Stuff

Way back in the autumn when my cousin and I started talking about my moving in here for the last several months of my stay in Scotland, we discussed the fact that Ian & Margaret had been here for 50+ years, latterly in poorer health. It meant the the house was pretty full – full of old knickknacks, dated pictures, boxes upon boxes of photos, and cleaning supplies (dear God, the cleaning supplies). Don’t get me wrong; my aunt & uncle weren’t hoarders by any stretch of the imagination; their house didn’t feel cluttered at all, more cosy and maybe a titch crowded. But still a lot of stuff.

My cousin wanted to clear out the junk and update the rooms, and ideally make this into their second home (they live in the south of England), and possibly even rent it out down the road. I could be on hand for whatever contractor work needed doing, replace the old-person furniture with my more modern things, and over time go through cupboards, closets, cabinets, the loft, and the garage and get rid of the excess stuff. Viv hates purging; I love it.

But then the flood and Viv’s amazing contractor – so instead of a cosy, dark, and dated house, I’ve moved into a modern, light, airy, and mostly empty cottage. But there’s still the cupboards, and the closets, and the cabinets. And the loft and the garage. I spent the first few weeks getting settled, moving things around, and sorting out the main living areas. But there are still the cupboards, etc, etc, etc . . .

So this week I started on them. Over the last three days I’ve emptied out the bedroom closets, dusted, wiped, and vacuumed them, and started sorting stuff. I’m feeling quite a sense of accomplishment. My bedroom is spotless (well, by my standards), the guest room is clean, empty, and organised, and the closet clean and sorted. No clutter: only items that should be kept.

The back room is still a work in progress; it had been Uncle Ian’s office until he retired, then his den, and since his death the recipient of all things that needed ‘shoved away’ – stuff. But things are moving fairly quickly – I anticipate being done with the ‘main floor’ by the end of May. Then the loft. And the garage.

And the garden – oh dear.