold flannel to bring her temperature down. If she needs me in the day (if she's not well or there is a delivery or workman to deal with) I will stay here, also when she has an appointment to attend or a phone one. However I will spend all or part of one day (rising to two for the first stage) at my house, in town or just walking or out for the day. 

I'm also ignoring any negative comments and removing myself from the room if they continue. If I'm to sleep here, I'm going to make this room into a little sanctuary. Now she has a working telly, I keep checking for something decent to sit and keep her company whilst watching but slim pickings, so far (I did watch the muppets and Shrek two).

Floss

@mothernerd is your mum entitled to any external carers or other family to help with things that may enable you to have some of your own life back & deal with your own health & home? I get quite concerned that you live in such a difficult environment. You seem to have day-to-day challenges of large amounts of things requiring moving / doing just to get into bed or move around the garden, never mind when you start to do garden redesign & labouring.

3secondmemory

vulpix said:

We crossed posts 3second memory. I agree with bit by bit, please get it looked at.

 Have a jolly holiday bbb.

 The gardener,I bag rags up for the charity shop and label them " clean rags".

 Vx

Guys - you’re so right! I rang 111 and they’re going to call me back with an appointment at the hub for a clot busting injection this afternoon. The only way to describe my calf is turgid. I can feel very heavy pressure in it. 

Finstickle

TheGardener said:

Hiya - first time on this board  We have had a wardrobe blitz and have a mountain of clothes/textiles no longer wanted. The best have gone to friends who had a rummage - the remaining good stuff has been washed and ironed and sent to the charity shop, the old towels and bedding have gone to the local animal charity and what we have left is a pile of stuff that is not good enough for donation - torn, stained or just worn through. I have more than enough craft project materials but I don't want to just put it all in the household waste. Is anyone aware of recycling for this sort of textile waste? 

yes, my local recycling center has textile recycling - it's where I take a lot of my DD's when too stained to pass on

Liverpool_Anne

Hi all, just popping in to say Haviana hunt successful, yay
Another load of washing done, progress made on a frog and I am now sitting.in the garden with a lovely cup of coffee contemplation a few more brambles that have appeared grrrr
@3secondmemory, so glad you are getting your leg looked at. Fingers crossed all will be well soon 
Take care everyone
Edited to correct , flipping auto thing that I couldn't see in the sun

short_bird

1288-1293: bags and packaging used for delivery of plates, DVD's etc to 4 different shops
1294-1296: Ornaments added to charity shop bag
1297-1326: 30 posh cardboard boxes for jewellery donated to local jewellery maker as I accepted I wasn't going to use them: hadn't cost me anything as a friend was clearing her house before moving to the US. A whole shelf now empty...  

Sadly, didn't get an interview for that job I applied for: it was a very desirable job so... 

Mrs_Salad_Dodger

1. KITCHEN WILL CONTINUE TO BE LEFT CLEAN & TIDY EVERY NIGHT

2. JUST DO ONE THING EVERY DAY (courtesy of bit_by_bit) OTHER THAN DAY TO DAY CLEANING & DECLUTTERING 

3. ONCE A WEEK LEAVE THE HOUSE (e.g. Go into city centre for bank & butcher;  go to local town for cs dropping off or buying; visit the pub with DH 😉

4. CLEAN & EMPTY SURFACE AREAS - DAILY

Finishing off Monday - plumber never phoned back 😔 DH carried on sorting in the garage - put up 2 units to hold power tools thereby freeing up a long shelf for other items. The weather turned - heavy showers including hailstones. My day was spent knitting & starting the big clear down of non-Olympics TV programmes from my planner. Dinner was M*S lasagne & garlic bread - compliments of DSis with M*S strawberry trifle for afters 🙂
Wudupa.

Tuesday has been bright & sunny all day 🥳 DSis did a wash which dried on the whirligig & is now folded & waiting to be put away but has spent all day in her room (tidying it I hope) DH has been in his office all day - has rebooked our flights for the twice cancelled motorbike trip in the U.S.A. which will hopefully be going ahead next May 🤞🤞🤞 I left a message for my plumber who still hasn’t called back ☹️; Have written my To Do list for the week; sorted out 5 days of paperwork/post (need to pop out & post responses & birthday cards); replied immediately to an email from ex-colleague - hopefully we can meet up next month; cleared more programmes from planner - watched 4 episodes of Baptiste; continued knitting 3rd baby blanket. 
Have noticed that I am three quarters of the way to my target so I am awarding myself a Gold Star ⭐️ 😉

1508 - 1513 Kitchen recycling, office recycling, 1” paperwork, 2 booklets, drinks cans - recycled 

1514 - 1516 Kitchen detritus, garage detritus, polystyrene packaging - binned

You have been busy vulpix 👏 Not only physically decluttering but completing useful tasks & dealing with a frog 👏 Good luck with the plumber (mine is usually quicker to reply but I imagine he is really busy dealing with all those people who were too nervous to have anyone in their home in the last few months even with restrictions easing) Yah boo to ‘karens’- like you I was never able to shrug things off. 

GrannyKate hope you can get your dentist appointment sooner rather than later 🤞Also everything crossed 🤞 that your plumber is quick & efficient & the bill is not exorbitantly ouchy 😣 Small people have taste 😉 Something to look forward to - a visit from your DSis - Fac*book etc are no substitute for actual face to face contact 🙂 Sorry to hear that mechanics attitudes to females have not changed but at least a 6’4” DS2 is useful 😉😉 He probably didn’t even have to say anything 🤞Great decluttering 👏

Excellent decluttering, tidying and cleaning Finstickle 👏 Major progress & you should be proud as well as happy 🙂 Btw you are over a quarter of the way to your target so one Gold Star ⭐️ on its way 👏

Excellent work nannywindow 👏 but you must be exhausted with all that arduous gardening especially as practically all of the weeds etc are down to someone else or the lack of someone 😖 Your poor DD ☹️ Imo two different sorts of boots is a fashion statement in itself 😉 A resourceful lady getting a wheelchair so the holiday can continue  rather than just packing up & going home 🏅Hopefully DD will video all the activities 🤞& will be the last of the Clumsy Clara Club 😉

bit_by_bit, great result with the frog squashing & booking a few days away 👏 I imagine there is a lot of that sort of behaviour - blatant misadvertising & then price gouging 😖 & unfortunately I fear that many people are so desperate for a few days away that they will pay ☹️

Oh dear - look at the time 😔 I need to make dinner so will be back later.

MrsSD 🏅🏅🏅🏅🏅🏅🏅🥇  ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 

Decluttering Target: 2021    1516/2021

2021 Savings Pot:  £300.90 to end of August

oceanspirit

20 items of paperwork
7 other items - one of which is a large bottle of wine that is going to friends for a party on Saturday

Henry hoover has apparently settled into his new home (he went yesterday having lived with me for 30 years) and his new owner is very pleased to have him.  I am loving the space he no longer occupies!

Whilst there still seems an awful lot more paperwork to deal with, the good news is that there is no more of it lurking in cupboards or drawers anywhere.  The many piles and boxes that are out around my little home will gradually be sorted, but there will be nothing more to take their place.  That signifies the beginning of the final leg which has to be good news after several years of decluttering.  I don't think I'll manage to get it all done before the winter but that's not too much of a problem as any good weather from hereon in needs to be spent doing outdoor jobs.  The paperwork can be done as and when.

I will need to start on the shed next week if the weather holds as I would like to get it done before storing this winter's firewood.  So much easier to do when there's a bit of space to move things around. 

Mrs_Salad_Dodger

1. KITCHEN WILL CONTINUE TO BE LEFT CLEAN & TIDY EVERY NIGHT

2. JUST DO ONE THING EVERY DAY (courtesy of bit_by_bit) OTHER THAN DAY TO DAY CLEANING & DECLUTTERING 

3. ONCE A WEEK LEAVE THE HOUSE (e.g. Go into city centre for bank & butcher;  go to local town for cs dropping off or buying; visit the pub with DH 😉

4. CLEAN & EMPTY SURFACE AREAS - DAILY

Back again 😉 Dinner was chicken fried in butter, boiled hg potatoes (goodness they are so tasty 😋) & a can of sweetcorn. Wudupa.

1517 - 1518 Kitchen recycling, drinks cans - recycled 
1519 - 1520 Kitchen detritus, office detritus - binned 

Ouch 3secondmemory 🤕 We are supposed to be decluttering items not our mobility 😉 Perfect place to twist an ankle - after all there is somewhere to sit & you can even order a medicinal brandy 😉👏 Always nice to discover kind people 🙂 Joking aside, please take care & make sure the ankle is fully healed before you try to do anything energetic 🙂 Good work on sorting out the access to your records 👏 I note you said that there are 3 pubs in a tiny village 🥳 I am packing a bag & will be with you tomorrow 😉😉 

Pleased to see that you called 111 & are getting an injection to disperse the blood clot.

Good work short_bird 👏 Sorry to hear you didn’t get the job interview but it may be that there is a better one just for you.

You have been busy vulpix 👏 and you appear to be very handy round the home 👏

Liverpool_Anne, I had to look up havianas 😔 I envy everyone who can wear anything that puts something between big toe & next toe, as I find it incredibly uncomfortable ☹️ As to your ‘hunt the havianas’ has OH appropriated them or even put them in your shoe area? 💡 Quick thought, have they been put in a suitcase ready for a holiday? 

At least there is a silver lining, you have decluttered & tidied extra places that were probably not on your To Do list 🤞Being nosy can I ask where you found them? Well done on the extra decluttering & progressing a frog 👏

I am sending this now 🤞as server not responding - working again so editing now 😉🤞

Welcome TheGardener 👋 Nice to see a new face 🙂 & I am very pleased you found us. What a brilliant start to your campaign to declutter 👏 I love reading about people’s successes - it spurs me on to do better 😉👏 I see Finstickle, vulpix & Floss have responded to your query about rags 🙂 Looking forward to reading about your successes & remember we are also hear to offer encouragement as well🙂

bit_by_bit, hope you enjoy visiting your family & that the weather is kind 🤞Sending get well wishes for your SiL & positive vibes to your hoarding sister so that she releases more of her hoard 🙂 Had to smile at the idea that cds are “chicken enrichment toys” 😁

mothernerd a prodigious amount of work yet again 🤩👏 You continue to amaze me with your work ethic & whilst I appreciate you are doing all this work to keep you sane 😉 your mum will reap the benefits with hg vegetables & a lovely view. 

Like Floss I am concerned about your difficult environment ☹️ However, I can see that you are taking positive steps to mitigate the situation & I wish you every success. Please, please take care.

Excellent work oceanspirit 👏 & nice to hear that Henry is comfortable in his new home 😉 Good luck with sorting out the shed 🤞

Yippee I have caught up 🥳

Lastly I would like to thank all you wonderful people for your practical advice, concern for others’ wellbeing & your continuing support 👏

MrsSD 🏅🏅🏅🏅🏅🏅🏅🥇     ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 

Decluttering Target: 2021    1520/2021

2021 Savings Pot:  £300.90 to end of August