Decluttering, heads down and carrying on carrying on!

 Still decluttering. Surely every home has a box of mystery keys for who knows where? Or what about a box of shoe polishes which include unusual colours for shoes which were thrown out years ago? And what about multiple copies of the exact same photo, or blurred photos with the person's head chopped off? We are slowly working our way through such horrors. 

Today's joyful decluttering escapade was old paint tins, each containing a tiny amount of left over paint. We took advice from the local recycling /waste disposal centre about how to safely throw them away. So two grown ups (allegedly) stood mixing soil into the paint dregs to make a thick paste which apparently is then safe to chuck it into the recycling skips at the tip. As I stirred the paint/soil gunk I pondered upon how the 7 year old Lynn would have loved this, and how the 57 year old Lynn was also enjoying the mess.

All in all, it has been a tough week. We are both in pain; Steve has bursitis, mine is the usual Parkinsons stuff and we are both tired. My blood has been too thick so I have had to inject anti coagulants. 

The washing machine has been broken for 3 weeks so I had  to use the local laundrette again. The engineer mended it on Wednesday but didn't install the seal properly but I managed to get that right -  took me half an hour and a lot of naughty words. 

The house survey was done, a bit stressy with the surveyor wandering through the house jumping up and down on floorboards, knocking walls, whilst making notes. At one point I looked out of the window to find him up a ladder inspecting the conservatory roof. We both jumped in surprise.

On Friday we spent the afternoon in a freezing  cold  storage office going through paperwork from Steve's business ... keep, chuck, file, store, repeat. Saturday we delivered my mother's shopping.

It all seems a bit relentless, to be honest. But we tell ourselves it will all be worth it. The irony of it all is that we are moving to be near family. But they are all in local lockdown and likely to remain so for a while, so we will move and still not be able to see them!

So let's find some happy from this week.....

On Saturday evening Strictly Come Dancing returned on TV. It would appear that the nation's hoarding tendencies remain focused upon toilet paper and pasta. Sequins and fake tan supplies still seem good to go, each celebrity sporting an orange glow and sparkling bright! I love Strictly, though I do find the first programme of the series when they meet their dancing partner all a bit OTT and cringey. But it will be good escape viewing. 

7:30pm each evening we have entered the happy world of Bob Ross.

I don't care what he paints I just love listening to his gentle chatter and wise words. We have a bet how many minutes into the show he'll say one of his catchphrases like  "happy little tree".

With cooler weather, I've made soups. This was carrot and parsnip.

Today I made roast red pepper soup served with walnut bread and cheese.  Delicious but I have made a rod for my own back here as I don't think I could enjoy a shop bought soup ever again. Even those posh soups in the refrigerator; they taste gloopy and synthetic compared to homemade. 

Autumn colour and light has been so lovely. So much so that I felt encouraged to go walking. Just round the block, the first time in months. I staggered home exhausted but happy. I hope to try again at the weekend.

The garden is a mix of Summer meets Autumn.
 

Pelargoniums, marigolds and salvia sit side by side with Winter pansies, holly berries, and cyclamen,  each seemingly competing for attention.

The pattern of my days is declutter, cook something tasty, take note of the changing seasons, sleep, repeat. 

But all is good. 

But in these Covid times I feel nervous/guilty saying this.

TTFN

L.x.