Photos – Another Milestone

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Posted on April 29, 2020

There have been no blog posts for a few days but I have been beavering away in the background.

In my earlier post I mentioned that I was not ready to attack the large box of photos. That resolve did not last for long and I decided that I needed to work on those as well as the digital files. So, I began scanning. This did not turn out to be as onerous as I had originally imagined. The reason for this was that many of the hard copies in the box had, in fact, actually already been scanned. Nevertheless, it meant that I needed to cross-check every photograph to ensure that it had been scanned and do those that had not previously been scanned.

Therefore, I am excited to report that all of my photos are now scanned and saved on the computer. I still have a long way to go before I can declare that this project is finished. The next stage is to work on culling any duplicates or poor quality images. Once I have a curated collection for a particular folder they will then be numbered and named according the convention I have deemed suitable to ensure that the preferred sequence is maintained.

The last couple of weeks have been a bit testing as the various piles of photos took over the desk, the end of the kitchen bench and even some of the floor of the study.

One of the real highlights of this project has been the re-discovery of forgotten or rarely seen images.

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Photos – The First Step

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Posted on April 17, 2020

5 days ago in this post I unveiled my latest decluttering project. I intend to have all of my photos culled, sorted and labelled in a digital format.

I started with the files that were already on my computers – yes, plural. The very first step was to consolidate them onto one device for the purpose of this project. That resulted in reducing the number from over 18,000 images to 17,300.

I then removed further duplicates as I placed the photos in 15 primary folders plus and additional one for some assorted videos.

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The categories I chose reflect my interests and priorities. Yours may be very different.

Within those folders are sub-categories. For instance, the one named ‘Animals’ contains photos of various pets we have had over the years. Each pet has their own folder. ‘Family’ which contains the largest number of photos has a folder for each year. Within that folder may be folders for specific events such as birthdays and weddings with the remainder of photos for the year simply be ordered sequentially and labelled with the person and place if applicable. Some of the folders may be removed completely once all of the photos are dealt with. The folders ‘Food’ and ‘Clothes’ are primarily for photos used in blog posts. Once these have been checked against the folders for the blog and the photos referenced then the photos and other folders may be deleted.

Although this screenshot looks very neat, there is an enormous jumble within those folders that will take many hours of work to unravel. I have plenty of time and intend to a little bit every day – a bit like eating an elephant!

The second part of the photo project is contained in a box. The box on top of the filing cabinet contains all of the photos which have yet to be scanned, along with assorted other bits and pieces. I dare not show you the contents yet as I am not ready to dive into that and the photos that need scanning until I have the digital files under control.

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The good news is that the digital files have now been whittled down a bit further to 16,500.

So, why am I doing this?

As with any decluttering project, I want to keep only that which is useful and of value. This means removing duplicates, photos that no longer have any meaning to me and poor quality images where there is a superior one that is similar.
Having an organised and curated collection means that my family and I are more likely to peruse and enjoy the photos.
When I am gone it will be easy for people to choose which photos to retain and which were only of value to me.
My descendants will not be left wondering as to who was in a photo or where and when it was taken.

Like many people, I have left this task far too long but I am now determined to complete it. I honestly have no idea how long it will take.

The Long Haul

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Posted on April 12, 2020

I have begun a new project and as the title indicates, it is not something that will be completed quickly.

The sorting, cataloging and culling of my photos has begun in earnest. The first step is the digital files, so there is really very little to show. I had files duplicated on 2 computers as well as some of them on an external hard drive. They are now all consolidated onto a single device. There are currently over 17,000 files. They include nearly 1,000 prints that I scanned some years ago. There are still more to scan but they can wait until the next stage as I want to get all of the digital files sorted before I add any more. Some of the files are duplicates and others will undoubtedly be culled. At least I only have a handful of images on my phone as I regularly download those to the computer.

There have been several attempts to do this over a number of years but it was simply to big a job to tackle while I was working but a combination of retirement and an extended period of self-isolation has proved to be the perfect formula for tackling this task.

Previous attempts have helped me to come up with a digital filing method and naming convention that will allow me to find and access particular images with relative ease in the future.

There is lots of fun in finding some blasts from the past.

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I intend to try to do at least a little bit of this project every day but I also have plenty else to keep me occupied and interested. Tomorrow I will be helping GMan with his latest garden project – building new compost bays.

What Lies Within

Share the Joy

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Posted on February 15, 2020

On two occasions recently, I have been able to pass along items that are not of use to me.

This is slightly different to decluttering because I never intended using either of the items concerned.

The first was when we were in Melbourne and I was having a good look around a large suburban op shop. I found a Veronika Maine dress.

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While I have never owned any Veronika Maine clothing, I do know that they are good quality and it was made in Australia. I knew that a size 10 would not fit me nor did I need a dress which would be totally at home in a corporate work environment. So, I left it there even though it looked perfect and was priced at a relatively tiny $9. After several hours of thinking about this dress, I decided to write a post for a Facebook group. This group is simply a gathering of like-minded female friends, some of whom I know in real life. I offered to buy the dress and post it (if required) if anyone was interested. Sure enough, someone was keen and the dress is now in regional NSW with a new owner.

I am part of a small group in my local town who make Boomerang bags. We regularly receive bags and boxes of donated fabric from a variety of sources. Sometimes these include fabric which is not suitable for making the bags and we generally try to repurpose it in some way. However, I was sorting through some fabric yesterday when I came across several pieces which defeated me when it came to thinking about how it could be used.

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It is a silky type of material with a floral pattern on it. Most intriguing was the fact that is had been cut into long strip about 20cm wide and up to 6 metres in length. This rendered it unusable for making any type of garment. Once again, I offered it to my online group of friends for the cost of the postage. Lo and behold, someone was very keen and the parcel is currently en route. I will look forward to discovering what crafty project this will be used for.

The alternative was to send it to an op shop but I fear that it would have landed in the ‘too hard’ basket and subsequently in landfill.

I have found that it is worth spending a little extra time and effort to find someone to pass things on to directly.

No Longer Needed

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Posted on January 27, 2020

I am sure I have mentioned it before but I am not a fan of the ‘massive purge’ style of decluttering. I liken it to any radical lifestyle change. If it is too violent a disruption to the status quo it is almost certain to be unsustainable in the long-term.

A much better option is to work slowly and intentionally on reducing your possessions. This should always be a two-pronged approach – minimise things coming into your home and move along those things which are no longer required or loved.

This weekend I have found new homes for several items by listing them in a couple of local groups on Facebook.

The dolls’ house was sourced from Gumtree several years ago and has provided many hours of entertainment for our granddaughters. They are now a little old for this and so with the consent of the younger one, I listed it to giveaway and it was picked up yesterday by a very excited little girl and her parents.

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Today I listed 3 more items. The first was this bag which I used for work as I carried a laptop as well as my lunch and general handbag item to and fro. It removed the weight from my neck and shoulders. I no longer have a need for the bag and it has sat in the corner of my bedroom for 6 months so it was time to go. The bag is showing some signs of wear and tear, however, it was quickly snapped up and will be collected tomorrow.

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Finally, there were 2 pairs of footwear. The well-worn RM Williams boots will last for many more years with a bit of refurbishment are taken and will be collected tomorrow. The red shoes have not had a lot of wear but are probably marginally too small so it is time to fin a new owner. I am sure someone will find them suitable.

I find it worthwhile to take the time to find recipients for specific items if possible as this reduces the chance of them being deemed to be unsuitable for sale and ending up in landfill.

What to Take?

Not Quite the Deckchairs

One Simple Change

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Posted on March 18, 2019

A few days after Christmas we ordered a new lounge suite. This had been on the agenda for quite some time and we finally found the time to search out what we wanted on the internet and then went to see (and sit in) it in real life.The delivery time was expected to be 10 – 12 weeks but we asked if we could make a bit longer so that it would be delivered after our holidays in April.

One of the reasons we were looking at an extended delivery time was because we knew that there were a few other jobs that we wanted to do before we had a new lounge suite in the living room.

The main priority was to have the vinyl flooring in the lounge, dining room, kitchen, hallway and study re-surfaced. This had not been done since the flooring was first laid about 10 years ago and was well overdue. The main problem is that since it comprises such a major area of the house it is a challenge to move all of the furniture out of the way. This seemed like the perfect time.

So now there is furniture and contents of shelves and cupboards stacked almost anywhere I can find a space.

The guest bedroom

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The front entry

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The floors are not the only area in need of some maintenance. The kitchen ceiling was in poor condition and was GMan’s list of jobs. He had already noted that since the living areas of the house are open plan that he would repaint all of the ceilings.

Of course, you paint the ceiling before refinishing the floors.

The kitchen and front entry were done a couple of weeks ago. You can read about it here. The lounge and dining room are currently being painted.

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Our bedroom has been completely emptied and GMan repainted the walls today. The photo is before the painting. Tomorrow the carpet will be replaced with vinyl flooring which will be much easier to keep clean, especially since we live on acreage in a semi-rural area.

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The bed frame has been dismantled and is in the study.

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We are sleeping on the mattress on the floor in my sewing room for a couple of nights.

Once the bedroom flooring is done and that room can be reassembled things will improve a bit. The next step will be to arrange for the resealing of the other flooring.

Moving furniture is almost as much of an impetus to declutter as moving house. We will not necessarily be putting everything back where it came from as we have realised that times have changed and some things that were essentials 10 years ago do not necessarily have a place here anymore. There is no rush so we will carefully consider everything as we reassemble various rooms.

There will be ‘after’ photos in due course.

Wardrobe Audit – Another Month

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Posted on March 12, 2019

I am a bit slow on reviewing my wardrobe this month but here goes.

2019 is now 10 weeks old and I have worn all of my summer clothes apart from one sleeveless top. I like it and it is an identical style to two others so there is no good reason for not wearing it. Anyway, we still have plenty of hot weather ahead so it will definitely get an airing.

There have been some milder days so I have even worn some of my jeans, 3/4 sleeve shirts, boleros and a cardigan.

The following photos show what remains on the backward-facing hangers.

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The sleeveless top is at the extreme right hand end. The remainder are mostly jackets, long-sleeve and 3/4 sleeve tops and shirts as well as a trenchcoat. The exception are two dresses – an emerald green lace frock and a black sheath. These are rarely worn but serve a purpose and deserve their place in my wardrobe.

There are some 3/4 sleeve tops and cardigans folded in the drawers which have not been worn either.

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The lower hanging rail is almost devoid of clothes as I have now worn all six of my skirts, three pairs of cropped trousers and three pairs of jeans. All that remains are my green jeans, good black dress trousers and two pairs of fitted trousers (black and charcoal) that I only really wear with my knee-high boots so they are definitely winter attire.

The exercise of turning the hangers has been a useful one for me. I am confident that everything I own will be worn during the course of the year, with the exception of the two special occasion dresses. I am happy that I generally have enough, but not too many. clothes.

I bought three items in January from the local recycle boutique but nothing since. I am sewing a couple of new sleeveless shirts so they will probably be added during the next month.

Have you tried turning your hangers backwards in order to see what you actually wear?