Ireland day 0735. Tuesday 03 October 2023- Clearing day 3 *

Ireland day 0735. Tuesday 03 October 2023- Clearing day 3

Today’s summary	Another day spent clearing, sorting and tidying. A friend came round in the morning to collect some stuff, and a neighbour did the same, then another friend came round in the evening for a takeaway dinner. Val and I managed to fit in a short walk too.
Today’s weather	Bright and breezy and staying dry. Moderate westerly wind. Appx 17c

Today’s overview location (The green mark shows the location of our route)		Close-up location (The orange line shows where we walked) (Click button below to download GPX of today’s walk as recorded, or see interactive map at bottom with elevations corrected): Short evening walk in the Chilterns

Commentary

(Summary blog only. Last full blog was Day 0368).

Our fourth day of clearing out and disposing of stuff that we no longer wanted. We managed to finish off the loft, the garage, and the garden today. Very pleased to have got to this point, as neither of us were looking forward to tacking the mountains of junk that we have accumulated over the years, and this was an important landmark. A friend came round in the morning to take some items for her family to use, and then in the afternoon one of our neighbours, who runs a local charity, collected our unwanted tools, which will be reconditioned and offered to communities overseas who are in need of them.

We must have sorted through a thousand books and a million photos, as well as manhandled a hundred boxes and crates ready to be despatched to their next homes. All in all, it’s exhausting and a useful reminder of just how tiring (and costly) house ownership can be.

Eventually, by about 5pm we physically couldn’t go on, so we stopped, had a cup of tea, and went out for a short walk in the remaining daylight. It was a beautiful evening, with nice views into a neighbouring valley, and some attractive autumn flowers (like the miniature cyclamen shown in the feature image at the top) decorating the path side.

Another friend is coming around for a take-away dinner tonight, so it’s time to log off and get the microwave fired up!

Today’s photos (click to enlarge)


A complicated picture I admit. Actually, it is the rhubarb plant in the process of being dug up prior to transportation to a new home	Pastries + Benecol = OK for cholesterol. At least that’s my theory

The Giant Redwoods alongside our evening walk route. I love these trees and for many years never even knew they were here. I hope the dreaded Phytophthera that is destroying the trees in the Dublin botanics, stays well away	Val campaigned (successfully) for many years to get this pedestrian crossing built, close to a local school where dozens of small children cross the road every day. Well done Val – a wonderful effort on behalf of the whole local community

Surveying the scene from a local footpath	I love Britain’s network of public footpaths. I wish Ireland had the same

Looking pleased with ourselves after our immense efforts today