Well, I guess we have a few extra months to sort things. And although not a surprise, still definitely disappointing.
The Before/Afters
Cleaning out this cupboard is honestly no fun, since I never look in it anyway. The visual reward of decluttering just really isn’t there, and for this same reason, I procrastinate on it. Plus, the items at the very top of the cupboard, I need a ladder for which is a hassle...
So, to eliminate my excuse (that ladder is heavy!), my plan next month is to bring that stuff down to live in the section below it. That should see things moving along a bit quicker. In saying that... when have I ever followed through with the plans I've stated in these blog posts?
October should also see us moving into a bit more warmer weather, so hopefully I can wear a few of the dresses hanging on the right-hand side there and decide which ones are coming with us.
Ah, dang. I've only just realised these photos are the wrong way around... Turn your face upside down and you'll be fine! And please mind the dirty windows...
Now here’s a room you haven’t seen before! And it won’t be the last either.
This is the very back of the house; the first room visitors see when they come over. I decided to get rid of a few pairs of shoes this month, as well as bring the kindling basket indoors. So, I think that warrants a photo!
The three-piece cord you see there is another project that requires some time and money. My plan for it is to go into a shadowbox, along with our vows and Ecclesiastes 4:12. It’s something I’ve been planning to do since we got married, and now is a perfect reason to finally get it done.
Ecclesiastes 4:12
Not a huge change here. I’m still reading through the books I may not take with me, and I have a project to transfer the notes from my teen Bible into my new leather one from Kyle. It’s slow progress...
‘Tis true. The only difference between these two photos is the pile of papers on the middle-right. I’ve been diligent in scanning them in nearly every day, and they’ll be completely gone by next month. Go me! I’m proud of myself, and it’s felt great even on a busy day to get at least one paper scanned and thrown out. Progress is progress, no matter how small (I say that often hey?). And I also have the peace of mind in knowing that with my scanned papers in the Cloud, I have access to them from anywhere.
This one is cool, I know! I literally had a spring clean here, moving all the rest of the wood to under the carport. It had lived outside throughout the whole of winter, getting rained on repeatedly while we tried to keep the carport clear for the painters. Now there’s so little wood it won’t matter really, and the painters are really taking their time, and we grew tired of compromising.
It’s also important to us that our house feels welcoming to visitors and having such a mess outside our main entrance embarrassed me. We want people to feel welcome in our home, and that means visually as well as socially.
I know last month I said I wanted to get rid of this shelf in September. But well, after deciding that we weren’t going to sell it, just donate it, it’s no longer a priority. It’s also relatively handy to place items on here that are in limbo so they’re easy to access. Since I’ve nearly finished scanning all the paperwork in the computer room, I must decide what papers are next to start sorting through, and this shelf is one of the candidates. But we shall see how it goes and what our priorities are next month.
The top shelf and the very bottom section are what’s changed the most here. These before and afters aren’t fun to look at, I know. But I am proud of them, so they’ll always get included. I’ve done most of my clothing cull now, so not a lot of change there. It’s getting to the point where I could consider packing away my winter clothes now, but who knows how long we’ll still be in New Zealand... My cross-stitch boxes (at the bottom) are not fully sorted yet, but unfortunately, it’s not going to look much better than it does now, since the box I’m making redundant is black and not visible in the photos anyway.
This area has been really fun! I mean… I didn’t even know we had two mops until I started cleaning! We even had two drying racks, one of which we never used.
Excuse the towel count in the second photo. I forgot to do a ‘realistic shot’ on the first one and missed including the towels currently in use.
I’m not quite done on this cupboard yet, so expect another photo next month.
The Personal
When I was a kid, I was addicted to PC gaming. Or at least, I thought I was, since it was the only thing that consumed my mind as a kid. For context, we were only allowed 30 minutes a day. Eventually, I managed to bargain with my mom that I may have an hour on the PC per day on one condition, I was not allowed to request time, it had to be given. It was up to her to permit me PC time and I was to be patient and trust her to not forget about my “needs”.
The day this rule-change came into effect I’d just borrowed a copy of the Sims 2 from my friend. I was obsessed with the Sims. But as per the rules, I wasn’t allowed to play until my mom gave me permission… and I wasn’t allowed to pester.
I distinctly remember us sitting and watching Home Improvement as a family. My mind was completely consumed with the idea of playing my new game. I could think of nothing else but wondering when I could play. But I had no idea when my mom would say the word. It was evening, and we’d already finished dinner. I sat on our one-seater couch, which had temporarily been moved into the middle of the lounge facing the TV, but my body was twisted away from the TV and my chin placed on the armrest, looking at the floor. From my mom’s position, she would have had a full view of my face, idly staring into space, consumed by video game fantasies. No doubt I was playing the game in my imagination, to make up for the real time I couldn’t play the game. I’d pondered to myself if she would even give me permission to play at all that day. And the thought made me agitated and anxious.
At one point, I went from staring at the floor, to staring at my mom. I remember her smirk. She knew she was making me wait, and finally she gave in. Suddenly, I was the happiest, freest kid in the world.
Waiting to move to Melbourne feels a bit like being that eager child again, waiting for permission. Except I’m not a child anymore. Hope, disappointment and frustration ebb and flow when I think about the closed borders and optimistic goals being set by the state of Victoria, Australia.
They’ve officially gone into strict lockdown, with the consideration of restriction loosening only when the state reaches “Less than five new cases state-wide average over 14 days and less than five cases with an unknown source”. Talk of opening boarders isn’t even on the table. Here are the numbers as of writing:
So, the Dunkerley plans have changed, officially. Apparently, October really isn’t the right time for us to move. But as we like to say, we are versatile, and we will make the most of our time here.
At least it means I don’t have to sell my Rock band drum set just yet!