And Tedding And The Spreading…

…of the straw for the bedding
And the fleas that tease in the High Pyrenees,
And the wine that tasted of tar?
Do you remember an Inn, Miranda?
Do you remember an Inn?

If you are old like me, you may have had to learn that Hilaire Belloc poem at school too. I haven’t been tedding or spreading – but I have been shredding – lots and lots of stuff

In the past few days [in between meetings about Holiday Bible Club, and the Village Fun Day, and clearing a mountain of ironing and going for a run every other day] I have been tidying my office [aka The Spare Room] Things had got rather bad in there. Here are embarrassing pictures of the chaos at the end of term

It was so bad in there that when I had problems with the PC, Bob could not get through to the desk to help sort things out.

I have cleared the bookshelves of extraneous books. That was rather painful – some had been my Dads – and I was keeping them just for sentimental reasons. In 13 years I’d never opened many of them. Also I tidied the school stuff, home stuff, church stuff – getting rid of so much unnecessary stuff, no longer useful to anyone

• ancient worksheets completed by pupils I could not remember
• random to-do lists
• recipes ripped from magazines, for dishes I will never cook, and never eat
• Diaries from 2009 and before
• greetings cards from couples with names I did not recognise [“so sorry we will miss your anniversary celebrations, Andrea and Les”  who are they?]
• post-it notes with random messages like “Pay the M&S bill before 8th March” – but which year was that?
• elderly erasers which were so old they were just desiccated blocks of rubber, which wouldn’t rub out anything
• Sunday School Staff Rotas dating back years

Some paper was straight into the recycling bin, other more sensitive stuff had to be shredded. Non-recyclable into the wheelie bin. I have been unspeakably ruthless. I have listened to the Radio - yelling at the Murdochs, pere et fils, and singing along with Radio 2.

Another box of books is filling up for the Charity Shop.

I found one very dusty teddy bear lurking behind the desk.

My Mum bought him for Steph back in 1984 - I think her hairdresser was making them, and selling them to raise money for some charity or other.

His eyes are very lopsided [Gladly My Cross Eyed Bear] I have washed him thoroughly, maybe it’s time he had a sweatshirt too!

But now the room is wonderfully clear – spaces on the shelves, space on the floor, and I can find things.

My main preaching resources are all on one shelf, the filing cabinet has lost out-dated papers and gained some space, and everything is geared up for much more efficient work.

 

Under the bed I found a Matryoshka doll and a strange piece of wood!These ladies are now happily displayed on the window sill.

Bob is extremely pleased – not least because he now has access to the fiction shelves again [and he can reach his Terry Pratchett books]

And the bed is once again clear and you can stretch out on it!

And now I have achieved all that, I am going off to stay with Steph for the weekend, so don’t know when I shall be posting again.

I hope to be with Steph at lunchtime, and will be returning home again after breakfast on Monday. Looking forward to a fun filled weekend in London – seeing her new flat and meeting her Vicar!