And another Sunday. Luvverley

I had a 4-day-weekend, because Thursday was Corpus Christi and that is a national holiday in most counties in Germany. Well, in those with mostly catholic people living there. Protestant countries do not have it as a holiday, because we do not see it as a holiday. Actually, most of the protestant Holidays I knew as a child, well the two I remember besides Good Friday, were taken away. None of the catholic Holidays. Since however I get the day off as anyone else, I am not actually complaining.

My Grandfather was catholic and he had to go to every procession on any catholic holiday and he had to go to a monks school. His twin-sister went to a nuns-school. He did not like it. So, when "the church" said: o.k., you can marry the protestant "heretic", but you have to raise your children in the catholic faith, he said something in the equivalent of "No way, José" and converted (this is a direct translation from the german word) to the protestant faith. Personally I am happy about it, because the protestant church does  not use incense. I remember, that as very little girl I got sick from the smell and had to leave the church. To be fair: I was exactly in the height of the incense Vessel in which it is brought to the Altar. So that might have to have had a lot to do with it.

Now, don't get the wrong idea, that I am critizing the catholic faith, as I am NOT. It is more a matter of one is used to. I do not know enough about the faith.

The only thing, that I will really never understand is, why young men are to be forced into celibacy at the age of about 21, to do a job the love. I just think, the personal lovelife and the choice of profession are by nature to very different things. If someone wants to live a celibate life, that is a very personal decision and I have no problem with it. I just do not see, that the reasons, for which this rule was installed in the Middle Ages, still apply.

Well, I am not forced with the decision and if there are young men who don't mind that: o.k. by me.
I still don't have to understand it.

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Anyway: this morning I woke up at 4 a.m. and I was all twittery and nervous and just knew, that I would not be able to get back to sleep again. So I washed and brushed and opened all the windows, made my bed, swept my floors, made a coup of tea and then set on the balcony, waiting for the sun to come up and listened to the birds singing. It was very nice, all of it.
Then, since it was only about 6.00 a.m. and the bakery opens at 8.00 a.m. on Sundays, I played some Sims 4 and at a little before 8.00 a.m. went to the bakery. I wasn't the first, but in time to get my favorite buns, called Laugenspitz. That is a triangular bun of lye. Very tasty.

Then, just after I finished that, I got really tired and so I lay down on my sofa (I had made the bed and didn't want to unmake it). I slept until a little after 11.00 am. So you could say, I got the lost time back in.
After that I called my parents, who had just returned from a short trip to Berlin (our Capital, though I liked Bonn better, it was closer to my hometown and more comfortable).

Then I did some dishes and after that I went YouToubing, which in my world is random clip-watching. Very nice.

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Last Friday my nephew and I packed my trash-Sacks to get them to the dumpster, or rather the Recycling Centre, where they take care, that the trash is sorted and then, well, recycled. So the
trash goes to a good new home, in a way. Unfortunately, a lot of people used that gap day or Bruecken-Tag (Bridge-Day, as in "a bridge between a Holiday and the Week-End) to get their trash their. So we abandoned our plan and returned. Only, now it all is in my cellar, no longer in my flat. That is a positiv change. I then packed all my discarded books into sacks and yesterday I put them in the hall. Tomorrow, we will try again and then I will carry the book-sacks into the cellar, so my hall gets emptier. In the middle of June my bulky waste will be picked up from in front of my house. That is the stuff one can't pack into a car and transport to the Recycling-Centre. So they come and pick it up. I find that very good service.

So, while I will still be away from a minimalist flat, I am getting closer to it every day. And I am getting better at it two. Somehow.

As I was a little frustrated from the fruitless attempt of ridding myself of recyclables (or some such word), I went into town. My general reason was good, I wanted to replace two tops, meaning shirts, that I had to discard becaus of stains I couldn't get out at all. Well, I bought 3 Shirts and two pairs of pants. one jeans and one a dress-pant. Sounds bad, doesn't it? It isn't really. I just found, that after my discarding pants that just didn't suit me or fit me anymore (for Donation) or that where frayed and beyond repair (for recycling), I was left with only 4 pairs of pants. That seemed not quite enough.

As an aside, one of my several new plans is, to just wash one weekend a month and 4 pants for 30 days meant, that I would have to wear each of them 7 1/2 days. Even with my technique of giving them a days rest and a good airing in between wearing, that did not seem quite enough. So I had decided to by two new pairs on my shopping-weekend. I have decreed the first weekend of the month for shopping. BUT: in my favorite shop, where I get quality clothes, that I can wear for years without loss of quality and without getting bored of them, plus the very good service and advice I get, they had an offer: two pairs of pants and the cheaper one for half price. Now the shop is - due to the quality of the material - not cheap, but they would have been more expensive next week. So I bought now and do not have to go clothes shopping next week or for quite a few months now. I am very well provided now.

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My plans: I plan to do the shopping for the whole month on the first weekend in the month. I might have to buy milk inbetween, but the veggies and fruit I will freeze, so I shall have them for the whole month. I am not very much into joghurt, so if I only get that in the beginning of the month, I'll survive and stay happy still. Milk I need for rice pudding, iced coffee and sometimes in my tea.
I will also cook ahead for a week and this will not have too much pre-cooked stuff in my freezer.

On the second weekend I will do the washing and clean my flat very thoroughly. Since the machine does the washing and the dryer (towels and bed-linen) and wind (the rest of my clothing) do the drying, I have my hands free to hoover, sweep and wish. And I will only have to hoover once a week and wish off in my bath daily, (personal choice). Much less work.

The third weekend I give to people. I prefer to have my weekends to myself, but it is not always possible. So I figured: if I give my family one whole weekend in the month, they will leave me alone the rest of the month and so I can have the last weekend as my wellness-weekend. Manicure, Pedicure, Massage, hair-dresser, just plain pampering. :-) And no people. I have people five days in the week and since I have now an intern for three days of the week, 4 hours a day, I am always knackered, when the weekend starts. I am no longer used to have to share my office. But it is a luxury, I do know it. Usually, only the Executives have them.

Well, after this very long post (I am obviously not made for short stories), you deserve a rest...
Enjoy your Sunday, it may just have started or you may only have the evening of it left, but enjoy every minute of it. It's worth it... Just see, that you enjoy it the way YOU like, not the way you THINK, you are supposed to enjoy. It is YOUR day. Unless of course  it is some loved ones birthday and you want to make it a happy day for the birhday person (or want to make it special for other reaons)...

All the best..

Habit-Changing Challenge and Tidying

Here we go again....Or to make it more musical..

Of course, I do not own this clip!!

Anyway, I have been working away at getting up before 6.00 am every morning, but I have not been overly successful with it. If I did get up early, I went back again to sleep. Especially when I knew, that I did not absolutely have to get up.

On the other hand I managed to eat at home, at a table, most of the times and I managed to make my bed every morning complete with overthrow. Since it has a very nice pattern, I do not put pillows on. Apart from not having any and not being a very pillowy person. Well, if that is a word, pillowy.

After finishing the book: The more of less by Joshua Becker, I went on to The life changing magic of tydiying by Marie Kondo or KonMari. I found that book not only very interesting and inspiring, but also very helpful. I have reduced my books very much further and even my clothes, of which I thought there was nothing to be put away anymore. But even this morning I did put away some scarfs I had not worn for a very long time. They also don't fit in with the wardrobe I do have now. Not with the colours.

Also this morning I parted with my plastic-containers in the bathroom and I have decided to donate my tapping-shoes. Apart from not fitting me anymore: they haven't been used in ages. So I am donating them with the rest of my clothes.

Next week Friday, my oldest nephew and I will bring a big bunch of Sacks to the junk heap, where they will be properly discarded and at least two sacks of clothes and bedlinen and towels, that I donate as well. Most of my other clothes have already been donated.

Then on Sunday the fifth we put out some bigger items to be picked up. Which reminds me, that I still have to order the van. I'll do that (online), when I am finished here. This way, there will be a lot of superfluous stuff out of my flat. A lot of it stems from the tim, when I thought, that things might be useful to me or even make me happy. For a long time now I have known, that they don't. Therefore I donated and donate some of them, sold others and wll have to discard the rest. I am getting good at that. Yesterday I emptied part of my Secretaire. I did keep some of the stuff, but most of it I tossed or put it to its proper place. I am making space. I intend to remove every piece of furniture from my entrance hall. Expet the coat-hanging device. That is nailed into the wall and so I do not consider it furniture. Neither will I get rid of the Key-hooker or the big mirror. But the rest will go and I will have free passage through my hall again.

I like that. I have also been inspired by my Aunt, who moved last weekend, after having lived in her flat for more than 30 years. She took a lot of stuff with her, that she really didn't use or need or want.
If it had been something, that her heart clung to, I could have understood it. But the way it was, she just didn't want to let go. That is her decision, it is after all her stuff. Still I confirmed me in my oppinion, that I do not wish to move with so much stuff. I want less stuff in my life and I am on a good way here. So far, most of what I have got, is stuff, I really like. And the rest is stuff, that will go to a better place. Free to help others now.

I like it and therefore I am going on now, reducing the number of my CDs. :-)