It started with a cup of tea in bed, a present hunt from my girls and then a surprise breakfast of fruits and pastries. Being my birthday, I was thinking of having today off from decluttering. That was until these large boxes turned up this morning and the packaging took over the kitchen… and you know how much I can’t resist a bit of clearing up and recycling 😊.
Packaging from plants
So, here’s what was inside… My husband bought me three citrus plants (lemon, lime and orange) and a rose plant. They were beautifully packaged and dropped off by courier this morning which was a lovely surprise and totally unexpected knowing how difficult it is to order things at the moment.
The kitchen was getting out of control today but I had to focus on shopping and working before dealing with all of that. My husband came into the conservatory this afternoon whilst I was working and said ‘I like what you’ve done with this room’. It’s still far from finished but together we were trying to come up with ideas on where else we could put the gym equipment so that the room has more of a focused purpose rather than it being full of items that could be best placed elsewhere. More on that another day.
Birthday Eve
Anyway, it’s my birthday tomorrow and my husband is planning on cooking for me. I’ve been out shopping to get all the ingredients that he needs and there are more groceries arriving tomorrow. There was a lot on his list!
Later on this afternoon I asked my youngest (13) to help me completely tidy and clean the kitchen so that my husband has an empty space to cook tomorrow. I know him well and he’s probably got many courses and choices planned! He enjoys the art of cooking but struggles to work in cluttered spaces. I figured that if we give him a clear space, the rest of us won’t need to move things out of the way or find things when he’s trying to juggle the everything.
I haven’t seen my daughter this motivated in a while. She said ‘let’s do it now whilst I’m in the mood’. It was all done within no time. The before and after photos are below.
Before decluttering and cleaningAfter decluttering and cleaning
I’m enjoying my last day of being 50. All I want to do tomorrow is relax; the weather is going to be warm and sunny and I’m looking forward to sitting in the garden sipping a glass or two of something nice.
It happened so quickly… the bee flew in through the conservatory window whilst I was on a work call. I ran out of the conservatory into the garden and then into the dining room to find my net that I usually use to catch flies.
As I was about to walk back into the conservatory (still talking on the phone), I noticed that the bee 🐝 was behind one of the closed doors so I opened the door. The stuff leaning against the door fell on the glass picture frame that I’d left there and it smashed the glass.
I finished my call, sorted out the clutter behind the door and swept the glass to one-side. The frame was already broken around the outside so it wasn’t such a big deal. I managed to save the painting which was a gift. I securely wrapped up the glass and threw it away. Oh, and the bee had flown away by then.
I forgot that I’d left the window open and another one came in which I caught with the net this time. It was so busy at work today and I felt exhausted by 6.30pm.
Why is it that at that point you are faced with a messy kitchen and dinner to cook? I encouraged my daughter to help me prepare dinner and I showed her how to make mash and vegetables to go with yesterday’s left over roast beef. Being the school holidays she had a bit of time and she helped me clean up in the kitchen as well.
I also made spaghetti bolognese for whoever wanted it and there’s enough for tomorrow (that’ll give me a day off from cooking).
I still had to do some more work this evening; it was quite calming working in the conservatory with a small table lamp and listening to tranquil music. At 10pm when I eventually finished, I forgot that I hadn’t actually wheeled the bins round the back ready for the morning. It’s never-ending! Got that done quickly and sat down to relax.
I’m not sure why at my age I still jump out of my skin when I hear that buzzing from bees and wasps. Like yesterday though, the sequence of events led me to clear the clutter lurking behind the conservatory door.
Today, I was relaxing in the garden looking forward to another warm sunny day when there was a knock at the door. During non-coronavirus times this wouldn’t have seemed abnormal. It turned out that it was our window cleaner who’d come back to finish the job of fixing our guttering. He stood far away from the front door (respecting self-distancing) and apologised for not turning up last week due to the weather forecast of hailstones. I had just assumed that he was self isolating or not able to work and we would have to wait until this was all over. He did say that the only change to his job at the moment is that he can’t accept cups of tea 😞 .
He wasn’t there for long, but he did need me to move my car out of the way so that he could use his ladder. I moved it across the road. When he’d finished the job, I was about to get my car back when I noticed the driveway – something I don’t usually see when my car is on it. It needed a good sweep and there were a few weeds poking out through the bricks.
Coincidently, I had picked up a weed killer spray at the supermarket yesterday so I sprayed it on the weeds that I could see on the paths and driveway. I now need to leave it for a few days. I then took the time to sweep the driveway. It made such a difference. It’s a job I don’t think about once I walk into the house.
Since last summer, I haven’t spent much time at all removing weeds from the paths in our garden and driveway. I wasn’t even planning on doing it today but due to the chain of events, it’s another job done.
Looking at this symbolically, we could all benefit from clearing the paths ahead of us.
Update on the seedlings
I have a tiny shoot coming up in one of the trays of germanium seeds that I sowed last week. It wasn’t there this morning but when I checked later in the afternoon, it had popped up. How very exciting!
I spent hours in the garden today. Mostly lying on the sun lounger listening to audio books, meditation tracks and music. I even caught up on some reading. The warmth of the sun on my skin was so wonderful and I felt relaxed and happy.
This afternoon I got up and did a bit of gardening and spotted a job that I’ve been putting off; cleaning the bird droppings’ off my wooden swing seat. Not a nice job and this is probably one of the culprits…
A pigeon
How do I stop these pigeons resting on top of the swing seat? I have nothing against them. After all, I got this close to take a photo, plus I used to feed them seeds at London’s Trafalgar Square when I was a small child. What I’m trying to avoid is them perching on top of the swing and aiming their droppings onto the seat.
A few years ago I bought some special holographic tape and wrapped it diagonally around the perch. The reflection of the tape was supposed to stop them landing on or near it. Either the tape has lost its shine or they’ve got used to it, because it doesn’t seem to work anymore.
Cleaning the seat
I put some rubber gloves on and scrubbed the swing seat with a soap solution and hosed it down (twice). It was stuck hard. There are still a few marks but I think I did a good enough job for today. I might have another go tomorrow. Here are the before and after photos.
Before cleaning After cleaning
The weather is going to be even better tomorrow so I’m looking forward to spending a bit more time in the garden.
I had to pop out to get some food shopping today as we were out of most things. There were no eggs in the supermarket, but at least this time I was able to get rice and dishwasher salt. It’s usually a bit hit and miss what you can get, particularly if you go late in the day like me, but the store workers are doing such a great job and the shelves were pretty well stacked today. I was given instructions when I entered and I followed the black arrows keeping at least a two meter distance from others.
I hope you are all having a lovely weekend wherever you are.
Mid-March, I was trying to find a purpose for the conservatory. Who would have thought that it would end up being my office for the foreseeable future as well as a room to a relax or exercise.
Today, I sorted through some clutter over in the other corner and moved the small table and lamp next to the armchair. The good thing about all of this is that I’m using furniture and other items that we already have; I’ve not been tempted to buy anything new. I would love to have new matching furniture and new flooring one day, but right now this will do.
I still have one corner to sort out but here’s where I’ve got to so far.
I found some seeds lying around the house today that I forgot to sow when in I did the others. All the women at work received a packet on their desks on International Women’s Day on 8 March. This was the message on the back of the accompanying card.
Before sowing them, I first had to do some weeding…
Chosen area before and after weeding
… and then just like the instructions said, I lightly raked the seeds into the soil. It didn’t take long either – it was a pleasant way to spend my lunch break. That plant in the middle is actually alive; it has new shoots growing. I can’t remember what it’s called. The wildflowers should grow all around it.
By sowing these seeds today, that’s just one more item that’s not lying around the house anymore.
Rearranging the Furniture in the Conservatory
Before I dialed into a work video call this morning, I decided to reposition my desk. I needed a better background and not the clutter that’s currently behind me (i.e. the unfinished side of the conservatory). My colleagues had a view of the garden instead which made me feel a whole lot better 😊.
When I finished work this afternoon, I made a start with moving some of the furniture around to try out a more suitable layout. I didn’t quite finish as I had to stop to make dinner; however, I’m hoping to get it a bit tidier tomorrow so that I can show you all some updated photos.
It’s been 3 months since I challenged myself to declutter or improve something around the house every day. Today seems like a good day to reflect on what I’ve achieved in March, how I am feeling about the challenge in general and how I am planning to tackle things in April.
Is the house looking clearer? Mid month it took a step back, but now it’s looking clearer again. I am still moving things around when I’m decluttering, but what I am getting better at is not putting items in areas that I have already finished decluttering.
How can I get rid of more stuff? I have thrown quite a bit away over the last month. I also have bags in my car boot ready to take to the charity shop; however due to the current situation with the coronavirus pandemic, where we are all having to stay in our homes, I haven’t been able to take the bags to the charity shop (and they are closed anyway). My car boot is therefore full, so I might have to put additional ones in my garage for the time being if they start to get in the way in the house. It’s not going to stop me carrying on with my current process though.
Am I on track? Yes. I’m continuing to make small improvements daily. It actually feels natural for me to do this every day now; it’s become a habit. Being at home every day, it’s easier to spot things that need doing around the house, so I just make a note for the next day.
Am I getting buy-in from the rest of the family? I did get a bit frustrated when all of a sudden all four of us were working at home instead of going out every day. This totally changed our routine and it’s taken a few weeks for us all to find a new way of doing things. At first I felt that a lot of it would fall to me, but it’s not really been that way. My husband has cooked more, and just over a week ago both of my daughters tidied their room and desks ready to do their school work from home. It was lovely to see.
What am I going to do in April? I will definitely finish the conservatory. I’m planning on taking a couple of days off this month so I will have some focused time for decluttering and will be able to move some bigger projects forward such as the spare room. It has recently taken a back seat due to my husband working from home in there. If the weather is nice, I will probably get outside and do some weeding as well.
What’s the feedback from other family members? My daughter mentioned that the house is looking nice and tidy. I really value her feedback and trust that she’ll tell me the truth as she’s usually quick to tell me when she doesn’t like something. She’s got lots of ideas for how she can organise and design her room as well once this ‘stay at home’ period is over.
Since the conservatory was cleaned a couple of weeks ago, I haven’t really felt the benefit when looking through the windows because the insides were so dirty. So, I found some spray and a clean cloth and gave them a wipe down (not a job that gets done very much at all in this house).
It’s amazing how much brighter the whole room looked afterwards.
Adding a bit more decluttering
Whilst cleaning the windows on the other side of the conservatory, I had to move some magazines and papers out of the way, so I took the time to sort through those as well – most of which got recycled. Slowly, I’m turning this room into a much more pleasant working environment.
Hope you’ve all had a nice day and not worrying too much about the current Coronavirus pandemic. I know that I have followers all over the world so I just hope and pray that you and your families are all safe and well wherever you are.
I cannot believe that it’s April already. I have my ‘March Decluttering Reflections’ post in draft, so I will send an update to you all this evening or tomorrow.
I can see the garden every day now whilst I am working in the conservatory, so I popped out there at lunchtime today and trimmed a bit more of the hedge (that I started on the other day). I then decided to plant some seeds that I bought recently. I’ve been keeping back some plastic food trays for this very purpose (instead of recycling them). The overall plan is to add a bit of colour to the garden once the seeds germinate and bloom.
I started with the Whirlybird Mix which looked like pansies on the packet. I had no idea what to do, so had to follow the instructions. The last time I planted seeds was in my parents’ greenhouse when I was a child. The first thing I did was add compost to the tray, flatten it carefully and then sprinkle it with water. I scattered the seeds onto the compost.
Whirlybird seed mix
Next on the list was to cover the seeds with a little bit of compost. I then put some cling film over the top of the tray and placed it in a warm place… I chose the conservatory.
I also had a pack of geranium seeds that I bought online. There were only seven seeds and they were so tiny. I used a separate tray for these.
Geranium seeds
Both trays are now in the conservatory and I will check on them daily.
Waiting for the seeds to grow
I do have some other seed packets as well but I’ve saved that joy for another day.
Sandra Madeira 