As the decluttering gathers pace, I have been having to make decisions as to what will go into store for the medium to long-term, and what I will keep in my toy/wargame room until we have sold up and need to move home.
One thing that I have not put into store are my books. These are a useful source of information and inspiration that I want close at had as well as 'decorating' the room by their presence on the bookshelves. I also want to cull my book collection, but I want to take time to do this and so will probably leave this until our house is on the market.
My recently-built model railway layout (and all the locomotives and rolling stock) is also not going into storage. It does not take up a lot of room and can easily be stored in my toy/wargame room by resting the board against one of the room's walls.
I have also decided to keep one of my figure collections out of storage ... and decided that the Belle Époque one was the most obvious choice. It is relatively small, there is work that I can continue to do on it, and it will provide me with the opportunity to have the occasional wargame when the mood takes me. It is also likely to be the collection that will form the basis of my future solo wargaming projects in our new home and is therefore the obvious candidate for being readily available before and after we move.
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I think it imperative to keep a few 'toy soldier' things to hand to help maintain sanity during the whole process. I'm trying to downsize stuff, but with little success so far (no buyers etc), but hopefully our son will move out soon and then we can have a whole re-think on how we use the house with just the two of us. I might even get my own small games room...
ReplyDeleteSteve J.,
DeleteI have put aside enough stuff to fight PW wargames up to, during, and immediately after our move.
I gave up trying to sell stuff I wanted to get rid of and have been giving it away. At least I know that it went to someone who would appreciate it.
Good luck with getting yourself a wargame room. I’ve had mine for nearly twenty years and found it to be invaluable.
All the best,
Bob
BOB,
ReplyDeleteIt is good that you are keeping some Hobby items out of storage - it may take some time to sell your house - how soon do you think it will be before placing your home on the market- and have you a house to buy in mind? Best Wishes. KEV.
Kev Robertson (Kev),
DeleteMy original intention was to just keep my Memoir ‘44 stuff out of storage, but in the end I opted to put my Belle Epoque/PW armies to one side as I thought that it would give me more options for wargaming.
The plan is to finish decluttering by the end of March and to put our house on the market as soon as we can after that. We have no idea how long it will take to sell, but houses in our area seem to sell quite quickly. As to where we want to go … well, we’ve identified a nearby estate in a conservation area where the houses would be ideal.
All the best,
Bob
It’s a weighty choice I do not envy you, still finding my feet here, we will succeed no doubt.
ReplyDeleteDemitri Ioannou,
DeleteFunnily enough, I’m finding the process of decluttering quite cathartic … and enlightening as I’m finding stuff I’d forgotten I had.
All the best,
Bob
Have been through a similar bout of decluttering, culling, and prep for moving. Although the move didn't happen, the hobby stuff and space is all still basically packed up and in similar stages. It has been that way for nearly a year now, and despite having done a major cull beforehand, I now find that I am relooking the things that are in "long term" storage and having a re-think. There are things that have gone out of mind being out of sight, and others that remain in mind even when out of sight--probably another cull coming (which won't be a bad thing). It's all very exhausting, but a liberating once done.
ReplyDeleteEd M,
DeleteI dread doing this decluttering and then not moving … but my health isn’t getting better and unless we move, one floor of our house will effectively unusable as I just will not be able to make it up the stairs to the top floor.
I keep finding things that I’d forgotten that I had as well as things that I no longer need. Decluttering is very tiring, but there is a cathartic element to the process that helps to keep me going.
All the best,
Bob
Hi Bob, it seems like you are doing all the right things on your decluttering journey. Although there are no real right and wrong. As long as you can keep the miniatures that you really love and will use often and which gives you joy while at the same time experiencing the liberation and freedom by getting rid of items which you will probably seldom use if ever, it removes the heavy burden and responsibility of looking after such items. Freeing the lifestyle and the mind for more interesting projects in the future.
ReplyDeleteHope it all turns out as you wanted it to and that you can achieve your objectives. Best wishes- Quinn
Glory to Ruritania (Quinn),
DeleteCheers, old chap. Funnily enough, I’ve just returned for the CAVALIER wargame show in Tonbridge, Kent, and I was discussing downsizing with Henry Hyde and David Crook. The general consensus was to keep what you are likely to use plus a few items that have a significant meaning to you (Henry Hyde mentioned his acquisition of Charles Grant Snr’s Ostergotland Regiment, which were all plastic Spencer Smith figures). There little point in leaving a ‘legacy’ for your family to deal with if you can make arrangement beforehand to pare down what you have to the minimum.
All the best,
Bob
Bob, I think your approach to the declutterng is spot on. You need to be ruthless, but you also need to keep some stuff around and it so nds like you have settled on your priorities. I'm also having a huge clear out at the moment, and it is very liberating now I've decided what is staying and what is going. Saves my kids having to do it in the future as well.
ReplyDeleteMartin Rapier,
DeleteIt is very easy to say to oneself, ‘I’d better keep that, just in case’ when the reality is that you haven’t used it in over twenty years and are not ever likely to again. The process has made me think about what is truly important to me and what is not … and that has been quite cathartic at times.
All the best,
Bob
I hate moving! Luckily we found our dream home and I plan to stay till I get carried out!
ReplyDeleteGood luck with the process of packing and deciding what goes, what gets packed up and what stays at hand till D-1.
Ross Mac,
DeleteMoving is not something that I have ever enjoyed doing and we have always thought of our current home as our forever home … but age (and in my case, illness) is taking its toll on both of us, and we cannot cope with the stairs as well as we used to. Moving to somewhere that we can adapt to our needs is becoming an imperative, and we always said that we’d move whilst we could and before we had to … and that point is on the horizon and getting closer.
All the best,
Bob