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The end of the year is nigh…
There are two weeks left until the end of the year. That’s two weeks to close out all those projects you had in mind as you started January. I have to say almost nothing I planned has come to fruition, and I admit to being disappointed by that. Though I wonder what it is that…
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Memories and unpacking
We’ve moved back into the house, and I’ve been unpacking, and each box is full of memories as well as artifacts.
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Sometimes you just have to start afresh
Looking at what remains of my floor, I’m reminded that sometimes in life you have to cut your losses and start afresh.
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Stripping Wallpaper and Life
After what seems like years of preparing and quote procuring and so on, we’ve finally made a start on the renovating the big house. We moved into the cottage the weekend before last, and over the last week, stripped out the kitchen, laundry and flooring. And started repairing the floor, and stripping off the wallpaper.…
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Iceberg Dead Ahead
Do you sometimes think about what’s coming. Perhaps with a mixed feeling of excitement and dread, all the time thinking there’s an iceberg dead ahead.
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Decluttering and Creativity
We’re in the process of sorting ourselves out for some home renovation. Clearly there’s decluttering involved. And some decluttering creativity as well.
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Making Space
I’m not getting rid of my house, husband or dog. The change I’m looking for is simply making space. I’m sure I’m not the only one who looks back on the good old pre-pandmic days. And in my case back to the gold old pre-stroke days.
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Is Your Home Your Castle or Prison?
Recently, I’ve been wondering whether my home is my castle or prison – does it keep me, or do Ikeep it?
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Climate Change in the Garden
We’ve seen climate change in the garden recently, because we took the first step toward our extension by cutting down trees and shrubs, most of them weed species that had to be removed anyway.
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Bold and Beautiful
Having been out of action for a few weeks, I’ve had plenty of time to look around me at my home. The one we bought and did up twenty years ago, but haven’t really done much with since. It’s not exactly bold and beautiful.
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The Smell of Fresh Laundry
I LOVE the smell of fresh laundry – hints of lavender, mown lawn, and a little little bit of sunshine. So with the odd warm day we’ve had lately, I’ve been catching up on the washing.
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5 Tips for updating our homes without updating them
In April, I mentioned we had started a list of renovations for updating our homes. I had even gone as far as short listing some builders to do the work.
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Creating a Happy and Healthy Home
Recently there have been a lot of changes in the Blaelock Household, with the aim of creating a happy and healthy home.
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How to Choose What To Do First
It’s been a busy couple of weeks. I have so much to do that I’m not sure what to do first. Or second. Or last for that matter.
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The Benefit of a Good Night’s Sleep
We recently replaced our old worn out mattresses. Not before time, because you can’t beat a good night’s sleep.
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Books: to keep or not?
Since I read The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying, I keep falling over intense, library voice (whispered) bookish debates about books – to keep or not.
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Some Thoughts on Things
I’ve had some thoughts on things: things we buy, things we keep, and things we throw away. That’s a lot of things.
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On My Way Back Home
Whenever I come back home, I see a version of this scene. At that point, I feel myself starting to relax. I even feel relaxed just looking at this image!
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How To Care For Your Best Rooms
In days gone by, houses were much smaller. They generally consisted of Best Rooms like the parlour, where you received guests during designated visiting hours, and everywhere else.
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About the March of Progress
A harbinger of the March of Progress knocked on my door the other day. She’s a Real Estate agent, and apparently, she’s “very good friends” with my neighbours, though she didn’t specify which ones.
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Housekeeping Standard Practices
I’m hard at work on Minimally Viable Housekeeping, and now it’s time for a quick introduction to housekeeping standard practices.
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Housework Survey Says: What You Really Think About It
A while back, I asked if there was such a thing as minimally viable housework? Well, housework survey says maybe.
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The Happiness of Housekeeping Habits and Routines
I think that I’m a little more on top of the houskeeping because in the meantime, I’ve developed some housekeeping habits.
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Doing the Damn Housework; Downton Abbey and You
It seems to me that the problem with doing the Damn Housework is that we’re all amateurs acting like professionals.
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5 Tips for Surviving Renovations
We’ve been renovating our bathroo; it’s been what you might call interesting… With that in mind, here are my top 5 tips for surviving renovations.
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What is Your Home’s Purpose?
Your Home’s Purpose is not something you generally think about day-to-day.
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What Would Your Life Without Electricity Supply Be Like?
Our largest coal-fired power station recently closed, and the electricity supply is unreliable so, I’ve been considering modern life without electricity delivered to the house.
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Alexandria’s Adventures in Morning Routine
Following my brush with the collapse of control, I’ve been noticing a lot of chat about “morning routine” in my podcasts and webinars lately, and there has been one thing that stood out for me.
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House Cleaning Outfit
As you know, I have been trying (for a long time) to lift my game on cleaning house. Aside from clothes that are loose, with elbow length sleeves I haven’t thought about a House Cleaning Outfit to wear while doing it.
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The Surprising Benefits of Home Ergonomics
In case you don’t know, Ergonomics, sometimes called Human Factors, is the science of arranging spaces, products and systems to fit people. Not just workplaces, but things like car dashboards and wheeled suitcases too.
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Ruminations on Rodents
Wild rodents can carry disease (and other pests like fleas and mites), they are NOT diseased because they are rodents.
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Dealing with Aging Parents
We just got home from a mad dash back to the town we grew up in, to visit our respective aging parents who have assorted medical problems, and are approaching the time when we don’t know when/if will be the last time we see them.
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What is the Inherent Nature of Waste?
They’re buying new comfortable things and discarding old uncomfortable things – piles of stuff waiting to be collected by the council’s hard waste removal contractors.
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Life is Like a River
I was thinking that in metaphorical terms, my life is like a river flowing from birth to death (I’m staying away from what happens next for the time being).
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5 Life Lessons Confirmed Through Painting
We’ve had some warmer days so I’ve been taking a break from the garden and catching up on some inside work instead. And learning 5 life lessons while I’m at it.
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The Dread of Domestic Duties
You might recall that when I first brought home into the virtue of beauty framework, the goal was a comfortable, happy, cheerful, welcoming and calm home that reflects who we are right now. Odd now that I think of it, that I didn’t include healthy given my circumstances. Not to worry, I don’t live in a hospital thank…