clear space
Thanks god the trampoline is gone! We got it from a friend who hadn’t realised that the rubber string holding the mat in place was about to tear on one side. I hadn’t realised either. We’d been keeping it in the garden for about three years, hoping that the string wouldn’t rip mid-jump one day. As with so many items that I have been disposing over the past year, the kids didn’t even mention once that the trampoline was gone. Yet another encouragement to declutter!
Happy New Year! It’s been, again, a long time since I’ve last written, making one of my new year’s resolutions the resurrection of this blog. We’ve only just come back from Europe where we spent some quality time with friends and family. Discarding our return flight boarding passes and luggage tags, which were piled up on the entrance cabinet, made me remember that I used to keep all those things as a teenager, when flying somewhere was still a novelty for me. Continue reading “memory archive — day 79”
I believe I don’t know anyone who is into minimalistic design but isn’t a fan of the Japanese brand Muji. When moving to Japan, I was excited to go and see the brand’s flagship store, having only known a relatively small version in London (that was back four years ago). Actually, my first outing on my own in Tokyo, back then with baby in tow, was a 40 minutes walk to the Muji Concept Store in Aoyama — a big thing as, at that time, I hadn’t really been outside of our neighbourhood yet. Continue reading “memory archive — day 80”
FINALLY, I am in the right frame of mind to start decluttering (and thus writing) again. I did a big tidy-up yesterday to get the house ready for a birthday party and this made me realise again how much happier and relaxed I feel when my home looks in order and things are cleared away.
To kick-off the countdown to 100 items (well, that’s my current goal as it feels achievable), I decided to say goodbye to a pair of craft turtles that I kept as I initially thought those were extremely cute. Continue reading “memory archive — day 78”
Summer holidays are upon us and I’ve been struggling to keep up with my ambitious project of discarding and posting every day. I’m not giving up quite yet though as I’m still having high hopes for achieving my clutter-free home eventually.
I have to apologise for, yet again, posting a story about a kids’ toy but I like the little story behind this one too much for not including it here. Continue reading “memory archive — day 77”
A slightly, retouched picture of a shrivelled up Sophora Prostrata. A shrub native to New Zealand and a plant which had recently become one of my favourite, small, decorative plants, due to its delicate branches, growing zigzag. Sadly, it only made it a couple of months in our house. We’d put it in our entranceway or genkan – the traditional, Japanese area of a house where you put off your shoes before entering. It was a beautiful, welcoming sight, I thought, and a great object to keep the shoe cabinet top clutter-free and tidy. Continue reading “memory archive — day 76”
I still remember vividly the big giraffe backpack on my daughter’s back. She must have been around two years old back then. It looked big on her but at the same time she looked so grown-up and confident wearing it; giving me a glimpse of what it will look and feel like when she’d be starting school one day. I can’t believe this event is just around the corner now. Time flies…
There is this thick, wool blanket that we’ve had now for about seven years and which spent the majority of those years folded in a corner. We got it at a furniture shop in Gothenborg, Sweden, one time when I went there for a work trip. I loved the color and the design. It looked great in the shop, however, at home it turned out to be the biggest fluff catcher. When visitors saw this blanket at ours they always thought we have a pet. I’d love to keep the blanket but sometimes a nice design is just not enough if the item isn’t practical. So another one for the memory archive!
I have to admit, lately I haven’t put enough time aside for my blog. I am determined though to keep on going with my project of collating memories through the act of decluttering.
Today’s objects are three kami fusen, Japanese paper balloons. These balloons are a popular, traditional, children’s toy but, as they come in so many colours and variations, are also used as a decorative item. Continue reading “memory archive – day 73”
I’m having a good decluttering run and keep on finding things that I no longer need. Such as the above swimsuit; fitting to yesterday’s theme: seasons. This swimsuit taught me, once again, a lesson about not buying swimwear online. To find a new one though, I have to wait until the shops remove their rainy season items to make space for mizugi (swimwear).
katazukete 