We have had a busy few days and I have been unable to take time off to put my fingertips to the keyboard.

Our major success over the last three days has been to massively cull our overflowing wardrobes. I don't know about you, but i definitely had clothes hanging in my wardrobe that didn't fit me, didn't go with anything else at all or frankly were never worn because I simply didn't like them. There were also a large number of unworn garment that I simply had forgotten that I owned and therefore never reached for them.

I completely emptied all my clothes onto the bed, and to be honest there were so many that some overspilt onto the floor.

I then tried each item on one at a time. I have put on a lot of weight over the last couple of years and many simply didn't fit. The best of these we bagged to take to the charity shop and worn out clothes were bagged ready for ragging at the local recycling centre. I estimate that this process reduced my clothing mountain by about two thirds.

I then spent time looking at each garment that fitted; did it suit me?, does it work with my other clothes? and not least will I actually reach for it when I'm getting dressed? If any of the questions was answered 'no' then into the charity bag it went.

My, now much refined, selection of clothes easily fits in my wardrobe and drawers. Hooray

Dog Training

Dot, our 10 week old Border Collie puppy, has now had her second vaccination and will be able to go for short walks within the next fortnight. She is an absolute bundle of energy and we are already having to work hard at keeping up. Our focus is house training her and teaching her which items are chewable and which are not. Anything above this will be a surprise bonus.



Adorable though she is, laying the groundwork of basic rules and defining her position within the pack is essential at this early stage. Failure to set boundaries will lead to a dog that is forever in trouble and cannot easily understand why. This confusion can stress the dog and make it unhappy.
We are really looking forward to seeing Dot enjoying rockpooling and the beach when we go to our cottage in Robin Hood's Bay in the next few weeks.

Tags: De-Cluttering, Puppy Training, Downsizing, Dog Days