2024 DECLUTTERING CAMPAIGN MrsSD

Liverpool_Anne

Hi all, had a reasonable couple of days considering the topsy turvy weather . On Monday I got 2 loads through the machine but only 1 dried so that was put on the maiden to finish off and was dealt with yesterday. In between times I sorted the union thing. Another mug bit the dust, it's one way to empty the kitchen cupboards and the kitchen bin was emptied.
Yesterday it was raining in the morning so I had a little sort out and a damaged handbag went into the bin. The rain stopped just after lunch and I headed out to the garden. It was breezy and a bit cold so the winter socks were got out along with trousers rather than shorts and a big sweatshirt . I inspected the rose, I have one big branch left to sort about 10 foot long and lo and behold it has buds forming so I just couldn't bring myself to chop it yet . Despite being attacked with secateurs, lopers and a saw it is still flowering . I tackled a couple of other bushes instead, found a couple of brambles that have put out new shoots and filled 5 bags of garden waste which I have pushed into the green bin. As I was failing spectacularly to sort the brambles with chopping and digging OH had aquired some heavy duty weed killer. I found a plastc drink bottle and cut off the bottom so I could put it over the bits of bramble and sprayed into the bottle. I don't usually use things like this in the garden but now I am approaching 69 I find the heavy digging required to remove a bramble just too hard. Normal digging is doable but bramble roots seem to go to Australia so I am hoping this spray kills them but at least now the ground is a bit clearer having removed so much low lying branches, ivy and honeysyckle I should be able to see if anything sprouts up again. The blackbird seems to be enjoying the cleared ground as well
This morning I have dealt with my post which included a letter from the tax man who informed me I owe them money from tax year 23/24. I have never dealt with tax as all my life it has been sorted by my employer so I was a bit flummoxed about this. Taking the bull by the horns I phoned them, long wait but the alternative is a website I am unfamiliar with and eventually spoke to a lady who seemed to have no idea as she kept putting me on hold while she consulted her supervisor. I was told it would be added to the tax payable in the tax year 25/26 and my tax code would be adjusted then. This tax is due on interest from savings apparently and it occured to me that I will have, hopefully, a similar situation from the current tax year. Then I thought about how this would reduce my available income next year etc etc so asked if I could just pay it now, it's not a huge amount. I know there will be loads of people who sort their own tax rolling about laughing at my total ignorance but I have learned a lesson today, I can just sort out a personal online tax account and pay it with a debit card. I am fairly sure I do have one of those from when I was working from home so as long as I can still get to it even I should be able to sort it out . The weather today is very changeable, we have had hail stones and rain interspersed with sun. Currently the sun is out so I am heading back into the garden to resume sorting the pots, I keep finding them under the ivy . The green bin might drop in a few days but right now if I chop any more it will mean a trip to the tip.

@Vulpix hope the drop in price results in a sale and the db finally shifts the collection of rocks . Hope the new house is right though I am sorry it will need money to sort out the parking. Have you ever tackled a house that old? I imagine it's a completely different project from the usual, different building methods etc. Is it listed ? as I understand this can also cause issues with buildings.

@Mrs SD everything crossed the phone call with the Drs goes well, hugs

Right better stop procrastinating and do something . Hugs to everyone who would like one

1387 union thing
1388 mug
1389 & 1390 LDFPA
1391 - 1395 garden waste
1396 handbag binned
1397 kitchen bin
Take care everyone
1397/2024

daisy_1571

weenancyinAmerica we have been watching a fantastic series about Walt Disney and how he started.  It showed disneyland when it was starting up so I was thinking of you being close to that area.  Hope its cooler for you today.  We have had 2 lovely autumn days, cool but sunny.  A wee bit too much wind however its felt very autumny which I love.  Today the car said 12degrees but it feels warmer than that.  Just glad to see the sun as we ain't had much round these here parts the last few months.

Daisy xxx

vulpix

Aww, Mrs SD big hugs. As a veteran of untold amounts of ECG’s, it gets much less stressful the more you have. Although frustrating that you didn’t get a call from a doctor, it must mean your results are not an emergency. I hope. ❤️❤️

London 1, your childhood home sounds absolutely magical. I’m a bit of a history geek too. Often I just touch stone work and imagine all the people who have done the same in the past. 

 You have been a busy bee Liverpool Anne. In the garden and taking on the tax request. Well done. 

The house we viewed is not listed (sshhh) and I don’t know why. It didn’t start out as a house but has been well converted and seems to be in very good order. The lady has gone into a home so we were shown around by her cousin. I would only knock down the one wall. 🤣 between the dining room and kitchen. The parking is solvable. Would cost a few bob and take up some garden but I think it would be worth it. New kitchen and bathroom and a possible rejig of the stairs and it would be our dream house. Mr V loves it, he doesn’t usually express an opinion! I have never owned such an old building but my trusted builder is a veteran with listed buildings. 
 Would everyone please cross their fingers until our viewing on Friday. I know it will be very inconvenient for you but I would be very grateful. 🤣🤣 You can all come to the house warming party. 🥳 
 
 We are off to beautiful downtown Manchester tomorrow. Out for a meal then to see The Book of Mormon. 

 Laters Vx

Mrs_Salad_Dodger

1. Write a daily To Do list - only 3 tasks 

2. Sort out sleep patterns - target bed by 2:00 a.m. & up by 9:00 a.m 

3. Deal with mail & email on a daily basis

4. Don’t put it down, put it away + deal with mini tasks as soon as they are noticed e.g. refill olive oil pourer or salt cellar, stitch up a hole in a garment etc

5. Commence ‘Operation Frog Tickling’ using the acronym - I.R.I.S. (Identify, Research, Implement, Sign Off) - One per quarter

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

I decided against going to bed just in case the call came 😉 Although by 16:00 there was still no call. However I did have a bit of luck - I decided to have a couple of slices of toast with marmalade & as I was spreading the marmalade I dropped the jar 😱 I was expecting the jar to shatter but somehow it didn’t & all I had to wipe up was a couple of large lumps of marmalade 🥳 Still waiting for my call at 18:00 😉 The doctor never did phone 😠 For dinner I sliced up most of Sunday’s lo beef & warmed it through in the lo gravy which I pepped up by adding a beef stock cube & some lo chopped tomatoes. Accompanied by mash, cabbage & carrots. Wudupa.

1548 - 1550 Kitchen recycling, drinks cans, glass bottle - recycled 

1551 Kitchen detritus binned

Lovely post QueenJess 😊 Good luck with your ongoing training of DS 🍀 & hopefully you & he will work out a way to keep his room tidier 🤞Loved your comments & observations re online social media articles about decluttering 😊 I do agree that a lot of them seem extreme & my observation is that many of them seem to encourage extra expenditure on storage 😉 More excellent decluttering 👏 & I have absolutely no doubt that you will soon be on an even keel with your maintenance decluttering 😊

ionafan & Floss, some great storage ideas for QueenJess 👏

oceanspirit, very impressive work by your OH 👏 Years of training are finally paying off 😊 Well done on persevering & here are some flowers to celebrate 💐 & I will even treat you to a 🍷 or ☕️ whichever you prefer 🙂

London_1, very pleased to hear that you contacted the surgery about your “drippy arm” 🙂 It was so wonderful to read about the NHS at its very best 😊 & I adored your comment “This morning I'm a cheerful old lady again with a nice dry and dressed arm ” More excellent decluttering 👏 It is such a joy to hear how much you & your DD are enjoying island life 😌 Hope the weather stayed dry enough for you to get the laundry done 🤞

ruby_eskimo, you just need to plant lots of little seeds & hopefully your DH will come around to the idea of living in a little cottage on the coast 😅

Great decluttering Pennypincin 👏 Sorry to hear that the GCSE Maths result wasn’t the one you wanted 😔 Hopefully life will be more settled & you can devote the time & energy to both the studying & the tai chi practice to achieve the results that you want & deserve 🥹

oceanspirit, at the rate your OH is going an award might very well be on the cards 😉 It does sound like your OH has ‘seen the light’ 🥳

I have caught up a little but the lack of sleep has finally caught up with me so I am off to bed. I will mention that the weather was mostly dry today but there is definitely a chill in the air & overnight temperatures are in single digits ☹️

Sending cwtches to all 🤗 Sleep tight 😴

MrsSD: I AM A ⭐️ - 🥇 🎖️ 💐 🌟 🏅 💐 🎖️ 💐 ⭐️ 💐 💐 🥇 ⭐️ ⭐️ 💐 ⭐️

DH Awards: IS A 💎🏅 🌟 🥰 🏅🏅

DSis Awards: 🏅 💐 💐 🤗 ⭐️ ⭐️

Decluttering Target 2024: 1551/2024

1p Savings Challenge Running Total: £381.70

weenancyinAmerica

@daisy_1571 - We lived in the town next door when Disneyland first opened, then two years later moved over to Anaheim. I lived less than three miles from the park. My father worked there every summer for year. He was teacher and the park hired all the teachers it could during the summer months. My Dad used to deliver things to Mr. Disney in his special apartment over the fire station back when he was working there. We would sometimes go daily as we got in free and people would give us extra tickets or some of the teachers would let other teachers' kids go on rides for free (you paid for each ride separately in those days). My mother probably loved it as we were out of the house every day. Have a roommate who works there now. but it is too expensive to go unless he can get us in free on one of his special days he can do that. Even with special "local resident" rates, it is expensive. We buy our Disney souvenirs in Walmart instead. Lots of memories of the park though.   

Moorviews

@weenancyinAmerica - I went to Disneyland in the mid 1970s but I am sure it is very different now. I absolutely loved it though! 

@daisy_1571 - thank you for the suggestion as that is a great episode. Indeed the girls were very resistant! I don’t think mine will mind too much about getting rid of things but they have other priorities such as full time work and families. Of course it isn’t in their faces like it is in mine! I will find a way forward with it and possibly present it in manageable chunks; such as a box or drawer to sort when they visit. 

@vulpix - my fingers are crossed 🤞that someone snaps up your lovely home and frees you up for a move. I did laugh at your DD offloading her stuff to your mum. A very stealthy move! I never had those opportunities or a family home behind me so have always had to cart my treasures/tat around with me. 

@Mrs_Salad_Dodger - it’s a shame that the surgery have made you unnecessarily stressed by not getting back to you. Hopefully you will have your mind put at rest soon. Many thanks for another medal - much appreciated 😊

London_1

Good Morning chums, good day yesterday, washing managed to get dry ,picked up three books from the library.Also asked about joining the Shady Ladies The library has so many things to do there almost daily's plenty to do during the winter months with coffee mornings and sewing and knit and natter things.even an ongoing large jigsaw if you want to spend a bit of time doing some. News papers daily to read for free, its packed with so much stuff to do

Best of all to my new hearing aids from the audiology clinic
They are so good and the technology has advanced such a lot since my last pair, virtually no 'whistling sounds ' and 6 levels of hearing so I can turn them up or down as I wish, or even off ,with taking them out. I'm so impressed with the swiftness and care of the NHS and my Drs surgery, who referred me with no wait, and I saw and was retested within a week and a week later new aids. Back in Kent where I used to live it was a minimum 2-3 month wait.

The Drs surgery is certainly on the ball and the receptionists are brilliant and very friendly and helpful. I already have my covid jab and my separate flu jab booked via a text they all so keen on preventative stuff which I find reassuring as before often it was long waits as the supplies wern't available or you just had even forgotten.I know on the Island the population is a great deal less which is possibly why things seem to work better. 

I find it so handy that I can pop into Ryde on the bus from the bottom of my road, drop some bits off at the CS which I do every other day and  then decided if its the Library or Yelfs coffee shop for me.So many little independent shops to look around at and none of it is too crowded as it was if I went to Bluewater or Maidstone.

Yesterday as well DGS Mikey who is a student in Colchester landed at last a part time job  which I'm so pleased for him as he has been struggling with his maintenance grant. Basic £9.50 an hour but they are willing to work around his Uni work and lectures.

 DGS Jack has bought his first car ,the insurance is eye watering even with a black box but as least he is mobile and working in the depths of the kent countryside with limited transport means he is stuck on site at his boarding school where he teaches, so he too is a happy young man

Best of all this morning the sun is shining and the sky is blue so I think I'll have a walk down to the beach and have a nice coffee and the Dell coffee shop and just watch the boats go up and down the solent.Life just can't get any better

Hope everyone is having a good week as well

JackieO xx

 

oceanspirit

Mrs SD, am sending Paddington stares to your surgery - I hope the doctor will ring you soon.

Thank you for my flowers - I’ll take the cuppa at this time of the morning.

Vulpix my fingers are crossed that everything falls into place for buying your lovely new home.  It’s great that Mr V loves it too.

London1, you may find the declutterati all joining you soon - life sounds idyllic.

Not much from me yesterday except for more of a tidy up of the old lists.  It seems to be much easier to have a master list.  OH was thwarted by the weather but we have a dry day forecast so it should be a different story today.

ruby_eskimo

I agree with @vulpix, if you didn't get a call then it would mean that your results weren't anything to worry about @Mrs_Salad_Dodger, but appreciate that doesn't really help because it's only natural to worry anyway!  Hope you get a call today 🤞 

Also keeping 🤞 for you @vulpix, the house sounds lovely and if the Mr is on board then it must be perfect.

I love your stories of the parks @weenancyinAmerica but agree, the prices of actual Disney souvenirs is eye watering.  That being said I'd love to go back to Disneyland, and the west coast of America (although not with the hear you've been having recently!)

Had a productive evening of using up food in the cupboards and fridge to make some pasta sauce for a pasta bake next week before the things went off and some cherry and almond muffins to use up some tinned cherries and flaked almonds that were in our stores from the last house.  We also put together some of the furniture we bought and have unpacked more boxes so hoping to get through all the unpacking this weekend.  Not a lot of decluttering happening at the moment but I've put a top on this morning that isn't sitting right around my waist so I'm going to list it for sale after I've washed it (and worn it for the rest of the day and moaned about it to anyone that will listen 🤣)

Pennypincin

A few bits I've brought in during the last week have been decluttered.
A few toiletries have been decluttered and the containers will be put in the recycling.
I've a bo staff I bought for tai chi, not realising that I didn't need it for tai chi and all being well, have managed to sell it to someone who needs it for kunf fu. It should be decluttered Sunday.
I plan to declutter some housework, as much homework as I can plus some shopping over the next few days.
Plus try to continue to declutter the freezer and the flat.
Managed to declutter a load of washing yesterday that's still drying on airers on the balcony, plus the hairdresser came and gave my hair a hair trim.