Prosperous soul, mortgage neutrality & creativity Year 2

savingholmes

Thanks WD, SSS, Jwil, Lucielle, FS and Beanie

It started to rain on the way to the swim - but at that point I'd booked. I  bought a cap with a brim and went swimming anyway. At one point it was bouncing down but I treated it consciously as an interactive art exhibition - watching the rain drops bounce up to an inch off the water and creating lots of raised bubbles. It rained off and on - sometime light, sometimes heavier. I drew the line at thunder though and got out. By that point I'd done 660m so was really pleased given I haven't swum since last Summer. My body was like jelly for a while then though - especially as I didn't eat lunch beforehand.

The water felt really silky and my skin feels happier. It has salt in the water rather than just chlorine.

Today I hope to get out into the garden and do a bit. I may try and make my house more respectable too. See what can be decluttered. DD has friends coming over briefly tonight including on for the first time.

WelshmansDaughter

Have you considered taking stuff out and then seeing what you bring back in (and in what order). It's quite interesting when it comes to seeing your stuff in a new light

savingholmes

Thanks WD

I followed @Blackcats suggestion from a while ago and bought an audio book by Dana W about de-slobification!! aka decluttering.  Then I improved the hallway and the front room. Probably filled the equivalent of 2-3 bin bags of stuff I let go. Other stuff I containerised... I did the dishwasher three times and did 3 loads of washing!

The mental load in my living room has gone down substantially. There's more left to do though but it does feel very worthwhile. I already feel a payback.

The bin gets emptied Monday - mine is now full - but hopefully I can put some in next door's bin. Some of what I let go was glass bottles that I'd kept for craft projects but I can get them again so let them go for now as that's not my current main craft....

savingholmes

Received my water bill and thankfully I am over £100 in credit. Given at divorce I owed £150 that's a great turnaround.

Tahlullah.H

Congrats on the water Bill.  Excellent to be ahead.

lucielle

Well done SH. We’ve got to start packing so I’m sure I’ll be joining you on the decluttering. 

L

jwil

Brilliant work on the decluttering, well done!  I'm hoping to so some over the next couple of days too.

Great news about water bill as well

FlacosFloozie

Fantastic on the decluttering! It really does make life easier.

Humdinger1

@savingholmes I'm off to swim outdoors this morning for the first time this year!  It is indeed wonderful. Re weight loss, I find it easier when I've worked out what the weight I'm hanging onto represents.  I can then see how that fits with where I am and where i want to be.  Going to a low carb diet did wonders for me.  You are doing brilliantly love Humdinger xx

savingholmes

Thanks Tahlullah, Flaco, Lucielle, Humdinger1 and Jwil

Did a little more decluttering today in the room I use to work from home. I have removed the contents of a washing basket - and made the majority of it (curtains) exist the house via a charity textile bank near my nearest C00p. I also filled another half bin of recyclable waste and part of a bin bag. There is plenty more to do but I'm struggling - as there seems to have been a mushrooming of items that didn't belong in that room but I'm reluctant to make decisions on them.

The freed washing basket is now in the utility waiting for me to deal with my 'procrasta-clutter' aka the clean laundry and move it upstairs and apparently I'm then supposed to put it away. I do love that word of Dana's - it says it how it is. As she also says - it's a bigger job than it should be as I have too much stuff - not necessarily too much for the container (available wardrobe space) but too much 'inventory' for me to manage.

I filled the dishwasher today too - so naturally it now needs emptying again - yawn... The dinner set I bought at a CS while I was away hasn't made it inside yet... but I am now questioning the wisdom of ever buying it given I now have 3 dinner sets to choose from... I was getting bored of looking at Alice's face though - and much prefer the white rabbit on the bowls... I could potentially just swap out the dinner plates for now. They seemed to be the same size plates and bowls as the Alice set so I thought over time as things broke I could just swap things over and be more of a grown up again...

It's been amazing weather today - so I also did some pruning and a little weeding. I used up 4 bags of soil in my raised bed and a planter. I've transplanted some lavender and beans. I also transplanted some sage to a pot. I've put beetroot and dill outside to harden off. Wish me luck! I've sown some lupins. My broccoli is growing very slowly outside. I don't think they've filled their little cardboard pot yet - so plan to leave them a while before transplanting them into the raised bed. I've no idea where half the stuff I've sown is going to get planted - but I figure I can use the main borders for some of it (like the dill, coriander, lemon balm, purple basil etc) and not just the raised beds.   I've found a load of flower seeds I'd bought and immediately lost so some other wins - although if I see my little niece and nephews I may give some to them as I've over-faced myself.

My pea shoots that I transplanted a week or two ago are doing okay. I earthed up the potatoes back then too and they are now all showing again so looking good there. My garlic - I pulled up one recently to see - it looks like a spring onion more than anything else at the moment so I need to leave them a while longer yet. It does mean they are hogging that raised bed longer than I expected though. I'm also have to water more than expected for the time of year. 

My corner apple tree is leaning after the bamboo coming out and the recent fence painting. I bought a stake - so will ask the handyman to try and rescue it on Wednesday. I may buy it some manure and then give it extra watering. Glad we still have another day off tomorrow. I'm off to a musical with DD tomorrow night as her early birthday pressie. We're also due to go for a meal which I still need to book a table for.

I've completely overspent this month - a lot garden related - but will sort from next payday. It will work out.