2026 DECLUTTERING CAMPAIGN Mrs SD - our Year of Redistribution

_Dolly_Rocker_

Morning all,

Didn't manage to do a thing yesterday - work was absolutely crazy all day.

Should be able to get most of it done today between meetings.

_Dolly_Rocker_

Kitchen sorted. Just need to wash the floors and the counter tops.

Feel much better looking in there now especially with the sun shining in the windows.

Such a lovely day today.

florianatwobob

@vulpix it does sound very MSE doesn’t it! I’ve had a quote for £500. On one hand I’m thinking ‘’How much’ on the other cost of new bath + plumber + possible retrospective tiling and painting etc etc I can’t see a new bath coming out cheaper.

To put it in perspective too I know my bath is at least 60 years old and may be closer to 100 as the house was finished in 1929. It’s either cast iron or pressed steel and behind the panel is jacked up on bricks identical to the ones the house was built with (which are a distinct colour). The bath is also fitted right up to the brick wall and nearly built into the wall which also suggests it is original.

The wall between the bathroom and kitchen is also newer (circa 1960s) than the house so I suspect the bath was originally boarded over when not in use. To top it off I’m not convinced the bath would exit the bathroom door happily and definitely wouldn’t leave through the bathroom window (which was originally the third pane of the kitchen window!)

Florenceem

I fed the birds on my way to town then took a bag of donations to the charity shop. My friend doesn't take reference books or CDs at her shop.

I need some painkillers so got those and then bought Birthday cards at the cancer charity shop - must remember where I put them

I went in the pawnbroker/jewellers with Mil's rings - he offered to buy them for £540. One is a 19th century mourning ring containing hair. My daughter suggested taking them to another jeweller along the road who buys gold rings for a valuation. We have sent photos to the auction house woman too.

Popped to Lid. to get some shopping.

I borrowed 2 traffic cones from the roadworks and used them so bestie could park across my driveway.

Bestie turned up to collect the charity shop donations that were in my porch.

I managed to put one drawer back in the bed and filled it with fabric. I will get my J to help me with the other three tomorrow.

Put the cones out again for daughter to park.

Daughter and J called here to collect the stuff I had sorted for school.

I have 2 cones in my alley - I was given 2 to mark the wet concrete but I gave them back.

Decluttered today - brown paper, cellophane, paper packaging, tube of glitter glue x 4, 18 rolls of cello wrap, rolls of various wrapping paper, rolls of Christmas wrapping paper.

Willowtree222

Donated DD's old riding boots to her riding school in case someone forgets theres or would like them. They are too small for her and someone else might get a lot of use out of them.

Binned the boxes that the mother's day presents came in. Cleaned and tidied the kitchen and emptied the bins too

suzeesu2000

Another glorious day here today.
Have so far made a brand new petticoat out of an old sheet.
Repaired another white petticoat.
Repaired a pair of my black jeans
Cut an old duvet cover into two. One side is floral, the other side stripes, so now folded as two distinct pieces of fabric.
The pink sheet that I was going to use to make a tiered skirt is not viable. The middle third has changed colour and, against the edges, looks peachy. No worries, I will find another use for it.
Went to a shop online and got a very nice pale pink sheet for £4.99 and free postage.
Had a mushroom and cheese omelette for my dinner to use up more of the eggs. DH had freezer stash meal.
Got a slab of flaky pastry out the freezer to make some cheese and bacon thingies - that’s what they’re known as locally. Basically a square of pastry placed diagonally, centre third, point to point, covered in grated cheeks and cooked bacon then the other two pointed edges folded to meet in the centre, paint with egg and bake.
Decluttered some fabric scraps, Five bags of foods donated to food bank and a Hard cardboard packaging tube in recycling.
Frankie has had a day of chattering and zoomies. He’s got a mania at the moment for dipping everything in his water bowl so we now have a collection of soggy toys!
Hope everyone’s had a great day, sleep well. Cant believe it’s Friday tomorrow, this weeks flown by. xx

dND

@vulpix I think our brains think we are still in our 30s!!!!

Mine also refused to switch off last night so I though today might suffer but I'm really pleased that some stuff was done.
The couple of hours before knitting were taken up vacuuming and washing the first half of the dining room carpet. There was an unmistakable whiff in there the other day and with the carpet being a very heavily patterned mid-century one it was impossible to see where it was emanating from and it had probably dried while I was out. 😱 I'll move the furniture back into that half tomorrow morning and repeat the process with the second half.

Knitting was enjoyable and after coming back and a quick hour siesta I headed into the garden. The Spanish bluebells have taken over! In the front border the bulbs are over 18" down having been buried by the digger when shifting the soil around. I'm now working on the pull up as much as I can and hope it finally weakens the bulbs theory so hopefully a lot of bulbs will be decluttered tomorrow when the plan is to work on the front garden. I find I have to prep the day before so I then get up and think "oh, that needs to be finished" otherwise I wouldn't get round to starting it as I get side-tracked by everything else. Crazy, but it works for me. 🤣

As part of the front garden I have a very small area that I leave as a wild area with a mixture of native plants and some plants that I enjoy. Currently it has primroses and primulas and a native cowslip and snake's head fritillary along with a few wild strawberries putting in and appearance. Violets and camassias still to come before what would probably be termed weeds by some will take over and provide cover for wildlife over the summer. I still have to decide where the gravel pile left by the builders is to be stored!! I'm probably going to have a use for it in the back garden.

I hope you have all had a good day; hugs to those who want and love to you all. Dxx

Yorkie1

Spanish bluebells are very pretty but horrendous to get rid of. They are impervious to weedkillers!! 🤬

dND

@Yorkie1 I have a long road ahead of me. 😞 But I'm determined to have our native ones spread about the garden eventually - at present those are in the little bed I did the other month, under the acer tree which is Spanish bluebell free. All bluebell flowers will be picked and sent off in the council garden waste so that there's no hybridisation. It will stop me getting bored with nothing to do I guess. 🤣🤣 Dxx

florianatwobob

@dND i need to be ruthless with our bluebells. The ones in the front garden are completely native. In the back garden they are mostly native with a couple which are hybridised. I must tag them and lift the bulbs