You may remember this post from about a month ago. I bought 3 rather large tins of crushed tomatoes. I made sure that I had a plan for how to use/store nearly 3kg of crushed tomatoes once the can was opened. This is important to make sure that nothing goes to waste.
I opened one a couple of days ago and used 2 cups of it in a dish I was making. The remainder are now frozen in quantities which are a similar size to a regular 400g can of tomatoes.
Even though we have been in this house just under 2.5 years I have already tidied and decluttered the small office space and desk a couple of times. However, I was a bit more ruthless this time with a few more things gone.
Although I did not take a before photo I found this one from a previous post.
The most noticeable difference is that the speakers are gone as well as the cane basket from the corner of the desk. As we were working through the various bits and pieces, GMan noticed that the speakers were not actually connected to anything and whenever we listen to audio on the computer it comes directly from the speakers in the laptop!! The speakers do not appear to be compatible with the laptop so they are off to the op shop to find another home. The cane basket had become a receptacle for all sorts of electronics odds and ends so we decided that not having it there would force us to put things away properly. I will probably repurpose the basket for storage in my sewing room.
This is the finished view of the desk.
There is a small cupboard on the wall above one end of the desk. This is where we keep the modem as the power point and connection are there.
However, I always felt that this space was under-utilised. So, GMan drilled a hole so that we could feed the cables through and place the modem on the top shelf. This freed up more shelf space to use for other storage, including the lower shelf which is more accessible. I now have some stationery supplies in a couple of very classy ice-cream containers. They were previously on the bottom shelf of the bookcase opposite the desk but it makes more sense to have them here.
Finally, we went through all of the drawers and removed various things that are no longer relevant and rearranged a few items to make better use of the space. The final touch is that I plan to make labels for the drawers so that things are easier to find without opening multiple drawers. That is a task for another day.
Almost 2 weeks since my last post. While I haven’t been writing there seems to have been plenty to keep me occupied. Sometimes it is difficult to get motivated to write as I am loathe to repeat myself and after 14.5 years of blogging it can begin to feel like more of the same. However, in a lot of respects our lives and routines are remarkably repetitive.
The spring weather is as unpredictable as ever with days that hint of the coming summer interspersed with others that feel like winter. Nevertheless, we are enjoying the spring flowers and fresh foliage growth. The fleeting nature of spring flowers makes them particularly special as we have a small window to enjoy them before they are gone for another year. The daffodils are finished but the wisteria are looking their best this week.
Like every year, 2025 seems to be gathering speed as we race towards the end of the year. We no longer have work Christmas parties, end-of-year school activities or even a huge focus on a family Christmas but the countdown to Christmas has crept up on me.
We had a short break last week and spent 3 nights at Walhalla, about 3 hours east of Melbourne. It is a historic gold-mining town which now has a permanent population of 20.
This is a view from our accommodation one evening.
It occurred to me today that it is 10 weeks until we fly to Europe for a trip which we hope may include a white Christmas.
Before that we have another 2 night short break here in Victoria as well as about 10 days in Queensland visiting family, a weekend of volunteering/attending the local Folk Festival and the usual round of events, meetings, visitors and so on.
I really do need to be organised to make sure everything goes smoothly.
How do you feel about the latter part of the year? Are you planning or already prepared for Christmas and the year’s end?
Almost all of what I, and probably most of you, do is repetitive. Some things are repeated daily, weekly or less frequently. Things like meal preparation and washing up can even be multiple times each day.
However, there are some jobs which can be done once and once only. Many fall under the broader category of decluttering which in itself can seem like an endless task.
I recently cleaned up the desk in our small office which is a built-in desk in the walkway through to the laundry. Keeping this space free from clutter is an ongoing project and I completely understand that.
There were 6 small plastic boxes sitting one one corner of the desk. These had previously held photographic slides that belonged to my father. The slides have all been scanned and saved so I had disposed of the originals. The boxes were covered with adhesive labels and notations in permanent marker and I had been undecided as to whether I could repurpose the boxes. I possibly could but the question really is, ‘do I need them?’
After several months of seeing these boxes multiple times each day I decided that they could be used by someone else. So, the first step was to remove the labels and clean them up.
No before photo but here they are, ready to go. I plan to take them to the Bendigo Share and Repair Shed as I feel that someone will be able to use them.
I am sure that they will be perfect storage for someone’s small treasures.
Just because you don’t want to send something to landfill does not mean that you are obliged to keep it or even to find a way of using a particular item.
While it is only the beginning of the second week of August there is a definite hint of spring in the air. At least the bitter chill has gone, at least for the moment. Today was a glorious sunny day.
The daffodils are almost ready to burst forth.
GMan picked all of the remaining lemons from the tree. It is only quite a small tree and one of the branches that was laden with fruit really needed to be pruned.
I have juiced about half of these and will do the rest tomorrow.
One thing led to another and I sorted out the freezers which were a bit of a shambles and I was not 100% certain of what was in there. I found a single serve of soup and a zucchini quiche which GMan and I had for our lunches. I also pulled out a bag of whole ripe tomatoes from last summer. I will thaw and chop them to use in cooking.
A jar of prepared chickpeas was thawed out for a vegetable curry for dinner – it is chickpea, pumpkin and eggplant.
We also made the most of the better weather to do a bit more fence painting. I think it is going to be our version of the Sydney Harbour Bridge!
It is still cold at night so firewood is a must.
I finished sewing the patchwork blocks together a few days ago and yesterday I delivered all of the components – patchwork, batting and backing – to a friend who is going to quilt it on her long arm machine.
The horizon is clear as far as sewing projects go so I decided that it was time to make a serious effort to clean up and sort out the fabrics, patterns etc. Many of these are gifted, thrifted, hand-me-downs or scraps.
I probably should have started with the bits and pieces on top but I dived straight in to the contents of the cube shelving. The top two rows are rearranged although the cupboards are currently empty while I decide on what to put in them.
The shelving units were repurposed from our walk-in wardrobe and the spare bedroom. Most but not all of the contents came with us when we moved from Queensland just over 2 years ago. While everything was unpacked and stashed in the various cubes there was not a great deal of thought as to how it was arranged.
I am determined that I am going to assess everything before putting it away. There is no point in hanging onto things for which I have no possible future use. Additionally, I am setting aside the UFO’s (unfinished objects) to work through. However, the first priority is to have the sewing machine serviced. Apart from needing a general overhaul the thread cutter is blunt, the needle threader is broken and the clutch on the bobbin winder is slipping.
In the interest of full disclosure this is a view of the tables covered with piles of fabric which I have hauled out of some of the lower cubes.
It is going to take some time but I am likely to be without my machine for a couple of weeks after I drop it off on Tuesday so I will focus on the sorting without being distracted and tempted to sew something.
Last month I wrote this post about rearranging the linen. Once I consolidated the towels that were in a couple of different spaces I ended up with a plastic tub full of ‘spare towels’.
Fast forward to today when I read a Facebook post from a friend about a charity in central Melbourne who provide hot showers and laundry facilities for those who are sleeping rough. They are asking for donations of towels and also washing powder/liquid.
I was immediately sure that the tub of towels in the top of my linen cupboard could be put to better use. I will take them to donate when I go to Melbourne on Wednesday.
Most of these towels came from my mother’s home after she died a little over 4 years ago. They were too good to use as rags or even for animal bedding but I was not sure what to do with them. I have enough and someone else will be able to benefit from them so I am happy with the outcome.
This is the top of the linen cupboard now. There are 2 beach towels.
I am not a fan of decluttering that involves throwing excess stuff in a bin when with a little time and thought things can be moved along to be of benefit to someone who can really use them.
In a post from last week I mentioned that I was searching for alternatives to the bed that we had in the spare room. You can read about it here.
I feel as though I have spent the past week buying and selling beds on Facebook Marketplace.
We thought we had found a suitable bed, however, it turned out to be too big for the room as it had quite chunky timber head and foot ends. I managed to sell the original bed quite quickly and thought I would need to make do with the one that was a bit of a squeeze as we have guests arriving on Sunday.
Luckily, I spotted the perfect bed not too far from home and we were able to collect it today.
The bed is assembled, remade and the room is back in order and I am really pleased with the outcome.
Now all I need to do is to sell the one which did not suit our space. It was definitely a ‘whoops’ moment but not the end of the world.
The universe, or at least Facebook Marketplace, delivered today. I had been looking for a small seat to go in our walk-in wardrobe. It would be a spot to sit to put on or take off shoes.
I found this one for $10 and only 15 minutes drive from home.
This is probably not essential during the summer months as I simply slip on a pair of sandals and go but it will be a game-changer during the cooler months when I seem to be forever putting on lace-up shoes or boots.
It was quite hilarious to discover that the family selling it actually had another which they used for exactly the same purpose. Great minds think alike!
I seem to have linen in a couple of different locations and I recently decided that I needed to look closely at what I had, and more importantly, where it is stored. The towels and bed linen were mostly in the small linen cupboard in the hallway. I had some tablecloths and less used bed linen and blankets in the large drawers under the bed in the spare room. Tea towels, hand towels and some table mats are in a drawer in the pantry.
The catalyst for my decision to re-evaluate the linen storage was the fact that the spare bed had become a bit of a dumping-ground which included the clean linen needed to remake that bed.
So, the first job was to hang up the coats which were also on the bed and remake it ready for guests at the end of the month. That immediately made things look better.
The bed was one which we bought from the previous owners when we bought the house, however, I can honestly say that I hate it. I like the look of the bed but it is difficult to make as the mattress which is very heavy sits inside a timber recess. I usually end up with scraped knuckles by the time it is made. The built-in drawers in the base are a killer for my back as I can’t get my feet close enough. I am currently searching secondhand option for a suitable replacement.
Meanwhile, I removed everything that was in the drawers in preparation for not having that space in the future.
The revamped linen cupboard – towels, sheets and doona covers.
Some extra blankets in a vacuum bag in the wardrobe. The bags on the floor contain 2 airbeds – one is a single and the other a queen-size.
Finally, I have relocated all the linen relating to the kitchen and dining room to a drawer in the extended pantry. These include tea towels, handtowels, table mats, serviettes and tablecloths.
The rearrangement did not take me too long and hopefully it will continue to work well.
organised castle 