The first block in the west wing storage room - the one I forgot I had. Near 500 books culled down to a large box. We moved everything downstairs yesterday. Today I packed.
It is a bit like the toe bone's connected to the foot bone or downsizing tetris, but all my personal possessions, except for kitchen and garden items, have somehow got to fit into this space. I have five more boxes, a set of sturdy garage shelves, one of those wardrobe style suitcases and some over the door hooks. Will I be able to do it?
It is true there are two more shelves of books, one of art books and philosophy, already installed in one of the bedrooms in the caravan; and one of novels, which will go in the other bedroom. There are maybe half a dozen manual style books to go in the garage, and a poetry book and the last Venice Biennale catalogue for my bedside cabinet at the caravan.
And last but not least the last culling of books that I thought I might need but never have. I'll parcel those up and they can go in the British Heart Foundation container in the university car park, just around the corner. They are mainly about costume and although I am interested, it's not a priority.
What have I kept? My poetry and art books, both eclectic with large gaps, but the embryo of a future collection. Some philosophy, politics and culture books, mainly anarchism but others too, again with big gaps. Some sentimental books: my mother's copy of the complete works of Shakespeare, given to her by her mother on her seventeenth birthday; school prizes; a hard backed copy of the Ingoldsby Legends and one of wild flowers inherited from the eighties phase of my life.
And my knitting books, of course. Histories, techniques, dictionaries and directories. A few pattern books, but not many.
The next base block will be the bits and pieces of art and ceramics, also heavy and packed in situ. We bought the heaviest pieces down yesterday to lay at the bottom, wrapped in old curtains to protect them, covered with my collections of pottery, filled with little bits and pieces picked up on the way. Very few now, as I've gradually chiselled away at them over the past two years. I'm hoping they will all go in one box, too.
The next layer will be linens, towels, clothes and shoes. Maybe that will creep into a third layer: hard to tell. Some items will go into the suitcase, so they can be pulled out quickly if needed. Then all the yarn storage boxes beside them, with light things on the very top, raffia paper bins and baskets and the like. I'm wondering about bedding? What will I do with that?
The shelves will hold all those precious or awkward things that won't fit into boxes, and essentials like the packet with the little brackets to adjust the shelves in the bookcases. It will be great when these next bits are done, because then everything can start expanding outwards to fill the house again. A very much leaner and more minimalist house!
I've been romanticising back stories as to the reasons why the A-Z of Leicester and the Treasure Island DVD were saved!
It's a most wonderful foible of human nature that a desire exists to write books on such niche topics that possibly only a few people will buy and even less will read. And thank goodness for publishers who publish them!
I'm sure my old, taxi-driving Antiguan mate wouldn't have made it into Schwarz' tome but he ought to have.
I'm also wondering about the kg / sq. m loading figures of a caravan floor.
I like your posts. They conjure up such diverse thoughts.
I'm a little sad you didn't save everything and get a storage space but I'm sure it will be all worthwhile when the renovations are complete. You do sound a smidge wistful in this post.
Remain healthy and happy, Shani
Well, the A-Z did me good service one time ten years ago when I had house guests who needed to find their way to the cricket ground for an Elton John concert, and were going to try a restaurant in the opposite direction beforehand.
Treasure Island is there for sentimental reasons, but I'd love to hear the back story.
I've had a sudden vision that I'm going to arrive next time and find it teetering on its axle like at the end of The Italian Job 😂.
Glad you like the posts, always fun to hear your thoughts.
I definitely approve of keeping the poetry books.
I have always had way way too many books, always moving boxes and boxes of them with me whenever I changed houses (even to Japan!). But in the past year I've made an effort to get rid of most of them and rely on my Kindle more. The only books I am keeping are research material that is impossible to get in ebook form (old haiku, Japanese, or Zen books) or some of my favorites that I just can't resist having a nice edition of (like Dune or — as I see in your box — Treasure Island).
I couldn't part with my poetry books, I love holding them, reading the poems on the internet isn't quite the same. Sometimes I listen to audiobooks and have to go and buy the book!
I've moved about so much I don't have much of a collection of anything, but it's always books I find it hardest to let go of.
I've moved about a lot, too, but I've mainly walked out the door and left everything behind. The small bedroom was originally a library (I'd had an independent bookshop and live literature venue previously) and the first time the books did have to move they half filled my sister's garage and then the living room of my flat in London. I was pleased when I got the two big double bookcases from work and worked towards getting everything on them. I'm betwixt and between, on the way to retirement (four months left) but not there yet, I don't want make decisions I might regret when I have more time to consider. At the same time, everything has got to fit into quite a small storage space. But I agree: in any circumstances, books are one of the hardest things to let go.
That is such a challenging thing to do, I would have never done that :D but it's a good call to keep all those history and philosophy book. If I were to choose, I'd do that too, they take more priorities than the other. You're motivating me to declutter again, it's been a while since I started and the house needed some of that.
It is challenging! It has taken me several years and I'm sure when I unpack that box in a few months time I will find a few more that I can live without 😂. I find reading other people's posts about their attempts to de-clutter really helpful and motivating. We can create a virtuous circle!
You are doing well, it is never easy to choose which books to let someone else read.
I often found it was all or nothing, and then would regret giving away ones I should have kept 🤣
I love books but have come to realise that I very rarely actually open a book now.
Some of them I use a lot for reference and researching. The poetry books are a special pleasure, I will often browse through one of those when I'm sitting down on a sunny day or curled up on a wet winter's afternoon.
The only thing I've regretted giving away was a black oversized faux leather flying jacket with a quilted lining. Everything else I barely remember 😂. Weird, isn't it, you spend all this time buying something and keeping it and lugging it around and then it's gone and you don't even notice.
Interestingly enough most of the books that we have kept are reference type books, especially knitting & crochet for Mrs T🤣
Yes you nailed it, once things are gone we generally don't miss them!
Wow, a whole library in one box! 📦 The "toe bone's connected..." analogy is perfect. 😂🐎
😂 🦍