I got up earlier today as I wanted to slow roast the pork so that we could have dinner at lunchtime. Whilst cooking on a Sunday morning, I like to potter around in the kitchen/dining room and my plan was to clear the stuff by the back door and then come up with a system to prevent it building up again.

Clutter traps around the house

The problem I have is that the back door is where everything goes when it’s on its way out, whether that’s the recycling bins or the garage. It’s too easy to dump it there and it’s become a clutter trap. I’ve written about this before and actually cleared it all and then it crept back. I must look back at my posts from last year to see if I have any tips for myself 😃.

I used to fill the utility room with the same kind of stuff; however, since having it decorated last December, I’ve managed to keep it really tidy which is progress in itself and now at least it’s only in one area instead of two. By the back door is the best place anyway as it’s staring at me and annoying me every day. It’s also easy to get out there to the recycling bins, which brings me to my next point…

Tidying up the garden

After Sunday lunch, I was tempted to sit outside for five minutes as the sun was shining. It was only about six degrees centigrade but there was no breeze and the sun felt just about warm enough to be comfortable without a coat (I had a jumper on and a couple of layers underneath).

I then brought out all the rubbish and recycling that I’d collected from around the house and by the back door. I spent a bit of time tidying up the area where the bins are, picking up the rubbish that had blown about the garden during the week and giving the paths a quick sweep.

It was lovely being outside even though it was a bit cold. I then put a couple of things in the garage and I spotted a bucket of gardening stuff which motivated me into doing a bit of weeding.

I’ve been longing to pull out some of the weeds from the pots and one of the flower beds and it was very satisfying. I also quickly chopped down a couple of the shrubs and pulled off some dead twigs and branches.

Shredding at the end of the day

Now I’m at the end of the day, I can confess that I didn’t finish the area by the back door, mainly because I was tempted to get outside. As soon as the sun disappeared though I was back in sorting and shredding.

I need to get to bed a bit earlier tonight as I’m back to doing the school run in the morning for the first time since before Christmas. That’s going to be a bit of a shock to the system!

Hope you’ve all had an enjoyable weekend.

Until next time…

Sandra