The Diary Of Onebrokelady Aged 60 And A Half

milann

You’re doing a great decluttering job 👏

Onebrokelady

Newstartforme said:

Hi OBL , I just wondered if you would be eligible for SSP or universal credit to top up your half pay , your wages department may help with this ?

Hi thanks for this I am getting ssp as part of my wages from work but I think I need to investigate whether I can claim UC as well, it hadn’t even crossed my mind but I will find out 

Onebrokelady

milann said:

You’re doing a great decluttering job 👏

I’m on fire with the decluttering😀I’m a bit cross though because I put two bags of kids stuff on market place and the two people who wanted it have let me down after I’ve hung onto it for a week 😡but I relisted it today and three people are hopefully coming to collect the two bags and a box set of books which will leave me with one bag to get rid of. This stuff was all in the bottom of my built in wardrobe so now it will be empty apart from a couple of pairs of shoes 

Onebrokelady

So far I’ve decluttered 
A bag of My Little Ponies
A bag of Trolls
A Guitar 
DD1  took her puzzles 
Lots of bags of old school work 
All the paperwork and folders ( three bags full ) and my complete NVQ IN HEALTHCARE in the recycling bin , that was particularly satisfying 😀 I wanted to burn it on a big bonfire because it caused me so much stress at the time and was actually a complete waste of my time, it been sitting in my loft since 2007 but I felt bad and recycled it instead 😀
There are three people supposedly coming to collect two bags of things tomorrow and a set of children’s books so that’s all the bits that were in my built wardrobe and some bits from the loft. The bookcase is still here because I’m waiting to see if DD1 wants it for her boys bedroom but if not I will list that next then I have a small side table to be listed and a coffee table that DD2 bought for her flat but then left behind because she went off it🙄 

The end of last week I wasn’t feeling so good so didn’t do much at all. I stayed at DD2s all over the bank holiday weekend becasueci was babysitting the cat while she was away and it did solidify that I need some sort of outside space when I move out of this house. By Monday morning I was climbing the walls and was so excited to get home I got up at 7am ( I am not a morning person ) I did go for a little walk which was nice but not the same as being able to just step out the back door. Me and the kitten had fun though so that was good 😀 I did sleep for most of the day on the Sunday as I was exhausted.

Monday was spent in the garden pottering around weeding and tidying the areas further away from the house that I haven’t touched for over a year, I can now get all the way up the garden path without risking breaking my neck on trailing ivy, fallen branches and general mess.

Tuesday I went to visit my mum who still isn’t feeling too good after having her Covid jab ☹️ she also has a nasty sore patch on her shin that I told her she needs to get looked at. I offered to phone the gp to see if a nurse could come out but she said she would wait and see how it goes. I can’t force her to do these things and have made peace with the fact that she probably won’t get it looked at and that it’s her decision to make. My sister has got her to sign a codicil to remove me as an executor of both wills despite me saying I was filling out the paperwork so she clearly doesn’t trust me 😀 I still need to remove myself as LPA but like I said to mum I’ve been a bit preoccupied with being ill 🙄 I was so tired yesterday I didn’t know what to do with myself.

Today I have been at home all day and have felt a bit more energetic so I’ve got lots of house things done and loads of washing dried outside  ( luckily it all dried before my washing line snapped ) so I’m all up to date. I have had three breakages this week including the washing line. My toaster has stopped working and my favourite glass dish that I use for crumbles or cottage lie slipped off the hob and smashed, it was a Pyrex dish so I’m surprised it broke but I’m very sad because I’d had it for years and it was just the right size .

Tomorrow is coffee date with my friend then I might do some more bits in the garden, it’s painfully slow going but I’m getting the jobs done in small increments. I take a seat pad along so I can sit down every ten minutes and I have lots of tea and biscuits plus my bottle of water. It’s a bit frustrating but I’m learning to appreciate the small things that I can do and just go with the flow. I’ve struggled a bit this week with thinking about planning anything as I keep wondering what’s the point. I know that’s a bit self pitying but I can’t help the thoughts that I have 😀 I’m also aware that looking forward and planning is good for you no matter the circumstances you find yourself in so I will do my best to keep planning things. 

I follow a lovely lady called Vivi on YouTube and she has just made her dream move from a flat in London which was up a lot of stairs to a ground floor flat by the sea and I have been watching her move house and set up her new place , this week she was making plans for her garden and it really motivated me to make the most of what I have 😀

Cherryfudge

It's very timely that you've discovered how much you need outdoor space - I think I'm similar. So any stays at DD's need to be framed with time at your home, which is getting clearer all the time (I'm in awe!).

And sympathies on the Pyrex breakage: if ever we break one, it's always one that a good fit for something and a style they don't seem to make anymore. However, I've also discovered car boot sales can be a good source of older styles and of course modern ones are easy to get hold of so here's hoping you find a perfect replacement. Annoying about the toaster and washing line too, but at least the ivy's gone so you can't break yourself falling over it.

jwil

Well done on the decluttering!

Sun_Addict

I’d miss my outdoor space too. If you decided to move you’d probably be better off with a small house or bungalow with a small garden rather than a flat. 

I’ve bookmarked Vivi so will have a look, sounds interesting. I think it’s important to make the most of what you have. 

Onebrokelady

Cherryfudge said:

It's very timely that you've discovered how much you need outdoor space - I think I'm similar. So any stays at DD's need to be framed with time at your home, which is getting clearer all the time (I'm in awe!).

And sympathies on the Pyrex breakage: if ever we break one, it's always one that a good fit for something and a style they don't seem to make anymore. However, I've also discovered car boot sales can be a good source of older styles and of course modern ones are easy to get hold of so here's hoping you find a perfect replacement. Annoying about the toaster and washing line too, but at least the ivy's gone so you can't break yourself falling over it.

Yes it’s definitely made my mind up, I don’t need a massive garden a patio or balcony would do. The decluttering in doing now isn’t really making my house look any emptier because it’s all stuff that was hidden away in the loft and cupboards but my aim is still to have as many empty cupboards as possible so that when I do eventually move I won’t have loads to actually move. I sold loads of things before we moved into this house, three wardrobes went because this house has built ins so we didn’t need them. I am ruthless when it comes to clutter because I can’t stand stuff everywhere, waiting for people to come and take the stuff I have stored out has been annoying because I can see it all in bags 😀 but it’s nearly all gone now 🙂

Onebrokelady

jwil said:

Well done on the decluttering!

jwil said:

Well done on the decluttering!

Thanks I’m enjoying getting rid of everything, I think I’m in danger of getting carried away though 😀

Onebrokelady

Sun_Addict said:

I’d miss my outdoor space too. If you decided to move you’d probably be better off with a small house or bungalow with a small garden rather than a flat. 

I’ve bookmarked Vivi so will have a look, sounds interesting. I think it’s important to make the most of what you have. 

I would love a bungalow but they are so expensive here, same with houses I would be able to afford a small two bed if I bought with my daughter but it wouldn’t be as nice as her flat which is a new build so she wouldn’t want to buy it 😀 . I’ve found a couple of nice ground floor flats with gardens so it’s possible to find them, a balcony would do too