Spring Clean - otherwise known as Still Trying

April 25, 2019

So it was last year this time I started trying to have a proper clear out and declutter. I am still trying. The Easter holidays mean I have had time to chill and to get started. I am prompted by moths, and what looks like woodworm, and just plain being fed up.

The main problem is that I am not in very good shape physically. I am stiff and tire easy, but am also dealing with all that elsewhere, anaemia, arthritis, whatever. Fun.

Martine has been to help. I have been in the eaves to get rid of stuff in storage, mostly fabric and yarn, and hopefully to help deal with the moth problem. Also got rid of old tents which are now unusable. No sign of woodworm in there!

After being in the eaves, the loft looks like this.

I have been going through some of the boxes that I left at the end of the last clear out. Ruby and Casey are checking out their stuff, if they want it.

I have taken about 5 bin bags worth of stuff to the tip. Much of it old cassette tapes. Eeeek!!!

I have finally taken the old Vango TBS Equinox 600 to the tip, after recycling the poles. I think we bought that tent in 2003 ish? most of the parts have been replaced, but the second outer is deteriorating so it is gone. No more replacement parts. (And we have the new dutch storm tent!)

We have gone through a couple of suitcases of clothes that have been saved for the Wee One and some of them are going to the charity shop.

So other things I have done, include starting a spring clean in or bedroom, moving furniture and hoovering and dusting everything, and sorting out my clothes for the charity shop.

Got about three bin bags of stuff for the charity shop. And a suitcase. And still sorting.

Have been treating the chest of drawers that has woodworm evidence and going to treat the bed frame. (Still don't know what to do about getting somebody in to check for woodworm. Is it just furniture? Is the house going to fall down? How much money?)

I was so overwhelmed with the loft I decided to to the Wee One's bedroom yesterday. Also possible because I had cleared out boxes and a plastic tub in the loft and could use them to put crap from her room into. Two tubs now full of soft toys and cuddlies. All clothes picked up off floor...that was three loads of laundry, by the way. After that it looked like this....

One bin bag full of rubbish gone, too.

Everything else is mostly in boxes waiting to be sorted by her and probably me later. But at least there is floor now. It had gotten to the point where I didn't go into her room, for fear of falling over.

Now it looks like this. And she is quite pleased with it. But you can see the piled up boxes and baskets waiting to be sorted.

I have a long list of things I still want to do.
1) finish thorough clean of our bedroom
2) finish loft
3) finish treating furniture
4) sort boxes
5) plant front garden
6) get brick wall fixed
7) sort Max's old room

And so many other things that I think I will stop now before I get too depressed. I must admit to bursting into tears quite a few times as I don't know how to do all this, mostly on my own. I need help with everything these days. I never thought at the age of 51 my life would include crawling around on the floor hoovering up dropped nerds from my child's bedroom floor with a hoover that doesn't work very well.

I don't know what I will be able to get done today as I have woken up in a bit of pain. I obviously overdid it over that past few days. And haven't managed to finish much. I was having a bit of nerve pain last night which meant tossing and turning. So I look like this this morning...