2026 DECLUTTERING CAMPAIGN Mrs SD - our Year of Redistribution

Florenceem

I went to watch the film and stayed for a fish & chip lunch. I had 2 women come up to me and ask how I am doing - I say okay or fine as they don't want to hear anything else. I don't want people to come up to me and ask - I won't tell them the truth - I am heart broken.

On the way to the hall I met a friend who lost her husband 18 years ago - she understands.

I had a woman say to me today - I understand how you are feeling - I lost my mum & dad. I said - no you don't - losing parents is not the same. I have lost both my parents and it is nothing like losing your husband.

I don't go to that corps because that is the sort of thing I will hear as they knew Mr F. When I go to my bestie's corps - they ask how I am but they didn't know Mr F - it feels different.

This is the first holiday since losing my Mr F.

I know why I am feeling so bad at the moment - it is Mr F's Birthday next Saturday.

BlueJ94

I think ive got a cold coming along.. maybe overworked myself from all the decluttering 😴😂 im back in work on Tuesday now so a nice two days off!

Dizzycap

@ Florenceem - I always found it very difficult when people asked how was I. I ended up keep bursting into tears as 'knowbody knows until it happens to them'. Everyone's grief is totally unique to them and no one knows how they will physically and mentally react to the passing of a long term spouse until it actually happens to them. I was always independant and my husband made sure I could do everything, just in case. I totally went off the rails after his passing and 14 years on and I still can't believe or accept he's no longer here as I too am totally & utterly heartbroken (((((BIG HUGS to you Florenceem xxx))))).

Very strange day with the weather completely turning and now with a very cold wind. No wonder people are getting colds at the moment 🤨. I've now caught up on everything 😋🤗 - a pile of mail decluttered, empty cardboard boxes broken down and in the recyling wheelie bin ready for next Saturdays collection. Babyface has has been out in the doggie trolly this morning as I had a letter to post. She decided to go through the counter hatch parading in front of the post master; much to their amuzement with her new Easter white bunny 😂🤣. She's very tired today, so it's total rest for her along with some good quality small portions of homemade food often in between toilet breaks and sleep 😘 - It's that PJ weekend feeling 😂🤣.

It's nice to have a little time to catch up on a few posts and also post which is certainly making me feel less isolated than I have been for the past month 😕. 24/7 babyface care has taken its toll on me certainly with physically pain, but I'm slowly catching up on a couple hours of sleep when I can, which is really helping me keep sane and reduce my pain a little😅.

Now sitting here with a lovely large mug of coffee wondering what I need to do next. Empty the HH bins, PJ's on, give the kitchen a clean over, hoover again, and relax with yet more coffee, I think 😁😜🤗. This is the first day in over a month I've not got a single item to put in the washing machine, yet! I've also got to think about decluttering an Easter egg or two at some point. There's nothing worse than space being cluttered up with Cad*ury's chocolate and Starb*cks coffee 😂🤣.

Off to be productive again & to get another nice coffee - tiddly pops for now xxxxx

P.S I did finish my Christmas angel and pigeon dove; which is safely packed away ready for 8 months time, but never posted any pics, so here we are complete with loads of stuff in the background which now removed and decluttered from my small box room 😝😜

Brie

@Florenceem

I know why I am feeling so bad at the moment - it is Mr F's Birthday next Saturday.

Occasions are always painful, especially the first ones. I'm hoping you will make a nice birthday cake and then maybe give it to someone else to enjoy. Whether it's family or a neighbour or someone at your meeting house. Just a thought……

Moorviews

Mrs SD - thank you so much for my medal 🙏

Vulpix - sounds like a lovely social weekend in the new house. Thank you for relating about the clothes. I think some new would help me mentally but I find it hard to find things that I like and that fit. I am not standard for the High Street and endless scrolling of websites is just not enjoyable. I would sew but I now have a relative staying here and have lost some of my space because of this. Hopefully I can find some energy to get moving on it all. I am glad that you are making progress with your health now.

Dizzycap - your garden is very pretty 😍 I am looking forward to swan watch again! So pleased that Babyface is on the mend now.

Brie and BlueJ94 - I hope you both feel better soon 💐💐

Deb4 - well done for being so hardy as to be able to stand outside and watch Forest training! My washing would not still be in the garden if I had pegged it out today. Seriously strong gusts and a constant blow!

Florenceem - your bestie's corps sounds far more sensitive to your feelings and needs at the moment. You will be in my thoughts and prayers xx

Lots of great decluttering taking place on the thread! Well done everyone and thank you for all the inspiration 👏👏

I can’t say I have done much but gently potter and tidy around today. I am looking forward to hanging my very old decorated eggs on my vase of blossom branches tomorrow.

Wishing you all a very Happy Easter 🐣

Moorviews

Dizzycap - you are so talented. I love that angel 😇 Such wonderful understanding words too for Florenceem. Hugs to you and I hope you can take care of yourself as well as you do Babyface xx

mehefin

@Florenceem Don't know if this has been suggested to you and I apologise if I am repeating something which has already been said. But check out the widowed collective website where you will come across many kindred souls who are in this club that none of us want to join. Lots of good advice and support .I have found it very good and a great help in dealing with my loss.

@Brie I think your idea of making and giving a cake is brilliant - Since I lost Mrs M I regularly do this. God bless

Mehefin

dND

Oh my goodness, time flies,10 pages since my last post!! Happy Easter everyone. 🐰🐥

@Mrs_Salad_Dodger Thankyou for my ⭐and DS1 and DDil1 say thankyou too for theirs. Gino loves the medal and has run off with it and hidden it somewhere. 😁

The laminate is looking lovely @Florenceem. @vulpix I flit too 🦋 If I don't 'feel' the task then it takes forever as my brain is elsewhere, hence overdoing it when the mood takes me to do a job. @Dizzycap I'm so glad Babyface is so much better, Our pets are so important to us; they are family. Love your garden and your craft work is amazing, I am in awe.

@BlueJ94 A bit late to the party but I have 2 sets of bedding for each bed to allow drying time. I got rid of my tumble dryer 20 years ago. Towels work on the same principle for each person in the house plus a guest set. As my children now fall into the guest category I have towels to donate. I have in each set a bath sheet and a hand towel. I use that hand towel only for my face and have currently 4 other hand towels used as hand drying towels in the toilet/bathroom. I have some towels as hand towels in the kitchen. Once I have space to dig out my sewing machine I will be making smaller kitchen towels that are only used for a day.

Like Mr SD I decided to renew my passport, so money decluttered here. I'm borderline for it being a saving but it's getting close to the 6 month level too and although I have no holidays planned I'm sure if I decided on one it would be to a place that needs more than 6 months left on the passport. So this morning there was an early trip to Asd* as I don't really do crowds these days. Passport photo taken and digital link received. I thought about doing my own photo but I don't really have a suitable background wall and the photo booth does a quick AI check so 🤞🤞 it should improve the chances of the photo being accepted. Old passport still needs to be sent off to start the process though.

Usual weekly rubbish went out on Friday thank goodness - heaven help the house if it didn't, it would be drowning in recycling; as I said before I'm amazed where it all comes from as I generally batch cook from scratch. But then again, there's tins of cat food with their paper labels and the junk that comes through the letterbox and loo roll inners etc., etc.. Oh yes, I finally UU some hand cream that I'd cut the end of the tube off; oh my did it last for ages after doing that, I must have been throwing so much away over the years. But the main decluttering has been in the garden again attacking yet more Spanish bluebells.

Before. I'd previously dug out loads more from under the camellia.

And after. All dug out with the hand fork after loosening the soil with the border fork. The bluebells are a bit like bindweed, they grow from the smallest piece of bulb or root and while the bulbs look bright white to begin with, they darken in the air and disappear into the soil, so slow and methodical is the only way to go. That said, I know I will be digging out again next year but hopefully there will be a lot less.

I still have individual bluebells dotted around the back garden which I will do later and I've also been back evicting bluebells from the front border while I've been enlarging it. I think I may have evicted some of my alliums last year when I just pulled up leaves as I wasn't able to get in and dig the bulbs out last year due to pain.

I nearly decluttered my Wh1ch subscription but they gave me a half price deal which I took up as I still have some major items to buy. So a 50% declutter. 🤣

I've had 2 days off as recovery days in the TLC carriage and when the weather gets better I will hopefully be able to continue outside. Recovery definitely takes a lot longer these days! I've pottered inside and made good inroads in sorting my CDs. I'm on the classical ones now, about 500+ of them and been figuring out how I would like them classified so that I can find what I want to listen too. I'm probably down to the last 100 to sort there and I know I will have duplicates to go - I worked at a local radio station and ended up with multiple copies of some discs. After that I need to listen to some of the CDs which were promotional copies and decide if I'm ever going to want to listen to them again; I got CDs from local artists and people who I'd never heard of then or since. 😁

Take care everyone - it's blowing a hoolie here tonight, thank goodness I have good earplugs. Gentle hugs to those in pain and love to you all. Dxx

florianatwobob

A productive couple of days. DSis and went for a stomp out on Good Friday and dropped some bits off for textile recycling then vegged out on the sofa with some films.

Cooked a beautiful side of salmon for tea (half price due to Nectar!) with some tarragon butter that I’d made up last year and stuck in the freezer before the tarragon plant shuffled off to be composted.

Today we posted off the old passports and then headed off to the garden centre to restock the strawberry patch and pick up some pea and courgette plants. Some beautiful dark purple irises and a small ornamental cherry also leapt into the trolley…no idea how that happened. It really was most peculiar…..

Dizzycap

@ dND - Yes, babyface is much better and is one of the most cherished members of my family. Thank you for your kind comments about my crafting out of left overs x Great going with the dig over & I LOVE the Camelia's 😍. I've got 2 bushes out in flower at the moment and I just love the different shades of red 🤩, although strangely, one decided to bud and flower pink before turning red this year; even after feeding, so that's been interesting to watch over the past couple of weeks😄😂.

Babyface woke me up for the toilet bless her, so sitting having a nice coffee just as the weather changed for the worst. High winds and rain now, although warm! 😲😫. Still, the garden needs the water & vitamins, and it'll save me an early morning watering task😅🤗. It's always the same on a bank holiday 😂. Definately no gardening until Tuesday now, other than maybe putting out my lillie pots in the top border this morning, if the weather improves, otherwise I'll put them in on Monday. The gardener will be coming sometime in the coming week when the weather is suppose to be nice again according to the weekly weather forecast, to mow the lawn and clean up a few bits, thank goodness 🤗. The gardening wheelie bin is filling up nicely at the moment as there's always a gardening job some where 😋.

Time to pop off and get another coffee and sit and listen to the wind for a while - Take care all have a lovely easter Sunday - ta-ta for now xxxxx

EDIT: The night weather calmed down and I found myself in the potting shed at 2am 😂.Found a whole load of Summer bulbs and managed to pot up the whole lot and water within an hour. Potted lillies carefully placed in the top border with maximum sunshine and watered, so all the gardening jobs completed for the day by 3am - I've also managed to have a shower and put clean PJ's on and I certainly feel much better for it 😋🤗. If I'm not going to sleep, I might as well do some jobs around the house / garden. Now time for a coffee before I potter off to bed for a couple of hours before the alarm clock goes off at 6am 😣and the carzy morning duties begin 😂🤣. Babyface is snoring away for England at the moment, so she's having another good night 😘.