2024 DECLUTTERING CAMPAIGN MrsSD

Brie

Loving all the "6 degrees of separation"!!  

vulpix

Me too. Anyone have any more?

Brie

Well after moving to the UK from Canada my OH and got into the habit of going to the local symphony concerts.  And one evening I bumped into a chap I worked with briefly in Toronto. 

And I have occasionally started talking to people here and they'll say the usual "Oh I have a cousin in Canada, maybe you know them!"  Never have actually known any of these "cousins" but when I ask where in Canada have been told "Oh a place near Toronto!"  and then it turns out they are actually in Fonthill where my mom lives or similar.  (fyi - it's about 70 miles away....)

regnbue

On my first solo trip to New York 25 years ago I sat next to a young woman on the plane and during the flight we had all of a five minute chat.

Once the plane had landed I took the all-round-the-houses cheap minibus transfer to my hotel which took forever.

When trying to check in I was informed my room wasn't ready and to sit in the waiting room down the corridor until the room had been prepared.

Who was the only other person in the waiting room when I opened the door?  Yep, the young woman I'd sat next to on the plane.

Of all the hotels in New York...

Wednesday2000

I went into a local bar with my brother the other month and a man started talking to us without us giving him any info. It turned out he used to live across the park from where I lived for almost 20 years at the same time as we did. He also went to the same school as my husband and then I said "Oh, my hairdressers went to that school" and he knew them. He tried to share his very expensive bottle of wine with us after that, but I refused.

Still haven't sorted out the airing cupboard!

oceanspirit

Cleared and cleaned a ledge in the kitchen.  Nothing to get rid of but things have been put away where they belong and I am so pleased to not be looking at a thick layer of dust.

Made 2 large batches of soup for the freezer yesterday to prevent throwing excess veg away.

Started writing a master list of everything that needs doing.  Frightened myself witless!

Floss

oceanspirit said:

Started writing a master list of everything that needs doing.  Frightened myself witless!

I do a master list and then a page for each room, then break each job into smaller tasks so I can tick each bit off. It's less intimidating and more achievable, for example:

Finish decorating
My bedroom:
- take down curtains 
- de-cobweb ceiling & top of walls
- remove curtain poles
- fill holes
- paint battens
- paint radiator
- move dressing table 
- fold back carpet
- paint skirtings

GrannyKate

I need a list of things I need to do before I leave for France and what I have to do when I come back.  House chain still stalled at my vendor's solicitors.  See no hope of getting next stage before France.  Moving looks more like November or December assuming I don't loose my buyers.  Very depressing.  DS2 having a wet weekend at the seaside but children don't care.  

1056-1067 Items to DS2's house
1068 Renewed English heritage
1069 Calendars updated for children - extra copy printed for new house 
1070 Emptied DGD4's school bag - drink and fruit pot had leaked.  Cleaned it out, tipped sweet papers in bin.  I have crumpled and torn new timetable, homework sheet and book spread out to dry.  Retrieved PE kit from under bed and washed. 
1071 Extra school trousers ordered to collect today - several items put in bag for next school uniform sale at school
1072 Paper stuff filed, binned or shredded
1073 Emails read, answered, filed or deleted - hundreds of them - I need to get off some of these mailing lists
1074 Committee papers done and circulated for Weds
1075 Banking done - will get some Euros this week
1076 Old tights and pop socks binned
1077-78 Two blouses in CS bag
1079 Large pile of black school socks sorted and odd ones binned

Packing in progress ie all spread over my bed. 

retiredinfrance

Thanks,@Muddy-Walker. for your welcome back.
MrsSD, you are so kind and generous (I know we all know this, but ii need to say it). 

Two gold stars and lovely thoughts. Yes, it has been an annus horribilis, but there were some great times when both DD and DS came over twice, separately.  The decluttering was also helped in that I wasn’t near any shops so nothing came in. I hope that will
last but I do need books to read. So,
1 pile batteries 
coins from car to purse
1 pile of tat from car 
1 pair of wellies that leak
1 tote bag
3 embroidered tablecloths
( I’ve still got DM’s)

4 books
1 pile quilting scraps 2 balls of yarn 
1 pile of envelopes from stationery drawer 
1 pile of tat from medicine drawer 
( I’ve got all the plasters in a nice box and the drawer is neat again.)
DH has so many different types of dressings and plasters for ulcers on his legs- result of being motionless for so long in hospital, that his stuff has its own drawer!  So,  total,
14+188=202/366

I am trying to revisit drawers, cull the crafting stuff and keep on stopping stuff coming in. If it’s any comfort to you , declutterati chums, the weather here is not the usual balmy sunny French September. It’s a lot cooler and wetter than normal!
Hugs for anyone who would like one.

Liverpool_Anne

Hi all, sorry I have not posted for a couple of days, I have been quite busy and falling asleep when trying to post . This post has been sitting in draft since Friday morning but I got pulled away as the weather was so unexpectedly warm that I tackled the washing and went out to do some more in the garden   I had a lovely visit with Vulpix on Thursday, such a beautiful house that I really can't understand why it hasn't been snapped up. As for the lady who wants to take the garden out to park her camper van, well there is just no need . I arrived in time for lunch and didn't leave until after the rush hour had long gone we were gabbing so much . I came away with a can of spray starch for OH and an amazing piece of rope made by Mr V, I really want to have a go at that so I not only had a great visit I have helped Vulpix declutter . We were talking about how we felt like we were pen pals with everyone and how nice it was to meet up with people. I am sure we will meet up again and maybe one day we can have a big meet up which would be amazing
Yesterday we went to see some friends from dorset staying with another friend M. M had cooked the starter and main and we did the pud. I made a massive apple and cinnamon crumble and we took a cheese board, the remains of the apple crumble were left in M's freezer but I did bring home some of the unopened cheese as M had a load in her fridge . We didn't get home until the small hours so I am starting slowly today .

Decluttering wise I have done quite well. On Wednesday the weather was terrible and as I was standing in the conservatory looking at the wet garden I started to sort some things in the conservatory. 5 boxes broken down and into the recycling and the contents sorted into where they will live, the cs bag, bin or the recycling. Honestly looking at it I don't know why half of it was kept . The kitchen bin was emptied twice and the kitchen recycling. I took a bag of hard plastic to the tip along with some random bits of metal and the hard plastic bag is nearly full again . The bedroom bin was emptied.
On Friday as the weather was so nice I got 6, yes 6 LDFPA . I actually ran out of line space and had to utilise ln's line and break out the reserve pegs . I also got most of the wires up to tie the rose to but so far I have only got 1 branch that can be reasonably tied in, a great chunk has been sawn off and I potted up 6 pots of cuttings in case the rose gives up the ghost after the way I have had to chop it up I will hopefully have something to plant in it's place. There is 1 more big trunk to chop which I just haven't been able to bring myself to chop yet as it is covered in flowers .The bedroom recycling was emptied.
On Saturday, prompted by ln returning some books OH had passed over that had been OH"s dMum's, (We had not wanted them back but ln is having a clear out, well her daughters are ), I had a sort out of some books and some other bits of ornaments and a few scarves, still got loads but kept filling the cs bag which turned into 5 bags . I decided to count the items and got to 99 so had another hunt round to make it up to 100 then loaded them into the car and took them straight to the cs . There were a few pangs about the books but it just had to be done. My to be read pile is already much too high and there are boxes of books in the conservatory still to be sorted. If I decide at some point in the future I need to read any of these books I am sure I will be able to get them from a cs somewhere . Finally the kitchen recycling was emptied

Today I am not sure what I will do, I am itching to get back into the garden and finish sorting the rose but it is raining again so I might get back onto the conservatory sort out. I really should do some ironing but the wedding cakes are currently residing on the ironing board waiting for OH to decorate them so that probably won't be happening today

I will do a catch up of all the posts with another cuppa but meanwhile hugs to anybody who would like one

1262 hard plastic to tip
1263 metal to tip
1264 bedroom bin
1265 - 1269 cardboard boxes recycled
1270 kitchen recycling
1271 & 1272 kitchen bin
1273 bedroom recycling
1274 - 1279 LDFPA
1280 rose wires up 
1281 cuttings potted up
1282 - 1381 items to cs
1382 kitchen recycling
Take care everyone
1382/2024