2023 DECLUTTERING CAMPAIGN Mrs SD

Mrs_Salad_Dodger

1. Write a daily To Do list - only 3 tasks to include MMiM - do this before I go to bed

2. Commence ‘Operation Frog Tickling’ I have an acronym - I.R.I.S. being Identify, Research, Implement, Sign Off 

3. Implement a new sleep/wake up regime - start going to bed earlier (target before 2:00 a.m.) get up earlier (target by 9:00 a.m.)

4. Deal with ‘Urgent’ daily mail immediately & the rest at the weekend

5. Don’t put it down, put it away

6. If I spot a mini task deal with it immediately e.g. refill olive oil pourer or salt cellar, stitch up a hole in a garment etc

7. Continue to keep kitchen clean & tidy - before going to bed

So to continue Tuesday we left the hotel at 10:08 & it wasn’t raining. Headed off to Loch Arklet Dam. The new arrangement as DH has his dodgy knee, is that I get off the bike & take the photos 😉 About 10:45 the heavens opened & it rained almost steadily for about 3 hours 😔 Then mostly dry until 16:30 when it reverted back to mostly raining. Filled up with petrol twice - arrangement was that DH stayed on the bike & I went into the shop with his debit card 😉 Only 3 landmarks today & all this years only. Lucky enough to find somewhere to have a cuppa 10 minutes before they closed 🥳 more important was we were able to use the facilities. Highlights of the day - I saw a couple of cormorants & we almost got dry at one point during the day 🤣 To add to the bad weather we also got stuck behind an ‘exceptional load convoy’ whilst it was raining 🙄 We arrived at our hotel (part of the Black Sheep Hotel chain) about 18:45 & whilst DH was parking the bike I checked in - 2nd lucky event of the day was that our room had been upgraded to a suite 🥳 (Staying in the Claunie Inn, Western Highlands) I booked dinner for 20:00, was shown our room, then went back outside to assist DH unloading the bike & carrying bags across the road from the car park to the hotel. Showered & changed & down in bar for 19:45. Decided to have our meal in the bar rather than the restaurant 😉 Dinner was delicious - DH had Tai Chen chicken in a spicy sauce followed by Haddock Mac’n’Cheese, I had spicy mushroom skewers followed by pan seared salmon with spaghetti tossed in oil, garlic & chilli + crostini - delicious but not exactly what I ordered 😉 I had ordered the salmon with mash, broccoli & carrots. No complaints though as it was delicious 🤤 Sat in the bar for a while & chatted to a fellow biker whose bike had broken down. He was lucky enough to have a mate staying in the hotel & has been allowed (by hotel management) to stay in his room. Being picked up by a breakdown truck tomorrow & being taken back to Surrey 👏 Back in our room by 21:30 

Pic 1+2 our room, Pic 3 the wide load we got stuck behind for a while - took up both lanes 😳

DH’s leg is aching a bit now but he has had a couple of Ibuprofen & we have used cushions from the sofa to elevate his leg 😊 By the way, I forgot that MSE were doing an “upgrade” today. Not impressed so far as now I can only see one or two posts on my iPad screen & the script is enormous 😔 although I do like that the ‘Report’ icon has been moved away from the ‘Thanks’ 👏

Sorry I am so far behind with the cheerleading, my replies & comments will be a bit late 😉

Great work in the garden oceanspirit 👏 Shame about the worktop space disappearing but you can’t say no to a basket of fresh fruit especially at today’s prices 🤣 Hopefully the relatives were grateful 😉

Nice to see you diminua 👋 You are as near as makes no difference at the halfway point & should be very proud of yourself 👏 In celebration I am awarding you a Gold Star ⭐️ to recognise your achievement 😊

Excellent decluttering kboss2010 👏 Well done on creating enough space that you can see what you have 🥳

Florenceem, hope the garden party to raise funds for Ukraine went well & that the rain stayed away🤞

florianatwobob, I am sure if you put your mind to it you could make your own reusable sanitary products 😊

I have made a very small start on catching up & will try to do a bit more tomorrow 🤞

MrsSD (a superwoman) 😇 🎖💐🤩🏅🦸🏅💐🏆 💐🍰🍾🌟⭐️🌟 💐🏅💐🏅💐💐💐🏅💐 ⭐️ ❤️🏅🍾🏅 📣🦸‍♀️💐 ⭐️ 🏅 

DH Awards: 🥇🏅⭐️💐,  perseverance medal 🎖️, 🥇 🏅🏅 😇

Decluttering Target 2023: 1628/2023

1p Savings Challenge Running Total: £228.00

Liverpool_Anne

Hi all, not much to report tonight. Managed about half an hour in the garden between the rain showers. A metal container that had rusted into the recycling bin but not much else as it was all too wet. I have finished the blanket for OH but I need to sew the ends in, job for tomorrow. Went to the sm and all shopping put away as soon as I got home .
I am getting a bit fed up with all the rain now as I have several loads of washing including bedding waiting to be done but they won't fit on the maiden. There is supposed to be a break in the weather on Thursday so I will hang on until then.
Not sure I like this new format but I suppose I will get used to it.
Hugs to everyone who would like one
972 metal container
Take care everyone
972/2023

charlies_tribe

Good morning all.
Mrs SD. Sounds like you are having a lovely time despite the rain. Hope Mr SD knee starts to feel better soon. I probably shouldn't read when ice just woken up and still blurry eyed, I read Mr SDs wonderful meal and then read you had had spaghetti on toast 🤣🙈 wiped my eyes and could see it better!

Not much managed here the last couple of days. DH can hardly move his shoulder and I've had to do a couple of trips to town with DD1 as was missing things for DD3 going to Germany on Sunday.

While cleaning I've found an old €20 (and a new version €5) from when DS went to France and been trying to find out if DD3 can still use it easily. She would be gutted if a shop rejected her money.

Just having a cup of tea while waiting for DD3 to get ready for school and then will try and get something done before we take DS2 in to Sheffield for his hospital appointment. Just tge thought of how busy it will be makes me feel sick.

Added to list
1597 Pair of slippers
1598 Bedding packaging
1599 Another coathanger
1600-1603 4 delivery bags
1604-1608 500 emails
1609 Glitter nail kit (a kids shaker nails thing, dd2 decided to try it and there's glitter everywhere!)

Siebrie

Our new neighbour is making steady progress on his renovations (unlike us ) and had a container for the old building materials. After he had finished filling it up with all his stuff, he offered us to throw our 8 full builder's bags in. I gladly accepted! The little sidepath of our house is now clear again.

I'm trying to declutter some unwanted behaviour in dd2. She is at summer sewing camp this week, and she can earn a sweet in her lunchbox if she gets up when I call her.

dND

Check-in time again.

Sounds like a great holiday @Mrs_Salad_Dodger and I hope Mr SD’s knee heals soon.

Well done to everyone on their achievements however small you may think they are and hugs to all in the TLC carriage. 👏👏🤗🤗

I’m now in Wales and thoroughly enjoying the Welsh mist, be it heavy or light.  A few years of 30C – 40C summers has made me really appreciate rain and the lovely verdant landscape.  As I’m living with my son and my stuff is in storage, there’s no decluttering – apart from redundant insurances in France – my main focus is to not let Justin and May acquire more stuff!

I should have a small runabout car next week which gives me more freedom to view properties, visit friends and do a bit of exploration.  While there is public transport, arranging viewings is difficult when you have to factor in bus times and when the return bus is.  Although that’s not been too bad as there’s not a lot for sale in my preferred areas and my price range.  But I’m a great believer that something will turn up, just like my car.  Oh, just realised, that means I’ve acquired more stuff! 😱🤣

My trip back went better than planned.  My son was amazing.  He drove down on the Tuesday after an overnight crossing and helped dispose of some of the remaining nearly dead electricals at the tip while the removal people loaded the lorry on the Wednesday.  Thursday morning, 9am, we were at the Notaires to sign over the house.  It’s all done electronically now so no initialling/signing of every page of the contract as before, just a signature on the electronic pad and everything is done.  We were therefore finished much earlier than expected and only had one item still to return to the relevant French authority.

This meant we were able to pick up the cats from the cattery before midday rather than 3pm as previously planned; so we set off 3 hours early.  The roads were very kind to us and the van we’d hired was only a year old, so it cruised the motorways with ease – my son said it was so simple with cruise control and the lack of traffic in France.

Our Shuttle crossing was booked for 06:50 but we were through pet passport control a little after midnight.  So I paid the upgrade, (gulp, almost the same as I already paid), and we took the 01:21 train and got to his house, a bit beyond Swansea, around 6am. 

The following morning the cats were installed in a nearby cattery where hopefully they will have some semblance of normality for the few months it’s going to take me to find a new home - so absolutely loving the kitten picture @Brie

Sorry for the waffle but much as I loved my time in France I’m happy to be home. 😁😁

Dxx

daisy_1571

Welcome back dnd   

Daisy xx

short_bird

Hope all are well: today is "open windows to air flat: dash to close windows so showers don't get in" day. As the gas engineer arrived yesterday to do the yearly check, a couple of corners got cleared out.
2676: 50 emails deleted
2677-2681: 5 GB data deleted
2682-2699: stuff to recycling
2700-2722: items to bin
2723: shredding
Deferred decisions: 315-322 files deleted

QueenJess

@TC77 There seems to be no one size fits all solution for photos that I have found yet, although I am still trying out multiple different apps.  The ones I liked the most so far for iPhone are:

1. SlideBox - this one lets you organise (or delete) photos.  It also has an addictive message showing how many photos have been organised into folders (I'm on 8.6% apparently..).  I don't use it loads at the moment because I am just overwhelmed with photos, but I think it will become way more useful when they are more under control.
   
2. PhotoScan - this lets you scan your photos into your phone if you have any in physical form.  It is ridiculously easy to do and the photos come out amazing.  Well worth a download.
3. Cleanup - this one is pretty good as it identifies similar photos, shows which one it thinks is the best in the set so you can delete the rest.  You have complete control and sometimes I disagree with it and select a different one.  This has been the source of me being able to delete 1,000 photos yesterday and really good for getting the size down to something you can then go through a bit more manually.  They want you to pay for it, but you don't have to.  I didn't and it restricts you to deleting 25 photos at a time and you have to "watch" an ad for each set of 25.  But actually, you can select as many photos as you want, but then you have to click to delete each lot of 25.  It's fine as I use it as a break and I'm hoping this app will just be a one off or not often used app once it's under control. 
   

Edit: all the basic versions of these are free.  I've not paid anything so not really aware of the premium features.  This is MSE after all!

I'll let you know if I find any others I really like.  Unsurprisingly I have deleted another pile of photos and I'm right at the end of the similar photos identified on Cleanup.  So off to think about best ways to continue rationalising as I still have way too many and lots of ones I know I probably won't ever look at.  Photos on my phone are down to 4,411 compared to around 6,285 that I had a few months ago.

25,412-26,117 - photos/videos deleted

I think I will go on my phone month by month now to see if I can reduce some more as I still find them overwhelming and can't find anything I'm looking for.

stellata

Work was quiet today, we were supposed to be learning a new system but that took a couple of hours so I had a peaceful afternoon. Just as well, my brain is rattled by life at the moment. 

Lovely news of a new baby in the extended family and delightful pics. I have put my plastic container collection in the recycling bin today 

oceanspirit

Frog started yesterday finished today.  Also lots of little bits and pieces done the results of which aren’t visible but it feels like a successful day and that’s what really matters.

Did a part clean of my bedroom so it feels nicer to be in - it has been neglected over the past few weeks in favour of kitchen and bathroom so it is good to have been able to give it some time.

Couldn’t do my ten minutes in the garden as it rained.  OH managed to get his share of gardening done this morning so progress overall has been made.