Amber glow...

Yesterday's blip was short and sweet, so I will elaborate today :-)

Every spring and autumn I have a little clear out of my wardrobe and every time I say I am going to be ruthless and get rid of anything I haven't worn in the previous 12 months.  Of course when it comes down to it, I can't quite bring myself to be so strict.  Well, for once I've been true to my word!

I woke up yesterday morning an hour before my alarm but I was so keen to get on with my clear out I was up, showered and dressed in a blink.

I disappeared into the wardrobe with a supply of Ikea bags and did not emerge till lunchtime, when, after a quick bite to eat, I returned and carried on my work.  

By the end of the day I had four blue Ikea bags and an Ikea plastic suitcase absolutely filled to the brim with clothes.  Job done!

Well not quite.  I got up very early again this morning and continued my ruthless, clear-out streak.  

 I started with the two large bags of clothes I keep in another wardrobe.  The ones that I am determined I will get into again "one day soon."  I figured that since they've been in the other wardrobe for almost eight years, the one day soon ship had sailed, so after a sort through those two bags where I removed nothing (I was revelling in my ruthlessness by this point! :-) they also joined the "getting rid of pile."  

From there I moved on to my chest of drawers...then my dressing table...then my bedside table...I swear if David had interrupted me he would have found himself tied in a bin bag labelled Charity Shop!

My grand finale was the coat cupboard in the hall and the coat hooks in the boot room.  Another large bag filled!  And I am finally done!

I can't believe how cathartic it feels to have done this.  It's the most ruthless I have ever been and it feels as though order has replaced chaos.  That makes it sound as though my storage spaces were in chaos, not so as I am a tidy freak at heart, but just knowing these spaces were filled with redundant things caused me increasing anxiety and desire to get rid.

David is not only astounded by the amount of stuff I am parting with, but at  my methodical and determined approach.  Usually the place is in uproar when I'm having a clear out but this time I sorted and bagged as I went so all David had to do was carry the bags downstairs.

And in the midst of all this I managed to make slow cooked sweet and sour chicken and take a photo of a lovely autumn leaf necklace that Ele bought me a few years ago.

And now I am going to collapse in a happy heap!  :-))