Simplifying Life

aurorahelios

Yes, it is inspirational.

I haven'tbeen online much recently and the threads ballooned, I'm gonna need a spare afternoon to catch up on it!

I've been thinking about what I need to do to simplfy and realised that I already started the process of decluttering by joining in the various store cupboard challenges over the last couple of years - still some way to go though.

Books, stationery and food seem to be my major stumbling blocks. I've some books I really should ebay, particularly my ou course books. I've slapped a ban on getting magazines, I used to get them for the coupons but last year i changed the way I shop - so no longer use them and i now have a backlog of magazines with interesting articles/recipes in. So going to go through them and only keep what I think will be useful. I also have a lot of paperwork relating to financial stuff I don't use anymore so I'm planning a major cull of my accounts, weeding out any I rarely or don't use and closing them.

It actually feels a lot better just thinking about a strategy for reducing the clutter and has made me realise i am already on the road towards simplyfying my life.

rosieben

wmf wrote: »

Simplified here today by going to the library to get books. ...
Another 2 books have yet to come into my library - both are on simple living.

Our library is quite small and they rarely have any of my wish list on the shelves but they've been so helpful ordering things in for me. I've now discovered how to reserve and renew books online and its great as I have a short bus ride to get there; makes life so much easier.

Incidentally when I joined I was told that as I am disabled and on benefits I dont pay reservation fees or overdue fees. And also that if I had difficulty getting books back to the library they would make arrangements to get them collected. I dont know if that's just our branch being extra helpful or if its a standard thing? My disability doesnt stop me getting to and from the library so wont apply to me but may be helpful for others?

I'm just so impressed with the friendliness of the staff and good service so :T to the library service!!

Rowan9

Rosieben - your library sounds really good. Mine is reasonable size but i also order online and haven't been charged for this. I love browsing the online catalogue - it's like a virtual waterstones but without the cost
I'm impressed with your library offering to deliver your books. It all adds up to a good service doesn't it? Ours runs a book club now and I'd love to go...will do one of these days
i am a firm believer is using libraries - ours has already lost quite a lot of 'book' space to make room for computers.
W

rosieben

wmf wrote: »

... I'm impressed with your library offering to deliver your books. It all adds up to a good service doesn't it? ...

there's a mobile library van fortnightly to our little village. that's probably how they deliver/retrieve books from anyone who's housebound. Its an excellent service isnt it, I'm so impressed with them :j

mary43

Have to confess I don't use our little library as much as I ought to. Weve two second hand book shops plus the charity shops that are full of them and I normally get what I want from there and pass it on to someone or give it back to the charity. There's always some books I like to keep, either for famiy history reference, general interest or purely because I like them. Trouble is it then becomes a chore and a half to sift through them to make room for anymore .............thats my fall down really. If I used the library I wouldn't have this problem............well it wouldn't be as bad anyway.

rosieben

OMG I'm so glad we dont have any second hand bookshops near :eek: I'd never have any money or room!!

Hoping to persuade my ds to take me with him on one of his forays to Hay-on-Wye this summer; I recommend it as a fab day out for a booklover and especially nice if you take a picnic to enjoy by the river

mary43

Sounds lovely rosie..............something to look forward to and don;t we all need that in January ? I know I do................OH bought me two small pots of mini daffs to put on the kitchen windowsill as a sign of spring.........they're just green shoots at the minute...........lol Roll on a bit of colour:j
Been a dreadful day here.............cold, very very windy and chucked it down with rain several times............utter downpour............and to think I nearly went out down the market..........glad I stayed home:j

moanymoany

I've had a simplifying afternoon. I was going through the last of my fabric stash - that I was going to keep - and there was a length of sturdy brown fabric. It seemed just too good to give away so I made 7 shopping tote bags that will take the place of plastic bags. It took me all afternoon. I based the pattern on a 'bag for life' bag. I'm now waiting for DH to get home. I've treated myself to the last of the Christmas vodka and the last bottle of tonic! Luvly!

I have some lovely Peter Rabbit curtains bought from the charity shop. I wonder if anyone would like some shopping totes made out of them. I will have to ask.

Ellidee

rosieben wrote: »

there's a mobile library van fortnightly to our little village. that's probably how they deliver/retrieve books from anyone who's housebound. Its an excellent service isnt it, I'm so impressed with them :j

I have an elderly friend who is registered blind (macular degeneration ) and the WRVS deliver and return talking books from the library for her. She also gets them from the Blind Society by post but then she has to ask someone to post them back for her. I wonder if the WRVS do it for people with other disabilities ? Edit :wave: Hi Rosie XX

moanymoany

Ellidee wrote: »

I have an elderly friend who is registered blind (macular degeneration ) and the WRVS deliver and return talking books from the library for her. She also gets them from the Blind Society by post but then she has to ask someone to post them back for her. I wonder if the WRVS do it for people with other disabilities ? Edit :wave: Hi Rosie XX

In the past I did a voluntary job for the local library. I was assigned to an elderly couple and got them their books and talking books. I visited them once every two weeks. It was a lot of fun.

The lady asked me one day if I had heard of the film 'Carve her name With pride' I said - yes, it was about a woman called Violette Szarbo who was a spy with the SOE during the war and she was murdered by the Germans, the same German soldiers who murdered the entire population of Oradour in France.

She then told me that she went to school with Violette, who lived in the same street as her. Her father had met her mother in France during the first world war. This lady's mum phoned her one day and said there were film vans in the road filming Violette's house. It was for the film 'Carve Her Name With pride'.

Now, how amazing was that! She was very proud to have known a war heroine. I did their library books for just over a year. It was such fun.