Wednesday 19 June 2013

Clara Clutterbuck.

When I was a child I had to keep my things tidy.   We were not well off and so I never remember  a surfeit of things around - my parents only bought what was necessary and Christmas and Birthday presents tended towards the useful.  But birthdays always included and cake and a party for my friends - jelly, evaporated milk, tinned fruit, sandwiches and a cake - and I never felt deprived and always felt loved.   Not like these days when everyone seems to have everything in the way of gadgets, children seem to have all the latest toys, clothes bulge from wardrobes.

But a survey today (admittedly of only one thousand people) suggests that we really are hoarders.   Top of the list comes unneeded paperwork - bank statements, old receipts,and next comes old mobile phone chargers.

I read through the list - do I hoard things or do I still follow my mother's maxim - if you don't need it, throw it away or give it away?  Any untidyness in my room always resulted in my mother calling me 'Clara Clutterbuck' and insisting that I go and tidy the room immediately.

On the whole I think I resist the urge to hoard.   I find it hard to throw away - or take to the charity shop - books.   The easiest option is for me to buy another bookcase.  My wardrobe is pretty full but I do wear the clothes in it and once I have gone a year without wearing something I have it dry cleaned and take it to the charity shop.   As for unwanted gifts (another thing on the list of things hoarded) - we have a village coffee morning on the first Saturday in the month and they are always on the look-out for raffle prizes - a jolly good way of getting rid of boxes of chocs you really don't want to eat, toiletries with a perfume you really don't like, bottles of wine when you no longer drink red wine and similar things.

As I said in a post the other day, the farmer neither wants nor needs anything for his birthday tomorrow so you can imagine that he has absolutely nothing lying around the place.   Mind you - go down to his shed and it is an entirely different story.   His bench has fifty years worth of bits and pieces that 'might come in useful one day',   The annoying thing is that often they do just that.   How he finds them in the general jumble I don't know but he can lay his hands on the smallest nail if necessary.   You can tell what his bench looks like in that one year a robin nested among the things on the bench and he told me to tiptoe in and look at the nest and I couldn't see it!

I have just remembered something that I do have a stash of - jigsaw puzzles.   Last month I gave away a dozen to a charity for a car boot sale - only another fifty or so to go (then I shall have to clean out under the stairs.)

14 comments:

Heather said...

My husband is the same and has even been known to return from the tip with some item too good to have been thrown away! I hang on to clothes in case I can't find any new ones to fit me but do get a ruthless urge to de-clutter every so often, then the charity shops benefit and I have a tidier house for a while. Books are always hardest to part with and as soon as I have created some space I fill it again.

angryparsnip said...

I am at an age when I really don't need or even want anything. I have moved twice in the last few years and I got rid of lots of stuff that I didn't need. The bigger the house the more rooms to fill and clean !

I don't have much stuff in my home, what I have I love but I don't have any place for extras. Except books !
The items I have a hard time parting with is much of my children's art (?) books and toys. They are ruthless but me, not so much.

cheers, parsnip

John Going Gently said...

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/1903-PORTRAIT-MILLICENT-CLARA-CLUTTERBUCK-WEARING-FUR-COAT-HAT-BRIDGWATER-/111067093845

Bovey Belle said...

My husband would be with your husband on this one - keep it and you will eventually need it. Get rid of it, and you will need it much sooner!!! And this has come to pass several times (usually when I am the guilty party and had a clear out of HIS rubbish).

Books are definitely the hardest thing to part with - I had SO few when I was 9 or under, but then relatives found out how much I adored books and after that Christmas was a magic time.

I have fabric and wool stashes too . . . but sometimes I go through them and have a sort out. Sometimes . . .

Terry and Linda said...

Terry is the same way..his sheds are a hodge podge of this and that and everything...but if I move it he knows.

Happy Birthday to your Husband!!!

Linda
http://coloradofarmlife.wordpress.com
¸.•°❤❤⊱彡

Cloudia said...

Lucky we were raised to value life's objects, not just churn through them. A pleasant chat. Thanks


Aloha

jill said...

I am a terrible hoarder, my hubby would tell you of the stash of things I have he is always moaning to me about my pile of magazines, but as I tell him they cost me a lot of money and I'm not ready to part with them yet. He has his stuff in the cellar that I don't moan about and he is like your hubby he can lay his hands on anything down there, but so can I up here !!!! Have fun with you puzzles Pat, love Jill xx

Robin Mac said...

My husband is a hoarder too, he has so much in his workshop that our younger son says when we are gone, he will put up a sale saying 'Garage Sale, just come ant take it, no need to pay!' I am fairly ruthless with everything apart from books, I hate giving any of them away. They were our prized possessions as children - always a new book for Christmas and birthdays. Like you, we didn't have much bought stuff for presents, but we didn't miss that at all, I don't ever remember feeling deprived. Cheers

Elizabeth said...

Having too many things seems to be a problem of our age. There are even people in the US who will come to your house and help you 'de-clutter'.
A rather fun job, I think.
I'm pretty fierce at 'editing' stuff - however, yesterday I found 4 super concrete planters being thrown away on the street and have hauled 2 home and have to get the other two today. They will go on the roof for the herb garden.
Love getting stuff/love getting rid of it!

Em Parkinson said...

My Grandmother called me that too! Have just followed John's link to that fabulous photo. I;m a TERRIBLE hoarder of paperwork, bred of fear authority I guess.

Molly said...

Hello Weaver (Pat) thank you for visiting my blog. I actually do read your blog by clicking on your comments on John (the chickens) and Tom (from Bath) sites. I'm a lapsed 'Purple Coo' member too - I have a thought you may have belonged to 'Purple Coo' too - so small world. Your Farmer sounds just like my O/H - they could make a television programme on what he's got in his shed. My big disease is collecting margarine tubs and cartons - always with gardening in mind and then I have to have an almighty purge and throw them in the recycle bin as I'll never ever use them all.

Crafty Green Poet said...

I don't hoard, but i do have a lot of books and craft materials, so some people might think I do hoard...

The Weaver of Grass said...

Seems that we are split equally between the hoarders and the non-hoarders. Thanks for leaving a comment.

ArtPropelled said...

I seem to be drawn to posts about decluttering..... or maybe I'm just more aware since my big clean out. I was a hoarder up until a few weeks ago.... and hoping I won't slip back into bad habits.