Hello and welcome to The Compost Bin. I'm Compostwoman and I live with my family in rural Herefordshire. We have nearly four acres of garden and woodland, all managed organically and to Permaculture principles, which we share with Chickens, Cats and assorted wildlife. We also grow a lot of our own food, run courses in all sorts of things and make a lot of compost!

I am a Master Composter and have spent more than a decade as a volunteer Community Compost adviser with Garden Organic and my local Council.
I'm a self employed Environmental Educator so I run workshops and events where I talk about compost, veg growing, chicken keeping, cooking, preserving and sustainable living. I also run crafts workshops and Forest School/outdoor play sessions in our wood.

We try to live a more self sufficient lifestyle here, as best we can, while still having a comfortable life and lots of fun.


To learn more about us click on the About Compostwoman tab and remember to click on the photos to make them full size!


Wednesday 9 January 2013

Decluttering, tidying up and sorting out

On Monday I spent a lot of time sorting out stuff - clothes, books, bric a brac etc. Some books have been earmarked for sale on Amazon, some went into the Charity box to be taken to the Charity shops in Ledbury, along with both good and rag bag clothes. Compostman had a sort out and some clothes went into the charity bag from him.

I have had a ruthless purge of charity shop books bought in the last year - most were 70's crafting books and whilst lovely they are taking up space and I have only used one of them regularly - the rest I looked at but either did not feel inspired OR I already had other, more usable books on the same subject. So the "rejects" have gone back to the charity shop so someone else can enjoy them. They only cost me 50 pence or £1 in each case, so I don't feel hard done by. I kept back the one book I was inspired by, though!

As it was the last day of the school holidays for Daughter, she did her jobs and then spent a lot of time doing "stuff" on the laptop.After lunch we went into Ledbury and visited the charity shops, we donated to two shops and had a browse around, but did not buy anything.

I did get some coloured headed pins for pinning fabric, though, and I also ordered a rotary cutter and a larger cutting mat as I am about to make a quilt. But resisted anything else in the fabric and wool shop - I have enough ufos as it is!




5 comments:

  1. This is my favourite time of year to de-clutter and organize. But books...ah, that's a difficult one for me. I have a very hard time letting them go! Good for you - and happy organizing!

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  2. The spring like weather persuaded me to do some cleaning and sorting at the weekend. Shame its turned so cold again. Jx

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  3. Very impressed with your decluttering.

    Sft x

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  4. I can never seem to let go of my books so you are one brave lady. I suspect i could be forced to ship them to charity though as I need the suitcase that I've hoarded them all in lol.
    Those coloured headed pins are fabulous aren't they! Don't know if you're a card maker but they make brilliant hat pins - I simply glue some jewellery findings up the pin (use Fixsall glue), snip the pointy end off and insert them in the card.
    Well done you for your resistance lol

    Linda
    http://thetenaciousgardener.blogspot.co.uk/

    http://coachhousecraftingonabudget.blogspot.co.uk/

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  5. Hello all!

    I was impressed by my resistance - but I have to make a bit of space here somehow, we have a large ish house - but it is full to bursting with our "stuff" -

    we all like books and have loads, we all like music and have loads of vinyl and cds - we all like different films and have lots of dvds as well as opera, plays and all sorts of stuff.

    I am happy to have lots of things if we use them and want them, but some of it is no longer wanted so out it will go.

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Hello! Thank you for reading my blog and for commenting. I try to reply as quickly as I can and I really appreciate your interest in my life and doings here in The Compost Bin.

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