The two men who organise the tip and I are almost on first name terms, I have been so often over the past few weeks. My golden rule is to visit the tip once a day and pack at least two boxes each day. Yesterday I excelled myself by doing even better.
When we bought our Aga cooker new twenty five years ago a whole lot of baking tins came with it.
After all this time they are beginning to look a bit worse for wear, but I do want to leave them where possible, so I set to work to give them a special do.
Armed with Brillo pads, rubber gloves and plenty of hot water I was busily scrubbing the Aga cake baker at twenty minutes to eleven last night! It definitely thought it was having a birthday and is glowing this morning.
Today - our coffee morning with friends - I didn't get in until eleven o'clock but set to immediately and gathered together another car boot load for the tip - old items of farming clothing (milking smocks, woolly hats and gloves for winter milking mornings), a couple of old casserole dishes, a couple of roasting tins I no longer want and two outside folding chairs long past their sell-by date.)
Each load taken brings about a kind of cleansing.
It is very hot here but luckily there is a cooling breeze blowing, so on the way back Tess and I did our lane walk. Now we are home; we have both had a drink and after one more cup of tea I shall do my next job - pack and label a couple more boxes. The job is endless but I am clearing out such a lot of things I no longer want - the charity shop is taking it happily - and one day it will all be finished. Won't it?
There is something rewarding about a good clearout.
ReplyDeleteOne day my house will be finished... won't it? I can commiserate Pat..... hang in there... there will be an end.... HugsS! deb
ReplyDeleteIt only seems endless; it will actually be completed at some point! Please take a photo of your sparkling Aga to show you readers.
ReplyDeleteYes, it will suddenly come to an end and you will feel satisfied with yourself.
ReplyDeleteYou might even return to the charity shop and buy back some item that you didn't mean to part with and won't that be fun :-)
ReplyDeleteSometimes a good scrub is good for the soul, I take my aggressions out that way at times
ReplyDelete
ReplyDeletePat, you put me to shame. I've an old Hoover you might take to the tip for me ;)
It will!
ReplyDeleteI really need to do the same thing.
It is the only way to get through and you will. When we last moved and it was a downsize we hadnt reckoned on the removal firm taking everything that could be moved to or new abode. We still have a garage full of stuff - rolls of wire netting are outside - and had to spend some time and effort in taking back to the new owners things we had agreed would be left. So make sure you have labels saying LEAVE or you might find them trying to refit the Aga.
ReplyDeleteYou sound as if you have more energy than I do!
ReplyDeleteYes, the clearing out will come to an end! We are doing a similar thing here ~ 33 years of accumulated "stuff" to sort through, in anticipation of our moving to Orkney next year. We've taken so many bags and boxes to our local Sue Ryder charity shop that the staff now know our name and postcode LOL But, we are beginning to see the light at the end of the tunnel thank goodness!
ReplyDeleteWho were you in a previous life? Superwoman?
ReplyDeleteThe next time I move, I'd quite like to put my toothbrush and a clean pair of knickers in my pocket - and put a match to all the rest. Seriously.
ReplyDeleteSharon - Moving to Orkney sounds wonderful however much stuff there is to sort out.
ReplyDeleteI tried to visit your site but found it too difficult.
Heron - my son rushed to the charity shop when he found that I had given a book on Sartre, written by Simone de Beauvoir. He bought it back but quickly found he couldn't wade through it either!
Well done with being so organized and working so hard. Preparing to move is never easy. It sounds like you are on top of it though and some people will be benefitting from what you have delivered to the Charity shop. Our tip is the sort that doesn't recycle ANYTHING (apart from garden waste which it turns into compost). The one at Brecon will sell useful things to interested parties and an enterprising person sells upcycled furniture from there at the Antiques place at Trecastle.
ReplyDeleteWe had a big clear out of things which weren't moving, stock-wise, this week so have some money to pay bills and also some to reinvest in more stock on Monday, when it will be Malvern Fleamarket again.
Don't overdo things.
Yes it will - most definitely. I so enjoyed my nice tidy house and cupboards when I had my clear out, but now I am making the house look awful again with half empty rooms cluttered with stacked up boxes. It will all be worth the effort, I keep telling myself. I have been quite ruthless and just hope that I have not misjudged things and there will not have to be another clearing out session after I have moved! I keep thinking of my mother's aunt who, after she had moved to a small bungalow, announced proudly 'I've got it all in dear'!
ReplyDeleteYes, it will get better. I have moved twice after my divorce and the idea of more boxes was just too much.
ReplyDeleteI am trying to clear out more also but my studio is always overflowing.
cheers, parsnip
You are doing so well! I absolutely love cleaning and clearing out things, and really would like to see some before/after pictures.
ReplyDeleteTo what Wanda said. This is more or less what I did.
ReplyDeleteI know the dump master here too. In fact he's become a friend outside that context.
ReplyDeleteAfter my people died I single-handedly had the task of dealing with their home. It was a nightmare; I sympathise!
ReplyDeleteSure it will, but if your motives wane, try reading 'The Art of Decluttering.' It's a quick, famous book, and its author is a little whacky but amazing! :)
ReplyDeleteI shall certainly look for 'The Art of deCluttering' - it sounds to be just what I need. I do always seem to keep a lot of 'stuff' and really intend to not do so next time - because that will leave it for my son to sort out after I have gone.
ReplyDeleteBlimey Pat, as admirable as your long and hard working day was, do you not think that you may be at risk of over doing it at your age. I also think that Wanda has the best idea.
ReplyDeleteSo busy, take it easy now and then. As much as I think a clear out is a good thing, there will be times in the future when you will regret something! X
ReplyDeleteIt's hard work but you will eventually get to the end of it. It's quite cathartic to get rid of clutter.
ReplyDeleteWhen I have a big cleanout I usually wonder why I ever held on to it all.
ReplyDeleteI remember sorting my mum's things after she died -she was in Hertfordshire and I was living in Canada. I was fortunate my son was able to travel with me and help. Boxes were hard to come by - we tried to pass on as many things as we could, we sold some things, donated bags and bags of things to any charity shop that would pick up. However, through it all was the rawness of grieving my special mum's death. So as I read your words I do send you good wishes as you go through this huge transition.
ReplyDeleteI wish I lived nearer, I would give you a hand. Having cleared and sorted the family home after my dad died, then clearing away my mum's old flat, I know what an onerous task it can be. Sending my love and best wishes, you might not know this but you are an inspiration to your readers.
ReplyDeleteAfter my father died, my mother was in no fit shape to deal with any of his things, so much of it remained where it was (he had a large garage with a staggering amount of tools and supplies). When my mother had to move to a senior's home, it was mostly down to myself and my sister to clear out the house, father's stuff included. My mother rarely threw anything away. I did not live close by and that entire summer was spent driving many times, three hours round trip, to accomplish the task. What you are doing now, Pat, is a gift to those who love you! -Jenn
ReplyDeleteThere is something quite pleasing in getting rid of unwanted items, as I know from downsizing. If you registered for gift aid there is an extra pleasure when you receive notice of how much has been made in sales.
ReplyDeleteIt's a bit late - you probably have them gleaming by now, but I discovered, by accident, that putting gunked-up oven racks into a bath (yes, our bath!) with a strong solution of ordinary laundry washing powder and very hot water and going away and leaving them works miracle. I come back and the burnt on stuff just falls off. It sounds as if you are making great progress.... do have the odd day off, won't you!
ReplyDeleteTravel light, that's the best way x
ReplyDeleteYes, of course it will be finished. And what a splendid job you're doing Pat. You really inspire me. Sometimes I think about leaving this house, and the thoughts of moving into space with no room for the looms, the garden, the piano leave me in despair, but eventually it comes to all of us and I tell myself that the simplicity of life that would result would be quite worth it. Just not quite yet.....
ReplyDeleteDear Pat, after weeks of being a very lazy blogger, today I have been treating myself to catching up with favorite blogs.
ReplyDeleteMay I once again tell you how much I admire your writing. As I read what you'd been writing over these days, I had the sense that you were actually talking with me as we sat at a table with a cup or coffee, and perhaps some cake, too.
Your posts about the rabbit families, about the massage, about cleaning the AGA, about walking down the Lane, about the trips to the tip...each of them are marvelous. I think you are a remarkable woman, and I promise to be back soon for another visit. (I might even have tried sea bass fillets by then.) xo
You will come to the end of it soon.
ReplyDeleteWhen my dad died we had to set to and clear-out his garage, stuffed to the rafters ... literally ... with all his 'treasures'. It took us two days of careful sorting, because there were good things in amongst all the junk, filled a large skip, meant numerous trips to the tip for my brother in his car and filled our car over and over with car bootable brand new tools and accessories for tools. But eventually just when we were all on the point of exhaustion there it was ...the floor!!
A quick sweep out, and then when we all stepped out for the final time to close the door all that was left were some needed gardening tools and a storage cupboard. The sense of achievement made it all worthwhile.
"Won't it?"...Maybe not. Perhaps that is what the afterlife will be like. Endless trips to the tip and the charity shop - never reaching the point where all is done. Even so I applaud your energy and your determination Mrs Weaver. As I am sure you often said to your Wolverhampton pupils - "Keep it up! You're doing a grand job."
ReplyDeleteIt will be finished soon and you will feel lighter for it. Also, a lot of people will benefit from your generosity.
ReplyDeleteYou ok? Gone quiet.
ReplyDeleteIt will be finished..and then you will feel a bit more organized!
ReplyDeleteLinda
Just realized you hadn't posted in 5 days... hope all is fine..........deb
ReplyDeleteIf you have got a day to spare, want to explore the roads of New Zealand, then treat yourself to Redline Run Car Rally adventure. All you need is a car and a road map, then off you go around the roads. Celebrate and party with people.
ReplyDeletethank you very much ..
ReplyDeleteالموقع الأول