The Bright Side

Preparing our home for selling has meant that we've done our spring cleaning. Yay! And man, does that feel good. However, it strikes me as a strange thing, that the more meticulously you get into all those neglected corners and crannies, the more aware you become of where the dirt lurks. I'm seeing places that never entered my consciousness before. For instance, with my trusty lambswool duster in hand, I went into our two bathrooms and powder room to dust the top of the four big round globes (Fat Alberts to the cognoscenti) that form the 'light' part of their light fixtures. This was yesterday. Today I go into the bathroom and realize I neglected the shiny metal strip that anchors them.

Ah well, I wielded my trusty lance again and dust was gone.

Then there's the off loading. I did mention a downsize, didn't I? But truly, I've been horrified at the amount of stuff we've been shipping off to the thrift stores, charity shops for my UK readers, op shops (as in 'opportunity') for those in New Zealand. Now I have to tell you that, before we left South Africa I went through our home three times. It looks as if I'll have to do the same thing again.

I guess the thing is that although we enter this earthly world with nothing, and leave it with nothing, in between we.... accumulate. There must be a bell curve to this, or some other diagram. It's easy to see why we have more things when we're in the young family stage and teenager stage and young adult stage. I still have books from when our children were young, and still find it causes me a pang to get rid of the old favourites. Luckily a few of them can go to the grandsons. The rest, I hope, will bring enjoyable reading to some other, unknown, children.

And now, dear readers, I'm off to create some of that 'enjoyable reading'. I hope!