# Clutter!



## Northerner (May 19, 2016)

I am so terrible. I really find it difficult to get rid of things, and it really is piling up  It's not rubbish or a health hazard, like you see on some of those 'hoarder' programmes - everything has some intrinsic value e.g. I have literally thousands of books. I tried once to give some away to charity a few years ago and it still haunts me, even though I probably wouldn't have read them again, as I'm too time-poor  I have documents, like bank statements, payslips and stuff relating to my first house (bought in 1989!) that I can't bring myself to throw away, or things like copies of New Scientist that I used to subscribe to that I'll probably never read again.

Aagh! I'm the polar opposite of my sister, who is extremely tidy and never has any clutter, but just like my Mum, who was a bit untidy and also hung on to stuff!

Anyone else like me? Have you found a 'cure' for it yet?


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## Stitch147 (May 19, 2016)

Im a bit like you. I dont think there is a cure. I have boxes of stuff in our loft. Things like old certificates, birthday and christmas cards and just general stuff. Keep on saying we need to de-clutter the house a bit, but never get round to doing it. Maybe there is no cure!


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## Northerner (May 19, 2016)

Stitch147 said:


> Im a bit like you. I dont think there is a cure. I have boxes of stuff in our loft. Things like old certificates, birthday and christmas cards and just general stuff. Keep on saying we need to de-clutter the house a bit, but never get round to doing it. Maybe there is no cure!


At least I know I'm not alone!  I found a bag the other day containing 21st birthday cards for my sister, that had probably ended up in my possession when my Mum lived with me for a few months in the 1990s. I asked my sister if she wanted them and she told me to throw them away!  That was about 10 years ago, still haven't been able to bring myself to do it!


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## Ljc (May 19, 2016)

If you find a cure *be sure *to let me know.

I just can't get rid of books , I won't even lend them incase I don't get them back.  My cure was to get a kindle paperwhite, so my beloved paperback collection will not grow any further , however I have a few hundred books on my kindle now  most of them waiting for me to  read them


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## Northerner (May 19, 2016)

Ljc said:


> If you find a cure *be sure *to let me know.
> 
> I just can't get rid of books , I won't even lend them incase I don't get them back.  My cure was to get a kindle paperwhite, so my beloved paperback collection will not grow any further , however I have a few hundred books on my kindle now  most of them waiting for me to  read them


Haha! I tried that too - have hundreds on my Kindle but only ever pick it up to see if it needs recharging! Hasn't stopped me buying new kindle books that I like the sound of though!


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## Stitch147 (May 19, 2016)

Ive got a kindle fire now, with loads of books on it, but I still like a good old fashioned book too.


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## Lindarose (May 19, 2016)

I'm like your sister Northerner! Can't bear clutter to the point where I sometimes chuck away things I should have kept! Hubby is a 'collector Drives me mad Any space anywhere and he wants to fill it. But I've managed to get him to shred some really really old papers. A work in progress!


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## Northerner (May 19, 2016)

Lindarose said:


> I'm like your sister Northerner! Can't bear clutter to the point where I sometimes chuck away things I should have kept! Hubby is a 'collector Drives me mad Any space anywhere and he wants to fill it. But I've managed to get him to shred some really really old papers. A work in progress!


Poor man!   I've got a load of old Soviet newspapers from when I was over there in the late 1970s, intending to read them sometime...


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## Lindarose (May 19, 2016)

Why not bring your soviet papers on Saturday and lend them to me!


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## Amigo (May 19, 2016)

I'm terrible with keeping clothes and realistically I couldn't live long enough or change enough times in a week to wear them. I admire people who can just dispose of things that still have some use but I think I get an almost emotional attachment to things. I recently made myself have a massive closet clear out and my hubbie whipped the bags away before I tried to retrieve anything! Lol


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## Ljc (May 19, 2016)

Northerner said:


> Haha! I tried that too - have hundreds on my Kindle but only ever pick it up to see if it needs recharging! Hasn't stopped me buying new kindle books that I like the sound of though!



Oh dear definitely no hope for you then


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## Martin Canty (May 19, 2016)

Stitch147 said:


> good old fashioned book


Nothing like the feel of a good book though my Kindle is a godsend when traveling

BTW, shelves full of books & boxes of books in the garage!!!


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## Northerner (May 19, 2016)

Martin Canty said:


> Nothing like the feel of a good book though my Kindle is a godsend when traveling
> 
> BTW, shelves full of books & boxes of books in the garage!!!


Real books are fighting back:

http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2016/may/13/books-ebook-publishers-paper



These days I tend to buy second-hand books - same words, but a lot cheaper!  I could probably set up my own shop!


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## Diabeticliberty (May 19, 2016)

Northerner said:


> Poor man!   I've got a load of old Soviet newspapers from when I was over there in the late 1970s, intending to read them sometime...




You speak Russian?


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## Northerner (May 19, 2016)

Diabeticliberty said:


> You speak Russian?


After a fashion  I am the proud holder of a BA (Hons) Russian Language and Literature degree (Sheffield)


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## khskel (May 19, 2016)

Books everywhere here too


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## Matt Cycle (May 19, 2016)

Northerner said:


> After a fashion  I am the proud holder of a BA (Hons) Russian Language and Literature degree (Sheffield)



The Socialist Republic of South Yorkshire - sticking two fingers up to Thatcherism.


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## trophywench (May 19, 2016)

Amigo said:


> I'm terrible with keeping clothes and realistically I couldn't live long enough or change enough times in a week to wear them. I admire people who can just dispose of things that still have some use but I think I get an almost emotional attachment to things. I recently made myself have a massive closet clear out and my hubbie whipped the bags away before I tried to retrieve anything! Lol



What was your dad's name? - or did your Mom ever visit West Bromwich?  LOL

Cos it seems we must have much the same instincts ......


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## Diabeticliberty (May 19, 2016)

Northerner said:


> After a fashion  I am the proud holder of a BA (Hons) Russian Language and Literature degree (Sheffield)




OMG you're a commie!!!!!!!!! Let's do crazy Ivans.  Can we? Can we? Can we? Can we?


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## TheClockworkDodo (May 19, 2016)

When we moved here, I think the removal men thought they were moving a bookshop - we had boxes and boxes of books in the garage, and more in a storage facility (which we'd hired temprarily so we didn't have to move everything all at once).  Last year we finally managed to unpack all our books for the first time since, I think, 2006.  This year we managed to give 10 carrier bagfuls to the Oxfam bookshop   There will be more once we have finished sorting through them, but it still won't make much of a dent in in our collection!

We are trying to institute a one book in, one book out policy from now on, but I can't see either of us keeping to it, even though R now has a Kindle.

Papers I keep for 7 years and then shred, but I'm probably several years behind with that because moving took up so much of my time and effort.  I also have about 3 years' worth of magazines to read (in addition to the 40+ years' worth of read ones in files, I mean).


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## TheClockworkDodo (May 19, 2016)

Oh, seriously, if anyone is decluttering, please take clothes and books to Oxfam.  As far as clothes are concerned, even ones which are not saleable, so long as they're clean.  Oxfam is the only charity which has its own rag processing place, so they can make money from your old holey underwear, shirts with all the buttons ripped off, moth-eaten jumpers, paint-stained jeans, whatever (not that I would suggest that any members of this board have such things in their wardrobes).  But do wash them first!


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## Andy HB (May 19, 2016)

I used to have hundreds of Look and Learn magazines from when I was a wee lad. Well, they were mostly bought for my elder brother and sisters, but I used to avidly read the Fall and Rise of the Trigan Empire in them!

I intended to scan them, but never got around to it and eventually got rid of them all. A terrible day, that was. But atleast I now have cupboard room.

My next task is to ditch my ZX Spectrum and its pile of games on tapes. But I might see if any of them work first!


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## Diabeticliberty (May 19, 2016)

Andy HB said:


> I used to have hundreds of Look and Learn magazines from when I was a wee lad. Well, they were mostly bought for my elder brother and sisters, but I used to avidly read the Fall and Rise of the Trigan Empire in them!
> 
> I intended to scan them, but never got around to it and eventually got rid of them all. A terrible day, that was. But atleast I now have cupboard room.
> 
> My next task is to ditch my ZX Spectrum and its pile of games on tapes. But I might see if any of them work first!





NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!! You can't ditch the Spectrum. Have you no soul man?


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## Andy HB (May 19, 2016)

Now, if I still had my ZX81 with its wobbly Ram pack, that'd be a different matter. That went to my sister eons ago! 

I'll also have to check with my brother whether he still has his Sinclair Cambridge programmable calculator!


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## Sally71 (May 20, 2016)

I loved my Spectrum - think it eventually died though and must have gone in the bin, my parents are a lot more practical than me!

We are sort of hoarders - I keep things for sentimental reasons, my hubby keeps things because they might be useful one day - you should see the pile of computer bits and bobs in our shed!  So daughter has got a double dose of the hoarding gene, trying to persuade her to throw anything away is like pulling teeth, we usually have to bribe her with money  

Hubby and I do have a clear out occasionally though so perhaps are not as bad as some of you!  I do have on our bookshelf all the text books I bought for my business degree in the 1990s - I never read them but they look good on the shelf  
Having said that, if we suddenly acquire lots of books that we don't have room for, I think my degree texts will be the first to go 
We did clear out the attic a few years ago, among all the junk there I found lots of stuff I thought I'd lost, which my hubby had decided I didn't need and dumped there without my permission when we got married.  Plus also my entire degree course, all the work I'd done over 4 years!  I looked through it, thought " I must have understood this at the time but it means naff all now" and decided that as I hadn't opened a single one of the files in over 10 years I would bin them all.  It did tear at my heart strings a bit, but I haven't missed them since


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## Robin (May 20, 2016)

You can be sure that if you throw anything out, you'll immediately need it about a week later. We do have clearouts occasionally, and it never fails to happen.


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## Stitch147 (May 20, 2016)

Amigo said:


> I'm terrible with keeping clothes and realistically I couldn't live long enough or change enough times in a week to wear them. I admire people who can just dispose of things that still have some use but I think I get an almost emotional attachment to things. I recently made myself have a massive closet clear out and my hubbie whipped the bags away before I tried to retrieve anything! Lol



I had to clear my wardrobe out after losing 7 stone in weight!!! I soon realised that size 26 wasnt going to fit me anymore and had a good clear out and spend up! Managed to sell loads of stuff at the bootsale.


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## Caroline (May 20, 2016)

My late husband was a hoarder. When he passed on in November my grown up son and I started to clear out all the stuff we don't want or need. No end of stuff has gone to the charity shop and the dustmen have started sharing their bonuses with us. There is still a lot to do including two sheds, the loft and the cupboard under the stairs.

There is still a lot of stuff here but we have so much more space for getting rid of the things we don't need. From all the DVDs we made quite a large sum of money so clearing clutter is worth it.


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## Amigo (May 20, 2016)

Stitch147 said:


> I had to clear my wardrobe out after losing 7 stone in weight!!! I soon realised that size 26 wasnt going to fit me anymore and had a good clear out and spend up! Managed to sell loads of stuff at the bootsale.



Yes that was one of my motivations too stitch. What a treat to go through a wardrobe and know nothing is going to be tight! 

I think a little morbid part of me also has started to think I need to put some order into my life but that's not something I'd want to dwell on


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## Diabeticliberty (May 20, 2016)

Ok I guess its time to 'fess up. I am coming under now daily pressure to remove some of the 76 (at last count) fly fishing rods in my man cave. There is also an Orbea racing bicycle which I keep looking at and making up very elaborate excuses not to go out and use. In the loft there are a  set of posh of clubs which the very large spiders have managed to get their various handicaps down to single figures. I have a wardrobe the full length of one entire wall filled with clothing from when I was younger, more erm.......flamboyant and not carrying timber. Records and CD's which have now been converted to flash drives fill a quarter of a spare bedroom. There are also many million assorted remnants from 5 minute wonder hobbies.


Oh yes and 2 drawers full of blood test meters


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## Caroline (May 20, 2016)

Since my last post on this thread I have started clearing out the cupboard under the stairs, I have found no end of stuff that will be get rid of, some of it has already gone in the bin and some of it is in the charity shop bag


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## Northerner (May 20, 2016)

Caroline said:


> Since my last post on this thread I have started clearing out the cupboard under the stairs, I have found no end of stuff that will be get rid of, some of it has already gone in the bin and some of it is in the charity shop bag


There is certainly a lot of pleasure and satisfaction from seeing a clean and tidy space where the clutter used to be  I have managed to tidy my desk, which is a start, at least!  Came across some appointment letters from 2009 - you see my problem!


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## Diabeticliberty (May 20, 2016)

My other issue is that I keep finding cats where they ain't aught to be. One tried to climb up the chimney this morning. God only knows how she moved the fireguard


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## Northerner (May 20, 2016)

Diabeticliberty said:


> My other issue is that I keep finding cats where they ain't aught to be. One tried to climb up the chimney this morning. God only knows how she moved the fireguard


Little lead boots are the solution, slows 'em down


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## Caroline (May 20, 2016)

Northerner said:


> There is certainly a lot of pleasure and satisfaction from seeing a clean and tidy space where the clutter used to be  I have managed to tidy my desk, which is a start, at least!  Came across some appointment letters from 2009 - you see my problem!


I do enjoy a good clear out and getting rid of clutter. I keep finding ancient appointment letters for me in my late husbands paper work and a job offer for my grown up son...


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## Diabeticliberty (May 20, 2016)

Northerner said:


> Little lead boots are the solution, slows 'em down




A fine idea in principle but little lead boots does not work in practice.  Daisy is the smaller of the 2 kittens. She however does have feet like a bull rhinoceros. My other little treasure (yeah right) has found a new game she likes to play. Burst into the bedroom at 3.00am every morning trample across my snoring corpse and chew on the end of my nose. Those little lead boots feel like hob nails at that time in a morning. I have a nice tumble dryer that they might both fit in. Let's see how they chew my hooter then shall we?


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## Annette (May 20, 2016)

I dont hoard much. Books - definitely. Diabetes paraphernalia - check. Jam jars - yep. Christmas decorations - uh huh. Wire shelves from previous fridges/ovens to be used as protection for my vegs from birds/cats - ok, I hoard alot...


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## Carolg (May 22, 2016)

Stitch147 said:


> I had to clear my wardrobe out after losing 7 stone in weight!!! I soon realised that size 26 wasnt going to fit me anymore and had a good clear out and spend up! Managed to sell loads of stuff at the bootsale.


I dropped a good few sizes so did the same except selling stuff-went to charity shop. When I moved I had a clear out, and vowed nothing up the attic, and I've stuck to that. I keep stuff as well but try reading "clear your clutter with Feng shui. Makes sense


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## Redkite (May 23, 2016)

Northie I've got tons of clutter .  Not as bad as the "Hoarder Next Door" but I can easily see how it could get to that state.  Lots of books, CDs, DVDs (couldn't read/listen/watch them all again in a lifetime).  Bundles of letters from Grandparents who passed away years ago, boxes and boxes of my son's old schoolwork, pictures and craft items he made.  Crates of Hornby stuff and Scalextric (plus big moulded plastic scenery pieces piled on top).  Board games, jigsaw puzzles, stacks and stacks of photo albums going back years.  Most piled on floor in the "spare bedroom" because when my ex husband moved out he took all the shelves and cupboards it was all stored in!  I'm trying to chip away at it but it's very hard to be ruthless with things that have a sentimental value.  But the knock-on effect is that there's nowhere to store other stuff, paperwork, documents, current schoolwork and revision books, so all this takes over our tiny dining room and we eat our meals on a cleared corner of the table surrounded by clutter.  This is not how I want to live


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## Northerner (May 23, 2016)

Redkite said:


> Northie I've got tons of clutter .  Not as bad as the "Hoarder Next Door" but I can easily see how it could get to that state.  Lots of books, CDs, DVDs (couldn't read/listen/watch them all again in a lifetime).  Bundles of letters from Grandparents who passed away years ago, boxes and boxes of my son's old schoolwork, pictures and craft items he made.  Crates of Hornby stuff and Scalextric (plus big moulded plastic scenery pieces piled on top).  Board games, jigsaw puzzles, stacks and stacks of photo albums going back years.  Most piled on floor in the "spare bedroom" because when my ex husband moved out he took all the shelves and cupboards it was all stored in!  I'm trying to chip away at it but it's very hard to be ruthless with things that have a sentimental value.  But the knock-on effect is that there's nowhere to store other stuff, paperwork, documents, current schoolwork and revision books, so all this takes over our tiny dining room and we eat our meals on a cleared corner of the table surrounded by clutter.  This is not how I want to live


Sounds pretty much like me!  My problem is twofold really: I have a lot of room in my house to keep the piles of stuff, so I don't have to look at it/climb over it every day, plus whenever I try to sort things out I end up reading stuff and reminiscing  Then, if I do actually try to be firm and sensible and throw some things out, it haunts me for decades afterwards  Currently, I'm having  a problem with coffee jars - I don't drink a lot of coffee, but I do like  cup of Douwe Egberts and it comes in really useful airtight jars - they are so good I can't just chuck them away! I've managed to employ some as jelly baby jars, but the number of unused jars is expanding...


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## Carolg (May 23, 2016)

Northerner said:


> Sounds pretty much like me!  My problem is twofold really: I have a lot of room in my house to keep the piles of stuff, so I don't have to look at it/climb over it every day, plus whenever I try to sort things out I end up reading stuff and reminiscing  Then, if I do actually try to be firm and sensible and throw some things out, it haunts me for decades afterwards  Currently, I'm having  a problem with coffee jars - I don't drink a lot of coffee, but I do like  cup of Douwe Egberts and it comes in really useful airtight jars - they are so good I can't just chuck them away! I've managed to employ some as jelly baby jars, but the number of unused jars is expanding...


Same for me without jelly babies. The only thing is I have to cut off the labels/exp dates of things and stuff in the jar. If anyone needs any, I can bring some to Glasgow forum meeting lol

I've also kept earthenware jars from 1973 that I got in the hospital I worked in when I got married. Not got the husband now, but jars survived


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## Robin (May 24, 2016)

Well this thread goaded me into decluttering the hall cupboard today. Only I didn't get very far, because I found all my diabetes notebooks going back to when I was first diagnosed. So of course I stopped for a cup of tea and a good read. It's amazing what you blank out with time. I discovered that in April 2007, three months after diagnosis (as a type 2, ha ha,) my morning Bgs were round about 15-16, and rose to the twenties during the day. A note I've made following a GP appointment reads 'make appointment for 1 months time to see if need to increase Gliclazide, though maybe weird type, so may not respond' At least my GP was beginning to smell a rat! I was also a stone lighter than I am now, and losing about a pound a week, no wonder people were telling me I looked ill! Luckily, I got an appointment through from the hospital fairly soon after that, and got it all sorted and under control.

And yes, I did get back to sorting the cupboard afterwards, it's now neat and tidy...but for how long?


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## Northerner (May 25, 2016)

Robin said:


> Well this thread goaded me into decluttering the hall cupboard today. Only I didn't get very far, because I found all my diabetes notebooks going back to when I was first diagnosed. So of course I stopped for a cup of tea and a good read. It's amazing what you blank out with time. I discovered that in April 2007, three months after diagnosis (as a type 2, ha ha,) my morning Bgs were round about 15-16, and rose to the twenties during the day. A note I've made following a GP appointment reads 'make appointment for 1 months time to see if need to increase Gliclazide, though maybe weird type, so may not respond' At least my GP was beginning to smell a rat! I was also a stone lighter than I am now, and losing about a pound a week, no wonder people were telling me I looked ill! Luckily, I got an appointment through from the hospital fairly soon after that, and got it all sorted and under control.
> 
> And yes, I did get back to sorting the cupboard afterwards, it's now neat and tidy...but for how long?


This is my problem - stopping and reading stuff and reminiscing!  Wow, you had quite an introduction to the world of diabetes! I have all my blood sugar diaries from diagnosis - first entry (and first injection! ): 19:22, 16 units novorapid, BG 10.0 mmol/l (before bed at 23:58 9.9 mmol/l, 20 units lantus). I woke to a 5.5 mmol/l the following morning  Actually, just surprised now looking at it that I didn't start reducing my lantus until nearly 5 months after diagnosis - I thought it had been much sooner!


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## newbs (May 25, 2016)

I'm a bit like you, things have sentimental value to me (I keep birthday and Christmas cards too!) and I just can't bring myself to through them away.  My husband is the complete opposite of me, doesn't really get 'attached' to anything so is quite happy to chuck things out so I have to keep an eye on him! My house is tidy but I do have a lot of books and magazines and my girls have loads of books, definitely passed my love of reading on to them.  My husband has never read a fictional book from cover to cover in his life.  He does keep paperwork for several years though.


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## Northerner (May 25, 2016)

newbs said:


> I'm a bit like you, things have sentimental value to me (I keep birthday and Christmas cards too!) and I just can't bring myself to through them away.  My husband is the complete opposite of me, doesn't really get 'attached' to anything so is quite happy to chuck things out so I have to keep an eye on him! My house is tidy but I do have a lot of books and magazines and my girls have loads of books, definitely passed my love of reading on to them.  My husband has never read a fictional book from cover to cover in his life.  He does keep paperwork for several years though.


People who don't read miss out on so much, I think! There is a massive world beyond your head and the limits of your own life that you can experience through the pages of a book!  My sister is the same, never reads, pretty sure my nieces don't either.


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## Stitch147 (May 25, 2016)

I love reading. I prefer biographies and real life stuff, history etc, than a made up story. But my favourite horror author is Shaun Hutson.


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## Robin (May 25, 2016)

Northerner said:


> This is my problem - stopping and reading stuff and reminiscing!  Wow, you had quite an introduction to the world of diabetes! I have all my blood sugar diaries from diagnosis - first entry (and first injection! ): 19:22, 16 units novorapid, BG 10.0 mmol/l (before bed at 23:58 9.9 mmol/l, 20 units lantus). I woke to a 5.5 mmol/l the following morning  Actually, just surprised now looking at it that I didn't start reducing my lantus until nearly 5 months after diagnosis - I thought it had been much sooner!


It's funny how you concertina events, on looking further through my files, I see the hospital treated me as a Type 2 in the April, I only got put on to Lantus in the August, and only then had the GAD antibody test. My A1c was still 11!  Then  I got it down to 7.4 by December, by eating hardly any carb, and having morning hypos, so I moaned at the hospital at my next appointment and they put me on MDI. I hadn't realised it all took so long!


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## Robin (May 25, 2016)

newbs said:


> I'm a bit like you, things have sentimental value to me (I keep birthday and Christmas cards too!) and I just can't bring myself to through them away.  My husband is the complete opposite of me, doesn't really get 'attached' to anything so is quite happy to chuck things out so I have to keep an eye on him! My house is tidy but I do have a lot of books and magazines and my girls have loads of books, definitely passed my love of reading on to them.  My husband has never read a fictional book from cover to cover in his life.  He does keep paperwork for several years though.


Both of us like reading, and have loads of books. A few years ago, I was stuck for something to read, and decided I would read all my husband's books in order, starting at A. ( he has them arranged alphabetically) so I read an odd mix, that went Douglas Adams, the Venerable Bede, Arnold Bennett, etc. I got about as far as D, and faced with the Three Musketeers ( a very long one), I reverted to reading my own choices again, and haven't got back to them since. ( I've currently got Trollope on my iPad, the Barchester novels and the Pallisers) Must resume husband's collection one day...


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## Northerner (May 25, 2016)

Robin said:


> Both of us like reading, and have loads of books. A few years ago, I was stuck for something to read, and decided I would read all my husband's books in order, starting at A. ( he has them arranged alphabetically) so I read an odd mix, that went Douglas Adams, the Venerable Bede, Arnold Bennett, etc. I got about as far as D, and faced with the Three Musketeers ( a very long one), I reverted to reading my own choices again, and haven't got back to them since. ( I've currently got Trollope on my iPad, the Barchester novels and the Pallisers) Must resume husband's collection one day...


Here you go - I read 54 books last year, on different themes, to try and get me out of my comfort zone with the type of books I knew I would like  The chief problem is that I found so many new authors I liked that I actually bought about 150 books and have therefore still got 100 to go if I intend to reduce the backlog! Of course, I'm not doing that - I've carried on buying new books this year...  


01. The Blind Assassin, Margaret Atwood - A book with more than 500 pages
02. Slaughterhouse 5, Kurt Vonnegut - A book with a number in the title
03. War with the Newts, Karel Capek - A book with nonhuman characters (1)
04. The Handmaid's Tale, Margaret Atwood - A book by a female author
05. Surfacing, Margaret Atwood - A book with a one-word title (1)
06. Herland, Charlotte Gilman - A book set in a different country
07. The Edible Woman, Margaret Atwood - A popular author's first book (1)
08. Wide Sargasso Sea, Jean Rhys - A book you can finish in a day
09. The Martian, Andy Weir - A book set somewhere you've always wanted to visit
10. Oryx and Crake, Margaret Atwood - A trilogy ('Maddaddam', 1)
11. The Year of the Flood, Margaret Atwood - A trilogy ('Maddaddam', 2)
12. Lady Oracle, Margaret Atwood - A book with a love triangle
13. Never Let Me Go, Kazuo Ishiguro - A book set in high school
14. Yellow Blue Tibia, Adam Roberts - A book with a colour in the title
15. Death and the Penguin, Andrey Kurkov - A book that was originally written in a foreign language (Russian)
16. The Little Stranger, Sarah Waters - A book by an author you've never read before (1)
17. Breakfast at Tiffany.s, Truman Capote - A book that came out the year you were born
18. The Quarry, Iain Banks - A book a friend recommended
19. Last and First Men, Olaf Stapledon - A book with antonyms in the title
20. The Casual Vacancy, J K Rowling - A book based on or turned into a TV show
21. Swiftly, Adam Roberts - A book based entirely on its cover
22. The Buried Giant, Kazuo Ishiguro - A book published this year
23. Eeny Meeny, M J Aldridge - A book that takes place in your hometown
24. The Snow, Adam Roberts - A book you own but have never read
25. I know why the caged bird sings, Maya Angelou - A book your mother loves
26. Vixen in Velvet, Loretta Chase - A book at the bottom of your to-read list
27. A Pale View of Hills, Kazuo Ishiguro - A popular author's first book (2)
28. Salt, Adam Roberts - A book with a one-word title (2)
29. Jack Glass, Adam Roberts - A mystery or thriller
30. The Silver Sword, Ian Serraillier - A book from your childhood
31. The Fatal Eggs, Mikhail Bulgakov - A book with nonhuman characters (2)
32. Splinter, Adam Roberts - A book with a one-word title (3)
33. Exit Ghost, Philip Roth - A book by an author you've never read before (2)
34. The Cry of the Go-Away Bird, Andrea Eames - A book written by an author with your same initials
35. The Dragon with the Girl Tattoo, Adam Roberts - A funny book 
36. Light, M.John Harrison - A book with a one-word title (4)
37. By Light Alone, Adam Roberts - A book from an author you love that you haven't read yet (1)
38. The Adjacent, Christopher Priest - A book by an author you've never read before (3)
39. Penguin Lost, Andrey Kurkov - A book that was originally written in a foreign language (Russian) (2)
40. The Wood Beyond the World, William Morris - A book more than 100 years old
41. The Shining, Stephen King - A book that scares you
42. Sea of Poppies, Amitav Ghosh - A trilogy ('Ibis', 1)
43. River of Smoke, Amitav Ghosh - A trilogy ('Ibis', 2)
44 Flood of Fire, Amitav Ghosh - A trilogy ('Ibis', 3)
45. The Dream of the Red Chamber, Cao XueQin - A book you can finish in a day
46. The White Tiger, Aravind Adiga - Man Booker prize-wiining book, 2008.
47. The Forty Days of Musa Dagh, Franz Werfel - A book with more than 500 pages
48. The Circle of Reason, Amitav Ghosh - A popular author's first book (3)
49. The Siege of Krishnapur, J G Farrell - Booker Prize for Fiction, 1973
50. The Glass Palace, Amitav Ghosh - A book from an author you love that you haven't read yet (2)
51. The Lady and the Peacock, the life of Aung San Suu Kyi of Burma, Peter Popham - A non-fiction book
52. The Lowland, Jhumpa Lahiri - A Pulitzer Prize-winning book
53. The Calcutta Chromosome, Amitav Ghosh - A book from an author you love that you haven't read yet (3)
54. Nimrod's Shadow, Chris Paling - A book by an author you've never read before (4)


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## Stitch147 (May 25, 2016)

Of those 54 books I have read one! And thats the Shining. One of my all time favs (book and film). Have you read Dr Sleep, the follow on from it?
Great book.


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## Northerner (May 25, 2016)

Stitch147 said:


> Of those 54 books I have read one! And thats the Shining. One of my all time favs (book and film). Have you read Dr Sleep, the follow on from it?
> Great book.


That's one of the 'extras' that I still have on my bookshelf!  I had seen the film of The Shining ages ago, but only half followed it, so watched the film again after reading the book - book was soooo much better than the film, in my opinion  Still an excellent film, but I got much more from the book - that's usually the case with me.


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## Stitch147 (May 25, 2016)

Most of the time the books are soooooo much better than the films.


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## Annette (May 25, 2016)

Thats because in your head you know who should have been cast in the role or where they should have shot it, and they never asked your opinion, so they get it all wrong...


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## Northerner (May 25, 2016)

Annette Anderson said:


> Thats because in your head you know who should have been cast in the role or where they should have shot it, and they never asked your opinion, so they get it all wrong...


I don't know - sometimes, yes, certainly! However, I read 'The Martian' last year and was really excited to hear they were going to make a film of it, and even more excited when I heard they had cast Matt Damon in the principal role  Finally got to see the film a couple of months ago and Matt didn't disappoint, it was more the sparsity of detail that did - visuals were great, but there were whole sections in the book that really filled out the 'experience'. If I'd seen the film first I would have probably found it to be riveting!


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## HOBIE (May 25, 2016)

Redkite said:


> Northie I've got tons of clutter .  Not as bad as the "Hoarder Next Door" but I can easily see how it could get to that state.  Lots of books, CDs, DVDs (couldn't read/listen/watch them all again in a lifetime).  Bundles of letters from Grandparents who passed away years ago, boxes and boxes of my son's old schoolwork, pictures and craft items he made.  Crates of Hornby stuff and Scalextric (plus big moulded plastic scenery pieces piled on top).  Board games, jigsaw puzzles, stacks and stacks of photo albums going back years.  Most piled on floor in the "spare bedroom" because when my ex husband moved out he took all the shelves and cupboards it was all stored in!  I'm trying to chip away at it but it's very hard to be ruthless with things that have a sentimental value.  But the knock-on effect is that there's nowhere to store other stuff, paperwork, documents, current schoolwork and revision books, so all this takes over our tiny dining room and we eat our meals on a cleared corner of the table surrounded by clutter.  This is not how I want to live


I have still got 27 Scalextric cars inc "D type jags". In one of my garages is a real car I got when I was 20 (brand new) I am now 53 this year.  Double mad !     Clutter


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## Northerner (May 25, 2016)

HOBIE said:


> I have still got 27 Scalextric cars inc "D type jags". In one of my garages is a real car I got when I was 20 (brand new) I am now 53 this year.  Double mad !     Clutter


One of my neighbours up the road can go one better than you @HOBIE - he's got an actual D-Type Jag in his garage!  He drives it about twice a year and it's in immaculate condition  Mind you, it might be a replica. Looks a lot like this:


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## Stitch147 (May 25, 2016)

My other half has lots of scalextric stuff in the loft. His pride and joy in the garage though is his Model T hot rod.


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## Northerner (May 25, 2016)

Stitch147 said:


> My other half has lots of scalextric stuff in the loft. His pride and joy in the garage though is his Model T hot rod.


I never had a Scalextrix - the best we could manage was a 'Matchbox Motorway':



And I still have two of these cars (bringing it back to the clutter I can't throw away - had the cars for over 50 years!  Yes, that's what F1 cars used to look like in the early '60s!


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## Robin (May 25, 2016)

Stitch147 said:


> My other half has lots of scalextric stuff in the loft. His pride and joy in the garage though is his Model T hot rod.


I've got a lot of my son's scalextric stuff in my cupboards! His excuse is that he lives in a very small flat with no storage. What hope have I got of ever sorting my own stuff with cupboards bunged up like that!


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## HOBIE (May 25, 2016)

I think that's why I became an Electrian. I had 3/4 tracks of scalextric which had a volt drop as the cars went around the long track. I wound not be beaten & got 2 transformers one for each lane. Robin if you go online the cars are worth £400/£500 each depending on model & condition


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## Robin (May 25, 2016)

HOBIE said:


> I think that's why I became an Electrian. I had 3/4 tracks of scalextric which had a volt drop as the cars went around the long track. I wound not be beaten & got 2 transformers one for each lane. Robin if you go online the cars are worth £400/£500 each depending on model & condition


Now there's a thought, maybe I should eBay it all!


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## eggyg (May 25, 2016)

Northerner said:


> Here you go - I read 54 books last year, on different themes, to try and get me out of my comfort zone with the type of books I knew I would like  The chief problem is that I found so many new authors I liked that I actually bought about 150 books and have therefore still got 100 to go if I intend to reduce the backlog! Of course, I'm not doing that - I've carried on buying new books this year...
> 
> 
> 01. The Blind Assassin, Margaret Atwood - A book with more than 500 pages
> ...


My name's Elaine, and I too am a book hoarder! Really struggle to give away my books. Tend to buy them second  hand and only get new in high days and holidays. Just yesterday we walked part of The Pennine Way (just 8 miles) and had a cuppa at a village café, they were selling books for a local cause for 50p! So ended up with Margaret Atwood "The Blind Assassin" which I see is top of your list, I haven't read any of hers yet. Any good?


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## Northerner (May 25, 2016)

eggyg said:


> My name's Elaine, and I too am a book hoarder! Really struggle to give away my books. Tend to buy them second  hand and only get new in high days and holidays. Just yesterday we walked part of The Pennine Way (just 8 miles) and had a cuppa at a village café, they were selling books for a local cause for 50p! So ended up with Margaret Atwood "The Blind Assassin" which I see is top of your list, I haven't read any of hers yet. Any good?


Margaret Atwood is fabulous! I ended up buying all her books!  Favourites were The Handmaid's Tale and the Maddaddam trilogy, but really enjoyed the Blind Assassin too


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## Mark Parrott (May 30, 2016)

Our house is always cluttered. Doesn't matter what l do it makes no difference. It's a combination of no storage, lazyness, no time & too much stuff!


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## Mark Parrott (May 30, 2016)

This is our coffee table.


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## Copepod (May 30, 2016)

For the past couple of years, I've been reviewing books for another forum. I find it hard to make time to read fiction unless I have a long train journey or a series of commutes by rail, so I generally ask for non fiction, which I find easier to prioritise. However, I find I can happily sell all fiction books on Amazon, after reviewing them, unless I think a book would ideally suit a friend / relative. I keep non fiction books only if I think I will refer to them again. Otherwise I sell them on Amazon, as they get bought by others interested in the topics - often military history. Recently a second hand bookshop closed down, and the owners invited people to come and collect books for theri own use, art projects etc, with no charge - they wanted to ensure books didn't go to landfill. When I explained that I was taking books for my work as an education assistant in local parks, the woman owner went off and found more books on ecology etc. I gave the only note (£10) I had in my wallet as a donation, which they accepted - I came away with over £50 worth of books.


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## Northerner (May 30, 2016)

Copepod said:


> For the past couple of years, I've been reviewing books for another forum. I find it hard to make time to read fiction unless I have a long train journey or a series of commutes by rail, so I generally ask for non fiction, which I find easier to prioritise. However, I find I can happily sell all fiction books on Amazon, after reviewing them, unless I think a book would ideally suit a friend / relative. I keep non fiction books only if I think I will refer to them again. Otherwise I sell them on Amazon, as they get bought by others interested in the topics - often military history. Recently a second hand bookshop closed down, and the owners invited people to come and collect books for theri own use, art projects etc, with no charge - they wanted to ensure books didn't go to landfill. When I explained that I was taking books for my work as an education assistant in local parks, the woman owner went off and found more books on ecology etc. I gave the only note (£10) I had in my wallet as a donation, which they accepted - I came away with over £50 worth of books.


Hmm..when I lived in Folkestone there was a bookshop there that I went to regularly and coveted many of their books. Then, they decided to close the branch down and even though they had another branch in Canterbury they sold off all the stock at 10% of cover price...so I ended up buying approximately £2,000 worth of brand new books for £200  

Often wondered how you go about selling on amazon, is it difficult to set up?


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## Matt Cycle (May 30, 2016)

Mark Parrott said:


> This is our coffee table.View attachment 1416



Enter it for the Turner prize - you might be quids in.


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## Copepod (May 30, 2016)

Northerner said:


> Hmm..when I lived in Folkestone there was a bookshop there that I went to regularly and coveted many of their books. Then, they decided to close the branch down and even though they had another branch in Canterbury they sold off all the stock at 10% of cover price...so I ended up buying approximately £2,000 worth of brand new books for £200
> 
> Often wondered how you go about selling on amazon, is it difficult to set up?


Dead easy to set up a seller account as a private individual. You need to prove a link to a known bank account, so it might be a day or so before you can start listing, but then you're away. Before listing, it's worth checking what it would cost to post each book, because if you sell too cheap and the postgae costs are too high, you may make a loss, once Amazon fees are taken off. I never pay for packaging (except tape), as I always keep & reuse any padded envelopes I receive.


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## Northerner (May 31, 2016)

Copepod said:


> Dead easy to set up a seller account as a private individual. You need to prove a link to a known bank account, so it might be a day or so before you can start listing, but then you're away. Before listing, it's worth checking what it would cost to post each book, because if you sell too cheap and the postgae costs are too high, you may make a loss, once Amazon fees are taken off. I never pay for packaging (except tape), as I always keep & reuse any padded envelopes I receive.


I might give it a go, thanks


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