Decluttering

I don't know how my house tipped over from being a bit crowded but clean and tidy into a clutterfest that is now not very clean either. I think there's a tipping point after which it all escalates. It is full of toys that were meant for the grandchildren but the pandemic meant that they weren't here during the years when they would have played with them. I then put a lot of time and effort into my partners new house; upcycled furniture, dressed it etc. Then my mobility got much worse. And I reached a stage where I just looked at the mess and decided to just sit on the sofa watch a box set because nobody visits me anyway. It is a slippery slope that is so easy to end up on. My ex husband berates me for the mess but when I ask him to go through his stuff [including his parents stuff] he says he doesn't have the time. And my kids say they'll just get house clearance in when I've gone. Today is the first day in ages in which it's been cool enough to do anything. But the dry weather means that both the front and back gardens are full of leaves, pine needles and now catkins as I'm surrounded by fir trees and silver birch that get trodden into the house...

My husband was a great thrower out, and I tended to keep things, but we worked well together. He would sort out a load of stuff , but I would look it over and delve into the pile, saying "that is the spare thing for the vacuum" etc., and that way we got rid of lots , but I was less anxious by checking things over. We rarely argued over bits, but he was definitely the one to suggest a clear out day.

Now a widow, with various health problems , in particular my back, (which unfortunately has to be a major concern!) but I dont know if any of you find yourself in my situation.

Cant decide whether it is just life, or might be my bloody mindedness, but I can be having a good physical day , but not at all in the mood to sort things out. Alternatively I can be really struggling and creaking round and see much that needs sorting, but not a cat in hells chance of doing anything.!! (Now is that because I know full well that I cant actually do it at that time?)

The best I manage is on days I see what wants doing but cant, I write in large letters on my list of to do jobs. Then I have two forms of getting something done. Either I begrudgingly make the effort to do just one of the many jobs, on a better day, or on the day you look out and it is pouring with rain, absolutely miserable (oh when will that be I ask myself?!!)it can galvanise me to get stuck in and the day will be brightened by my halo shining for having done it!!

I have moved many times both here and abroad, and of course every time , swear that I wont let it get so bad again, but somehow things seem to creep in! Some of it stems from being brought up with parents who had lived through the war, and so not only was it waste not want not, but keeping not just one spare thing, but more if you were able to get it.

Well I did manage to go down from a 3 bedroom house to a flat, so I shall have to hope, on a cooler day, for the impetus to do things to meet the physical ability to do something!!

I've got boxes full of legging with labels on like long v tight, short ok bit worn, 3/4 ok for gardening. Having lost weight though I've got to re label them.And I've been wearing clothes this past week that I haven't worn for years such as bikini tops [I never leave the house and garden so can wear stuff like that]; unfortunately the elastic has gone on the bikini bottoms but that doesn't matter as I 'm wearing cotton pyjama bottoms because they're loose and cool. My best bras no longer fit because of the weight loss so I'll have to go to M&S although a bra I nearly threw away now fits me. And I'll probably put the weight back on anyway.

I do.
I saw it in Brian yestrrday.

I started a box, full of anything that "sticks things".

Do you have any gaffer tape? When my husband left someone gave me some gaffer tape saying ‘you’ll be needing this’. Part of my fridge is held together with it.

In other news, I've broken the perspex drawer iny fridge freezer.
Decided brute force was needed, so now i need to find some superglue.
Now, where did I put it?

I've spent the last 18 months gping to and fro to the hospitsl, (more problems, but different ones. I don't want myself today)
Right, enough moaning.
Sorry to go on.

It could be,I don't know.
I am taking anastrozole, which is making me itch, so I've been taking an antihistamine. (Which doesn't seem to be working!) but the pain is just awful.
I don't know whats causing that.

Just spent an hour searching for my hand held vacuum which I really need. How can I lose something that big? Could you phone 111 Miss A ? They could give advice and possibly arrange an appointment with your doctor...

MissAdventure Do you think it could be peripheral neuropathy in yout feet often linked with cancer treatment and cancer treatment drugs? Did you have a clinical nurse at the hospital you could contact and ask for advice. Perhaps send the picture. Or send it to the GP.

MissA - hope your foot gets sorted out soon.

Someone who had to go up into our loft about a year ago[before I had started to tackle it properly] said to his coleague[I had prewarned the man], said "the loft is "busy"!

Maw that's a huge amount to get done!
I dread anyone needing to go in my cupboards for anything; i know they will have seen worse, but the embarrassment would stay with me for weeks!

Boiler engineers had to go into the airing cupboard to check the cylinder to my huge shame at the state of it.
So when they went I emptied the airing cupboard and have filled 2 tall bin bags with old towels, bath and pedestal mats (who uses them these days?) and old flannels.
Everything I intend keeping is sorted and laid out in piles on spare double bed and will go back NEATLY tomorrow morning.
I can hardly believe we had so many towels!

No, if you walk, however painfully, you're expected to get to the surgery.
I'm not sure what's causing my feet trouble, anyway.
I really don't want to have to go to the surgery, but they're getting worse.
Itchy, but painful, as if they're being run over by a car.

Oh no MissA

I expect you don`t even have a district nurse to make you comfortable. Someone kind to tenderly bathe your poor feet

https://signal-corridor.live/uploads/talk/202607/medium-5bn9vh-20260714-174121.jpg%3C/span%3E https://signal-corridor.live/uploads/talk/202607/medium-bvlye4-20260714-174542.jpg%3C/span%3E

Look!'

Well, better done than not, so I'd say it counts

My feet are so painful today, I need to rest them, I'm sure.

Spent ages cleaning all of the dog hair out of the condenser in my tumble dryer. Bot sure if that counts as decluttering.

Ah, I've got those in my kitchen; I've had them for years, and last week, for the first time, one fell down!
I think it's the heat.
I'm not sure they're strong enough to hold all my clutter bags, though.

I've done nothing clutter wise today.

I keep nodding off!

MissAdventure

I'm planning to bang some nails on the wall inside Brian.
Not exactly the polished, sophisticated look I want inside my cupboard, but at least I'll be able to hang some stuff up, so it doesn't take up floor room.
As it is, I've boxes of stuff, which simply doesn't all need to be in boxes.

Anyway, it's an evolving situation, so putting up something like shelving may not suit as I clear and tidy.

At least i can pull out nails, a blob of filler, and the job's a goodun.

MissA
These stick on hooks are brilliant. They stick like the proverbial to a blanket. 😂

www.ebay.co.uk/itm/335044277146?var=544270441753

The recent deaths in the news, two people at 78, same age as me. I think that is what incentivised me. I Last time I `sorted` the fabric stash was four years ago and truly it was only tidied and I did not wear the Marie Kindo hat then

I have taken every single item out of the many cupboards and this time if I didn`t at least like it, then it went into the ginormous heap on the landing floor. Now I have finished, bagged all of it apart from 3 little lengths that were a mistake. 6 heavy black bags of fabric lengths to put into my car later (when the neighbours have gone in, I am too tired to be caught in a chat

I will start to distribute the bags tomorrow and hope to finish by tea time.

Push the boat out and bite the bullet MissAdventure. At least agency staff will turn up. Well should turn up!

I think that's what I'm going to have to do.
I really didn't want to pay agency prices, but I can't manage without some help at the moment.
I've been saying it for around two years, now!

MissA try an agency, they can get hold of someone else if your cleaner isn`t available