Cupboard Cleaning

It looks like I am getting Spring Fever in the house as well as the garden this year (the gardening bug always bites me in Spring).

I have this urge to further downsize my possessions. I think part of it is laziness - I want things to be really easy to care for.  Gone are the days of energetic housework!

First it was sorting the pantry (which is working well), and now I have  turned out the small sideboard cupboard and removed several items I seldom, if ever, use.

A wipe down of the shelves, things put back, and I am happy it no longer looks crammed with items.

I tidied the top as well (the flowers are artificial but perfect for this dark corner), but still have the drawers to do yet.

Cleaning and clearing things out feels good!

Margaret xx 

In My Pantry

As I grow older, more and more I am wanting to simplify my life.

I decided it is time to stop wanting and start doing, so this morning all the pantry contents got pulled out and examined.

When I married, I had far less items in my pantry. We ate white bread (none of that stuff with 'bits' in it), quinoa was unheard of, and yoghurt was something that hippies ate. 

I use all those now, but I still have things like buckwheat (don't like) and dill seed (no longer use) that I can dispose of.

I'm about halfway through the job, but am not rushing it.

The afternoon was taken up with watching another Ranfurly Shield rugby game, this time between Tasman and Wellington. 

It was an exciting game, wtih Tasman successfully defending their title.

I hope everyone has an enjoyable weekend. 

Margaret xx 

Simple Nails

 

Keeping with my Simplify theme for this year, I have thrown out all my nail polishes.  

Sometimes I used to enjoy painting my nails, but of late it has become nothing but a hassle and I have discovered I quite like the look of my nails with their Nude Look.

I can still go and visit a professional manicurist if I want something special, but for now I will stick to a very simple nail care routine.

After trimming with scissors, the nails are filed to shape.  The cuticles are gently pushed back and a little jojoba oil is rubbed into each.

Any oil can be used, but I prefer jojoba because it soaks in quickly and doesn’t leave any greasy feeling behind.

Massage some hand cream into the hands and the manicure is finished.  Couldn’t be easier!

And I am loving the extra space in the top drawer of my dressing table 😊

Margaret.

 

A Confession

 

I confess.  I am a secret long-term Data Hoarder!  You wouldn’t believe how much Stuff I have in my computer data banks (so many documents, photos, music, and videos).

Until receiving back all my ‘lost’ files from the old laptop, I never realised just how much data/information I was hanging on to – and still hang on to, on my present computer.  I was shocked!

In my garden in 2015

It appears that every time I research anything or find something I like, I download it to my computer and then KEEP IT THERE!

Long after they have served their purpose, multiple files sit around cluttering up the information that I am currently using.

My haphazard means of backing things up means I have often ended up with several duplicates of files, and they certainly aren’t needed either.

Anchorage Bay, in Abel Tasman National Park

I might be facing an incurable problem, but I am determined to do my best to combat this type of hoarding in the future.

To begin with, my plan is to move all except obvious Keeps on to a new external hard drive (which I will call Library), then organise the Keeps on my laptop so they are in some sensible order before backing them up on another hard drive (which I will call Back Up).

A Banded Dotterel

The Library will only need to be accessed if I am looking for something specific.  There is no way I intend to spend hours and hours sifting through it all to remove duplicates or old files.  

What a waste of time that would be!

Overlooking Akaroa Harbour in Canterbury

I am wanting 2023 to be a year to Simplify my life and get things more in line with how I am living my life now.  It looks like my first decluttering project is this computer I am currently typing on.

Wish me luck!

Margaret 😊

 

(The above photos were among those retrieved from my old computer)