Boxes...

(boxes)

My life is in boxes...

I have a friend, who is frugal, tight, bossy, organised, loud and emotioness...

She came to our house yesterday with her husband after a two week holiday to Mexico feeling jet lagged, but she had already cooked dinner and washed up from the night before, done all her washing and hung it up to dry and looked fabulous in full make up and pretty clothes.  

We had no dinner prepared, washing up from days before, place a mess and nothing to offer as refreshments. Boxes all over the place and no idea how to send them for the cheapest price, safest journey and least hassle since we don't have a car.

To cut a long story short, my frugal, tight, bossy, organised, loud and emotioness friend made a plan A, B, C, D and then E, after 8 hours and a headache and a gin and tonic, we finally booked our boxes to be picked up door to door, at a third of our original quote, paid online and then found out the airline carrier was the same as the original quote anyway!!

I love my friend... she is an angel... we're happy now.

I won't be around much for the next few days, too busy, moving out on Tuesday. Have a lovely weekend x

Cleaning Baskets in the Sun (or Shade)...

As you may already gather from this post, I have a big love of baskets. Our flat at the moment, with the weather getting colder, is becoming quite a haven for mould. No it's not very nice and yes, I know it's not at all good for our health. But we're off, so I don't really loose much sleep over it. The problem is though, apart from the teabags and flour I had in the cupboards going mouldy (sorry I couldn't offer you a cup of Peppermint tea Mum!), all my baskets have taken on a light tinge of green!

I couldn't live without my baskets (well I'm sure I could really) to contain all the silly clutter that flutters around my life. I absolutely love anything that can be classed in the 'Things to Put Things In' catergory... I like my surfaces clear and easy to clean, so for me the basket is the epiphany of clutter containment.

I thought I'd have a go at cleaning them, since they will be going on the 'by sea' journey to India. I'm not sure how long they will last in the monsoon humidity, but they may as well come along for the ride instead of going up in the loft.

The wonderful Rhonda Jean wrote a post a while back on just this subject and the lovely Julie (Oh bugger, you wern't on my blogroll... why isn't my google reader updating my list properly?), wrote a post about how she transformed her baskets in one of her super duper 'Doing/Making/Garden/Dinner' frenzies. (Simple Days she calls them!)

So with a little help...

...we collected up the mouldy baskets and using a little antibacterial, supposedly 'natural' washing up liquid from Sainsburys, (a little dig there because I thought I was buying eco, no more eco than 'Herbal Essences'!) we scrubbed and showered them down (I wasn't about to get the cold hosepipe out in this weather). Now the next step is to leave them to dry in the sun for a few days... yeah right! As the weather here is not quite as predictable as one would hope and the only patch of sun I could find in our little yard was a bit too high up to string up my basket collection, I settled for the cold shade.


So when they do finally dry, I will take an old cloth and rub them over with some Olive Oil to give them a new lease of life, fill them with beautiful things and post them off to India to meet me in the sun...

Weighing Up the Pros and Colandars...

Over the last few days I've not really been up to much. I'd love to say I've been out digging up the garden (what garden?) or knitting a scarf for winter (I still haven't got any needles) or even making a nice big batch of muffins to store in the freezer (I never did get the muffin tray)...

What have I been doing?

A bit of procrastinating, a bit of worrying, some moving things from room to room...

I'm feeling a bit like I'm in limbo. We know we are going but we still don't know when. We're dreaming of the day the passports come through the letterbox, so we can book our flights. 

I've spent a lot of time de-cluttering and prioritising what's wanted and what's not, but I've hit a mental block now. Most things we need for daily life to continue so I can't even pack yet (I'm the one that starts packing 6 weeks before I go anywhere!) I need help. I'm not sure what I'm doing...

We have found a company that sends boxes to India for a pound a kilo. The idea is to send what we really love and don't want to get rid of, see my post 'Simplicity Update' for the list. The problem is I've started thinking 'Well if it only weighs a kilo, it only costs a pound to send', so things are being added to the list and weighed and then I stand there in the kitchen in a daze saying to myself 'What am I doing?!'

Now let me explain. We don't have a house yet. It may take a few years to buy a piece of land and build one. So my dilemma is should I send things that I don't really want, but could be useful in the future? There are so many things you can't get, or are expensive to buy in India. I'm mainly talking about kitchenalia...

The 'Obliterator' in me says 'Don't do it!', but the new frugal me says 'You won't get one like that for less than a quid'...

I'm not the slightest bit attached in any way to my colander or cake plate, but I can't help thinking 'what a waste!'...

Then there's the books and toys... I don't have a problem with these. Quality books and toys are hard to come buy in India and with 3 babies to entertain, I know they will be worthwhile sending.

So forgive me whilst I put the kettle on (no that's not going and neither is the kitchen sink!), sit down for a few more minutes and contemplate clutter... I've got so much to do!!

Simplicity Update...

Things at home on the 'path to self sufficiency' are taking a back seat at the moment. The main focus now is a 'path to simplicity' in preparation for our upheaval.

It's not that I don't care anymore or that I've changed my mind, I just have to think a bit more about the short term right now. The future will come, but we have no idea what we'll be doing yet or where.

So over the next few weeks I have to analyze all the possessions we have and decide what to do with them all. We have managed to collect quite a bit of general clutter, just because we thought we would be staying for another 2 years. I suppose the longer you plan on staying in one place, the more you collect. I'm quite accustomed now to packing my life up into boxes, the funny thing is opening them a few years later and wondering 'Why on earth did I save that?'

So sitting here wondering 'Have I really got that much stuff? I thought about the different types of things that seem to appear the longer I stay in one place. Home comforts become more permanent. Temporary things amass. 'Things that might be useful one day' get forgotten in deep cupboards and lofts. Attachment then turns to suffering...

So I've been mentally de-cluttering. Window shopping in my own home, deciding what I really love, what can go now, what can go soon and what I might miss. I am quite harsh when it comes to clearing out, the 'Obliteator' in me often wins. Though I have many times just wished I had kept something that really could have been useful!

So instead of being stressed about how much I have now and how much I have to get rid of, I categorized my 'things' into 3 main groups, so I could easily plan the 'Minimize and Simplify Project'. They are:

* Prized possessions - beautiful things collected throughout life. 

For me that includes a few big books about India, photography, Buddhism, cookery and beautiful interior design. I don't buy books anymore because I am forever on the move, so the few I have decided to keep mean a lot to me. 

I spent some time practicing Tibetan Buddhism at a difficult time in my life so I have a few books, prayer texts, mala's and Buddha images which I cherish. I think I have found the concept of religion too difficult for me to grasp any specific belief, but if any has made a profound impact on me, it would be the Buddhist philosophy.

Framed photos of our family. Only a few but very precious to me.

I have a bit of an obsession with natural material baskets and boxes. I have a few that I keep because they are hard to find now and very expensive. I wouldn't rush to save them in a fire but I won't get rid of them just to simplify because they help me contain all the little things you need that otherwise clutter your life, like toiletries and 'bits and bobs'.

I have one painting, a piece of aboriginal art, I bought in Australia. It cost me £350 nearly 10 years ago and I love it. I doubt I would ever sell it.

My MacBook. It's a big part of my life right now. I'm sure you can relate. I have all my photos and music backed up on an external hard drive and photos double backed up on DVD. Plus there's all the miles of cables that seems to be a part of laptop life, I never could understand why something that was supposed to be so portable, ends up weighing three times more when you include the cables! Long live wireless networks and hurry up with the no cable solar powered supply...

I don't count jewellery as a possession because it's a part of me. I never take it off and it doesn't clutter my life.

* Transitional things - functional and practical objects for everyday life.

Things for each room in the house. Kitchen crockery, cutlery, pots, pans, pillows, furniture. I could walk away very easily and leave it all behind. Most of it I will leave for the next tenant as we have bought a lot to make the place homely such as a kitchen blind and shelves. 

Clothes. I never really cared much for fashion, I'm more of a comfortable jeans and flip flops girl. So clothes have never been a problem for me to part with, more that they fall apart because they are so cheap!

* Consumables - Things that get used up.

Eatables (as they like to call them in India!), cleaning products, toiletries. I have already made a big effort in the past to reduce these. 

My menu planning has reduced our stock of food to a minimal supply. Oh yes... those cleaning bottles are still there. It doesn't matter now, they're staying, along with the Ecover that I will be leaving to encourage the new tenant into (eco)nciousness. Travelling light makes you realise how little you really need to get by with each day, so I rarely have too many toiletries. I don't wear make up and I rarely brush my hair let alone put stuff in it or dry it with cabled electronics. If there's anything left I give it away.

***

I like to think of it like cleansing my life down to a minimum again, so as scary as it all seems to be, when I'm looking at a packed bag or a cardboard box, I know that it's the start of a new adventure, with no extra baggage...

Peas Forever with Love...

We have had a lovely few days...

Evangel planted this pea a few weeks ago, she loves to go out into the yard and see how much it has grown since the day before...

I bought this T-shirt for a pound, it's way too big but I love it so much... Peace Forever with Love... or in Angel's eye's it's Peas Forever with Love!

@ home...

After coming home from "home"

I've felt really relaxed about the present and the future and I've had a genuine smile on my face,

I think I've even laughed quite a lot!

Our Plans...

We have decided to go back to India now for 11 weeks, from November to January, so I'm very excited about it all.  My best friend Rachel, who I don't get to see much and her daughter Lily, who is Evangel's best friend (from the photo in the pool in Home Matters Most), are also thinking about coming with us.  Rachel is a single mum and very unhappy at work, so she thinks a break would be good for the both of them.  I think it will be an amazing trip to take together and I am praying that everything goes to plan.

Saying that, myself and Rachel are the most useless people there are with regards to planning, punctuality and organisation!! 

C is planning on handing in his notice as soon as he gets his visa in September, so we are hoping to leave at the start of November, perfect timing for the weather in India and perfect timing to miss all the "hoo haa" of Christmas! I'm a bit of a Scrooge when it comes to Christmas... 

We are hoping that we might find ourselves a nice piece of land around Vagamon. C's brother is there at the moment checking it out. We await news...

In the "Yard"...

I have once again been stunned by the beauty of nature, this is one of my cucumber plants... need I say more!?

Little Yellow Flower Part II...

Wild strawberry plant given to me by my Mum a few months ago, the berries are about the size of a fingernail, very sweet and juicy.  Evangel has loved them since she was tiny and awaits eagerly for the next ones to grow.

The strawberry plant I planted has now sent out it's tentacles and set up satellite babies, all around there is new life (and new future fruit!)...

An old weed my Mum told me to pull up has now creeped up over the wall and flowered into this wonderful deep purple... Some so called weeds are still so pretty...

Busy visitors...

@ the park...

The explorer...

Picking Daisies in the wind...

Abbey Park has been our "Garden" since we came to Leicester.  We spend quite a few evenings there. It's huge and beautiful and divided into different sections so you can never get bored of going time and time again.  

There's a pets corner with rabbits, guinea pigs, chickens, ducks, peacocks, goats and birds, children's play areas, a boating lake, a mini train, a river, a vegetable garden, all set within a beautifully landscaped Abbey grounds.

We are so lucky to have this amazing place right in the centre of the city...

and finally..

They call me 'The Obliterator' at home, because I'm very bossy when it comes to de-cluttering my Mothers house. I managed to relax for a few days and with the help of some deep breathing I was able to control the innate desire to 'cleanse' her of junk.  I did however, to compensate for this, have to bring home a box of groceries from her ever growing supply of wholesale food supplies and once again reassess my priorities, needs and don't needs in the flat.    

* I have emptied over the last few weeks, 3 large wooden storage boxes of supplies, which included rice, tea, coffee, tins, sugar etc and stopped buying ridiculous amounts of 'back ups' that I don't need because the nearest shop is only 2 minutes walk away and I AM NOT MY MOTHER!

(Don't worry Nikki, I don't think you're my Mother, you have a valid reason keeping your emergency stores, my Mum would however be very proud of you!  I will start on my emergency food storage once I have a long term place to store it. Oh and BTW, if ever there is a food shortage or impending need for chemical cleaning products, please feel free to muster at my Mums house, there should be enough to feed a small gathering of us 'unprepared ones' for a few months!)

* The boxes are now in our storage cupboard (with no doors) instead of the ugly cardboard boxes I was 'making do' with. 

* I have somehow managed to gather 2 bin bags of bits and pieces from throughout the flat and taken them down to the local charity shop.

* I have taken a bag of Angels hand me downs from Lily she has grown out of, back to Rachel.

* We have eaten all our fresh food and the fridge is bare, in preparation for our last few months here which will be weekly planned... Ha Ha, I hear myself say!  I'm going to give it my best shot, I won't shop weekly because I've decided I hate supermarket shopping with a passion.  I'm going to use the local shops, at a cost, but in the long run I should save money because I won't be tempted by the silly supermarket 'buy one get one' mentality.  

* We have given up the weekly organic veg box because I was disappointed every Thursday with the poor quality veg we were getting. I'm sure half of it ended up in the bin.  We just can't afford organic these days and I can only dream of the days of self sufficiency more...