So it is Sunday and as is customary, we crank up the volume of the music and make a half-hearted attempt to straighten up our place. Half-hearted – because it is so very warm already and any activity after 7.30 am is quite lethargically approached.
Still, last Sunday, we overcame the procrastination and headed down to our garage – we live on the 2nd floor and have our garage in the basement. I wanted to air the place and also see what I could give away. My policy is – if we haven’t seen it for 6 months, it is out of sight, out of our lives.
The place was dusty and messy, what with all the repair work going on in various apartments – and the convenient mesh at the top of our shutter that lets in a whole lot of stuff along with light and air.
Once we rolled up the shutter, I felt a twinge of sadness to see the empty space where my beloved scooter should have been and toed the little spot with the oil stain. Then we got on with what we had come to do.
I wanted to put together a bag of books and jigsaw puzzles for a friend’s 10 year old son whose summer vacation has just begun, so I went about looking for the cartons of books. Big mistake starting with books, especially in a garage with loads of stuff. Why, you ask? I refuse to answer.
Be that as it may, I found a treasure trove of comics that I grew up reading. Phantom, Mandrake, Disney… and felt very pepped up thinking of the happy hours ahead.
Then I found these. So cute. I know, bad photo – cellphone, bad lighting.
We put aside bags of stuff to give away, and were happy we had our apartment helpers come by to take them right away.
Pleased with a good morning’s work, we came back home for some welcome cups of coffee!
Stoked by the chat with one of our apartment staff workers, I cleared out a couple of shelves in one of our cupboards to find some clothes for her daughter and grandchildren. I found this! It even has a bow-tie and a fake handkerchief peeking out of the breast pocket. I have fond memories of a 5-year old Vidur in it. I thought I’d take a pic of it before I gave it away!
The best thing about summer is the walks every day, the pleasant evening and enjoying nature.
The lake and the birds enjoying themselves.
The hallowed ground we walk on, strewn with mauve flowers.
To celebrate, I made an Eggless banana chocolate cake with raisins and sunflower seeds.
And thus was a happy weekend spent.
Truly it is the little things that bring the greatest joy. Probably because they fill our day.
I am joining Unknown Mami Claudya for Sundays in my city, a lovely bloghop that sponsors world travel from our keyboard.
Happy Easter, dear friends!
Day 5 – Ultimate Blog Challenge
8 comments
Ooh! I’m so glad I checked back today. How lovely that you found new homes for unneeded articles. Very inspiring, and awesome photos.
Darla M Sands recently posted…D is for Drabbles – Exercises in Writing
😀 Thanks Darla. I set myself a deadline – April 15 – to give away a lot of things. And as usual, as the D-day draws near, my motivation is higher 🙂 April 15 is my Mom’s birthday.
So happy you came by!
Vidya Sury recently posted…My Watch Fetish
Vidya, I am envious because I have to get down to a lot of cleaning and sorting. Need to get it done. The comics made me nostalgic. My dad used to bring home Phantom comics and my sister and I would fight over who got to read it first.
Vidya, I am envious because I have to get round to cleaning and sorting. The comics made me real nostalgic. My dad used to bring home Phantom comics and my sister and I would fight over who got to read first
Lata, I not only had people at home fighting over books, but neighbors as well. Sigh. About the cleaning? The more I do, the worse it gets. I am just fantasizing about a day when magically things will sort themselves out. Yesterday, at the doctor’s I was reading a Reader’s Digest Issue from Feb 2014 that had an article titled “Smart neighborhood and smart home” I yearn for something like that – self making beds, teeth that remember dentists’ appointments. 😀
Vidya Sury recently posted…Dream
Vidya – doesn’t it feel wonderful to help someone else along while cleaning out? I had so many books, had to decide the ebooks (Kindle etc) would be my repository and anything I wasn’t certain I would re-read within 5 years went out the door. I need to do another purge – they can take up so much room (and for an English major, getting rid of books is a really big deal – luckily our libraries will collect used books so we can always feel they’ll be put to good use). It is so vibrant and lush where you live – love the flower pics 🙂
Maggie recently posted…Hummingbirds are Hanging Out
Oh it does, Maggie! (missed you!). Best part of giving is – the motivation from the experience to keep on doing it. I am having a wonderful time purging. About books – hmmmm. Whole new story. My Mom was a Litt grad and I have 2-3 trunks full of them. I am waiting for my son to feel happy to let go of them after he’s read them. Reuse is always a wonderful feeling! I am heading over to see the hummingbirds! Love to you!
Vidya Sury recently posted…Little Things Bring Great Joy
Great photos! Looks like you had fun digging through old memories and passing along things that can help someone else.