Had a bit of a frustrating day today. I’ve got the 2015 programmes ready to print for my WI. Went down to Heathfield to get a ream of card, having called first to make sure they’d got some.

Having got there, the ream they said they had, turned out to be paper, not card. They’ve ordered me some, hope I get it in time to print the programmes for next Wednesday. The strangest thing happened too while I was in the shop. I took my programme for last year and said that I have come to pick up the card like this. OK he says, taking the programme, looking at it, then putting it on the counter and walking round the corner to find the card. We were round the corner for a couple of minutes while he attempted to find some card, and when we got back, my programme had completely vanished. Not on the floor, in the bin, nowhere. Out of date WI programmes must be very valuable things!

Onto the ironmongers to pick up a couple of small batteries. They had had 30 packets yesterday, but sold them all. The mind boggles a bit imagining why Heathfield residents need all those little round batteries!

Then to the library to pick up this months book club book. It’s Wednesday. They’re shut on Wednesday.

Went home with just an aerosol of hair mousse. I did, at least, get that.

Once home, in an attempt to do something useful, I started sorting out my underwear drawer. Got rid of a few things I will never wear, started on the socks. I seem to have lots of socks for walking boots, might need to thin those out.

Wouldn’t it be nice to be able to tip everything out of the house into a barn or something. Then taking back in only those things that you actually want to keep. Then shutting the door in the barn and leaving it for three months. Then having got used to the idea, getting rid of everything left in the barn.

I also carried on sorting out the fabric stash. I’ve had two very long lengths of linen fabric for years. One in chocolate brown, the other in olive green. It’s nice fabric, but it’s dry clean only. I’ve tried washing a little square of it and it shrinks and goes horribly floppy and sort of worn out looking. I don’t know what on earth possessed me to buy it, I never buy anything that needs dry cleaning! That will have to go I think, can’t see that I’m ever going to use it.

I’m so tired of ‘stuff’ stuffed everywhere. I do feel like I’m getting somewhere, but the process takes so long. It’s also a bit like being on a diet. Do you find that? When I’m on a diet, everything seems to be one long eating opportunity that I need to resist, the tv is full of adverts enticing me to eat pizza, chocolate, ice cream, fried chicken, the cookery programmes have chefs using extraordinary amounts of butter and at WI committee this afternoon, plates of biscuits kept being wafted under my nose as I was urged to have just one.

And decluttering reminds me of that process. My inbox is full of exhortations to buy something at this vastly reduced price, Heathfield has lots of interesting shops, with interesting ‘stuff’ in them, charity shops are full of ‘stuff’ to be riffled through, the weekend papers are full of adverts for stuff, stuff and more stuff, the adverts on tv that aren’t food are trying to persuade me to buy furniture, beds, lights, cars (lots of those) go to this sale or hurry hurry to that special offer or supermarkets urging me to go and buy loads of groceries from them as they’re cheaper than those other supermarkets. And once in a supermarket, oh the expertly crafted clarion call of lots of lovely goodies to bear home.

When I’m trying to create a calm and uncluttered living space, I really notice all those buy buy buy messages.

Wonder what it feels like to live somewhere where these messages don’t reach you. I would be tempted to search one out, but I like living somewhere where I have lots of friends to gossip and laugh with

Oh well, one pair of socks out of the door at a time, and I’ll get there eventually. Off to the gym again tomorrow, wonder if they can help with exercising the resistance muscle?