New Year's resolutions

I’ve had my first week back at work since Christmas – and it was very hard to get back into the groove of things. I felt as though I had a head full of fuzz until at least Tuesday. I wasn’t sorry when Friday came around.

My week off was productive rather than recreational. I did do some writing, quite a bit of reading – and even tackled my stamp collection which has been sadly ignored for a while ( I blame the writing bug y'know. )


The weather was stinking hot and I was grateful for the air conditioning at home. I elected to spend most of my week off pottering around inside. I guess that the garden will have to wait a while longer, but I did manage to clean out the boys’ room, defrost the freezer, make some jam and sauce, cleared out the cupboard under the stairs and put away the Christmas decorations. I became a demon with a duster and broom and tried to chuck out anything that was past its use-by date, or being kept ’just-in-case.’ but there is still a stack more to go.

I realized that I am steadily de-cluttering my life… and it feels great.

What doesn’t feel great is that my laptop shorted out last Saturday and I’ve had to go back to the old ‘wind-up’ computer in the front room. I’ve discovered I simply can’t write there because it’s too damn uncomfortable. Seems I need my recliner and laptop in order for the creative juices to flow. With any luck I’ll have it back this week. I’m hoping that it is a minor electrical problem, but it could be the motherboard – and that would be a bad thing.

But back to the de-cluttering

I’ve had a 5 berth caravan at a site up the river about an hour’s drive from here since 1997. It has a colourbond permanent annexe, but each year the site fees have gone up – and we’ve not had the value from it for years. I kept it on after Vaughan left, thinking that the kids might want to use it independently – or I might choose to go up there on my own, but the reality is that they aren’t that interested and I found going up there hard work after a long week at work.

I knew I ought to either sell it or use it more often, but removing it on my own was simply too much to contemplate, so each year I have just kept it on and put my hand in my pocket as each quarter falls due.

However, all that changed this week when, Andrea and her boyfriend Rob offered to remove it for me – and take it off my hands.

Well I vacillated about it for days, but pretty soon I figured that the cost of removing probably offset the value of the van, so on Friday I said ‘Thank you very much and how soon can we do it?’

Long story short, four of us went up to the site the next day and spent a few hours emptying out the van and today Rob and Andrea spent the day dismantling the annexe, ripping up the floorboards and towing the timber and metal sheeting back home. (not sure what I’m going to do with it yet, mind. ) With any luck he’ll have the van itself off site by next weekend!

Next week I think I’ll hire a mini skip and take the opportunity to get rid of the bits

I can’t recycle and while I’m at it, clear out the garden shed and empty the garage – and anything else that can go.

By nature I’m a pack-rat, but there is something liberating about having a good old clear out.

Wish me luck!