One of the most wonderful things about the last few weeks of decluttering the house has been finding things I thought were lost.
Dina, Ming and I have found a multitude of keys but the one pictured is rather important as it is the front door key. This is going to make getting into the house so much easier than climbing through the front window, which I actually had to do yesterday because Ming had taken the found key. As for the back door key, I am sure it is somewhere in the bowl of keys.
I have been telling Anthony a heavily edited version of this extraordinary decluttering experience by describing Dina as ‘the lovely woman helping me to spring clean the house for you.’ This works well because (a) despite being a bit of a wardrobe-hoarder, Anthony was, once-upon-a-time, an extremely organised person. He did all of the paperwork, milked the cows, looked after his mother, fondly known as ‘Gar’, and had various cleaning women in to help with polishing the silver and brass, wash the windows and, basically keep this beautiful old house in order.
Fast forward to now: As Dina and I opened the blanket chest in the spare room this week and I saw the amount of papers in there, I felt totally overwhelmed, caught between curiosity and cull mentalities. Without Dina’s help and presence, I would not have been able to cope but with her help, I was able to choose what to keep and what to throw away and, halfway through this process, I realised that these were Gar’s hoardings, not Anthony’s.
When I found a note, in Gar’s handwriting, to pay Juli (me) $60 from way back when I first came to work for her in the ’70s, I felt a bit of an emotional tug to either cry or laugh, so I laughed. Dina – always sensitive to how I might be feeling – gave me the pauses I needed to read out words written from one person to another on paper so fragmented that it sometimes fell apart in my hands.
Needless to say, much of this historical and sentimental paperwork has been put in a posterity box, including the love letter from Gar’s husband, Barr, which I thought I’d lost. More to say about these things at a later date. I still haven’t found a mass of gold (haha) but you never know!
Apart from all of this, it has been an extremely busy week in many ways so I have not kept up with other people’s blogs – sorry!
Oh yes and, now that the elusive parrots have returned, but absolutely refuse my offer of a photo shoot, I can tell you honestly that they are red-capped parrots. They are very shy of humans so I have decided to put a photo of the baby avocados instead (which the redcaps will probably eat anyway.)
It was a joy this week to catch up with a beautiful friend who I have know since school days, but with whom I had lost touch in a meaningful/nitty-gritty way. To find that we are still the friends we were, to share stories, wine and pizza, to exchange tears and laughter, to have reconnected like this – is a gift.
Lost and found; I salute you, N.xxxxx
jmgoyder 
How wonderful for the both of you; it is always such a gift to rediscover old friends, emotional bonds are stronger than we think. 🙂
She lives very far away so, even though we were in touch, it is the first time for decades that it has just been the two of us together having a million laughs just like we used to!
Fantastic!
What a delightful post! And I think what your catching up with your friend shows is that who we are doesn’t really change through time — at least not our values and core attributes, the intrinsic values of who we are that connected us to those in the past, continue to resonate today.
Hugs
I am becoming much more appreciative of family and friends both old and new x
You have found a ‘gem’ in Dina… Diane
I certainly have!
Good for you Jules. Sounds like a great reunion of souls. xo
Definitely!
Figs and avocados – love them both. Nice to see where they grow and what the trees look like on your blog!
Wow Julie, I remember your MIL stories, and now to hear that you found a note from her, a note to pay you…it’s just so sentimental. ❤
Diana xo
She was an enormously important person in my life.
I am so relieved to hear you found that precious key! No more climbing through windows !!!
It keeps me agile hahaha!
I guess it would, but at least you won’t get hurt as easy with the key! LOL, have a terrific weekend my friend
Say hello to Ants
I am missing an entire key set. Your post has inspired me to continue de-cluttering. I started earlier this year and it has been a long, difficult process. Good job!
That is so funny!
We need a parrot lure.
I am onto it!
Yes it is great when we find things we thought were lost, I would love to find he key to the front screen door.
Reconnecting with old friends is wonderful! And with old keys a necessity…
De cluttering is a huge process. Sharing the process is priceless.