2021 MISSION DECLUTTER and CLEAN

GrannyKate

Busy house this week with visitors.  I was concerned that I had decluttered too much but only needed to get one single duvet cover in order to sleep four teenagers and one set of parents.  Large amounts of food decluttered.  Still some pain from tooth extraction but think it is starting to go.  Been out for beach days and stately home visiting.  Just checking in with a few items 

1409-1410 Broken bucket and spade binned
1411-1412 Two bags of children's clothes passed on for use or CS

-taff

TC77 said:

@EnergyShifter you are most welcome... I've put selling on hold and trying to donate as sometimes its just too much, or just doing survival task

Query hoping someone can help, trying to find my dad some new trousers, but M and S is all trendy straight trousers, his current ones are suit style so loose but some are too big - he is 98 so looking for comfort but not trackies! Suit trousers at M and S £64 just want the loose style not the expensive wool.

Will pop back and read posts and hugs as always

https://www.marksandspencer.com/regular-fit-twin-pleated-trousers/p/clp22469848?color=BLACK#intid=prodColourId-22469848

Only available online...

and

https://www.marksandspencer.com/regular-fit-single-pleat-trousers/p/clp60466862?color=BLACK#intid=prodColourId-60466861

TC77

@-taff thank you for the links - perfect. We will order these and I'll  keep eye out in CS for back up.

Gers

TC77 said:

@Floss, he was also looking at cargo trousers which were a new idea for him but decided he has enough pockets. Wears a gilet style top with pockets, but now on using  a zimmer with wheels rather than speedy trolley so no shelf for taking things around.

Just wanted to pop in to say that my DM had a type of bucket which clicked on and off her wheeled Zimmer.  It was given to her by the OT / PT people.  This is the one here https://www.amazon.co.uk/Homecraft-091117811-Buckingham-Walking-Frame/dp/B0056PS6T6  The top comes off and there's a lot of space inside, it's also got a mug holder which fits into the top.

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

Tuesday - Dry but overcast leaving Kelso by 10:00 a.m. Very good breakfast. At 10:30 crossed border into England with lots of blue sky & warm sunshine. Another dead deer but not recent as half gone. Kelso to Coldstream then to Alnwick - lovely town & drove past Barter Bookshop - I really wanted to go in ! Drove to another biker friends house C & P (Washington) stayed for 1.25 hrs coffee & nibbles incl. hg cherry tomatoes 😋😋 Lots of chat & laughter. Stopped to see a very underwhelming ‘well’ & I use the term loosely 😉 Then on to Seaham to see Tommy by Ray Lonsdale. The most glorious sculpture 9’ tall, made from tiny pieces of welded iron. It was so poignant it brought tears to my eyes & has done so again whilst writing this. I do not have the words to describe how deeply affected I was & still am. Arrived at the Grantham Arms, Boroughbridge at 4:30 p.m. lovely room (10), DH showered, we changed & both round to bar about 7 p.m. couple of beers then dinner - we shared a fish platter - crayfish, hot battered haddock, prawn cocktail, dressed crab, smoked salmon, king prawns - yummilicious 😋 DH had lamb with fondant potatoes & spinach. I had chicken supreme with dauphinois potatoes & pea shoots. 😋😋😋🤤 Back in room by 10.15 p.m. 

Wednesday - delicious cooked breakfast. Left about 10:00 a.m. quite overcast but got sunnier the further south we went. Stopped for petrol& a comfort break about 11:30. Practically all motorway riding. Stopped again about 12:30 p.m. at an OK Diner for coffee & DH had a small stack of pancakes with maple syrup. A few short delays but back on the IofD by 3:00 p.m. quick stop to pick up milk & bread. Home by3:10 p.m. in blazing sunshine. DSis made coffees whilst DH unloaded bike. Quick inspection of garden - lots of green tomatoes but still no red ones ☹️ even though DSis had been watering assiduously. Then I unpacked everything, managed 2 wash loads with one load hung out on whirligig. Dinner was takeaway posh burgers (no cooking for me 😉) 

Thursday I was up by 8:40 a.m. - mug of tea then tackled 2 frogs - phoned plumber (cold water tank overflow is worse - DSis has been collecting the water & using to water garden 👏 very MSE 🙂) - he is on holiday until Tuesday but has the part & will call me & pop in next week.

2nd frog was booking dental appointment for an extraction - booked & worked backwards to establish when to start taking antibiotics so there is no chance of the current mild infection recurring before the appointment. 3rd & final wash load done. The washing I left out overnight is dry, folded & put away. Two loads of washing now on whirligig (except 2 pairs of jeans in td) because although overcast it is quite warm & breezy 🤞I will be updating my cheerleading & updating my notes for the next hour or so & will then sort & deal with my mail 🙂

See you later

MrsSD 🏅🏅🏅🏅🏅🏅🏅🥇⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 

Decluttering Target: 2021    1618/2021

2021 Savings Pot:  £300.90 to end of August

Mrs_Salad_Dodger

Here we here we go - the first purely cheerleading post 🙂 

Excellent decluttering ruby_eskimo - both electronic & make-up/toiletries 👏 Lovely suggestions for dumpling to guide her on decluttering her craft stash 😇

Good work villagelife 👏

2Scratters - I am still a £sd girl (stretching it a bit 😉). Sometimes I will convert to £sd to remind myself how expensive something is 😂

Ooh Gem-gem that is a lot of fruit bushes 👏 You have been very busy in the kitchen - I think it is called ‘cooking up a storm’ 😉 Very pleased that life is getting back to normal 🙂

EnergyShifter, I appear to have been very remiss in awarding you Gold Stars 😔☹️ I have checked back & you are over 3/4 way to your target so here are three Gold Stars ⭐️ ⭐️⭐️ 

bit_by_bit, what a wonderful post to help dumpling 👏 Very pleased to hear that you are finding listing what you have decluttered is helping you to feel fantastic 🙂🙂 Great news that your friend has agreed to the plot merger - as you say now you have to convince the committee 🤞Well done on the ‘plot’ planning 👏 Housework when it is raining - why didn’t I think of that 😉😉

Yippee dumpling 🥳 you are on your way 👏👏 Every success is wonderful 🙂👏

Great work daisy_1571 👏 You have earned another Gold Star ⭐️ 

Floss we went all round Scotland - door to door we did 1,991.9 miles 🙂😉

Ellie79, I was so tempted by Barter Books but we were on a schedule ☹️ Good luck with the kitchen declutter & clean in readiness for decorating 🤞Well done on having a full freezer 👏

Excellent work OWD_nana 👏 A bit behind in my awards so one Gold Star ⭐️ is on its way 🙂 As you say a smaller living space can look untidy quite quickly but can also benefit very quickly from a bit of decluttering & tidying 🙂👏

CEO nannywindow, felt more foolish than overly damaged by joining the Clumsy Clara Club 😱 The hand is almost healed now 🥳 Pleased to hear that DD can at least get around a bit on crutches 🙂 Wagging finger emoji as you have done lots of baking, decluttering, life tasks & should be very proud of yourself 👏 as well as earning yourself a Gold Star ⭐️ Definitely with you on the ‘it takes an age’ to complete things ☹️

What a lovely break GrannyKate 🙂👏 and even more recommendations for vulpix’s trip 👏 At this rate vulpix will have to arrange several trips 😉 and talking about the north east I am just watching Vera 😉

Another page or two of cheerleading completed 🙂 now on page 370 👏

Back later as iPad needs charging 😔

Emm-in-a-pickle

Hello again. Thanks Bala for your comment, and TC77 for the trouser query. My search is for old fashioned gents cords for OH, as he doesn`t like any of the trendy stuff either!

Mrs SD, sounds like you had a great time, now home safe and sound after your travels.

Well, back in June I was panicking about clearing a very cluttered LR ready for getting logburner installed first week of July. I did mansge to declutter a lot of stuff permanently, and other stuff put away elsewhere in the house. My current aim is to get the rest sorted and NOT ever allow clutter back in  the room! It`s been a very slow process because other tasks had to get done - redecorating for one !

Re the logburner, I have to say what a fantastic bit of kit!!!! We`ve had it burning 4 times, all during August, and just amazed at how easy it is to light, how little mess it makes, compared to open fire with coal and logs. And the installers were fantastic too, had to remove the old fireplace/back boiler and lots of sooty old gubbins, yet they did it in a day and a half, and so little mess for such a mucky job.So 3 cheers for Saxon Homecare from me, highly recommend them anytime.

They lined the chimney, and the little alcove where the stove sits, a new hearthstone (slatey black,) and plastered the top and sides where the old mantelpiece and surround used to be. Whilst waiting for the plaster to dry I looked in all the shops where they sell wallpaper etc., and looked online.

I honestly couldn`t see anything I liked, and the old paper is no longer available. It`s anaglypta with a sort of random jigsaw shape pattern, been up about 18 years, with a couple of fresh coats of emulsion, but there`s  nothing like it out there anymore... there`s some a bit similar but with lines in but I didn`t want that. (I find something I really like then really don`t want to change it!)

Also was shocked at how dear some wallpaper is these days, and decided I didn`t want to pay a lot for stuff I didn`t even like!

DS was insisting that it all had to come off, he has a wallpaper steam stripper that he wanted to use. THEN I remembered how iffy the plaster was when we put the anaglypta up over it - the room has had a  few changes, was originally the kitchen, and had a few bodges since we moved here 45 years ago! I`m pretty sure that if we`d attempted to get down to the plaster the whole lot would have ended up having to be professionally replastered, THEN the expense of papering with stuff I didn`t like. 

Ended up with falling out, DS pointing out where the paper was damaged by cat scratching - lots of places too. I pointed out that the cat is still with us (age 17) still going strong, and still scratches sometimes, another reason not to waste money replacing all the wallpaper!

DS said he`d have nothing to do with it unless it was done `properly`.

I set about searching for a solution to bodge it and do it myself.

OH refused to take sides, and still has splinters in his bum from sitting on the fence!!!

I learned a lot. I discovered a thing called `decorator`s caulk` I love this stuff. I also discovered some paint called Crown trade super Covertex. I read that a couple of coats would cover anything. Smallest tub is 15 litres, got one for 26 quid. Not often these days that a product does what it says on the label, but really this stuff is fantastic. Cat-claw damage, orange emulsion on chimney breast, dark bits where we used to use candles - all covered without trace by 2 coats. Honestly, better than I`d hoped for.

I waited a week to see is DS would stop huffing and help, then got started, me who had never even used a roller before! I had a head start because the room was pretty clear and the dresser was empty, so not too much stuff to move. I found a 2-step stepladder adequate, and no trouble stretching up, the lowest bits were the most challenging, but I found a long-handled small roller that worked a treat. Two coats of the super Covertex, (white)then a coat of my chosen vanilla sundae yellow, and it took me 8 days,  Then I left it to dry thoroughly, and found a roll of slatey black wallpaper with a very slight silver effect through i, and put a piece down each side, and one across the top framing the new hearth area, and amazed myself at cutting the pieces straight and sticking them on straight. and managing to do it single-handed. I absolutely LOVE the finished result. It`s been very hard not to gloat, especially as the total cost was around £65 - that includes £2 for old curtains from CS to cover floor/furniture in the areas I was working on bit by bit.

I`m not as agile as I used to be (I`m not agile at all, actually!) but I have more time and patience than I used to have, so it`s made me feel that things CAN be done, and a Bodge isn`t always a bad thing!

3secondmemory

This is what it’s all about! Welcome to the World, Emilia  ❤️ 

Gers

Congratulations to the new grandma   Great photo too!

Yesterday I went up to Oban to hand over a load of books and table linen to BHF. 

Today I've given a neighbour two lovely but unwanted cotton floor rugs.  I used them for a number of years in the living room but they needed frequent washing so were unpractical.  They have been replaced by jute runners next to each sofa and my chair.  I've also packed up another two bags of books ready for my next trip. Now I've been thinning out the paperwork relating to my DM's death and getting rid of some of her receipts.  One from 1957 for a armchair and another from 1968 for a chest of drawers - both items were still in daily use in my DM's house.

Now that's moneysaving!

nannywindow

3secondmemory Awwww what a beauty! Hope Mum and baby Emilia are doing well. Congrats to you and yours 😍

nan