As you may have noticed there has been a short break in transmission recently – for no other reason than I have been a little busy. We had friends round for supper the weekend before last and of course that generated a bit of a mad tidy up downstairs. Actually it was more than a tidy up and I was quite shocked at the number of cobwebs I found hiding in corners, it must have been longer than I thought since I last had a good clean.
We managed to get the boxes of Ikea wardrobes out of the living room (they had been there since earlier in the year) and up to the new bedroom and at last they have been assembled and put in place – but more on that in a future post when the ‘new’ room will be revealed.
Whilst giving the living room a thorough clean I not only vacuumed all the books but decluttered all the cupboards, shelves and knick-knacks.
We don’t have a lot of DVD’s as we have little time for watching them but we did have one or two that we once bought for £1 or so and won’t watch again so into the charity bag along with one or two CD’s that have over stayed their welcome. I am aiming to keep only those items that I feel earn their keep – or in Kondo terms the ones that spark joy.
Our DVD collection is probably less than 20 films and the ones that remain are all those that I will watch again and again from time to time. Amongst the keepers are the feel good films – Anne of Green Gables and Pride and Prejudice, the funny films – Mr Hulots Holiday and Playtime by Jaques Tatti – and the thriller ones (well as thrilled as I am prepared to be) – Premonition and Before I go to Sleep and not forgetting my favourite box sets – The Good Life and Darling Buds of May.
Whilst sorting through the pile I came across this DVD with Doris Day and have put it to one side to watch one evening as I really cannot remember if I have seen it or not but it looks like a bit of light entertainment for a cosy Friday evening.
Anyway back to the cleaning – I have a lot of glassware in the living room – I am not sure why I am attracted to glassware but it is always useful for holding things such as shells…
and pebbles from the beach…
and ‘arty’ creations made by one of my daughters at Art College …this is a small square of glass with interesting textures and colours and I have slotted it into this vase as a means of displaying it…
and the latest addition to my collection (a gift for my birthday) are these two vases, also bookends and perfect for displaying my favourite books. I just love them – the books and the vases – one side has my tiny shell collection from Lady Bay near our cottage and the other I will fill with a stem or two of flowers from the garden.
I wash the glassware in hot soapy water and then dry and polish until gleaming – it instantly makes a room look cleaner.
By the time I had finished the whole room looked and felt so much fresher and neater and I was quite pleased at the transformation.
At the end of the first day I had managed to fill a bag with bits and pieces for the charity shop.
The next day I was up early and started on the kitchen and dining room – not as thorough a clean this time but passable. I left just enough time to make myself presentable, lay the table and start on the supper before my friends arrived at a quarter to eight.
We were not eating until 8.30 and I had decided to keep the buffet supper fairly simple due to a shortage of time – the choice was between a homemade feast in a dirty house or a simple ready-made affair in a clean one!
I baked some small new potatoes in the oven which I simply served topped with butter and heated through a selection of buffet style food of pulled pork pasties, greek filo spinach and ricotta parcels and Higgedy veggie rolls – added a mixed side salad, a few tomatoes and a dish of beetroot.
For afters we had a selection of cheeses and chutney with crackers and finished off with profiteroles and cream.
After all this food on the Saturday evening I had a light breakfast on Sunday morning just yoghurt and fruit – not that I ever have a cooked breakfast anyway but I did skip my usual bowl of Muesli.
It was so nice to get up to a tidy house – it is well worth asking friends round to get things done!
where the journey takes me 