Hey peoples...I'm back.
My week at my parents' house was one of the better ones so far. I've mentioned how we've been trying to insist that Mum finds something for us to take away from her aged care room whenever we bring something in. I took in some patchwork fabrics that she's been wanting for ages, which I eventually came across during sorting out, and she willingly sorted through her fabrics stash and gave me some that she'd decided she wasn't going to use. She also passed some on to a friend who was visiting at the time. Said friend is wanting the fabric to make pillowcases for newly arrived grandkids, so those bits will go to very good use.
I'm still feeling really overwhelmed by the amount of stuff in the house, but am maybe starting to see a bit of progress. A cousin of mine who plays "taxi" for me while I'm there was commenting that she could see a difference, so that's a bit encouraging.
I spent most of this trip focusing on a couple of large cupboards in the hallway, and have tossed out a lot of recipes Mum had saved from magazines, and some of her stash of jars saved for jam making. Have kept a biggish boxful of the nicer ones because I'm a keen jam maker myself, but some of those may still end up in the recycling bin. Have also sorted out the full bottles of jam and relish, and we won't need to make or buy plum and raspberry jam for a few years, or orange marmelade, or tomato relish... Those as such I don't mind, because they keep for ages, and I could use some of it up in recipes. Poached orange chicken or pork sounds like a plan.
A lot of the recipe books from the cupboard won't be kept, but I want to give my sister a chance to glance over them before they go. We both want to keep hold of some old and very tattered books that have been in the family for ages, and would date back to early-mid 1900s.
Mum had a huge stockpile of facewashers, handtowels and teatowels, so I'm leaving some in the kitchen drawer and towel cupboard to use while I'm there, and the rest are getting boxed up. Some will go into the garage sale stack, some I'll keep to use myself.
I've brought a smallish suitcase full of stuff back with me. Mostly household breakables and bits of fabric that I'd like to use. Now my challenge at this end is to see if I can find an equivalent amount here that's either rubbish. or would be better passed or sold on to someone else. Bigger challenge will be doing likewise to the equivalent of the small truckload we want to bring back here in a couple of months...???
