Sewing, stitching, baking, cooking, gardening, shopping and general homemaking.

Saturday 30 July 2011

Hobbies & Clutter - You've Heard It All Before!!!


I've been doing quite a bit of housework this week - for a change!  I'm down to putting the clutter away.  For me the clutter is stuff I've left out when I've moved on to my next project, books I haven't moved, newspapers and magazines I've been reading and stuff that never seems to have a home.  I'm in the process of moving it all out of my dining room, where I have put it after tidying other rooms, into the hall, ready for taking upstairs to my 'storage areas'. 
I have two big boxes of books in my wardrobe so there really isn't anymore room for more books in there, then there is a shelf that has recently bought books.  I have got rid of a load of books to the charity shop but I read a lot and often have to re-read my favourites when I can't find a decent book in the shops.  I have a lot of favourites.  I don't use the library anymore since books became affordable.  I think I read every book that interested me from my small local library.
Then there is my knitting yarn.  I've recently taken up hand knitting and crochet so there's a lot of yarns, needles, hooks and patterns all over the place.  Luckily this all fits into one storage box so that will be easy to put away.
The worst things to put away are all those 'bits' that I seem to have hanging about.  A candlestick, ornaments, doilies - that sort of thing.  I used to think I had quite a minimal style but over the years I've accumulated a lot of things and I can't seem to get myself to throw them out or pass them on to the charity shop.
What I'd like to do is be really ruthless and just get rid of it all, especially a lot of my craft stuff, books, jigsaw puzzles (that I don't do but Graham does), extra furniture that doesn't fit anywhere.
Every so often I get obsessed with this clutter.  Maybe I will hire a skip and bung it all in there.  What a relief that would be.

2 comments:

Peggy said...

Hi Ann,your post strikes a spot!I did much the same recently, I now have a craft room for the first time! Actually a room with plastic storage boxes with 'stuff' in them which was cluttering up cupboards and wardrobes around the house.
Your polytunnel is paying for itself with the produce.

Anonymous said...

Wow do I understand this Ann, I'm getting really brutal myself about getting rid of things...I paid to move them to Florida and then found it was time to pass them on to a thrift store. I have to be realistic that at 69 it's time to really downsize. To keep only what is an absolute necessity or gives me consistent enjoyment and pass the rest on so that someone else can enjoy it. This year I'm going to pass on about 75% of my Christmas stuff...I go to Jim and Marlene's to have Christmas with them and the grandkids...so I don't need enough decorations to decorate a hugh tree and the whole house. When it comes time for me to pass on I don't want a whole lot of stuff left that nobody knows what to do with it. Happy to know how well your polytunnel is working out! Happy vegetables!