clutter!

September is finally here and I always feel like its the start of a 'new year', the best time to start something fresh for the year ahead. i always stick to plans i put into place now than any other time of the year. The late few weeks of summer we always get in September, the start of the harvest, jam and chutney making amongst everything else have a lot to do with it. Keeping busy gives you less chance to fail it seems.

This month I'm on a mission to reduce the amount of stuff in my home. Over the years it seems to have grown exponentially. For years I lived such a minimalist life. I could cram all my possessions into just 6 boxes. Now, Id be hard pushed to fit it all into the back of lorry. Its one of the joys of having children. I often ask myself how much stuff do I really need?

With impending building works and a complete redesign of my home to fit with how I use it. It sounds extreme but something has to give. I cant possibly, nor do I need half the stuff I have in my house. There is just too much. Proper storage will go a long way to solving my problems *laughs* storage, yes that is a sign you have too much stuff! 

My problem is my work, I have a lot of stuff i need to work. I have boxes, stacked and filled with my art supplies. a decent way to store them would free up room, make it easier not only to get access to them and work faster but to also live in this house.

Im not after extreme minimalist living, I've read blogs by people who own just 100 items. My books alone would fill that and I'm far from ready to give up my entire collection for digital copies.

Today I made a decision. Some of the books had to go. I did make it easy on myself. kept it simple and sorted my fiction books into piles - read, read and will read again,  unread, unread and will never read. I now have a suitcase full of books by the front door awaiting a trip to the charity shop. I also have a self imposed ban, no new books until the unread pile has gone!

I didn't realise I had so many books, books behind books on the shelves  I had yet to read. I'm guessing they were all impulse buys somewhere along the lines. NO MORE!

Clothes too made it onto the cutting room floor. I had things in my wardrobe I'd never wear again. clothes that had memories tied into them and not always good ones. I filled a black sack and they too are awaiting a trip to the charity shop.

I finally sorted the carry tray that is supposed to hold all my cleaning supplies. These days it had become my 'junk drawer' filled with all manner of rubbish finally gone!

Its not much in the big battle against clutter but it is a hell of a start. I hope by the end of the month to finally get rid of everything I no longer use, need or want. Its a small victory. Now i just need to figure out how on earth to get it all to the charity shop!

woodland walk

The school holidays are almost over, I cant wait to get my tiny bit of freedom back. I know! I know! I shouldn't wish away these days but 6 weeks is such a long time to entertain a child on your own.

earlier in the week I made the most of the quiet, early start and made the boy some new crayons. He has a habit of breaking them into tiny pieces and making them unusable.

We started with these, all sorted into similar colours before putting in a medium oven for as long as it too to melt them. I kept checking through the glass so they didnt become a boring, murky puddle but would set with a a swirl of different colours

These are the finished crayon cakes. The boy has happily sat colouring with them since Friday and they are still in one piece!


With a final break in the weather we decided to go on a woodland foraging walk. Pulling on wellies, grabbing our baskets we took the 15 minute walk to the entrance of the woods. We're lucky to have several woodland trust woodlands within walking distance. We spent a good 3 hrs walking through the woods even trudged past the remains of farm boundries, picking up pine cones, hazelnuts and blackberries as we walked.

beautiful textures on a fallen tree. it was covered in bugs, woodlice, spiders even a beetle scurried over it.

roots growing through slate built farm boundries. The path we took was narrow with steep sides.

sloes before we gathered a pot full for homemade sloe gin and haws almost ready. we have a recipe for haw schnapps and haw ketchup we want to try out this year.

The last stop of the day before the long walk home, the boy sitting in the grass while I picked a few apples from the tree. This is a golden-ringed dragonfly and the first time the boy had seen one in the flesh. he was amazed and has the picture of him sat with it on his wall.

we returned to picking what few apples were left on the tree, its has been a particularly bad summer and this tree was laden with so much fruit 2 years ago its branches touched the ground. This year due to the wet weather most of the fruit had split and began to rot. a far cry from how lucky we've been in previous years. we gathered up a couple of kgs and made our way home.

second hand shops

I love secondhand shops. There is something about them, trawling through them looking for hidden gems that is incredibly addictive.  I have a habit of going into whichever one I pass.

Over the years I have picked up some absolute bargains from sons pristine moses basket to bed linen. clothing, and much more recently a fabulous penguin books box set, not a single book had been read (I am a sort of collector of penguin books. i love the covers)

Yesterday I picked up this incredible find.

I have been after cornishware for absolutely ages and have been saving a little each week to buy myself a teapot. So I was surprised to find this set in my charity shop for just £3. There are no cracks or chips at all and I would have happily paid more for it (i did stick more cash in the donation tin). I'm in love with it and it has to be the best buy from a charity shop for me. I'm already using it for my breakfast cuppa along with another teapot. I might just put the teapot funds towards something else now I have my own little bit of cornishware.

august

I've just realised i haven't blogged since may! wow! it has been very busy here. So much has happened in the last few months I've barely had time to catch my breath. so, instead of a long winded post about the last few months, I'll share a few pictures.

 my favourite rose in flower, perfect pea soup and some recent designs.

 beautiful blue and white china from the local charity shop added to my mismatched haul, lavender picked ready to be hung for drying, carrot and lentil soup and my blanket, now over a foot long.

 lastly, leftovers turned into pizza, the begining of a pair of socks, a pretty tea cup i bought for just 75p and sons breakfast pancakes!

...this week

cuttings from the garden shrubs taking over the path. too pretty to compost just yet.

A new mug purchased for a £1.

Crocheted jug covers. in bamboo yarn and recycled wooden beads.

Daisy picking on the way home from school.

 

blanket

slowly crocheting another blanket.  just ran out of red yarn so this project is on hold until the next yarn run!