The Hoarders Anonymous Thread #7. Keep On Keeping On!

[Solo]

We are a mixed group of likeminded householders that are leading somewhat challenging lives; be that living with too much 'stuff' that we find difficult to deal with, houses that are falling apart (mine included), health issues within the family unit, wider family, or ourselves (myself included) that means sorting out our households is challenging, to say the least. So...

You are all welcome to join us for support, adding your own ideas to help others out, storage ideas, and even tips on actually getting those items out of the house which sounds so simple when you say it, but this part can be so very difficult; we are often attached emotionally to our 'things', afraid of letting things go just in case we need them.
Encouragement and support abound here, and we do not criticise. EVER! We even try not to criticise ourselves as it's not helpful to anyone, but this can be very difficult not to do.

If you are feeling overwhelmed by clutter, mess, disorganisation and generally don't know where to start. If you can't be bothered, but really do want to be bothered. If you think you are a bit lazy, or if you just need to see your highs and lows and everything in between on the screen here, join us, and we will help you. We'll virtually high-five your achievements - small or large, and virtually hug you when the need arises, and if you want a hug, just ask because we are here for you, here for one another because we get it. The art of washing up is sometimes our great achievement of the day, but it's still an achievement.

Welcome to thread #7 of Hoarders Anonymous - Keep On Keeping On!

Thread #6 HERE

Miaowse they're mostly new. It's a hairdye issue, which will be temporary. I often have to change my clothes and makeup to match my new hair. This one is only semi permanent so there's the possibility of staining. The clothes in the box are cheap and mostly not new and there's some darker things that hopefully won't stain. I'll cull anything that doesn't fit as I find it and do an inspection at the end of the summer, culling anything that's seen better days

Miaowse Aunt’s still in care home, I’ve been hit with the bill for most of it. 😞
D’s has been taking cats up to see her which is good, but brings it’s own problems. Well done on the light bulbs, as long as it’s not excessive and you plant and tend them, I reckon plants don’t count!

BlueSummerBaby It could be emotional exhaustion. I’ve aged horribly in a very short time as well. Thank you for rooting for me to turn it around safely, I really need to. I like the simplicity of your decision on this year’s summer wardrobe.

Hello and welcome moonshaped. Shedding the shame is difficult, but it is important to either shed it, or find ways around it. Not having a working boiler is horrible. As long as you’re careful with it, I can recommend a 2nd hand Burco as a good way of having a hot water supply while you get into a position to get the boiler fixed or a new one. I am used to and sticking with the launderette at this point as it’s actually re-training everyone here in their behaviors!
I can imagine the stress of dealing with the builders’ reaction, but it’s not a crime to be in a mess.
“ I'm worried that I will live like this for the rest of my life, and grow old with the chaos and the shame.” I wasn’t. I was going to work my way back to normality. I planned things around being capable and determined, and it never crossed my mind I’d become disabled. It’s the warning I’d sound to everyone, do things while you know you can, we don’t know what tomorrow brings.
“No one knows I live like this” so well done sharing it here. Being able to talk about it, helps to move forward and spur each other on without judgement.

Update: Over Friday and weekend: Got first pass on garden done, resulting in two sacks for compost heap. Small amount of rubbish out of aunt’s front garden. Tow truck didn’t turn up, will have to rebook, and suspect will get reported now.

A bag of rubbish and assorted stuff fit only for bin sorted out of home. One sack of materials successfully donated at work and tided up a bit, small amount chucked.
Washing got done and dried though on airers out the back as currently can’t get at washing line.
Done some urgent forms, and hopefully the rest of today (without hurting myself!) is both garden’s, ours, and aunts, as both attracting complaints. Ds has agreed to help a bit, but first blow up's already happened, so we’ll see.

I have problems with multi-step processes so plants usually die while waiting to be planted out. For this reason I had resolved not to buy any more, but the offers were too tempting I did spend about an hour clearing weeds yesterday evening, so my brown bin is nearly full again and there is space for the new plants so tentatively optimistic!

How awful about the care home bill and how is that possible?! It seems so unfair - not like she is your partner or parent so why should you be liable? I have no knowledge of this - could your MP help? Though I’m sure you just don’t have the energy for another battle.

Your advice about doing stuff today and not putting it off as you don’t know what is around the corner is very wise.

Hi everyone. Welcome all newbies that I have not welcomed already

You all sound busy :), so very well done.

moonshaped are you me? Your situation rings bells for me. I don't know about you, but I'm really concerned that my boiler will not be repairable, or it'll need so much more doing than it would have done 6 years ago.

Well, I'm still struggling. I fall asleep at the drop of a hat these days, and I've done nothing whatsoever bar the essential laundry.
My sitting room window is completely covered by growth in the front garden, and walking through the weeds, etc. to the house from the gate is hazardous, so I have a man coming along on Thursday to deal with it for me. It should be money well spent, and I'll ask him about the back garden too when I see him. I hope he doesn't run for the hills!

I have a lot of hair shampoos and conditioners to get rid of, and not sure where to send them to. Most are almost full as Dd's hair and scalp issues meant trying things that didn't end up working; some of these were expensive, others not so much, and I have some unopened ones. Annoying or what?

I did what somebody upthread (sorry! I have fog as usual) is doing, and I used things up instead of continuously buying them when I was shopping - ending up with far too many of everything.

I am swimming in clothing - much of which is not worn for one reason or another (I'm too fat for a lot of it). Dd says she wants things and then it either isn't worn or worn once.

My house used to be cluttered and untidy; now it is positively dirty. I need to deal with it.

Hi Solo, I bet it will feel great to have more light in the sitting room when the garden is cut back.

The new plants are still in my hall. No gardening today as my arm & thumb are really sore from yesterday

I tackled a chunk of the cardboard box mountain that has built up in the kitchen again and also put a pair of holey knickers in the rag bag rather than just putting them back in the drawer. That’s it.

Lovely to see some updates from @Solo and @Elleherd and @Miaowse and others and welcome to @moonshaped ☕

I’ve had ups and downs, been to Household Recycling Centre a few times and had another doorstep collection. But progress at my own house is hampered by hoarding parent’s decline and time and effort needed at their house. I did manage to create enough space for a sibling to stay with me so I had help dealing with hoarding parent.

The situation at hoarding parent’s is pretty terrible now, dire conditions (like only 1 hot tap working upstairs, no boiler for years but has an immersion heater and makes do with oil filled radiators) and so many repairs needed. We can barely get into any rooms and more purchases keep being made with no where to put anything.

What’s hardest is their reaction to help is so negative and defensive - and I completely understand because I don’t like people in my house for all the same reasons but when you’re ill you have to accept some help and you won’t get well in dirty clothes and dirty sheets.

I keep promising myself I won’t be like them or leave the same chaos for my children. Trying to use it as a motivator but analysis paralysis is the worst blocker for me and I waste half the rare time I have. So frustrated with myself.

Keeping on, keeping on, here. Progress is progress, little and often.

That sounds so hard @FiniteSagacity I’m glad your sibling was able to visit to give you some moral support. I really feel for you and suspect at some point in the future my siblings and I may be dealing with something similar with our parents.

I feel a lot of empathy for your parent too. So many of us on here feel great shame about our situation and mess to the extent we avoid letting people in (both literally and figuratively); something that takes that choice and control away must be very difficult.

Incidentally, is ‘analysis paralysis’ where you can’t decide where you need to start as there is just too much, or is it where you analyse every possible reason for keeping something and end up hanging onto it after all, or something else? It’s a very neat phrase and I instinctively feel like it fits me even though I’m not sure exactly what it is!!

Progress today - I managed to half sort out a fairly pressing financial admin task today. I also organised a big pile of stuff earmarked for the charity shop and actually put the 3 bags in the car, hooray!

I remembered an old blog I used to read - 100 things 100 days - but it seems to have been taken down. I found some is still available through the wayback machine, so sharing in case anyone else loves reading decluttering journeys, clicking the categories down the side takes you to more posts:

<a class="break-all" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20111006230216/100things100days.com/the-project/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://web.archive.org/web/20111006230216/100things100days.com/the-project/

Oh dear, that link doesn’t look right. You just have to pop http://100things100days.com/
into the wayback machine:

Monday didn’t quite work out, managed to trim and tie up some stuff, and cut down lots of blackberry and hops that was running wild at aunts, but even being careful, overdid it and couldn’t continue or get started on ours.
Yesterday was recovering, doing lots of paperwork, and tow truck rebooked. Fingers crossed.
Today was more officialdom and paperwork, it’s never ending.

Miaowse The bill is looking like it’s my own fault tbh. It looks like I signed the wrong thing during her being financially assessed. Normally I’m really careful because of being afraid of getting things wrong but I let a different fear override this one, and didn’t investigate properly.

Interesting to hear about your tendency with plants, and the multi-step thing.
I have a terrible tendency to buy bulbs that I forget to plant! I just found a bunch that say plant Feb to May and am hoping to get something out of them still but have also discovered a bag of heaven knows what that’s sprouted and gone nowhere. But there’s three occasions I’ve brought earth, pots, and bulbs at the same time, and they got planted no problem. I think it’s because everything was together and nothing unexpected to deal with. - Well done on the admin and 3 bags into the car.

Solo Hope the cut back garden and subsequent light gives you energy to tackle things.
I don’t know if this is any use to you: https://iheat.co.uk/boiler-help/boiler-not-working#:~:text=There%20are%20a%20lot%20of,system%2C%20faulty%20controller%20and%20more. It’s previously helped me isolate an issue that was safe to do myself.
Unopened hair care products are gladly accepted by food banks, but we have an Asda’s that has a specific drop off for hair & body care items to make care packages from. Quickest way of passing on opened one’s is leave them in a public shower/ swimming bath. They get scooped up swiftly.
Good luck with the dealing with all of it, you will find ways.

BlueSummerBaby It could be emotional exhaustion. I’ve also aged horribly in a very short time. Thank you for crossed fingers, I have to turn life back around again somehow. Situation isn’t sustainable. I like the decision on this year’s summer clothes.

moonshaped I can imagine the stress of dealing with the builders’ reaction, but you know it’s not a crime to be in a mess, so carry on cheerfully moving on.
Having very limited access to hot water usually causes things to spiral downward. You have to use them carefully, but I can recommend a 2nd hand Burco as a stop gap while trying to get a boiler fixed or replaced, as long as you don’t allow it to then become the norm IYKWIM.

Finite Well done with your continued progress, even when being hampered, and with creating sufficient space to have your sibling staying.
The situation with parent sounds very painful. I’m sorry you’re going through it. Miaowse is spot on about both the shame and the loss of choice & control. I think regardless of how it presents, filling spaces with stuff is generally a defensive mechanism, so it’s inevitable at some level those who instinctively do it, will be defensive about it. Though it’s horrible to be on the receiving end of it when you’re simply trying to make the conditions survivable.

I came home yesterday with a beautiful book (that was £20 new) from a charity shop for £2. I told my partner I want to learn how to use eBay by trying to sell it.

Next thing I know - he's cleared a shelf of his random ornaments and is talking about getting his old eBay account up and running again to sell them.

I'm astonished. 👏👏👏

Also a bag of dvds and books to charity shop last week.

Brilliant JFDIYOLO hope he keeps the momentum going

Elleherd

ask for a financial reassessment

looks like I signed the wrong thing during her being financially assessed.

I was wondering about the situation because it made no sense. You've mentioned aunt rents? So there's no house to be sold to fund care fees?

I'd take the time pressure off the situation.

You're ill, there's no denying that. With the best will in the world, you can't do what you can't do. Time to face that?

Neither you want her nor aunt wants to be in the care home, ok, fair enough, but for now that's where she is and she can't come home until it's sorted. So, why not officially accept that for now, aunt's "home" is the care home?

So with a person who doesn't own a house, let that work how it usually works with the person making whatever contribution they're assessed as needing to make and social services picking up the slack.

If you want to help aunt by keeping her rental house going so she can one day return to it, then that's between you and the landlord. Paying the rent on her house is going to be cheaper for you than paying the care home fees, surely?

Going into a care home isn't irreversible. As long as aunt has capacity to decide, or you have power of attorney for health and so can decide for her, you can bring her home whenever it suits.

I don't know what rental is like in your area, but maybe instead of fixing this place you could slowly move her possessions into storage, before renting somewhere better for her that doesn't need all the repairs. Putting her things slowly back in her new home and moving her from the care home once it's all finalised.

This is just ideas. If it won't work for you feel free to ignore it

JFDIYOLO Excellent news. Fingers crossed that he does well and is encouraged by it to do more. Do though watch out for it becoming I'm buying/hanging on to this, to sell.
Many have at some point ventured down this road and ended up increasing the problem. I suspect it's those who are emotionally attached to objects they already have, that are most at risk.

BlueSummerBaby
Zero chance of finding somewhere else affordable. She’s very lucky with what she has regardless of condition.

I feel so incredibly stupid saying this, but I thought I was signing just as a guarantor to pay the rent on her flat while she was in the home if needed.
It was supposedly to counteract concerns that if she ran out of money, she'd have no entitlement to help with her rent as ‘residing elsewhere,’ and could lose her tenancy. This would lead to situation becoming permanent, apparently a known fait a complis in‘offloading’ relatives into care. Not at all the plan here.

I was fine with it because IF she ran out of money, she’d go home and would then be entitled to help with rent. Square one with everything else, but I wouldn’t be liable for more than tiding her over while she got UC sorted out.
They financially assessed her and found me liable to contribute.

I feel what I read and was told is different to what I’ve apparently signed.
Have taken legal advice and praying I've not done something really stupid.

Update Vehicle battery dragged in and recharged in case the tow truck came.
It did, and after various issues sorted out, vehicle loaded up and removed. Sorry to see it go as it’s been so reliable and a big part of life, but common sense and expanding Ulez leaves little choice.
It’s also a big weight off my mind as it’s been a sitting target to bring more trouble. Hopefully if I have already been reported they won’t now precede.

Lots of bureaucracy and paperwork waded through, though still some to go as doing it has effectively generated more!
Have to face PIP forms today. Just as I thought I'd got the hang of them, they've changed. Hoping to have another go at gardens, but very carefully.

Last week after work I bagged up two big bags of clothes one for eBay and the other for charity shop plus a bag of books.

Also went through kitchen cupboards and living room and decided to eBay or charity shop lots of appliances, crockery, random
bits and pieces etc I don’t use or want etc.

Was sorting through gift drawer and found items I either need to gift or eBay charity shop. I also found a lovely fish inspired plate I’d got for my best friend’s birthday which is in July so I’m pleased about that.

I decided not to rent out my spare room just yet as finances were better than expected. Just have to keep ensure that room is kept clear.

GonnaGetGoingReturns
Well done! Nice to have progress further rewarded by finding something with plenty of time to for it to be used the way intended.

Glad your financial situation's picked up enough not to have to deal with lodgers when not something you actually want in your life. With the room now clear, perhaps you can set yourself some rules about how you use it, to keep it clear.

They financially assessed her and found me liable to contribute.

Elleherd. This is total bollocks. Social services lie. And this looks like a whopper of one. You can not by law be liable for any other adult. Dependent DC only.

Yes to the losing tenancy part if she's in a home. But so what? If she's homeless and in a care home but doesn't need to be, she won't be assessed as needing to stay there and will get discharged to be homeless and go down the council's homelessness route, being discharged into temporary accommodation once that's found. Literally, she either needs to be in a care home or she doesn't. So dumping relatives in care is bullshit.

More likely people's relatives need to be in care and the family achieve it by pushing for respite care, then when the old person loses their tenancy they're assessed as needing to stay in care home because that's where they should have been all along. Family get forced to care for relative because social services lie and say no help available. Family won't see them suffer, which is the only alternative.

If family don't help, person suffers and social services will have to admit the person has unmet needs so provide help. If family help, social services say the needs are being met so won't help. Family need respite because they were never in a position to take on the care anyway and are now on their knees with regards to their own health. Person goes into care home, family who can't cope say "enough, no more". If relative comes out social services have to fund care package, so relative is assessed as needing to stay in care home because that's cheaper/more practical than providing the care they need in the community.

A fait accompli only in the sense of forcing social services to do their job! Legally family can't be forced to care for or pay for other adults. Social services lie about this. I'm glad you're getting legal advice. There's no way you should be paying the care home fees.

People lose their tenancy by either not paying rent, because they're in the care home and their housing benefit is paying for that (or being in care home makes them ineligible for housing benefit, I'm unsure which), so their home is taken back by landlord. If they're in social housing, regardless of if they're rich and paying rent plus care home fees, if they're long term ie months living elsewhere eg hospital etc, their property will be taken back under abandonment terms, so someone can live in it.

If aunt was eligible for any benefits it's likely that she would be needing to use those to mostly pay for care with little left for herself, so you'd have been funding the flat/house if you wanted to keep it going for her, I think. (I could be wrong there about how much money she'd have left over). But no way in hell are you liable for care home fees. And no legal obligation to keep flat going if you didn't want to either.

Are you her carer? Insist on a carer's assessment. That's an assessment of your needs, not aunts. You need rest after hospital and help with your own hoarded house that's causing tenancy issue with complaints (and unhealthy?). You are literally in danger of working yourself to death. You're definitely working yourself into illness that's how you ended up in hospital in the first place. Overdoing it. You need to stop work in aunt's house, to prevent your physical health deteriorating. You need to sort out legal situation of what you've signed because you're paying something you weren't otherwise liable for (made your self liable by signing, I think). You need advocacy. Those are your needs, from what I can see. At the moment social services are dumping on you from a great height. They should be helping you instead. Not lying to a vulnerable adult (you, your medical condition and current state of health means you can't think straight, from what you've posted here) to get you to sign something making you liable for care home fees. Very shoddy behaviour of them. So get a carer's assessment and get your needs documented, get whatever help you can. I'm so sorry you're in this situation 💐 sorry if I sound stroppy, I'm angry with them on your behalf. I hope the legal person can help you extricate yourself from this situation.

Your aunt going into a care home should never have be dependent on you signing up to be guarantor on her flat.(I know that's not what you've signed). For a start, that's for the landlord to decide if they need a guarantor, which they obviously don't if she's currently renting it. That would be sorted out before tenancy took effect. Social services can't alter the tenancy or decide it needs a guarantor! It's nothing to do with them. They've tricked you into signing something that says you'll privately fund the care home fees. Again, she either needs care home or doesn't, so you shouldn't have ever had to sign.

Hope some of this information helps you

BlueSummerBaby
You hit the nail on the head regarding anyone but the landlord asking for a guarantor for her continuing rent, but tbh it’s part of why it didn’t worry me.
If her landlord had asked, I’d have reassured that I'd help, but baulked at signing for it.
At the time, I was very sure that what I read and signed boiled down to if she couldn’t keep paying the rent on her flat I would cover it so she wouldn’t become homeless. Am full of self-doubts now.
I’m going to let the legal people do their thing for now and see what they say, but thank you for the information, and yes it does feel like social services may have ‘dumped on me from a great height.’

What happens with work at aunts will depend on if I can or can’t manage without doing myself in. Currently I’m just trying to keep all options open until I have a better idea of where I’m at and going. But all ways round, the situation needs to end, hopefully well for all.

Yesterday got a small amount done on garden done, and spent the rest going through last few years of hospital records (didn’t arrive in any order) trying to isolate information for PIP form. Stupidly I didn’t realize I was supposed to be keeping records So many times there’s no discharge letter, and I’m relying on ward charts etc for dates and why. Am ending up having to take huge breaks, because my eyes can’t read anymore.
Hopefully getting everything needed sorted and printed off today, but frustratingly it means I’m creating yet another file of papers. It's also launderette day here, and hopefully more garden.

@Elleherd sending you strength as you’re going through a lot and really, really encourage you to download here. I appreciate it because I’m probably going to be dealing with similar soon for hoarding parent but also @BlueSummerBaby has some useful insights and wherever we can help each other I’m sure we all want to.

Hoarding parent had a fall (at home in the chaos) a couple of weeks ago and has had other falls, the regular clinic attended includes nurses who know parent well and they have recommended a ‘falls team’ referral but nothing seems joined up so when GP Surgery did a recent review I stressed this should be mentioned to GP. But I’m not allowed into any appointments at all at the moment and just do what I am allowed to around the edges - but really worried there will be a tipping point and things will snowball. Cannot thank you enough for the awareness I should not sign anything!

@GonnaGetGoingReturns very excited you’re on a roll with your progress! I have a doorstep collection booked this week and hope to have purge progress. I have a couple of boxes I need to get up and get filling.

@JFDIYOLO so glad you’re well and wondering if I should encourage DC to start selling their stuff (if they would make the effort) because I’m really conflicted about giving it away (but that is so much faster!).

Elleherd , it sounds dodgy as can be. Hoping you can get it sorted quickly as it sounds as though you are under tremendous stress - just one of these situations would be bad enough but you have multiple stresses bombarding you at once. This is outside my area of experience so no helpful advice, but what BlueSummerBaby said makes total sense.

Are there any local charities who could help you go through the PIP paperwork? More flowers and please pace yourself

My plants from last weekend remain unplanted. A load of laundry has just finished so I’m going to hang that out then fold some of the dry stuff.

@Miaowse analysis paralysis is definitely a ‘where do I start’ thing. Plus always seem to get distracted or hyper focus on a detail that takes me away from what I should be doing… sibling uses this phrase and we both recognise the hoarding is strong with us both!

All siblings help a lot with hoarding parent but of other siblings, one has an amazing partner who helps keep their situation good, and one has a minimalist approach in reaction to our childhood. I’ve learned a lot about how grief, sentimentalism, anxiety can all trigger and feed the hoarding but pretty sure I also have ADHD and so just focussing on any one task is an effort.

Hi all,

My apologies for being absent for five months. I started a full-time job in January and the workload has been tremendous. As a result, I had no chance to do anything hoard-wise except for maintaining the progress that I had already achieved, and there were times when I was so exhausted that I did not do dishes for 3-5 days in the row. When I have free time, all I want to do is to sleep and eat. I barely keep up with laundry and have almost completely stopped cooking, heavily relying on takeaways, which threw my meal planning out the window, and I have gained a lot of weight.

Here is a list of what I’ve managed to do but it is extremely modest:

🍒 threw out a Tu neck handkerchief, which I bought last July. It only lasted six months, as every time I would wash it (at 30 degrees), the golden bees printed on its fabric (it was 100% polyester of dull beige colour) would fade away more and more, and once they were gone, I decided to let go of it;

🍒 threw out a Dunelm V-shaped memory foam pillow which – as time went by – got ripped in half;

🍒 replaced a duvet cover and sofa cushions – you don’t wanna know what state they were in;

🍒 bought a new air filter for my handheld Dyson as the original filter turned into dust (literally);

🍒 sold a kitchen appliance on Shpock;

🍒 stayed super strict on skincare and makeup purchases, only buying an Hourglass face powder this year, but slipped up when it came to my wardrobe – I’ve bought a ton of new clothes to wear in the office (suits, blouses, tights, etc.) as I cannot fit into the old ones anymore.

As for the roof, the housing association sent two men to drill eight holes (two rows of four) and that seems to have fixed the condensation issue. Even on the rainiest and coldest days of this spring the roof stayed dry. I have decided to wait till winter to see if it works just as well in the coldest months of the year, and if it does, then next spring the loft will need to be re-insulated and boarded. And only then will I be able to put my stuff back there. So, all in all I have 10 months to get through the items, which I had brought down from the loft.

I am not sure if I will be able to though, because – as I mentioned above – I struggle to find any free time and when I do, I am too tired to do anything productive.

Also, in May I started to rent a garage from our council. TBH I am afraid of putting my items there, but I cannot afford renting a storage unit so will be using it for things, which are of less value (an assessment, near impossible to make when you’re a true hoarder). But I need to free up some space in my flat, without throwing stuff away. I was feeling sick and suffocated after I took my stuff down from the loft, and this should help me… hopefully 🤞

Unfortunately, I've had no chance to read your updates yet, but I hope you’re all going strong. I miss you lots ❤️

Making progress here, have shredded some boxes of paperwork, some of it going back nearly 40 years that I have dragged around with me from property to property. But it is such slow going! my shredder overheats quickly and needs a rest. I have a large plastic crate of papers left, have thought sod it, I've paid for a shredding service to just get rid of it. Tomorrow is a trip to the tip, looking forward to getting rid of some broken electrical stuff, and some tins of paint I've had for at least 10 years. Without a car it's difficult to do this. Next thing is to arrange a bulky waste collection.
All this is in preparation for the refurb... I keep thinking that the builder wants to back out because my home is so hideous, perhaps I am projecting.
@Miaowse you are not the only person who buys plants and then lets them die rather than put them in the ground, me too. Ive just had my jungle cleared and am reluctant to buy stuff in case I do the same again. @Solo I hope you have a nicer view from your window now you've had some garden work done. @Elleherd thanks for the Burco recommendation I hadn't though of that!

Hi all. Just had a couple of days sorting out the back garden (jungle), need to keep on top of that, but looking much better now.

I even noticed the house is nearly in range of having visitors. Hopefully if I can keep at it, in a few weeks or months I will be in the position to.