Packing Up

So in the process of packing up of much of the house for some renovations I have reached my office. The current situation is a cross between shouting "Why am I doing this?" and curling into a foetal position and crying. This is because most of what's in here I need to keep using on a regular basis and if it makes its way into the mountain of cardboard cartons piled in the garage I won't be able to find it. I have so far packed up all but the essentials in the dining room, living room, family sitting room and my bedroom. Piles of "stuff" has made its way out to the annual Council street clean up or has clogged the garbage bin that is collected weekly. I have donated more to local op shops (charity shop for those who don't live in Australia) and other recycling organisations. There are six cartons of books (which makes a total of twelve boxes so far and each one tears at my heart even though they are going to the Save the Children Fund annual book sale), sundry other bits of bric-a-brac and several bags unwanted clothing standing in the front hall waiting to be moved out to different op shops and a pile of empty cartons waiting to be filled in the hall.

I have been coping with all this - not enjoying it, mark you, but coping - but my office I think may possibly be my breaking point. Actually, now I think about it, the final breaking point will probably come when I have to tackle what Pisces is supposed to have cleaned up and packed. He is not fond of discarding anything - he's not a hoarder as such but he hates to let things with a potential use go - and he has two rooms to deal with. So far that seems to have meant mainly spreading things out - onto the floor, into office baskets for "sorting", on to the previously cleared dining room table, on to the verandah.  You get the picture. Ah well, we've been married for a long time so I know that somehow or other we'll resolve this.

In the meantime someone, who probably meant to help, has reminded me that Christmas is three weeks away. Three weeks! To this my answer is "Aaaaaargh!"