22.07.2022 The last, big sort out.

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 Friday 22nd 57F, overcast and raining steadily. Expected to rain until 9am. Up at 6.15 after a good night's sleep.

 First job was to do the washing up. Otherwise there will be no breakfast or morning coffee. I had used up every bit of crockery! 🙄

 The rain soon petered out and I went for my usual walk to the lanes. There was unusually light traffic this morning. Swallows zoomed around me for most of the time. It is becoming breezy again. From the west today.

 Due to my awful memory and a complete lack of organisation I have had to print out a month's calendar in advance. On which to mark appointments etc. My previous calendar was for 6 months and there was no room for details or times. It was lucky I did so. Because I had two conflicting appointments on one day.

13.05. 67F. Lunch and the first hint of brightness. I spent the entire morning stripped down to my shorts. With the windows wide open for a cross draught. I was exploring my wife's side of the bedroom. I knew it wouldn't be easy from an emotional viewpoint. With so many items so close to my wife and her memory.

 There were 14 large, fruit boxes full of books. Lots of papers. Most of which could be safely discarded. Then there were boxes of Christmas decorations. Boxes of cards. Jigsaw puzzles. More china. More bedding, more curtains and dressmaking cloth. Second hand handbags.

 Shoes and boots. Some obviously unworn. Our son's stuffed toys from babyhood and childhood. Some of which my wife had made herself. Including a large, furry Womble and some knitted items. More of everything imaginable. As I dig down and along behind her bed. Which itself is still loaded with duvets, pillows and bedding. I have managed to thin those out.

 I am only half way along. Under the 45º overhanging wall. She used the triangular cross section to maximum advantage. By placing large boxes against the dwarf wall. Then working outwards and upwards. There is even  a desk and a chest of drawers buried under her storage boxes.

  14.50 67F. I have just finished: There were 75 rolls of wrapping paper. Mostly with a Christmas theme but not exclusively. 55 years of dressmaking materials and its equipment. Thousands of different buttons. Decorative items for dresses, etc. Dozens of rolls of cotton, embroidery silk, tapes and ribbons.

 Lots more jigsaw puzzles. Her exam results at school. Boxes of assorted photos. Greetings cards. Rolls of wallpaper. Including for the kitchen. Which we mysteriously ran out of and never finished! Lots of lengths and odd bits of wood. A dozen poster tubes. Very long and short, drinking straws. Unused beach bags with wooden handles. Decorative shelving and hall coat racks.

 Half the living room floor is now full. As well as half the attic. Lots for the charity shops. Very little to discard. Mostly paper and old carrier bags. The boxes of books will have to go back behind her bed. There is still no obvious way to get rid of them. 

 16.45 65F. 63F indoors. Grey, cooler and windy. Just woke from a much needed nap. I could not stay awake at the computer. Then could not sleep when I lay down. I need to shop but need a coop for particular items. There isn't a local branch. Tomorrow would probably do. 

 Now I really have to tidy up. Or fill the car up with charity donation stuff. It is too late for the charity shops now. They will all be closing. No reason not to load the car. 

 I concentrated on tidying the bedroom. Enough space to drag the tallboy upstairs. It fitted perfectly beside the window. There will be even more room when I fit the smaller window.  I have commandeered the upper drawers for my most used clothes. T-shirts, socks and pants. The lower drawers will become available when I have sorted the contents.

 I still have to dispose of an empty chest of two drawers. I may be able to use it somewhere. I am already fed up with tubs lying on the floor. Drawers make far more sense.

 Dinner will be cod in breadcrumbs. Or is it batter? With diced, boiled, unpeeled, new potatoes and tinned, chopped tomatoes.

20.00 60F. Dinner was absolutely delicious and perfectly cooked. 😋

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