Decluttering
I boldly revealed the terrible jumble in the drawer under the hotplate in our kitchen two weeks ago. Now I’m pleased to be able to show the decluttered and sorted drawer! The new silicone utensils have arrived and the plastic ones have gone.
Duplicated utensils are boxed up to donate and everything I’ve kept serves a purpose. Of course, the newly sorted slots are more efficient and attractive. We did seem to accumulate so much stuff over the years!
Sorted and easy to find what I need.
This is the best bread knife we have ever used. We’ve tried several types over the years and they’ve all needed replacing fairly frequently. Then our son introduced us to this knife, intended for cutting watermelons. It is the best bread knife ever!
I’ve sorted several more cupboards, too, and what is immediately obvious is my passion for red! So much red, from Dutch ovens, to storage containers, sieves and utensils. It has been a long love affair; many of these items have been in my various kitchens for nearly forty years. So, yes, I like a bit of red. Interestingly, although I dabbled with red lipstick and nail polish for a few months last year, I don’t wear much red. I only have one red cardigan and one red top. Everything else hanging in the robe is black, navy, olive green, a few mustard coloured things and some white. And leopard print but that’s a neutral, too, isn’t it?
Decluttering continues to feature on the TO DO list. I have an open wicker box on a chair pushed under the table (cleverly hidden so I don’t have to see it) which was in constant use when I was working. There’s pencil cases with felt pens, coloured pens, coloured pencils, stickers plus scissors and glue. I used to sit at the table preparing school work and marking, so these things were in constant use, but not for the past four years. Is it that long? Time to tackle the no longer used work stuff. No idea what I’ll do with all those stickers!
cold weather
Autumn days are so lovely! Clear blue skies and temperatures in the 20°C ( 68°F ) during the day and chilly at night. Such a contrast to our very hot, long summers. Autumn feels like a time for reflection, being still and noticing things all around. Time for planning the spring garden, for fixing the reticulation and sorting out the verge garden, currently planted with ivy. It needs a lot of water in summer, so time to go.
Autumn has turned to winter with some showers but we’re still experiencing warm sunny days and crisp cold nights. Each season changes what we eat and what we wear. We put a big rug over our laps in the evenings unless it is very cold, then we turn on heating. We shop at a green grocer who only stocks seasonal produce so everything is fresh and sourced locally. I still walk my 13 000+ steps, sometimes in a puffer jacket, often with a thick scarf when we take the dog to the dog park. What’s flowering in the garden changes (only camellias at the moment) and I’ve planted flowers for spring.
Australians don’t really celebrate autumn/fall or the other seasonal changes the way some countries do, with wreaths featuring yellow, orange and brown leaves, a different set of cushion covers and other decorating touches. I’ve seen blogs featuring seasonal artwork, which is very attractive but I don’t want to store seasonal decoration. Christmas and Easter decor items take up a lot of room already!
Image Upslash
Colder weather dictates warmer food. In our house this always means roasted vegetables and lots of soup.
Thick luscious cauliflower soup from our dear neighbour, chives from the garden.
reading
Recovering from post election media exhaustion but still not watching much television. I read a lot, fiction, non fiction, decorator and garden magazines and some blogs, too. This year I planned to make my life more balanced, to have time to enjoy completing the Code Cracker in the paper in one sitting, to enjoy the company of friends over long lunches, to just slow down and consider the things around me. That didn’t happen!
Needing to help other people sort out life changes, poor health and ongoing therapies, the opened border between WA and the other states and the resulting Covid surge, all hindered my carefully considered plans. One thing I have achieved, by default, is more time to read!
Really enjoyed Lucy Foley’s The Guest List, a gripping story about a wedding on a remote Irish Island. Several guests have a motive for killing the groom but of course, we don’t find out who did it until the very end! Great story. It’s being made into a film, too.
The other book I couldn’t put down is Richard Osman’s The Thursday Murder Club. Set in an aged care home which was once convent, this rollicking yarn is told from the point of view of the main characters. Funny, clever and whip smart, this is a great first book. The author says it’s his first, and so far, best novel!
I’ve just read that this is being adapted for a film, too. Also found he has published another book, too, so checking to see if it is available at the library.
did you know
Australia has over 60 separate wine regions? Western Australia has nine distinct regions, mostly in the south of the state. The history of wine making in W.A. dates back to 1840 when the Sandalford Winery was established in the Swan Valley.