Wednesday 7 July 2010

De-cluttering . . .

I overdid it with the painting this morning, as I had to tackle the ceiling in the Utility room(s) - one bit leads into another bit and they are as much bung-it places as a Utility. Not smart or anything - they're just THERE! Anyway, my old neck problem flared up and beause I had compressed something with the looking up and putting my arm up to paint, I got a stonking tension headache. I had to decamp to the other junk room, where I have now cleared, tidied and put away in good order what SHOULD be in the stationary cupboard . . .

In the course of my sorting, I came across all sorts of stuff I'd ever forgotten we had kept. Old letters from penpals (binned); old photographs of my kids taken about 12 years ago (D looked about 8 and so wee!) I found his Pokemon-training certificate (!!!) and just about every Easter and Christmas card they'd ever made at Junior school, and school projects (What I did in the Holidays) and the many drawings T had made of ladies in beautiful period ball gowns . . . (All kept). Somewhere in my sentimental box, I have a letter to Santa from one of my girls, imploring him not to give her sister anything for Christmas as she was being HORRID!!

I found the coloured paper that they used to make collages with; the pencil case made in DT using some flash computer-sewing-machine imagery for the motif; the top of a spear that my OH made for D; the crabbing lines we used to use on holiday; brochures for all sorts of historical attractions we'd planned to visit - many of them from our Scottish holidays back in the 90s.

I gave up about 3 o'clock as I was so weary and achey. Working double time yesterday didn't help as I spent 6 hours preparing fruit for cooking for the freezer, plus getting the peppers thinly sliced. I got 20 peppers (red or yellow) for £1; box of (7 lbs) small peaches (£1) and 2 boxes (11 pounds) of apricots (£2) as they needed using up FAST, and the freezer is now bulging, but gosh, preparing all that took forever.



I even polished up a battered old Victorian brass jam pan, and planted it up with two reduced potted flowers from T*sco . . .



Yesterday was also when our son returned from Denmark, where he'd gone to the Roskilde Music Festival with a couple of mates. He came home browner, leaner and more bearded than when he left . . .

12 comments:

  1. Oh that word strikes terror in my heart....

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  2. BB your son is a hottie,omg dont tell him a nearly 40yr thinks that,he will be mortified,seriously though hes a lovely looking lad,you must be sooooo proud of him x x xx x
    psst I think theres a teeny resemblance of Mark Owen from Take That as well,but again he might not think thats very cool sigh lol!!!!!
    GTM xxxx x

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  3. Nice looking young man!
    Also wonderful looking preserves and such, but, oh my, it does take time to prepare.
    We've had another glut of cucumbers after I had declared NO MORE PICKLES--I have to turn them into something or can't get around the kitchen counters.
    Necks and shoulders which hurt from too much painting and cranking to work overhead--utterly miserable. I know it all "wants done" but you are working yourself into exhaustion. It takes many weeks to recover from such household refurbishing and upheaval. [Trust me, I know this!]

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  4. MM - how right you are, but I still have to work, work, work because folk will come viewing shortly (we hope!) and that blardy woman last week upset me with what she said (will e-mail you about it). I stopped work at 3 today, so that was a half day . . .

    GTM - he's not bad is he?!! He's a good lad too, not just a pretty face : )

    Kath- you can do it. If I can, then you can. It's very liberating!

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  5. great work and so delecious fruit pics

    regards

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  6. seema gupta - usually I turn surplus fruit into jam, but this time it's in the freezer for pies
    : )

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  7. wow! You have been working hard. I always get a bad neck and headaches after painting ceilings - the result of a long ago neck injury.

    Isn't it amazing what you store away? So many memories in your cupboards..

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  8. Good looking son! Just tell him he's safe. I'm 72! The fruit looks good too.

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  9. Those peaches look delicious, we need them in Essex 31 degrees and getting hotter...Your son looks lovely and now you have another pair of hands to help ;)

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  10. 31 degrees Thelma? I'd be melting - i am so glad we have thick walls which keep this house cool in the summer. Oh would love temps like that though!

    Chris J - : ) One of the houses we viewed last month belonged to a lady of 84, and we were amused to find she had a calendar of George Clooney in her kitchen!!!

    Sharie - I have been very good and thrown lots of genuine rubbish away, but stuff the children made when they were little has all gone in a special folder.

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  11. Handsome son you have there! The peaches look delicious and how glad you'll be there in the freezer. I also love the hours spent when I find some long forgotten treasure to read and remember...

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  12. Love the flowers in the jam pan, and your son, yes he looks like he just got back from a music fest...I remember the days :-)

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