Sunday:
• Pack kitchen ware: discovered saucers breed, broke up their little party, tenants only need six of everything, packed the rest.
Hint – leave only essential electricals, if it breaks you’re obliged to repair/replace
• Pack office cupboard: retired Thesaurus to Google, personalised stationery to email, complete Twilight series to maturity.
Hint – Books are heavy! If you must keep, spread the load across several boxes and top with lighter stuff.
De-clutter hint – books on Kindle take up zero space
• Pack recipe books: reminisced over 70’s Maori Cookbook; nostalgic for Kedgeree, not so Puha, loving memories of early married life in NZ.
Hint – Upon return promise yourself you’ll expand your cooking repertoire by actually using the books
DeClutter Hint – Cooking lovers, notice how few recipes you actually cook per book? Scan/photograph faves, store in a suitable iPad/tablet app, then donate the books
• Stack ‘n store: wheeled box upon box into lift, over children and small dogs, down to basement, between parked cars all the way to storage space…a solid Gym workout right there!
Hint – label every box re contents, store important boxes last for easy access upon return
DeClutter Hint – packing and storing takes time and energy, have the contents earned their space? See ‘DeClutter & Desist’ post
• Now about that BBQ!!!: a can of oven cleaner, a lot of cussing…sage blokey advice said ‘Turn it on, crank it up, let the gunk burn off‘. Vivid imagination heard fire brigade chief yelling ‘Right you are then chaps, hi-vis on, there’s a spiffing little fire raging at No.20!’
Hint – Never let it get to that stage
And that was Sunday…deserved that glass of wine! But then came April weekend one!
hints ‘n tips, will appeal; written as I sip a cuppa, swallow pain killers, clutch my chest and forgive myself for that very public mini meltdown. I also congratulate myself on learning creative sign language, avoiding an ugly moment with an Italian rental botch, cleaning a disgusting BBQ (man’s work!) and managing to squeeze an entire house into a very small storage space, all within 2 weeks.
