Decluttering – Travels with Ali

Since the last time I wrote about our lifestyle change things have moved on at a cracking pace. The renovations and cleaning have all been completed, with a few hic ups along the way. The more they did the more problems came to light. There goes the budget! Sometimes getting too friendly with your tradies is not a good thing, it then feels awkward bringing unfinished projects up.

We have made many trips to our local tip and charity shops. I have had sleepless nights thinking about what needs to be done the next day. Going from room to room and back again with half completed chores.

The last two weeks we have had movers in to take much of our furniture into storage and packed up all of our ornaments. I have successfully managed to sell many of our carpets and ornaments. A good lesson was learnt here, things are only worth what someone is willing to pay for them. I forgot to make notes of who was coming and when, which caused confusion. I persuaded one couple to take a different shelf unit instead of the one they came for! Resulting in them driving home with their boot open.

The staging company were next. They were here for two days bringing in many lorry loads of furniture, ornaments and bedding. I can’t say I liked some of the furniture but as I have paid now I had to let them do their thing. Say goodbye to control.

There are numerous plants, pots and cushions around the house. I have had to take photos of how the beds are made. Also must remember to chop the cushions!

A few photos below of the many cushions we have on the beds. I am tempted to open these bottles before we’ve finished.

Sadly my boys (Zac and Rufus) have had their noses put out of joint as they are no longer allowed on the sofas, which are a pristine white. These have been completely swathed in old sheets and blankets to keep them white.

Image gallery image — Not speaking to me

Finally we are done and we’ve gone live. We will be waiting with baited breath to see the reactions of potential buyers, although we will not be allowed in the house while this takes place. The transformation has been remarkable, and we hope that our hard work will pay off. The next chapter will now find us looking for a home that we loved as much as this one.

See you soon!

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.