On Sunday we cleaned and sorted the open concreted area under the house. This is a large space and The Duke unwittingly took a leaf out of Francine Jay’s book, “The Joy of Less”. You can read more about the principle of ‘Starting Over’ here.
Everything, and I mean every single thing, was moved and put out in the backyard. Hence, the rather dramatic title to this post.
We set about sweeping up the leaves, dirt and other debris then The Duke used the high pressure cleaner. This process managed to remove all of the paint drips and splatters from when we had painted the fenceposts. Some people would be appalled at the waste of water but we knew that we had plenty of tank water so that was not a problem.
In true decluttering fashion, we wanted to make sure that only things that had good reason to be under the house went back there so we critically assessed the various piles. It was very easy to see those things that did not deserve to stay. We actually both made our decisions independently and then when we compared notes it was no surprise that we agreed on what needed to go.
The final step was to rearrange the items that were to be put back. Since we have finished painting fenceposts, we relocated the scaffold up the the back area and have stacked the posts, rolls of wire and the old kitchen sink on it. Don’t laugh – we are planning to use the sink. The plan is to have the sink set up close to the vegetable garden so that we can use it for washing fruit and vegetables. We cleaned the hanging chairs and once they are rehung we will be able to relax in our refreshed space.
As well as cleaning the area and decluttering a few things, we have been able to identify the things for which we have a planned use. This has led to new enthusiasm to get some projects done and the materials used rather than stored.
organised castle 