During March we made the difficult decision that it was time to downsize. Although we have No. 1 Daughter and the two munchkins living with us now we all needed to have our own space.
First up was engaging estate agents, which No. 1 son did for us. Working in property gives him the edge and able to convey succinctly what we wanted. Two agents quickly came and went. Before they had even given proposals I knew I was more comfortable around the first one, Susan. From here on was where I became overwhelmed and began having restless nights.
It was the decluttering that was beginning to take over my thoughts. We had a go at the dreaded “tool cupboard” in the garage that has long been the bane of my existence. We being my dear hubby and me. We managed one shelf in two hours and I gave up when he lovingly held a decade old ball of string and said “this is good is twine, we might need it”. Most just got moved onto another shelf.
I asked him also to remove a can of paint that had become stuck. Disaster struck as he pierced the bottom and paint quickly started spreading. He came to me and said “I’ve just made an unholy mess”. At this moment Susan’s assistant rang to say she had arranged 6 tradesman to come around the following week for quotes. I said we need the painter now to help us with this mess. She came to my rescue and sent around a handyman, who cleared up within minutes.
During March No. 1 daughter backed her car into the moving electric gate and knocked it off its tracks. Fortunately we have a wonderful neighbour who came around and fixed the problem. The next day after coming out of an appointment she saw her car being towed away! Not having read the parking sign properly. The car was returned but not without a fine.
We were told that to obtain the best price it was better to engage a stylist to showcase the house to look its best. This lady turned up along with six tradesman. I didn’t know if I was Arthur or Martha at that point, it was bedlam. We then found out there was a serious leak in one of the bathrooms so this is first on the list to be taken care off.
Believe it or not I did have some lovely moments in March. Laurence and Maddy came for a weekend and we had such a great time. We spent a morning at the beach and the water was perfect.
I also went to see two films. The much hyped up and talked about “Wuthering Heights”. Quite an eye opener but on the whole I enjoyed this version. The second was a Matthew McConaughey film called The Rivals of Amziah King. This was such a good film which we all loved.
I had a night out at an outdoor venue, called The Quarry. It is situated in an old quarry and the seating is in tiers. We took a picnic and watched three tribute bands, Santana, Little River Band and Fleetwood Mac. Beautiful balmy evening underneath the stars.
Having a much needed break at our local Indian. The table behind had 22 guests so was a tad noisy!
If you managed to read to the end of all my rants, thank you indeed. Some of you will have been through similar in your lifetime and know the stresses and strains of decluttering and moving. I have read so many articles on the different ways to declutter and I’m still none the wiser. On that note I wish you a happy Easter.
He came to join me this morning while I was having my morning coffee. How cute is he?
Joining Natalie for Weekend Coffee Share and Brian/Ju-Lyn @ The Changing Season (a tad early).
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Interesting things happening in your life Ali. Wishing you all the best. Well it gives you more stories to tell.
Haha thanks Teresa. Trouble is takes away any energy i have for my blog
oh goodness, I wish you all the best with the decluttering and moving. Certainly a very stressful time can be had. I was seriously lucky with loads of help from friends
Thanks so much ..you have come through as someone so I don’t know who you are
Ok Ali, now I need a lie down after that. A good idea that went a bit haywire in parts. The concert would have been wonderful.
Last time I ate out a lot of people arrived and the staff rearranged the tables to accommodate all of them. I asked if we could be moved to another table away from the noise that hadn’t even started but I knew it would.
I hope the ball of string found a good home 😂
Thanks for joining Ju-lyn and me in in The Changing Seasons 😀
Thanks for your comments Brian, I’m often in need of a lie down after just going through one drawer. Yes loved the concert i did take videos but the singing wasn’t the best ☺️
That’s a shame especially trying to sing songs by fantastic singers. I just hope the Santana group could play guitar
Fantastic guitar
That saved the night a little bit then
Changing times for you then, Ali. Good luck with everything!
Thanks Phil, I do have a couple of trips coming up. Travelling is what i live for
👍😁
I know one day we’ll want to downsize and will have to declutter but I’m not looking forward to it at all, so I really sympathise 🤗 I’ve never heard of getting a stylist to showcase the house before selling however – I don’t think it’s a thing over here! Anyway, I’m glad you were able to have some good times with the family among all the chaos, and to enjoy a concert and your cinema visits. I’ve been thinking of seeing Wuthering Heights – you’ve prompted me to actually do it!
Thanks for your comments. I picked the wrong word and it’s called staging. But it means all our furniture won’t be used has to go into storage and use theirs. But we can’t sit on anything! Not sure how that will work.
Prepare to be shocked seeing Wuthering Heights!
I’ve definitely not come across anyone doing that over here. Buyers view a house as it is and have to imagine how it would look with their own possessions!
So much easier!
“Rightsizing”, decluttering…it’s stressful but you’ve got this, Ali. Enlist all the help you can get and take frequent breaks. Over here, styling the house for sale is called “staging”. From my experience, it works (a very quick sale at asking price) and I would do it again if I were to put my property on sale. Wishing you all the best. Thank you for your weekend coffee share.
Thanks for the advice Natalie. I think I will end up paying for the decluttering as I’m not brutal enough!
I don’t know how to declutter either and feel faint at the thought!
Haha me too. I have to breath deeply every time i start. It’s stop and start especially when you find photos and letters and start looking and reading. I could pay someone but that adds to the cost of everything
I’ve been decluttering for a while, just one shelf or cupboard at a time. I’m gradually clearing away things we don’t need any more. Good luck with it all. Have you started looking for a new home yet?
Thanks Carol. Just a brief look at some home opens. I can see why a stylist matters now. It makes all the difference. It won’t be for a few months yet so we have a bit of time
Good that you can do it all at your own pace.
Good that you can do it at your own pace.
downsizing and decluttering are definitely daunting- wishing you all the best as you move to a new chapter in a new place
Thanks Meg, going to be a slow process
Oh my goodness. I feel you, Ali. This downsizing/moving business is a whopper. Having had to do it not so long ago, I send you lots of positive energy and a big hug!
I love that you took time to share a cuppa with a little cutie, and enjoy time with family. It is so easy to let the stress of packing up and the overwhelming decision-making bum one out, so picnics, concerts and outings are critical.