'cause it cost money years ago and, despite the fact that no one (including you) actually uses or wants the thing until 5 mins after you throw it away!! but, one of my favourite mementos from overseas travel is a scribbled note copied out of a local newspaper in a small town in England...instead of in a pile of other ignored "stuff" the original note is in a small frame that sits on my desk and i can appreciate it every day

I think"things" are memories of times gone by that they evoke. I always say small house big shed. I believe Barbara Streisand years ago had 3 houses in a complex because she couldn't decide which style house she loved the most, for those who like me can't afford that the big shed covers it, A life well traveled and it's treasures.

Drag everything out of individual rooms, one at a time, onto front lawn or deck. Have boxes, tape at the ready. Clean thoroughly. Refurnish room starting with the bed and other vital furniture. Look at the cleanliness, clarity. Pack all the 'stuff' lovingly into boxes, tape, mark contents. Stack boxes somewhere. The dust smell will be gone, all that wretched moving stuff and cleaning is yesterday. Do the whole house bit by bit. If you want to look at your stuff, open the boxes, BUT ONLY AFTER ONE YEAR! I double dog dare ya!!

gwyn5 I agree tried this on my lounge and the dusty smell was gone. Not on lawn in 43C degrees weather though onto my dining table for final destination selection. My thinking is ... will my kids want it? No out it goes to someone who will love it. I recently gave a precious chess set to a young friend who is loving and using it daily more better than being stored on a shelf. WIN WIN

In the last 2 years I have had to say the final goodbye to my lovely dad, then ready his house for selling and painted it throughout, had to de-clutter his life my mum had passed away 9 years before him, obviously I kept the things that meant the most to me but as for keeping the whole of his home, art etc etc I felt like I was ridding the earth of my parents belongings, some went to auction, some we kept I still have a couple of paintings but as we were in the art business we already had plenty of art but how do you just keep it all...you can't it was a horrible feeling to me to have to get rid of some things that were of no use to others as they were personal mementos, I was able to give to relatives some mementos etc but the whole of it is just one word MEMORIES all that we have, all that we keep has meaning in memories, it is hard to be ruthless with memories it has taken just over 2 years and I still have a few things yet to release but I keep telling myself the real memories are in the heart and never forgotten bit by bit I have released things, I have all the photos I need and they give me the ability to at least look and love all the best memories that I am left with, we have had renovations recently and that was another excuse to release more it is just impossible to keep it all one house can't hold 2 house holds worth, I honestly think you have to be in the right frame of mind emotionally to let go of 'stuff' only then will you feel at peace about it. I also think some charities are very grateful for good donations that will in turn help others less fortunate, that helps with some of the separation too.

reading m_mdimonds thoughtful comments reminded me of being in a similar situation and something that helped me let go of some of my parents' treasures was to think about what would become of those things when i die and, knowing that many of the things would have no use or meaning for the grandchildren enabled me to decide what i would keep for myself, which things were still useful enough for donation and then i burned most of the old photos and personal items and, looking back years later, i know i made the best decision

"have nothing in your house that you do not know to be useful or believe to be beautiful" not "more storage for more stuff"so sayeth William Morris 19th Century designer

After losing my partner, I inherited several house fulls of "stuff" as his parents had also been chronic hoarders (couldn't see any floors or walls) and had passed away as well. I have since lost an elderly relative for whom I am legally responsible - also a hoarder (paramedics made contact with me because it had become a WH & S issue for their callouts). All of these people had the view that you just never knew when you might need something, wanting to keep memories and buying multiples of everything. This was for a range of reasons like growing up in the depression, coming from a low income family, mental health issues to name a few. Fortunately I read a wonderful piece of advice from a professional organiser after my partner passed away and that was "ask yourself ... are you showing respect to the person by keeping their treasures (not based on $$value) in storage boxes under the house, in a room or wherever?" With me being the last family member for all of these people, keeping this in my mind made the task somewhat easier. After truckloads going to auctions, skiploads to the tip, garage sales, ebay and gumtree sales, donations to charities, historical societies and museums and sharing items amongst their close friends, I am left with a lot of wonderful memories (even after all the work!) of these people and just a handful of special pieces that I can proudly display. Needless to say my own home has been edited of excess and will be kept that way!

Oklouise "you burnt the family photos"!!, before my Husbands grandmother passed we got her to write on the back of every photo so that we would all know who was who. Family trees are now very popular and these are priceless items xx

don't panic...i didn't burn the family photos, we have very detailed history back before our first fleet ancestor was sent out in chains...my mother was a great traveller and had thousands of photos of fellow travellers in obscure places (with detailed info written carefully on each one) these photos were her treasured memories and no part of mine

Among the photos were a quite a few from the first world war taken in the Middle East Hospitals as family were nurses, these were passed on to Canberra war memorial they were very grateful. I searched to try and find a relative that came in chains but could only find a crazy Portugese fisherman unable to find how he arrived they were tough times.

This was a big issue for us over the last six months as we moved from the family four bedroom house to a three bedroom townhouse. No fourth bedroom for the overflow and guests, no double garage or shed for other overflow. Too many books. About a third less space overall. We culled - books and records went to Lifeline which is a great seller of second hand books which Canberrans buy in droves (and we have some room to replace a few). Clothes, good condition linen etc went to charity, as did extraneous furniture. Photos etc are fine, paintings also. We found spaces for everything we really care about long term, but I'm still working on my sewing room (which of course means also home made clothes I might not wear regularly, but do wear) and fabric - which I never buy on spec, but always have an idea of what I want to make and for it to go with. I know my husband thinks I'm not ruthless enough, but we have fitted in and will probably re-assess as we plan some proper storage in both the laundry and garage. My family photos have been sorted and don't take up much room, and the family scrapbook and associated documents is a work in progress. It will contain everything that I think might be of use/interest to future generations. I try to keep those things that are both useful and beautiful and to buy only those things that fit both categories. I try.

Besides sentiment, emotion and memories, I think one of the reasons we accumulate some things over the years - especially active gear like skiis, tents, snorkelling gear, golf shoes... is the "possibilities" they represent, and maybe our own identity aligned with these things. If we have the tents and sleeping bags then there is always the "possibility we might" go on a camping trip. I recently got rid of lots of old sporting gear hidden in the garage, when I realised things like the old cross country skiis had been in there for 19 years without being used once!

I'm having a struggle with my equestrian gear however - since childhood, many years spent with horses (and previously, a livelihood) means I have two beautiful saddles, my prize rosettes, and all of my grooming and training gear patiently waiting for me to use again. When I look at them I am filled with such wonderful memories of riding and showing my horses over the years, and their sweet companionship.

I cannot bear to get rid of those saddles, even though I know I will never have another horse (as when you get old, you don't bounce when you fall!) And none of my family were ever remotely horsey. I think for me, the saddles represent the "possibility" that I might ride again, and perhaps they represent my former identity as a horsewoman. As a future psychologist, I am working through my emotions and reasons carefully over time ;)

what lovely thoughts...when my daughter was unable to continue horse riding she made the difficult decision to give away all her prized equipment to the local riding school (which she found less "final" than sellling everything)... she kept a few ribbons and a piece of plaited mane from her first horse...., being able to recognize all those feelings in yourself will help make you a better psychologist, happy future.

There is a program "Riding for the disabled" in Australia, maybe if you could bear to donate your saddles to something like that then you will know they are well loved as you have loved them while helping the disabled enjoy something they normally wouldn't do, it may help you release your hold on the saddles and feel happy they are going to a great cause?

PS I rode horses when I was young too but when I moved to the city all that was left behind and now not possible due to a neck injury to ever ride again and I agree a fall as you get older could add a whole lot of complications we don't need.

It is hard to let go of something you so loved but I figure I am grateful for even being able to ride horses when so many never have the opportunity, I feel blessed and therefore accept it is never going to happen again for me but I really loved it when I did.

It was a wonderful time/part in your life now is a good time to begin the next wonderful chapter. As mentioned above "Riding for the disabled" does amazing work, you could also consider donating or selling the equipment to a Horse rescue charity.

I admit I am a collector of stuff - stuff that has family history to it, beautiful stuff that I've always liked, stuff that belonged to Mum, stuff that I can repurpose for something else. When we moved house a few years ago I gave away a lot of stuff. Going through a load of old books Mum had in the back of a wardrobe, I found a copy of Pilgrims Progress. the handwritten inscription in the front had my Great Grand Aunts name and the date 26/7/1910. The date had me gobsmacked. I don't really remember my aunt, I was 4 or 5 when she died, apparently she was very fond of me. What got me all teary and sentimental though was the envelope which was in it as a book mark. It was addressed to a young man who was off overseas doing his bit for King and country during the first war. I googled him and found out that both he and his brother enlisted together and died within weeks of each other. My aunt never married. Family history has a way of showing up when you least expect it. I'm glad Mum never threw the books out, I certainly wont either.

That is incredible Liz.... and the information you gained must've painted a really sad picture - a chapter in their lives that is so profound ... long after the storytellers were unable to speak for themselves. That is fascinating - and so very, very special.

thank you oklouise and m_mdimond I like those ideas. And even though I love them, those saddles would not earn me very much cash if I sold them, so maybe donating them is the way to go. I'd much prefer someone gets use of out them!! I did keep a sample of mane from each of my horses, and I decorated my extra bedroom with my horse posters, books, stirrups polo mallet and other horsey items so I have tried to confine my belongings to that room (which my sister in law dubbed the "horse shrine" ha ha!). thanks for the great idea! :)

You know what herladyship92? I think once again memories are all we are left with as nothing ever stays the same, we just have to thank our lucky stars that we ever had the experience in the first place I am pleased you liked the ideas and I really think once you feel something will be loved and cherished the way you have done, it is a little easier to let go, I have photo shrine of all our previous German shepherds and we have two that are 17months, a male, also almost 11 months, a female, we have to realize by the time these two get to the end of their lives we doubt we physically would be able to have another even though these two will keep us young, it will all end some day and right now I can't even think about life without them, hence all the photos as all except for a female we once had who had a stroke and had to be put to sleep as it paralysed her the other lived between 14, 13 and 12 years these two are our sixth and seventh but like you one day we will have to face no more big beautiful German shepherds.

I had the blessing or misfortune to buy my brothers out of the family home when my dad died. It was a chance to have my longed for tree change and came with real lifestyle and financial benefits,

My brothers and nieces and nephews wanted very little of my parents stuff.

My parents were children of The Great Depression and put a high value on their stuff. Buying quality, but never quantity. "Waste not, want not"!

For at least 40 years, they had two fully furnished, very comfortable homes of their own. one in the city, as well as a country residence.

To this day I have only ever bought my lounge suite and televisions and stands new. All else was stuff donated by family and friends, when they chose to upgrade their old stuff!

Living in my parents last home, but not the home I was raised in, I kind of fell into being the custodian of the family photos and other memorabilia.

I ended up with 2 of most things and three of others and am still sorting through the stuff.

I of course had to stamp my new home my own, so did renovate. I made changes to suit myself.

Sometimes I chose to get rid of my newer stuff, in favour of stuff that had belonged to my mum, but served the same purpose. Sheer sentiment and fond memories!

Even now, two nieces are in a state of panic at the thought of me daring to reupholster the "good room" furniture they grew up with, despite the fact my mother had wanted to do exactly that, for many years, prior to her death.

I please myself.

I keep what I truly love and pass on, give away or sell what I choose.

I like having stuff around me. I don't care much about being "in vogue" or having the latest look. However, if I am selling I do a massive declutter and aim at pleasing multiple buyers.

As for the challenge of boxing up all my stuff and leaving it in storage for 12 months. I did that too. But for 18 months.

Returning home was as fascinating as exploring the 'Museum of Me.' I was reacquainted with old friends, who truly greeted me from within the 21 boxes and sundry furniture, that then made up the material possessions of my life. Art, furniture, photos, clothes, kitchen wares. No doubt the same would be true were i to do this again at this point in my life. Some of that stuff would have changed, some would remain the same.

Some of those treasured items remain with me, some thirty years on and may well do so to my grave. Some items have worn out, some have made their way to charity or been put out in hard rubbish collections for others to reuse or recycle.

New things have also come into my life.

I particularly value all the wonderful life experience "stuff " I have accumulated over almost 60 years; invisible to all but myself. Sometimes others can be just as envious or just as dismayed at the invisible stuff we accumulate in our lives. My brother, for instance, probably thinks I squander money on travel, whereas I ponder at his choices of buying the latest gadgets and regular car updates. I drive my cars to their life's end, but look after them in between. We are simply different in the stuff we hold dearest!

I am just as happy living out of a small backpack, as I am in a probably too fully furnished, 3 bedroom home with 2 living areas on a third of a acre, close to "all the amenities" real estate listings promote as desirable.

Best of all I am in a privileged position of being largely able to choose what stuff I accumulate , material and experientially and what I discard. or never selected in the first place. Some people accumulate marriages or the stuff of serial monogamy. Thankfully I am free of such baggage, rich in my solo life journey. Many ambitions have made it to fruition; the stuff of life!

All things in life have a purpose.

It seems to me, only those of us living within very comfortable and secure means can truly afford to worry about having too much stuff, save those with the psychological condition known as hoarding. The rest is a matter of lifestyle choice and fashion!

If I had to choose between my animals or close friends and my stuff, it would be a no brainer.

And I do keep some essential stuff ready to evacuate, in the case of fire or flood, but I would lose much much more, if I were to be a victim of either!

No doubt I would survive. I have reinvented myself several times over, in one way or another through the course of almost 60 years. Life often demands such of us!

Change is inescapable, stuff of one kind or another is not!

I challenge any of you critical of an abundance of material stuff here, to go and live naked in a forest and see how you long you thrive without having to rudely fashion clothes to shelter your flesh from the elements, or tools to help you hunt and gather food for any longer than a week. Even our ancestors failed dismally and began, if slowly, to accumulate the stuff of life. Accumulating an abundance of food in close proximity was a key to to human success. So too houses with bedding and skins to sleep in comfort in the safety of a home, no matter how rudely constucted. Stuff helps us to thrive. It is only when we fail to thrive due to the accute accumulation of stuff, that the individual, more than the actual stuff itself, will hit problems.

Thankfully, short of amnesia or altzheimer's, no one can ever take away the very rich experiences I have had, when I have invested in travel, and education over a lifetime, rather than the latest material stuff. I could lose every object I "own, or that owns me" on earth and still I would be left with my wealth of good "internal stuff"!

I carry the wealth of the stuff of proficiency in several languages and a sprinkling of many more. I carry the stuff of curiosity and empathy, even the stuff of intellect. Why should I view material stuff that inhabits my home, along with me as a total negative?

Material stuff, so long as it does not inhibit our quality of life is not worth condemning for its own sake.

Meanwhile, whilst pondering on stuff itself, I am enjoying the stuff I have around me that makes up my "home". It has a way of greeting me with familiarity and shared memories, just as my friends and family do!

I like to have a good deal of stuff around me, just as I enjoy friends and family being around.

My material stuff delineates the difference between myself and others, rising, or at times, otherwise, to greet them at the door, as warmly as my personal welcome. They have arrived at my place. Our home's stuff is like a mirror that reflects who we are.

Stuff reads like a photo album!

The one thing I am sure of is I never want to be reduced to the sum of a room in a nursing home nearing my life's end. Though pretty minimally furnished, the "stuff" that goes along with it, is completely overwhelming. Now that kind of non material stuff is just as precarious and suffocating as a heap of material belongings controlling your lifestyle choices.

Yep, what constitutes stuff is very subjective!

I actually think striving for balance and harmony between the material stuff and the metaphysical, or internal stuff we accumulate is probably a healthier approach to this issue!

Too often the derision of stuff is simply a sales pitch to rid people of some things only to induce the unwary to acquire yet another set of material possessions.

Surely that is waste? Likely exploitation? Some may dare to call it capitalism at its zenith!

I travel extremely light when on the road, but thrive equally in a home where the stuff I have selected provides comfort.

I also believe once every seven years it is worth treating your home as if you were about to move. Nothing like moving house provides us with a greater incentive to shed what we no longer need or use.

Home, it seems, no matter how little or how much we have, is the intersection between practical stuff, needed in our everyday complex human lives, aesthetics and genuine comfort!

Even my dog has an item or two he likes to carry around for his sense of home. When in doubt he shreds the things deemed unnecessary. Too many papers lying around is his idea of a game!

thanks to Lynette and dreamer for more lovely thoughts, obviously one person's treasure is someone else's trash and our lovely old dog has destroyed all but the very first teddy she was given as a new puppy and the tea trolley and treadle sewing machine would be very welcome in many other homes but some of my prized collections would be useless to most others especially my carefully hoarded collection of giant cardboard boxes (new fridge, wm etc ) that make excellent indoor cubby houses and rocket ships for my small grandchildren and you never know when an empty jar will be exactly what's needed for something you haven't discovered yet!!

On the equestrian stuff; I saved up the $240 necessary to buy my Stuben Tristan saddle in 1974. Luckily my dad had an account with the importers, or it would have been even more expensive. It took me several years of accumulating pocket money, I used my saddle regularly, cherished it and looked after it. Then I went to university. Sadly my dressage horse I had hoped might take me to the Olympics injured herself and had to be put down in the interim. I was so devastated I could not even look at a horse for a good few years. The idea of starting from scratch to train another horse to the level of doing passage and piaffes level was too big a commitment at that point in my life. II was looking at anther 7 years minimum of bringing a new horse on. I kept my saddle and gear in my bedroom for many years. Eventually I sold my treasured equestrian gear in about 1988, to another competitive dressage rider a friend put me onto. By then she did not quibble at paying $2,000 for my saddle.

Stubens and other high quality saddles, rolled double bridles, stainless steel stirrups and bits and bradoons remain expensive and easy to sell if in good condition. Well cared for tack appreciates in value. I never bought any of my equestrian gear as an investment, but it turned out it truly was.

My Stuben Tristan turned out to be one of the best investments I have ever made, appreciating much as real estate does, especially at the hand made, high end. That saddle and my other gear, provided the bulk of my first home deposit. I deliberately invested it in the interim for something truly special that would honour my equestrian memories and experience, in a way that fitted my future needs. I still like to think my horses helped secure my later future and carried me forward into life without them. However, like my parents, I still fondly remember my horses and other animals, now long passed. I still rush to smell the nearest horse at every opportunity and ride occasionally, when the opportunity arises. A couple of years ago,, well into my 50s, I had the joy of riding a Mirwani horse in India. Glorious gaits and temperament and a warm blood, like my part bred Arab dressage mare! I took it easy, but that was fine. She was a strange horse and I was in urban settings with all manner of scary things happening around her. Even walking and trotting up into the hills was magical and my muscle memory kicked in immediately without the stiffness and soreness I anticipated.

I have also made lovely connections with other 'horsey people' the world over and had a truly glorious time at the Sydney Olympics during the second week of dressage competitions in the EFA tent and watching the competitors!

I spent 4 months living in Donaueschingen, home of Dressage in Germany, working in a local bar and getting to know many of the local grooms and a couple of trainers. I still love to watch horses at Equitanna or other local events.

And yes, I too would advocate donating less valuable horse gear to Riding for The Disabled, or the local Pony Club. There will always be young people at the beginning of their equestrian journey, who will be able to literally take up the reins!

The Pony Club I belonged to, certainly helped me through every stage of competitive riding and I have witnessed students with disabilities thrive and take up the equestrian baton, when encouraged and nurtured by Riding for the Disabled!

On letters, diaries and photos, if you live in Australia, these can be donated to the Mitchell Library, as can such things as minutes of historically significant meetings and more. One person's perceived junk, can be pure treasure for researchers and historians. There are clubs that value book collections, such as gardening clubs, pony clubs, schools, local libraries. Local history items should be donated to local historical societies and museums.

Never send a saddle to an op shop as they rarely know their value. I bought a beauty for a mere $40 that, with a little work with cleaning and leather dressing and a minor repair at the saddlers, is worth at least 10 times that. Its tree and leather were in good, but not perfect condition.

If anyone is storing horse gear, it should also be cleaned and dressed at least annually to maintain its condition and not deteriorate! I cringe when I see wonderful old harnesses left to rot on display in outdoor museums, that will end up being worthless for use on a working horse, just for want of a good clean and oil. There are now working horse clubs that would readily find good homes for these harnesses, such are now very hard and expensive to source.

And for former equestrians worried about their bodies not coping with riding or having a fall, do not dismiss taking up driving with one of these clubs!

For anyone wanting to maintain or prepare horse gear for sale, get hold of some Joseph Liddy's saddle soap, and apply with a sponge and some luke warm water. Then make a mixture of a cup of Jay El Leather dressing, to a half a cup of neatsfoot oil and a quarter of a cup of kerosene. Mix and heat up to a bit higher than blood temperature and apply with a brush, warm. It may take a couple of oilings, but a saddle flap, or any leather horse gear should be supple enough to roll up and spring back into position without any effort!

The tree is the frame upon which a saddle is built. If it is undamaged it should not budge if you apply pressure to each end of the saddle.

Oh Dreamer I have a whole front room full of family treasures. Luckily I have two living areas! I think I may arrange to donate much of the collection to one of the museums and will probably end up with complex instructions/orders for the executors of my own will. I am also considering having some stuff auctioned with a specialist auction house and leaving my home and any proceeds from object's of art to establish a women's refuge, or centre for cheap housing and studio space for local artists or towards the restoration and purchases of pieces for our local gallery. The joke of it is, at some point in time, all that is currently so out of vogue, will be the height of the desirable in the future.

My own weakness is books. I love them and have quite a library of history, gardening, garden history, food and recipes, some Australian fiction and poetry and a huge collection of autobiographies and biographies. Also lots of travel and language references. They can go to the historic book collection at the Mechanics Institute In Ballarat.

I recently bought a fabulous Report on the 1956 Olympics, full of results and photos of the days. Sublime! Yep, just more stuff!

This is the first house I have lived in with a room big enough to actually house all my books within a section of one room. Usually they have been spread over every room in the house. I did think of downsizing a while back, but to be without two living areas, I would again be libraryless. I am more than happy with one bedroom and use one of those living space as flexible guest accommodation, but to live without being able to fit my books in one space, along with two desks, as well as a TV and room for a couch to sprawl on is unthinkable. I don't think I am alone in my desire for less bedrooms but two big living areas, in the event I downsized!

I would clearly have to design such a house myself and it would need to have a substantial garden and views to the natural, rather than built world.

In an ideal world I want to enjoy the two major collections I really love and that requires two big living rooms. I am also not a big fan of open plan living as the kitchen steam is not really good for either books or decorative art pieces!

I love cooking, but the kitchen is the one room I like to keep my pets out of!

Mind you in some huge modern homes instead of collecting stuff, they collect bathrooms, one for each person living there and one for the guest as well. Plus a powder room! i see multiple bathrooms as an inconvenience, rather than a convenience. All that extra cleaning!

Our sometimes huge extended family always managed with just one, but two toilets. We had upwards of 5 of us sharing the one bathroom and often more than ten if the extended family or friends were in town. Add on my friends that stayed. Ditto two brothers and their friends as well as a niece and nephew. So perfectly normal, until the last 15 years! I'd gladly swap a bathroom for a walk in pantry given a choice!

Kindest regards with your own stuff journey Dreamer!

my best jars came from my great grandma. granny and mother so my pantry is stocked with four generations of family jars and last count i had about 90 cook books and books on how to do everything around the home including fabulous books on building, architecture and design ...some books are family treasures but many have been collected from second hand bookshops and opshops in Australia and overseas...every now and then i think i'll cull some and then rediscover a forgotten treasure and have a binge on knitting sox or making sourdough and i realise that my collection will have to stay where it is... i agree with Lynette about the aversion to open plan living and like to keep my books safely away from kitchen and bathrooms and my daughter's Stubbern saddle went to the local riding school but i've kept the piece of the tail from her last horse and the faints smell of the old horse hair brings back many happy memories

oklouise. I so get you too!

Cardboard gets recycled into my garden to prevent weeds. Jars get kept for preserves that occasionally I make, or another friend needs. When one of us moves, the jars get a change of custody, but they circulate amongst us and get distributed beyond us, sometimes empty, sometimes containing a gift of homemade chutney, or jam. Do my fruit trees count as stuff?

What of the stuff in my shed better known as tools?

Nails and screws carefully sorted and stored by my dad and my grandfather, are still coming into use by myself and others. Some don't get used for a year or more, but they are not contributing to waste on this planet and truly will continue to be put into use whilst I am here. Beyond that, I'm sure the local Men's Shed will find uses for them.

My old Lego set, may well yet get rehomed to my great nephew, who loves Lego, but only gets to make up the prescribed model kits they come in these days. My much loved and used mid 1960's set leaves room for personal imagination and design. My niece and nephew also spent hours of their childhood building Lego cities. using that very same set. If he lived locally it would be easy to get them to him, but he is in Far North Queensland. Stuff to tote in my next trip to that part of the world!

If Lego do model houses these days, I can't help but wonder, how many bathrooms will be included in their prescriptive designs!

don't start talking about tools and old toys or we'll realise that all our stuff is much too important to discard although have you checked the value of old tupperware or lego or special jars on Ebay and most of the treasures discovered in the opshops have been recycled when someone dies or moves house so we can be confident that our good stuff can be recycled

Cookbooks are also history books. They especially reflect the recipes of an era and values and even incomes of the day. I'm so glad the burden of expectation on women to be good wives, mothers and home makers is not so all pervasive as it once was.

Last night, whilst looking for one recipe, out of the book I was perusing fell my mother's recipe for chocolate mousse, which I though was lost forever with her.

It was like a message from her reassuring me over a decade after her death that I too could make fabulous chocolate mousse. She is with me in spirit when, like her I cater for a big mob, this weekend, but she would be even without living in the house she once occupied, or without that recipe book, that was actually one of mine,. I kept it at our farm, with many of her recipes in., so I would nt struggle in cooking for everyone in her absence. Lovely to find she had been adding many a hand written recipe, in the writing of her own, my Gran's, aunts and even one from her closest friend, with a little note attached,

Good recipes get passed around. And, if we are truly lucky, we get to pass some old favourites on!

Now had I chucked all those much loved books out and just kept my favourite Claudia Roden ones, I very regularly use,my stuff would not have permitted such a joyous discovery.

And yes, young people into recycling and reusing are just as happy as I was to receive pre loved hand me down furniture as they start out on their own or upsize homes. They are inventive and creative and give the finger to fast fashion. But just as many expect everything new and only the latest models of consumer items like mobile phones. Being expected to research from a source not online is akin to being exiled into a parallel universe. I find it amusing!

The sign of a hopeless book devotee, is when you pick up and purchase a truly exciting one, only to find it is already in your collection at home. Now those ones do get rehomed or sent to an op shop as soon as possible. I know at least one other person that has had this experience. I did it with a book about India and more recently a great indoor plant book, that I had actually had since the 1970s. No wonder I loved it so much, because it has been a favourite reference for years, The addition I picked up had a very different sleeve and publication date, but the contents were identical!

When I first moved out of home, my dad presented me with a lovely house warming gift. Useful stuff; my own mini tool kit, with a tack hammer, a basic set of screwdrivers, pliers, picture hooks, tacks, masking tape, fuse wire, things to stop leaky taps. Later, as he realised my need and progression through life and increased skill in handling tools, he added an electric saw, drill and electric hedge trimmers. as well as hand propelled and electric lawn mowers. When finally I purchased a house and had a garden of my own, he gave me my lovely lightweight garden fork, that belonged to my gran, who died before I was born, telling me of her sobering lesson in occupational health and safety when she put it through her foot. It made me a careful gardener. And connected me with the legacy of generations of gardeners on both sides of the family. I'm so glad he and Pa valued that fork and did not perceive it as useless beyond her life. You can't place a value on stuff like that. The fork was hand made for her here in Ballarat. It is my most used gardening friend, alongside my secateurs and loppers! Yep, stuff can be really useful and sometimes inspiring and special!

Thanks to all for all the lovely stories that remind us all of what is percious to us personally, they are all mostly happy memories, I used to ride horses when I was young I can still remember the wonderful smell of their velvety noses when they nuzzle you so I can understand the flashback of horse hair brings back memories horses are special animals and have their own differing personalities and only someone who has had experience would know...now we have German Shepherds and Love them to bits they are so loyal and loving these two will be our last as if they (god willing) last as long as our others all between 14 years, 13 years and 12 years, I will them be nudging 80yrs so can't imagine i could handle one by then I already have bad arthritis in my feet but I walk my female as soon as I get up so that I can do it before my feet pain too much, my hubby takes our male, right now can't even imagine a life without them but as experience has shown us...nothing stays the same so we have to enjoy when we can, not ake anything, anyone or any loved animal for granted as the old saying goes "this too shall pass" as progress and life does, I figure if we take the time to really live in the moment we shall always have lovely memories one day in the future, I used to think the saying "the young is wasted on the youth" but now I feel it is so as when I was younger we just had a blast having fun and not paricularly feeling sentimental as I do now, I'm happy but the people we enjoy and our loved pets will not be here forever as we won't so live, love laugh and never be afraid to be sentimental with our memories.

m_mdimond; My constant whippet!

Yes change is inevitable.

Youth was great!

Middle age more challenging, now the dread of what happens as the body slows, bu the mind still runs at top speed!

Funny how we eventually become our parents and live with all the things they once complained about: eyesight less sharp, glasses, threading needles a challenge. Oh what we so easily dismissed or took for granted when we were young!

Pain at bay to this point. Sad to hear of yours, but fantastic you are still managing to walk your Shepherd, despite it!

Dogs keep us centred and motivated. They shower us in love and lack of judgement. My dad had his Jack Russell at his side into his nineties. He was his constant companion and often his sole company for days at a time, other than his twice weekly cleaner.

Animals are so special.

They deliver their own unique greetings and communicate in such different ways. My life would be so much the less without the animals who have been part of it. So lucky to have had two wonderful ponies and an incredible galloway. So lucky many of my friends had horses too. Horses, dogs and cats are always a point of connection into special human experience and also lead us to new human and animal connections.

Nothing wrong with memories and sentiment. I think we feel it even more accutely as we age.

Glad I kicked up my heels, as well as keeping those "heels down, legs close to my horses side and and elbows close to my own" for much of my fantastic and sometimes wild youth!

I was a pretty good kid really, but do admit to having been a teen groupie, back in the day, wouldn't swap that either. Somewhere here, I believe is my scrapbook and definitely a few photos in the albums.

Still like to kick up my heels, too!

Yes. Gratitude is vital.

These days, kicking up the heels is mainly dinner out with freinds of BBQ's and live music, love the blues in particular was a really good dancer in my youth and still will 'try' if my feet don't feel too bad, I know I'll pay for it later when I get home but in the moment I like you still want to have fun, I won't let the moment pass, I don't believe in giving in unless I absolutely am having a bad day with pain, there is plenty of life to live yet and great friends to share it with, aside from my son and assorted relatives, my mum dad and brother have passed so I treasure what family I have left and also the friends we have, but I agree animals or fur babies as ,mine are called give so much pleasure, love affection and the greatest greetings when we get home ffrom any outing they can't come to, we see a whippet at the dog park, OMG they can run fast!!! Yours is adorable and much loved as I can feel by your comments...you brought back memories re threading a needle for mum and as I am tall and she was short, reaching up to help her get things all the time, I still carry that service if I see anyone short trying to reach at a supermarket it helps them and reminds me of simple things that I used to do for my mum. Just live love and enjoy life while we have it I say, I am a positive person 98% of the time I think that helps, I don't think negativity helps anyone so may as well see the positive, I have loved this thread and know that so many of us connect in spirit, it's awesome!!