Decluttering and home maintenance

@Faith-and-Hope, I much prefer the look of antiques to modern-streamlined, but have realised that there's a mismatch- antique furniture and style comes from a time when houses weren't expected to contain such a variety and quantity of posessions. Still working on trying to find the happy medium in that.

@Former-Member, our Younger Daughter last night was joking that Arrietty ("The Borrowers".... tiny people living in house walls) was coming up at night and stealing her socks. I replied "Yeah... either that or you're tossing them out in your garbage bags for Mum to find." Oh. 😛

I had a little sign for my laundry door which read “Welcome to The Land of The Disappearing Socks”.

I had a massive sock drawer in the laundry for unmatched socks (if I found a single one ina washload, it went in there until it’s partner surfaced, and it was always full. When socks couldn’t be found for school, there was often a mad scramble through there, and a mis-matched pair worn that day ..... scrunched down around the ankle to be less obvious ... lol .... and sometimes it was the same sock but in two different sizes .... 😏

Hopefully the discomfort of that taught them something. We rarely have pair-less socks now, but occasionally I hear my mr, bellowing at D3 because she folds his washing, and one sock will disappear in the process of moving from the washing machine back to his room.

I love the antique look too @Faith-and-Hope @Smc , our place has a mix of furniture with a predominantly country theme (i.e. dining table is wood top, white painted legs), the odd modern piece and a few "faux" pieces - pine cupboards I have had made to measure to fit spaces painted to look old. I too also use a variety of baskets, plant pots, wooden boxes as well as plastic containers to store things, the latter usually behind closed doors which is mainly where I would put the more open 'cube storage' (similar to what IKEA sell, if you want to google F&H), am thinking of using it in a clothes cupboard, and similar but different in s pantry setting (would want a variety of shelf heights/slot sizes in that setting). I have seen antique 'cube' display shelving in magazines, usually on a much smaller scale and usually without doors, which look lovely. I would love an old wooden library card style cabinet for our office space.

We all sound similar in taste and ideas @Former-Member @Smc

Nice to be included in the company of women who have exceptional style @Faith-and-Hope 😀.

😏 Thanks @Former-Member

That went down well this morning ....

Busy day here.

We're going up to my parents' place again this weekend, until middle of next week. That means we needed to ask a friend to come around to feed the animals. To make it easier on her, I wanted to move the semi-portable chookpen down closer to where the bunnies and guinea pigs are.

The pathway through between old site and intended site was cluttered. Mostly bits and pieces we've brought back from my parents' place but haven't found proper homes for.

So first I cleared a narrow space between two sheds (a "wiggle gap"- you can just fit into it if you shuffle sideways) and put a piece of scrap tin down to stop weeds growing, then I moved a stack of pieces of wire mesh into the space. All neatly standing up and sorted into sizes. Those are intended for a new chookpen and maybe some gabions.

The hand turned cement mixer from Mum and Dad's place has gone next to the shed, which will be a convenient spot for when I use it.

Some old chook bedding has been scraped out of the chook pen site ready to put their cage there. That's gone into a tub to use in the garden, again, close to its intended place of use.

I moved a whole lot of plants back from the walkway, pulling out weeds and putting aside empty pots while I was at it. (Both "empty" and "aw no, whatever was in there died... ah well.)

So now at least part of the yard is in better order, the chook girls have been relocated and are loving scratching through the weeds I've put into their cage. Yay! Now a fish and chips dinner for an easy night.

My open cases are open on the floor of my room. Every tome I walk past I pick something up out of them and put it away .... ✅

Returned art materials from the art / medical / utilities / gift case to my locker at uni yesterday .... ✅

Am choosing things to wear out of my case every day to help unpack it .... ✅

Making a pile of gifts for my western kids as I find things ..... will put them in my roll-on to take next time we go, and store that inside my big case .... ✅

Have decided to use a broken case as the foundation for a Sculpture assignment .... ✅

That’s the best I can do for now. Energy levels haven’t recovered yet. I have spent the afternoon in bed, resting.

@Faith-and-Hope, sounds like a good, practical way of "unpacking" without wearing yourself out totally. Our beloved "baby steps" approach.