My decluttering efforts - I've shifted out of first gear finally!!!

Been a bit busy the past couple of weeks since we returned from holidays...  I'll post about holidays another time I think, but tonight I want to share with you the efforts that I've been making in the past couple of weeks with the help of some Help-x people...

In case you don't know what Help-x is, it's basically Help Exchange.  You give free room and board to a person or persons, and in return they give you 4 - 6 hours of work for free each day.

We had an absolutely delightful French gay couple, who cleaned our outside patio, and did a lot of sanding and re-shellacking of my silky oak dining room table.  Fabien was a wonderful cook we discovered too!!!! 

We followed the boys really quickly with Laura also from France, who was very young, but boy she also did a great job!  I put her to work cleaning out the kitchen cupboards, washing windows etc., and that's how my decluttering efforts got off the ground....

Here's a couple of pic's....

The after shot of under the sink after Laura had attacked it....  I'm secretly pleased there's no before shot, because it was most terrible!!!

Ditto as above for the "crap" drawer...

This is the almost before shot of the desk tonight.  I had taken a bit off the desk already, as is pictured below.... 

I spread it all out over the kitchen bench.  Look closely and you'll find my dinner in amongst it.  Shitty day at work so comfort food of baked spud with sour cream :)

The end result...  Yes, that's a mighty pile of filing, but I will be sorting that in about 4 weeks at tax time.... 

 

 

What I have found with this decluttering and cleaning caper is that once you're on a roll, it's easier to keep being on a roll.  I know you've probably heard it a zillion times before, but just starting, making that first little step, is what works.  It's working for me, and I'd have to say that I'd be one of the hardest nuts to get going.  However, now that I'm off the mark, I need to keep travelling.... 

 

Holiday photo's soon, promise!

Happy Australia Day!!!!

Ahhh... the day we celebrate being us, being Australian.  What does that mean to you?  Not to "be Australian" if you're not an Aussie, but to be who you are?  Belong in your country???

Are you proud of who you are?  Do you have that sense of belonging?

We have a student here from Norway at the moment, and I am having real trouble understanding his fitting in.  He doesn't like to associate with "kids younger" than him, which has effectively left him with no "friends" to hang out with around the estate at all (god knows what happens at school).  He associates with the neighbours, but they are grown adults, so he can't spend all his time hanging out with them either.  He basically spends most of his time laying on his bed, doing stuff or watching movies on his computer. 

Today we had a BBQ and the Sue & Hugh and Brent came over (we can't go out to do anything for Australia day because it's sooooo wet!!!)  Henrik doesn't want to hang out with Brent because he's only 13, so not "grown up enough"... the thing that he doesn't realise is how much he misses out on, by not associating with all ages of people.  Brent has his own boat, which he and his Dad go fishing in regularly - Henrik won't ever get an invite, because he's simply not friendly enough to them.  After he'd finished his lunch, Henrik simply got up from the table and left.  Didn't even say goodbye to anyone when they left!!!  He just doesn't get how rude he actually is and how much that will impact on him, as nobody will want to go with him places, so he then complains he's bored on his own!!! 

Ahhhh - teenagers! 

And as for going everywhere, and I mean EVERYWHERE with headphones on...  Grrrrr....

Vent on teenagers over now....  but I think he may be our last student through YFU.  I'm basically a cooking, cleaning, washing person for a teenager who lays around.  I'm not getting any "feel good" out of it, and I feel a bit used up - so I don't know that I'll be doing it again.  Sad...

Moving right along, it's been raining here the past few days.  It rained so much that our underground water tank didn't cope with all the water going into it and the overflow didn't drain it fast enough - check out this video that Ken took...  the water bubbling up out of the tank is not supposed to happen!  Also - see if you can catch sight of the river down the back....

Oops - sorry, video won't upload.  It's 36MB, so probably too big...  Just use your imagination instead!!!

Finally I feel like I might be getting somewhere!!!

It's been a busy old time the past few days!

Our Norwegian student, Henrik, arrived safe and well on Saturday.  Unfortunately his luggage didn't!  Everyone who came from Paris on the Etihad flight had no luggage.  No worries they say - it'll be here tomorrow...  So I rang Sunday afternoon - it was arriving in Brisbane that night but "we'll have it to you first thing tomorrow morning"...  Hmmmm - then it was promised at 7.00 pm.  It arrived at 8.00 pm.  Is there no wonder that people get frustrated with customer service?  If we had been told the truth in the first place, all would have been SO much better!

We went on Sunday to an outing with my work colleagues.  I wound up sitting in one of the trees for a photo - everyone was joking about how it would be if I, the Safety Manager, fell out of the tree... Gotta tell you - it was a bit scarey up there, but I survived!!! 

I'm in the yellow shirt...

Then last night I got stuck into the china cabinet in the formal dining room.  I emptied out the box that had what was left of those items, and put it all out on the dining table.  I then washed a few things and cleaned a few others, and put them away.  I have enough space now in that cabinet that I have been able to put some things that are in boxes on the bottom shelf, so they are off the top of the cupboard, which makes it look so much more streamlined!

I had a wonderful time with one shelf that is designated "family" - so my Grandmothers place setting from her everyday dinner set, a vase Uncle Jim & Nancy gave me, some other bits from Grandma's house etc...  It's become my favourite shelf!!!

I have to go back and revisit the spare room as my friend Belinda stayed on Saturday night, so I had to pack everything up so she could get into the bed.  I need to go and lay it all out and resort it and put it all away now.  That needs to be done soon, so that Chris & Lorraine can sleep in the bed on Saturday week!!!

So - just a quick post from me today.  All is well, but I am keeping very busy just putting away and tidying. 

On my mind... coming home tonight!!!

After lunch today I'll head off to Coffs Harbour, to fly to Sydney and then back to Brisbane. 

I'm looking forward to going home and chilling out for the rest of the weekend, although it will be a fairly busy one.  Tomorrow the "girls" and I are going on the Valley Rattler.  We all have a connection through a company that I used to work for, even though I never actually worked with two of the ladies directly. 

The Valley Rattler is a vintage Steam Train that runs from Gympie through the gorgeous Mary Valley, stopping at several of the towns like Amamoor, Imbil, Dagun etc.  We're taking two small boys with us, so that will make it even more fun I think they're going to have such a good time!!!

Another piece of news is that we will be hosting another YFU Exchange Student this year!  His name is Henrik, and he is 16 years old, and comes from Norway.  I'm really looking forward to it - we had a lovely year with Kerati from Thailand, and so I am really looking forward to learning all about a Scandanavian culture...  I also feel the need to give something back to someone I don't know, for nothing in return, and this wonderful program allows me that opportunity.  I have a Japanese sister and an American sister who were YFU Exchange Students back in the mid 1980's - they truly became part of our family, and I am so pleased to have a Japanese Mama and Papa, and an American Mom and Dad as part of my family.  I don't see them all that often, but when I do, it's like no time at all has gone by since I last saw them. 

Next week is the week that the chaos starts.  The timber floating floors will be ripped up and relaid on Monday and Tuesday, and the following week the carpets will be done.  It's kind of like moving house, because even though the guys move the furniture around, we have to have emptied all of the cupboards for them to move them!!!  Argh!  This weekend (well, Sunday actually - the rest of the weekend is gone!!!) may see much action in the decluttering department!!!

I had fun this morning shutting my suitcase.  I went to the staff shop and bought stuff - Milo, Asian curry pastes, and Cappucino's in the Cafe Menu range.  Oh, and some Nesquik.  I figured that since I'm here, I should buy it here.  However, a 1.9 kilogram tin of Milo takes up a LOT of space!!!  Good thing my cabin bag expands by 30% and I can sit on it when I need to!!!

Heading out for lunch shortly and then I will head to the airport.  Spend the afternoon with the company of Qantas and come home tonight!!!  I hope that whatever you're doing, you have a good one.