On January.....

Oh January.

Month of new beginnings,allegedly.

The feverish pace of Christmas behind us,not even a sliver of tinsel remaining to remind me of the festive season,all packed away for another year.Dark mornings,candles in the kitchen and coffee.Lots of coffee.

I started well,made a list of things to do,started the big declutter,eating healthily,going for long walks to blow the cobwebs away,but Oh My life,I feel so weary.Flat.Life is very quiet,almost silent.I am not complaining,merely observing.I need to motivate myself.

Or do I?

This week Lucy is off school poorly,so I have been confined to Barracks,I have been working,but not as much as I should have,instead I have slept a little later than usual,snuggled with my child and watched TV,today it rained,I baked scones and we had afternoon tea and watched Blithe spirit,I played around on pinterest,looked through the seed catalogues and planned my summer garden.I cant wait.

Maybe my new beginnings can wait a little longer.

On clearing the clutter,letting go and looking forward....

As anyone in this business will tell you,it is possibly the most thrilling feeling,searching and finding beautiful vintage pieces.Indeed it is quite the loveliest of jobs,not always easy I hasten to add,but one that I love so much it has almost become an addiction.I simply cannot resist the lure of a long loved item nor the sweet scent of nostalgia,it makes my heart beat just a teeny bit faster and often has the ability to completely make my day.Sounds wonderful doesnt it? Well yes.It is,apart from the fact that sooner or later it gets a wee bit out of hand.When I had the shop,the love of my life as you may recall,I had lots of space to indulge my compulsive buying habit,but now of course,although I have a large storage unit,there are times when certain items sneakily find their way into my home.Lots of them.Added to which,it would seem I have a compulsive clothes buying disorder.I know not why! I read somewhere that a cluttered home equals a cluttered mind.Amen to that one Sister!

 Therefore I have started this new year with a cunning plan! I need to get rid.To not allow myself to become personally attached to items I find attractive,if I do not have any use for the said items,they must be sold.This week I have decluttered the kitchen cupboards,from now on they will house only useful items,as utterly delightful as the vintage teapot in the shape of a crinoline Lady is,I have never used it,nor will I to be honest,she needs to move on and so do I.

Today I undertook possibly my hardest task.The wardrobe.Oh sweet baby Jesus what a task that was,when in Gods name did I think I would wear the leopard print skirt or those boots with tassels? The words mutton and lamb even sprung to my own lips! I have been ruthless,if I havent worn it in a year I probably never will,so out they have gone.I feel free.

I do not think I am in any danger of becoming minimalist,however I can feel something shifting,it is more than a clearing out of junk from the house,it is the realization that 'things' cant make me happy,not for long,I am letting go,sorting the wheat from the chaff,so to speak and it feels good.I have a long way to go,wait till I start on the books! wow now thats a bit scary! but Oh how good am I going to feel and how tidy will my life be?

Looking forward......