Keys are on hooks by the front door, whack 'em on as I walk in, chuck down the sunnies or hat on the hall table, shoes under it, and then straight in the house. I have never lost any of those items and I always need them. Unlike my male friend who shares the house with me, the constant, "Do you know where my car keys are? or My glasses? or My wallet?" drives me nuts! Soooooo much time wasted searching for things.GAAAAH! To those who say you shouldn't leave keys at the front well, any burglar that gets in isn't likely to be using the keys to get out. I don't have deadlocks. If I did I would still keep them by the front door, in case of a fire. Easy to get out then.

In a previous post on this discussion forum I described my laundry bin...a 30L cardboard barrel which I lined with an old shower curtain and decorated still reigns supreme on the lid of my top loder, Nobody knows what it is and its a never ending source of admiration from an artistic angle. Lacking floor space the only option was to sit it up there or out on the veranda.It works as a cat toy too. It has, however, acquired some vents in the lid since some of my art shirts are often a bit oily and I learnt that some oils tend to self combist in enclosed spaces and can be the cause of house fires. Sometimes hiding things in plain sight is a good option. With Tribbletrouble45142k7Trek...Your baskets sound pretty...why hide such nice functional souvenits!

Hey annb, Siri and bigreader - thank you so much all of you, for taking the time to explain your personal stories to me... I loved reading your replies. Have given me much to think about :) I love the idea of a couple of shelves with photos... one or two select albums around our coffee table and a family wall collection I think - a real talking feature. Any other spaces will have some nice artwork I think? Storytelling through photos and beautiful artwork on our walls - I hope - we can find a nice balance. Now.... the task of working out which specific photos to put where lol! I don't want it to look cluttered.... so it may take some playing with configurations on the floor - to work out which layout will look the best :)

Pay all progress payments in full on the day they are due, ( Immediate transfer on the day ) The builder has trades that must be paid. Be proactive with payments, ask the builder when next payment is due.