colourful houses in Bristol, England....lovely aren't they? Earlier today I walked to the end of my street to buy a pint of milk....something which is unusual in several respectsI never shop for just one food item and also, since we moved "down the hill", I do now have a shop at the end of my street, which I kind of like.
I live in a very pretty road in a residential area, just under 10 mins from a Tube stations & very near to lots of shops, cafes & restaurants.
I'm literally only 20 mins from Oxford Circus, the very center of London....but where I live is a proper neighbourhood, home to a complete mixture of residents....my immediate neighbours have lived next door too my house for 15 & 35 years respectively & could not be nicer. The lady over the road waves & takes in packages for me & the couple who live opposite are expecting their first baby any day.People are very friendly & chat at the garden gates, it's also one of those streets where houses don't come up for sale very often, people stay put.
Normally, I'd never go all the way to the shops for just one thing, but actually, being able to just run to the shop makes me feel oddly "student-like" ...it reminds me of my college days & the early days of working in London & sharing a house with 3 other girls, where on wet & windy winter Sundays one of us would be dispatched to the local shops & would return with a pile of newspapers, crisps & enough chocolate to satisfy for the rest of the day.....happy days.
Anyway, my shop isn't a traditional "corner shop" where the shopkeeper knows my name & knows where everything is kept - if those even exist anymore....but nevertheless, it's convenient & I quite like having it there, I love the feeling of things being "local".
And, being England, when I walked out of the house, it was pouring with rain....and as I walked back up the road, the skies were bright blue & the sun was shining....the perils - and delights - of a British October day.
Part of my reason for my quick dash down the road was also to drop a couple of bags off at my local charity shop, also located at the end of my road.
I am in full decluttering mode again....although to be honest, when aren't I?!I think it's partly because when we moved into this house, the house was full as opposed to empty (with my in-law's possessions/furniture) & I am still spending a fair amount of time sorting/moving etc in an attempt to create our own home.
More about that another day although I did read a couples of excellent articles about organisation/clutter just yesterday, both of which spoke to me...."clutter confuses, simplicity inspires....", doesn't it just?
I did a quick run through my son's room, came up with two bags of stuff to donate & took it to the charity shop before I could change my mind! I donate/declutter all the time, or so it seems, some days I wonder how I have anything left....but I still have too much!
It felt quite liberating to give something away & to return home minus shopping bags, with just my pint of milk.
Happy Wednesday!
houses in Notting Hill, London
