Resolved that...

Every year I make a New Year's resolution.  Just the one.  Every year it's the same.  And every year I break that resolution just by renewing it.  You see, that New Year's resolution is that I will not make any New Year's resolutions.  But that does not preclude the making of resolutions at other times of the year, such as Midsummer Resolutions.  And this year, for the very first time, I have made a Midsummer Resolution.  It's very simple, and consists of merely three words:

I WILL DECLUTTER

That's it.  Simples, eh?

I wonder, though, if I should have inserted a hyphen: de-clutter.  Mind you, Blogger doesn't like either version; they both have wavy red lines under them.

It's not as though I'm a hoarder.  At least, I don't think I am.  I'm just a natural-born clutterer.  Strangely enough, when I was working, my desk, my whole office in fact, was the very epitome of efficient tidiness.  On the surface.  The desk drawers, the filing cabinet and the coat locker would, if opened, have given the lie to that impression.  Now I'm retired, my desk is littered - look, I'll show you a picture.

No, I won't: I'm too ashamed to do that.  But take it from me, loking from left to right, there is a Sellotape dispenser, an opened pack of cardboard photograph frames that I really don't want, a tangle of connecting and recharging leads for various gadgets, A printer/scanner that now only scans, a laptop with an open notebook on top and several papers lying on top of the notebook, including a bank statement and a couple of credit card receipts, a letter from the clinic cancelling my last appointment,  a handful of dead AA batteries, an old computer mouse, a swathe of 35mm slides, last year's diary, this year's diary... I could go on, but I imagine that's enough for you to see what I mean?

As I said, I'm not really a hoarder.  I will admit, though, that I tend to keep odd pieces of wood if I have the room.  I have found many a time that I need a small piece - say, a a bit of 4x2 about 9 inches long.  If I have to buy some, I am faced with a 2 metre length, with almost six feet left over after I have taken off the nine inches I need.  Whereas if I have kept back the offcuts from previous jobs, all is (sometimes) well.  I have also got quite an impressive collection of cardboard boxes.  So often, when buying something such as a toaster or computer, one is advised to keep the packaging in case one needs to return a duff purchase.  I have in the past simply thrown the box into the loft - and completely forgot to take it out to throw away.

But I have made a start.  I cleared out all the junk from the lean-to we laughingly call a conservatory.  It's really a glory hole with the freezer, tumble drier and muddy wellington boots, wet weather gear and a dog basket for when she comes home wet or muddy.   Mind you, all I did was move the clutter into the garage.  There's still some more to go - and then I'll make a start on clearing out the garage!

I keep telling myself that Rome wasn't built in a day.  Neither is my home going to be de-cluttered in a fortnight.  But I've made a start.