There was movement at the old homestead!

Hi Guys,

Yet again, I have had a long absence from keeping you all in the loop.  Forgive me.

Winter months are always difficult to get moving and motivated.  Difficult, but not impossible.  I made a decision not to let winter be dormant in my progress this year.

A fellow friend has shown me the ropes of the 'what to do' and 'what not to do's' in taking my wares to the Sunday Markets here in Melbourne.  We started off in Oakleigh and have been looking into others.  We did give Cheltenham's a go, but too many of the same stalls were there for us to make it worth our 'whiles'! Over the few markets I have done has meant more 'stuff' has gone.  Usually, I just cover my outlay.  If you take in the effort it really isn't worthwhile.  But seeing the mound outside my front porch slowly diminish is!

Apart from that, people know there is a 'price' on the items for a bargain.  I can tell them about what they are buying if they care to know.  One person said that is new!  Of which I had to explain that it was actually 40 odd years old and been very well looked after.  Some items are even still in the original box.  I am letting things go for a steal and a song and a prayer.  Really is a good feeling.  I also get to meet the market stall vendors and get to chat to the passing potential customers.  All good fun and the bartering is fabulous.  Just love that.  So far we have chosen days with no rain.  But the cold and the wind, well, that just kills.

We have settled for Oakleigh for the time being.  It maybe small, but it packs a punch and has a variety of traders that makes it interesting for the customer and vendor alike.  And we can see potential for when the winter months start to become warmer.

Here we are with our first attempt at Marketdom!

Our second attempt!

Didn't even bother taking a photo at Cheltenham.

I am just pulling out what is next and taking it.  No rhyme.  No reason.  Just getting rid of it.  I have found some fantastic treasures.  Now I will go through the fabrics that my Mum and Grandmum had.  Some are over 40 and even 50 years old.  I only kept what I thought useful or vintage.  Some pieces I know the cushion people will want to grab.

I had to complete this course that kept me from making much progress, but finally it ended last week.  I have been out of work now for 9 months and have come close to gaining work over the last few weeks. Something has to break soon before I do.

In the meantime, I have come down with that dreadful virus and am sick as a dog.  Meanwhile, I am staying warm at home and have started finalising my filing that I had piled up again in the lounge room.  I did this so that I could not avoid it for long.  It will be liberating to have all my papers in places that I can find at a moments notice rather than rummaging through goodness knows what.

This is more like a mini catch up.  Will try to find my photos and download them so you can see what I am writing about, which makes it more interesting.

Went to the doctor's to get a few things sorted and my blood pressure for the first time was perfect in years! She wanted to know what I had done.  Simple I said, just got rid of all the toxics from my life and working on my own projects for a change.  Now the person/s I am saying whom have been in my life for years are very negative and due to my infinite patience and caring and wanting to do the right thing let them get away with it.  But, recently they renegged on a promise to me that mattered and that was it.  Final.  No more taking advantage of me any longer.  So what I have done is also working well with my all over health. Added bonus.

As Spring sets in the time spent at the markets should improve and in no time my carport will be almost bare. Then to empty what is in the small shed and lean-to.  Then and only then I start on what is in the attic.  That will be the last of the stored 'stuff''.  After which it will be time to decide what to keep and what not to keep within the 'filled to the gunnel's' cupboards.  No rest for me for quite some time.

When I mention the word 'Hoarder', it certainly gets a variety of responses.  Many go straight to the extreme. I cannot blame them, as that is the only time we really ever get to hear of a situation that involves Hoarding and Hoarders.

Sadly, this last week there was a fire in a home that many had been complaining about for some years to the council that was too that 'extreme'.  Apparently, the stacked boxes and items hindered the fire fighters and those items added more fuel to what would have been contained earlier than what proved to take place on this occasion.  Apparently, the fire started due to an open candle.

This is the article via The Australian Newspaper http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/nation/hoarder-warning-after-house-fire/story-e6frg6nf-1226687378916 .

This is when help is needed of a serious kind.

This is a timely warning and not one to be complacent about.  I have since known the dangers of what this 'stuff' can do.  I do not have candles around  due to this very reason.   The fact that people are hurting financially is what is driving many to takes such measures leading to horrific outcomes.  I am striving to ensure this does not happen to me.  I don't use electric blankets either and haven't for many decades, as these have been known to cause house fires due to being left on during the day.  If an electric item looks iffey or the cord frayed, well that gets tossed immediately.  The stuff is just not worth your life.  The two apparently got out, but with some injuries.

If you are struggling with too much stuff as well as under financial hardship then take care to not place yourself and others in harms way.  I mean, I have a Kerosine Heater, but I wouldn't use it.  The very thought of a fire horrifies me, hence, why we had no heating in this home till this year.  That meant 6 winters in the cold for both myself and my son.  I would rather wrap myself up in a blanket with a hot water bottle than risk a fire.  I must say having proper safe heating for the first time this year has been wonderful.  I have been conservative due to the rising costs of electricity.  But, all the same, it is nice to feel warm for a change.

Life is to be enjoyed.  Not endured.  And I am getting closer inch by inch to that enjoyment.

Just have to remember my big sis here.  August 1 will be 5 years since we lost her to an aggressive Bowel Cancer.  She was my rock and I was her shoulder.  I miss her every day and still go to call her to tell her something funny that just happened.  Sylvia had such a zest for life and gave to those who were less fortunate and saved all in the animal kingdom.  She was a teacher of young souls, but most of all she had her family whom she loved dearly.  She was a natural beauty with so many talents too numerous to mention. Will have to make sure I listen to some Elvis and remember the funny times to have that laugh with you once again.

Here I am her one and only Bridesmaid on her Wedding day, Strathfield, Sydney December 1977.  We had had the best morning together getting ready for that day.  Treasured memories forever.

Dusi saldi mana mila Masa.

So stay back to what this is meant to be all about... and that is 'surviving getting rid of your stuff'' and that is to stay safe while you 'unload' that 'stuff'.

Cheers
Anita

END OF YEAR ORGANISING!

Hi Guys,

Again, I have not had time to post and am sneaking a moment just to write now.

As winter sets in I know most of what I need to do on the outside usually slows down.  This wont be the case this year.

First off, in the end I had to borrow money to pay the Plumber from a very dear friend.  I am in the process of claiming those monies back as we speak so wish me luck on that score.  If the Chipper guy doesn't come through then it will have to go via the insurance company to deal with.

In the meantime, my daughter and partner in crime came over as stated in the last blog to set their sights on what lay behind the kitchen cupboard doors.  Most of my food products didn't fit into the cupboards as they were stuffed full already and very neatly may I add by my Mum.  Now it has been over 5 years since she died and it was well overdue to do.  But this is such a big job on your own.

My daughter thought we would knock it off in a day!  Now that I found hilarious.  She soon realised the magnitude of what was to be done.  We set our sights on the mini pantry and another pantry come serving area all in one.  We ended up only getting the kitchen benches sorted and the microwave moved and just one of the pantry's done in the end.  But all the food on the outside ended up behind that one pantry cupboard.

While Aija and I concentrated on the kitchen, Keith set his sights on organising my computer in the computer room.

There were jars and tins and bottles that had to be tossed as they were so old.  Some older than my daughter who is in her 20s!  We found a Peter's Ice Cream box of Ice Cream Cones all intact with price from 29 years ago!  Priceless.

We culled.  We cleaned.  We moved.  We pondered.  We achieved.

In the end the bins overflowethed (yes, I know that this is not a proper word) with much more to go in for the next weeks rubbish collection.

But, gee, we got a lot done.

After this I got my filing cabinet opened and moved things out to be sorted, as in to sell at a market one day or thrown out or given to the intended recipient.

I have several project going at the one time, which appears to slow the process down, but not really.  If that makes sense.

I have to now sort through the sorted paperwork into files to live in the filing cabinet.  And in so doing will finally be out of sight and ready for easy access as needed.  Now that will be novel.

I have boxes outside that I am finally going through one by one with the same process of what is to be thrown out, given to recipient and off to market or kept.  The less kept the better.

A friend came over to look at my 'stuff' and I could tell he was somewhat overwhelmed by just what I have left now.  Imagine if he had seen what I had over 5 years ago!  But there is still some good stuff in there that what I don't want to keep he said will sell well at a market.

I looked into the price, times and booking of 2 markets.  One that I thought I would like to do was the Camberwell and the other being my local the Oakleigh one, both operating on a Sunday.

With Camberwell, which is 20 minutes away as the crow fly's, it was $65 booking fee with you rocking up at 5.30am to line up to get in.  In winter!  Are you joking!  Far out.  And with Oakleigh, which is way smaller and much closer, it was a $10 booking fee with you rocking up at between 6 and 7am.  Way more civilised if you ask me.  I am starting to get the car packed so that when a Sunday presents that it is not going to rain I can just head off with a Thermos of hot tea.

In the meantime, I had 3 items left still at my neighbours garage.  She is now 87 and is getting everything ready for when she passes on.  She had names on everything.  She has been single all her life and also has a time of it to get help when needed.  She knew that I was finding it hard to get a guy with a trolley to get those last items over to my place from her garage.  She is just across the road, but it may as well been Timbuktoo.

She fostered a young boy many years ago whom comes over every so often to get jobs done and he said he would bring his trolley and bring what was left over to me.  How wonderful of her to have organised this.  She is a love and a truly wonderful neighbour.  She helped me in my time of need and now it was time for all things to be in the one place.  All together once more.  So the spare fridge, side table and knitting machine came back.

This was huge.

To think I had 'stuff' in four places 5 years ago and now downsized to one was a momentus occasion.  However, no fan fare, no streamers or bells or whistles going off.  But I did smile at this achievement.  If you don't take a moment to appreciate these milestones you would get rather despondent and then go into a spiral and give up.  And I will never give up.  No matter what.

Progress was made.  The reason I am hanging onto the fridge is if my one goes bust at this moment I have no way of replacing it.  At least this way I have a spare.  Once the shed is cleared out the fridge will live in there.

So I am sorting the filing, sorting the market stuff and sorting the kitchen cupboards.  Not enough hours in the day to get them all done.  But looking back at what I have achieved I know I am doing something right.

I spoke to one of my blog friends the other week, who also followed the music page I did that I recently bowed out of due to family commitments and my personal projects to have more time to spend with family and finish my projects.  This particular friend and I spoke about what happened to her and how she got where she was over a period of time and she was the one where 2 blokes came along from her council demanding to come in to inspect her home unannounced.  She was harassed and bullied and made to feel like an outcast and all she needed was some unjudgemental helping hands and assistance due to her ailing health.

Apparentl,y there are organisations out there that can do just that, but who would know if the information isn't out there.  She is now slowly getting on top of things with the help of a mentor via this organisation.  I have left writing this for so long that I have forgotten who it was and she wanted me to impart certain information that I wrote down and for the love of money do you think I can find that piece of paper as things have been moved since. But I will let you all know in blogs to come.

When someone is drowning you help.  Well, the same goes when one gets overloaded for what ever reason as to how it came about those people or person need help also.  Emotionally as well as physically.

I am so glad that she was able to speak to me about her feelings, fears and frustrations.  It can take a lot to open up.  And it does help to talk things through.  Sometimes this can be enough for some.  And also the knowledge of emotional support is important.  To not feel alone in this goes very far indeed.

No photos this time round till I get sorted with the computer.  All a learning curve for me right now.

Still no paying job, but not giving up.

Jobs here in Victoria are being slashed with companies downsizing or going under at a rapid rate.  We have been through tough times before, but never like this as food, petrol, rent, utilities bills and insurances all go through the roof at the same time.  All the fundamentals, as in the staples ie bread, milk etc are no longer affordable.  So off to the market I must go and freeze my butsky off to see if I can retrieve this situation till a paying job does present itself in order to keep the wolves from my front door.

As winter trundles along, I hope to get the paperwork filed away and keep the living areas spit spot.

Till next time whenever that will be.  We shall see if I write pre end of financial year or post.  Bets anyone?

Cheers folks
Anita

FAMOUS LAST WORDS!

Hi Guys,

You would think one would learn their lesson by not assuming anything.  Hence, my famous last words.

I wrote and maybe even crowed a little at the end of my last entry the savings I would make with the help of others was going to be less than the alternative and in so doing save monies that I just didn't have anyway.  Hah!  Not on your nelly.  Allow me to expand on being so naive.

But, before I expand on my sorry tale, I have to inform you all that the Lounge Room is now done and dusted literally, including a big part of the Dining Room.  Also, I regretfully did not make an entry in April.  Reason being I was busy with getting the 'drama' side of my 'assuming' the savings I had made would come back to haunt me and will become abundantly clear shortly to you all.

Normally, most of which I will impart in this entry would take over at least four entries, but may as well do a big catch up and add all the photos in as well.  Plenty to see.  And you can see we have been very busy indeed.

I was feeling rather chuffed with what we had achieved.  I set about getting several quotes for chipping what was on the front lawn from the Garden Bee, which looked like a lot, but not really.  I decided on one that I could afford or so I thought.  The day came, which was a Thursday and the guys were not all that together as the boss was, but we proceeded all the same.

This is how it looked until I hired a crew to deal with it.

First off, they trampled all over the front garden bed that admittedly needed weeding but still had good bones underneath all those weeds and in the process destroyed most of the Rose bushes bar one and then I noticed my front tap was bent.  I could see water gushing out and I had to turn off my water completely at this stage.  This worried me immediately, but there was no looking back.

Here is a sequence of events as they unfolded.

I advised them that they were to chainsaw what was left of the Birch Tree and could they knock the top off what was left of the Oak trunk.  This guy did just that, but also if bending my front tap wasn't enough he also then chopped into the front tap as well.  He then tells me it is corroded.  I was skeptical as I remembered somewhere in the back of my mind that my parents made sure everything was done in copper and that just didn't sound right.  However, again we proceeded once again

What was left of the Birch Tree and after.....

They decided to chip in a place that I would not have, but I had little say as they bombarded their way on.  They chipped right over the handle that turns the water on and off to the property and around the letterbox entirely.  They saw that that was where the tap was, but were undeterred regardless.

So, here I am with no water and a broken front yard tap with the handle to turn water on/off buried beneath a heavy load of chipped wood!

The bucket is to protect what was left of the tap and also be able to find the spot in the dark for when my friend the Plumber arrive, which more than likely was going to be close to getting dark.

I thought at least we got through that and next to call the Plumber.  Or so I thought that that was it.

I paid the required amount and got the guy to sign a piece of paper to acknowledge they had been paid cash as I wasn't all that confident after the before fiasco.  Once they left I only then discovered that my front lounge window had a huge whopping hole through it!

This just tipped me over the edge.   I could see all that we saved going down the plug hole.  And to make matters worse, huh, I didn't have the cash to splash anyway.  A certain someone had promised me monies that they owed me and had renegged the week before with no intention to divvy up and in so doing placed me under extreme financial pressure.  This person is now persona non grata as far as I am concerned.  To go back on your word is the lowest of all lows if you ask me.  But that didn't solve my problem now.  I am still sorting it out and hopefully a happy ending.  Time will tell.

This is what I saw and luckily the curtain stopped the spray of glass inside as my son was in the next room not far from this window.  He heard the bang, but didn't know what it was and thought no more about it.  We were just lucky that no one got hurt.


                                              


                                              


                                   


                                    


                                     

Here is the culprit of said large gaping hole!


                                      

So, there you are.

My nice 'didn't cost me as much as it could have' had just blown out now by having to pay for a Plumber and Glazier!  This I could ill afford.  To say I was stressed to the max would be an understatement.  Also, on top of this I had to get the stuff that was in the lounge room out and a book shelf unloaded by Saturday morning!

My Plumber friend, Ray, came to my rescue that night and called in on his way home, thankfully, and got us up and running by semi fixing the break there and then so we could have water and finish the job later that week.  This is when I found out that it was copper and not corroded and was chainsawed to shreds.  My plumber said that it was the chipping guys fault and that they had to foot the bill.  I sent photos and what had happened to the boss and am getting that sorted still as we speak.  I had no spare cash for this sort of drama.  Still don't and still may have to try and borrow to finalise it if the chipper guy has no insurance or doesn't cough up the monies.

My Plumber wanted me to take photos for proof and here are some of them.....


                                       


                                       


                                       


                                                  


                                                  


The Glazier came the next day and was so quick and efficient.  It was the first window to be replaced in this house.  My parents built it in the early 60s and it seemed strange to have this happen.  I will have to paint the exterior now, which now leads to more more and more unwanted and unnecessary work.  I had to pay them from another bill and think about that one like Scarlett O'Hara.  As in 'another day'.

A simple decision can take you on many different paths.  I just didn't expect to go down this one.  Nor did I need to or want to.  It takes me away from my game plan and adds more time lag onto my already extended project of decluttering as well as the unwanted stress that is not good for my heart.

Hence, why you didn't hear from me for quite some time.

Now on a happier note, my daughter and her mate in crime came as planned that weekend to sort and move the Lounge Room furniture around.

While I was dealing with tradies and the like I had to get most of what was dumped in the Lounge Room out and this time I wanted to deal with as much of the items as I handled them.  As in keep to be placed in 'situ' or tossed in the bin or given to whom it belongs to and so forth.  This put such pressure on me that I was frazzled to say the least.  I also had to unpack my one bookshelf completely so it could be moved.  This was the one that Kim the miracle woman organiser had reorganised and I wanted to keep it just as was so took photos to make sure I reassembled the way it should be.

This photo is of my new area to place and deal with bills etc, so I don't overlook any up and coming due dates.  A place to be sorted and organised and the light in this spot is unbelievable.  So much so that at times I don't even need my reading glasses.


                                         


As far as the bookshelf is concerned I do believe I did a better job of it second time round.  What do you think of the before and after?

Before being moved.....

                                                   

In the new position.....


                                         


Refilled and looking much better me thinks.....


                                                    


                                          


If any one of you spied the metal 'One Armed Bandit' you would be right.  I bought this at a market in Los Angeles some 15 years ago.  The previous owner was this guy who was a Talent Agent and one of his clients just so happened to be Anthony Perkins of the Psycho fame in his latter years.  Apparently he would pour his dollars and cents in to never win for someone to then have a go after him to win the lot!!!  So goes the tale I was told.  Still in working order.  And to get it back home was so much fun as part of my luggage. It weighed a ton!  I will be selling that at some stage.

I actually did get all of the stuff out of the Lounge Room and done, albeit with my back hurting like hell.  The only thing I didn't get done was the vacuuming of the smaller shards of broken glass in the corner.  I knew my daughter would be giving the floors a once over so didn't want to double up.  The larger pieces I had already dealt with.

On arrival I was ordered by the both of them not to be in the Lounge Room as I apparently am too distracting.  I like to tell stories.  Go figure.

Here they are starting the process.....

                                                     


                                                     


                                                     


                                           


The 60's Stereogram that was in the corridor by the toilet and recently brought over from the neighbour's garage and about to be place in it's new home.  No more bruises in the middle of the night.


                                          

When it warms up the sound is warm and just beautiful.


                                           


I tried my best not to be in the room.  I really did.  But hey, you can't blame a gal for checking.  If I recollect I only got two warnings.

Anyhow, the furniture was moved and the fact that they even got the 1960's Radio in there, well, all I can say is I was impressed with their ingenuity.

Before before....


                                           

Another before....  see always evolving.....

                                           


After....


                                            


Other angle with moi in her new pride of place.....


                                           

Before of the other end of the Lounge Room.....


                                            

After.....


                                            

My daughter and her boyfriend, Aija and Keith, are just so clever and absolutely wonderful.  Again, thank you just doesn't seem to cut it.  I still had a lot to do, but this moving the furniture around part I just could not have achieved on my own ever in a million years.  Daudz daudz bucas un paldies.  Basically, I just said many many kisses and thank you in Latvian.

This now is my sanctuary.  Not to be cluttered or used as a dumping ground ever again.  We have kept to this just as is and it is a sheer delight to sit in at the end of the day.


                                           


They even helped me with the Dining Room and we can now utilise this space better.  The only thing is Oskars the Budgie doesn't see us as often, so I turn the radio on for him now.  I will have to find a better position for him so he has us nearby.  Don't want him to get any more cranky than he is already.  Photos of the Dining Room will be posted another time as it is not finished as yet.  You will just have to be patient with me.

A week later Tony who helped chop all the overgrowth outside came to help me with getting some of the items up on the walls, including some of the pictures as well.  Not all are up, but it is a start and helps get more off the floor.

First job was to get the cupboard doors off the floor and back in place.  Now doesn't this look good.

Before.....

                                       

After.....

                                       

Feels so good and makes a huge difference and both doors are now fixed.

Next was for some of the items to be drilled into their new places.


                                                 


                                       

And just the start of some prints.


                                       


A certain someone may recognise the lamp post from a promotion, which I knew would look lovely with my print of Venice.


                                        

I cannot thank Tony enough.  He said he would do the job and within a week of asking he was there ready, willing and able with no if, but's or maybe's.  This is him with me at my birthday celebration at The Nott where he offered to be of help.  Best present a gal can ever get.  A bestie who does what he says!  


                                       

I am, by no means near finished, but in my sorting from the lounge room I did find some SD cards with photos from when I had moved my stuff from my rental to here a few months after Mum died.  By this stage it was early 2008.  These are just of the outside and I still have to find the ones I took of inside as yet.  I will add these at the end of this entry.  I am being very brave now.  Letting it all hang out is not easy to do.  But the ones I found sure do show me how far I have come even though I have much more to do I can take solace in the fact that 'I AM GETTING THERE'!

In the meantime, Missy Kafups has been marking her territory furiously and finding all the best spots to rest.  She is spoilt for choice and there are no boundaries as far as she is concerned.  This is her kingdom after all.


                                        


                                        


                                        


                                        


                                        


                                       


                                        


Usually she is at the top of her totem post, but occasionally she will sit at my level by the computer for kisses.


                                                  

Her P.O.V. and generally she is on the top rung to oversee her kingdom!  Many a bird, especially the Wattle and Black Birds come to bath in the tub I have by the spouting.  She must think this to be her personal TV as she is very content to watch the birds bath.


                                                  


Original P.O.V. when I moved in 6 years ago.  Mind you this is pre chopping of the overgrowth.


                                       

When I first moved my belongings from my rental to my old family home a massive rainbow came over the house.  By the time I got my camera it had started to dissappear.  But, believe me it was massive and oh so beautiful.  So vibrant.  Even though I tried to hide the stuff under the carport it still does shows how much was stuffed under the carport and how good the garden looked.  I was still in that shame mode of how could I be forced to live like this.  I am glad now that I have come to terms with the fact that what you see on the surface is not necessarily what is actually going on.

My neighbour may like to see the second phot,o which has her huge tree in front of her house and was dangerous and since been removed.  They have made the front of their home look so beautiful.  I hope to do the same one day after my decluttering is closer to being 'done'.


                                      

The other end of that rainbow.

Around the same week this amazing moon close to dusk at my old rental prior to me vacating back in 2008.  Again, it was massive and magical and does not show the full impact.  It was breathtaking.  I had been living at the family home now for some 8 or 9 months before I could get myself organised enough to bring all the gear home.  When I look back to what was a total nightmare, I cannot believe how far I have come.  The task at hand was truly daunting and seemed impossible to achieve at that time.  There was just so much stuff that I felt enveloped with inertia just thinking about it.  Even now it sends chivers around my head.

As I said before I found photos from years gone by that I had taken for future reference and at that time intended only for myself.  These are before and afters with future ones to come.

This is before I went back to work and was coping with the garden.

Before around 2010 by the back door.....

After the recent Garden Bee.....


                                     


Before and where I would sit to read and write my stories.  You can still see Mum and Dad's vegie patch still intact but not used for it's intended purpose.  This was around 2009 after the first part of the Apricot tree branch fell down.  You can see I am slowly cutting the branches that took me months to do and you can see the dismantled cubby house leaning against the shed that I sold for next to nothing through the then still paper Trading Post....

After the recent Garden Bee.....


                                      

These next photos may give you an inkling on how far I have come or I at least hope so.

These were taken of the carport area with only a portion of my belongings.  Most of the rest were all the other place including some of my Mum's stuff .  The other areas included the following - the lounge filled to the brim - as in ceiling, the master bedroom filled to the brim - yes again ceiling, the corridors packed to only just walk through, the dining room stuffed to the gunnels - but not ceiling, the neighbour's double garage packed rather full and finally a big huge large square pellet on a mezzanine floor in Richmond.  These photos are of just what was under the carport.  Remember, I had no money to store anything anywhere and the house was stuffed to the brim with my Mum's furniture etc, as well as my Grandmum's that she hadn't parted with as yet.  I had to find solutions to my problems.  And my solutions meant long term even though I wanted a quick fix I knew I wasn't about to get one back then.

As I look back now at the stuff (and masses of it) and it is now I can see just how suffocating as it once was.  Much of this has now been given away to others or the Salvation Army.  Also, heaps in the bins and hard rubbish over the years.  With just a small portion being sold in one garage sale.  To say this has been hard yakka is an understatement.  Just bare in mind that what was there in the first place when you view these photos to now.  I took these at the time for just my eyes only.  That is how ashamed and horrified I was as to my plight.  There was no other way.  I had no choice and did the best I could.  I am glad now that I had the good sense to take even a few of these photos back then.  It helps with knowing and healing.  I am sharing now with the view to show others in similar situations that it can be achieved if you are kind to yourself through the process even if it does take time.  And that is okay.

This is from the front in early 2008.....


                                     

Again from the front, but have put this in yet again for my neighbour to see how far they have come also with their garden.....


                                     

On closer inspection.....


                                      

Closer still.  From this perspective my car wasn't even under the carport.  The nose of the car was just at start of the carport.  Whereas now I fully park under the carport.....


                                      


Of the following photos I will take some from the same angles to show you before and after in a coming entry.


View from the front door and this was half the length and on the side where the car parked.....

Looking around the corner from the front door to the other side of the double carport.  We literally only had a corridor in which to get through from the car to enter the house.  Most of those items are now gone...

From the back looking towards the street the side where the car parks with plastic in the attempt to protect my belongings.  Most were placed on pellets to be off the ground to avoid spoilage from water damage.  Overall I have only lost 2 big suitcase size bags of items to moisture and one big box so far.  Not bad considering it has been out in the weather for 5 years now.  This is now down to a quarter of what it was.....

This is the other side of the carport that leads to the front door and when you stood on the porch you could not see the street, but you can now.  This is now down to a third of what it was back then maybe even less.....

Now the lounge is a Lounge Room.  The Master Bedroom is just that.  The third bedroom now serves as a Study.  The corridors are still hovering with the perpetual cycle of stuff, but not near as much as before. The neighbour's double garage has been emptied except for the fridge, which I have to move soon upon the request of my gracious neighbour.  How can I refuse as she has saved me 5 years in storage fees and will be eternally grateful to.  I do in turn take her to certain appointments and always help her out.  But to me that is a given anyway.  May has been a dear neighbour since a long time.  The dining area is about to be just that - a Dining Room.  And last but not least my dear dear friend who helped me out at the very start with my Mum's stuff that was in the third bedroom stuffed full to the gills insisted that I store it at her place of business in Richmond for almost 2 years to get me started.  What a woman.  What a friend.  I am blessed with the best and kindest friends anyone could wish for.  You all know who you are.

Now looking back at these photos I can 'see' just how far I have come.  It is worth the effort to take photos as it does serve as a useful tool to record what you have achieved.  Even if no one can see it.  Do it for yourself.  

I started out with 'famous last words'.  There is a saying that goes like 'when you assume you make an ass of yourself', or something along those lines.  Well, I assumed and made an ass out of myself.  But it is a lesson learnt and one that I wont do again.  Assume that is.

Will finish off here.  Wont let time go by too far for the next entry as this one took too long to get out there.  

Hope those who are going through clutter or stuff issues can gain some help from what I have and still going through.  If I can do this slowly and get there, then anyone can.

Just remember Rome wasn't built in a day and at times nor can our problems and issues be solved in a day either.

Till next time and report again in May and next time my gorgeous daughter and wonderful boyfriend plan to come to help again.  Apparently, the kitchen is in their sights. 

I better make a plan.

Cheers all,

Anita who is still getting there...